The initial version of Guitar Rig offered three tube amplifier emulations plus more than 20 effects including models of some well-known hardware pedals plus studio-style effects such as delay, reverb and EQ. The rack includes a very accurate guitar tuner and a metronome that can lock to MIDI Clock or the host sequencer tempo.Īs of version 1.1, four amp modules are available: Instant Gratifier, Plexi, Twang Reverb and AC Box.Īs you might imagine, the processing modules include emulations of classic and modern amplifiers, cabinets, microphones and effects, with the promise of more to be added in future revisions. Those who like to create stereo effects will find split modules for parallel signal routing and there are also two virtual tape decks, one optimised for playing audio that you might want to play along to, such as backing tracks, while the second allows you to record your playing and also to overdub additional parts.

Essentially you pick the amps, speaker cabinets and effects you want to use and then drop them into the rack, where the signal always flows from the top unit to the bottom. The software amp modelling element of Guitar Rig is similar to many existing products except that the designers have tried to make it more user-friendly by using a drag-and-drop virtual rack interface that looks not unlike a guitar player's version of Reason.

Though Guitar Rig will work with MME drivers, it is not recommended due to the high latencies these introduce. When used as a plug-in, Guitar Rig is inserted into the signal path as an effect, not as a software instrument, and obviously you need to adjust your audio driver settings for minimum latency in order to be able to play guitar parts comfortably. Authorisation is via a challenge and response code handled by the NI web site or by mail, and the software will run for 30 days prior to authorisation.

Guitar Rig can run as a stand-alone application, which conjures up visions of a tatooed biker metal guitarist with an iBook perched on top of his stack, or it can work as a plug-in within host software that supports DXi, VST 2.0, AU or RTAS. PC users will need at least a 700MHz Pentium or a 1.33GHz Athlon XP machine to run Guitar Rig under Windows XP, while Mac users can run it under OS 9 or OS X on anything faster than a G3 800MHz machine. The market for software that emulates guitar amplifiers is pretty crowded these days, but Native Instruments have found a new angle with a modular program that comes with a dedicated hardware controller and interface.Īvailable for both Mac and PC, Guitar Rig takes the now-familiar concept of amplifier and effect modelling and delivers it in the form of a hybrid hardware/software package, where the hardware acts as preamp/impedance matcher and floor controller, while the software provides the necessary modelling and graphical user interface.

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