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.
With a redesigned user interface, new amps, new effects, and new machine learning technology to model state-of-the-art hardware makes Native Instruments first major update to the software since 2011 an intriguing proposition.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.
Guitar Rig 6 is a complete audio processing workstation, and it can function as a shop floor for all your audio tinkering, even if turning dry, DI guitar signals into stadium-ready amp tones is still its sweet spot.
A plugin (also available as a standalone application) with this kind of multi-effects processing ability is far more than just the preserve of bedroom guitar players noodling into audio interfaces. In 2021 though, Guitar Rig 6 is a slick, multi-faceted amp and effects modeling software package that brings NIs’ amp simulation software back to centre stage, and puts a whole host of creative possibilities at your fingertips. Catch up they did, however, and in the nine years since Guitar Rig 5 was released, it slowly became less relevant to guitarists and producers. Sure, the user interface was a little clunky, but at the time of its release there was noone better at doing what it did, and it took a while for competitors to catch up.
Guitar Rig 5, released in 2011, quickly became a market leader in the amp-modeling game, and a go-to when it came to software-based multi-effects processing.