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REVIEWS > GUITAR RIG FMCD TRACK 01oo

IF THERE’S ONE company thatembodies the concept of software gen-erated sound, innovation and stabilityit’s Native Instruments. So when NIannounces the creation of a guitaramplifier modelling tool completewith a hardware (yes, hardware) controller/interface – the immediateresponse is to pick up the phone andstart blathering to anyone who’ll listenin an attempt to get ones greasy littlemitts on the thing.

It’s such a juicy prospect, because Ithink NI are the so-called bollocks of thedog when it comes to getting a clear, fatsound out of a computer, and theprospect of NI’s quality control beingapplied to the world of amp modellingis a bit like knowing the Swiss are ontheir way round to sort your plumbingout, and that you’ll have high pressure,hot water and no leaks for all eternity!

The concept…The full Guitar Rig comprises the soft-ware and the Rig Kontrol foot-pedal.Patches can be created by adding mod-ules to a virtual rack, which form thesignal path for the guitar. There are dif-ferent amp types, effects, splitters and anaughty cab emulator where classiccabs can be modelled and bastardisedat will, and then miked up from differ-ent positions (including behind thecab) using different microphones, panpositions and even phase relationships.

The Rig Kontrol hardware also actsas a DI box to ensure your guitar signalarrives at your soundcard at the correctlevel, to ensure a crisp and full-bodiedresult, and the control signals are trans-mitted without any MIDI or USB non-sense to worry about.

The inclusion of a tuner, output lim-iter and two virtual ‘tape decks’ with

JUMPING ON THE BANDWAGON OR BUILDING THESUPERHIGHWAY TO GUITAR HEAVEN? STEVEEVANS POWERS DOWN THE AMPS, PUTS AWAYTHE PATCH CORDS AND PLUGS INTO THE ULTIMATE GUITAR RIG – NI STYLEE…

NATIVE INSTRUMENTS GUITAR RIGoo FMCD TRACK 01

£349INFONative InstrumentsGuitar RigComprehensive guitarsoft /hardware

Software components:Amp Models: 3Plexi, Twang Reverb andInstant Gratifier

Cab Models: 14With up to eight availablesimultaneously

Distortion: 2Skreamer, Distortion

Mod: 6Tremolo, Stoned Phaser,Chorus+Flanger, Ensem-ble, Rotator, Oktaver

Filter: 5Wah Wah, Talk Wah, EQShelving, Parametric,Graphic

Volume: 4Volume Pedal, Limiter,Noise Gate, Tube Compressor

Other: 4Split (creates parallel sig-nal paths), Quad Delay,Spring Reverb, StudioReverb

INFO (cont.)

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FMCD TRACK 01 GUITAR RIG < REVIEWSoo

time and pitch controls for practice,recording and ping-pong over-dubbingare the cherries on this big and verytasty looking cake.

The rig can be used as a standaloneprogram or as a plug-in in yourfavourite working environment, andreally does offer a comprehensive andvery well though out way of recreatingthe business of getting a guitar sound,but keeping it simple, recallable and(due to it’s modular open architecture)updateable too.

How does it lookThe Guitar Rig interface is a bit likeyour brain, in that it has a very definitesplit up the middle. The logical lefthand side deals with the sensible busi-ness of managing presets, componentsand preferences, the right hand side isthe creative bit and contains the virtualrack where the modules are placed andwhere the tweaking and sonic experi-ments occur.

The modules are dragged from their‘reservoir’ on the left, and dropped intoplace on the right; a thick red lineshows which modules the new modulewill land between to make this processa bit easier. This is the fun looking bitof the rig. The modules are careful notto infringe on iffy trademark or copy-right territory, but the graphics, colours,fonts and funny names leave you in nodoubt as to the inspiration behind themodules – and can I just say that anyconclusions drawn by this reviewer inrespect to this, are purely the reviewer’sown opinion and in no way a reflec-tion of the opinions and/or intentionsof Native Instruments or Future Pub-lishing… lovely!

It’s the modules that form the nutsand bolts of Guitar Rig, so let’s pile inand have a detailed look at them all.

Amp it up…Each of these amp modules has asecret bottom panel that can beexpanded by clicking on a little ‘+’ but-ton on the right. This panel containsthe Expert Mode controls, which faith-fully model the idiosyncratic behav-iour of old valve amps that make thesound that people love so much. Theseare the real nuts and bolts of valve cir-cuitry. There are five expert controlson each amp:

‘Variac’ mimics a variable AC powersupply to the amp. ‘Power Supply’chooses between a virtual AC powersupply frequency of either 50 and60Hz. When you boost the virtualpower with the Variac controlwith the power at 50Hz, the ripple>

THE AMPS

PLEXIThis module is modelled on the ‘68 Marshall (Plexi) Super Lead. There was no mas-ter volume so the amp had to be fully cranked to get the definitive rock guitarsound of the late sixties and seventies. This was the same amp Hendrix used andalso the same model that was apparently responsible for Van Halen’s ‘Brown’ sound,where the amp was either under or over powered (no-one ever seems to agreewhich) with a variable AC (variac) supply. Sneaky! Use Plexi with a distortion pedalfor your ‘Classic’ rock tones.

INSTANT GRATIFIERThe beautifully rendered Instant Gratifier amp is clearly an affectionate nod toMesa Boogie’s classic multi configuration tube amps the Dual and Triple Rectifiers.This is the model with a gain/master volume arrangement, and is capable of themost ‘gainy’ modern Nu-Metal type sounds, but is by no means limited to that.There are four channels: Clean, Raw, Vintage and Modern, the last being the filthi-est – think Blink, Limp Bizkit…

TWANG REVERBThis one seems like a bit of a mix of a Fender Deluxe Reverb and a Twin Reverb, theclassic ‘blackface’ workhorse of the mid sixties. The Deluxe remains a firm favouriteof country players and bluesers alike (who often use one alongside a more modernamp through a 4x12 perhaps). Crank this up with a bit of trem for that Twin Peaksgoes surfing kind of sound.

Presets:Guitar Rig comes withseveral banks of 128 pre-set guitar tones andeffect patches, and hasthe capability to lookafter over two millionpresets if required!

Rig Kontrol

Controllers:4 footswitches, 1 rockerpedal (control is over adedicated audio channel)

Inputs:2 x 1/4” jack unbalancedmono (high impedance)

Outputs2 x 1/4” jack unbalancedmono (low impedance)

Power:9V battery or externalpower supply(DC 7.5 – 24V eitherpolarity, 20mA or more)(AC 6V – 18V, 20 mA or more)

Dimensions:303 x 211 x 60mm

Weight1.9kg

Authorisation:Challenge/ response(The registration toolgenerates a unique hard-ware ID. This isemailed/posted to NIwith the serial numberand the authoriser codeis returned)

INFO (cont.)

oo FMCD TRACK 01On the CD you’ll hear a range of examplesounds showing the versatility of this software

FMU151.g_grig 21/6/2004 1:35 PM Page 29

modulation that would occur ina real valve amp also occurs here.

‘Sag’ is what happens when thepower supply can’t quite keep up withwhat you’re asking of it. When you playa loud signal the supply voltage – well– sags. This control can enhance oreradicate this anomaly.

‘Response’ also affects how quicklythe amp responds to playing dynamics,but this time by altering the efficiencyof the power supply’s capacitors.

‘Bias’ controls what’s called the gridbias for the virtual valves. It can be usedto alter tone but it can also be used tosimulate the sound of older valves.

This is the most detail I’ve ever seenin an amp modeller, and as well asbeing able to make some truly lovelyvalve tones, it’s equally easy to set it allwrong and create the worst amp in theworld! Fortunately each amp modelhas a few in-built presets to put you onthe right track from the off.

Toys, Toys, Toys!Of course its not just about amps andcabs. Most guitarists will attempt to cre-ate a pedal board resembling an archi-tect’s model of a small housing estate,but with all those pedals come patchleads and power supplies, and you cansoon render a perfectly good guitarsound into a hissy, dirge-like mush.Guitar Rig comes with a hefty arsenalof toys that, like the amps, can bedragged from the toybox on theleft into the rack.

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REVIEWS > GUITAR RIG FMCD TRACK 01oo

CABS, MICROPHONE POSITIONING AND PHASE.

Having seen the detail in the amp modelling it came as no surprise to see an equalamount of care has gone into the simulation of the all important cabinet and micro-phone scheme. Amps are nothing without cabs, and cabs are nothing without micro-phones if you’re recording so it’s good to see the amount of flexibility that existswithin this one module.

You can call up a limit of eight cabs in one go if you like. For each cab you sum-mon up you will get three windows, the first of which shows a picture of the cab.The cabs are easily scrolled through using the up and down buttons beside the win-dow. There’s also a slider beneath the window where the cab can be enlarged up to40% or reduced down by 30%, so a humble 1x12” cab could become a 1x9” or 1x17”if the mood takes you.

The next window along shows a pictorial representation of the virtual mic posi-tion. The five available positions are On Axis, Off Axis, Edge, Far and Back (that isnot available on the closed back cab emulations obviously). Next window alongshows a picture of the mic, which could be one of three dynamics including a ShureSM57 and a Sennheisser MD 421, as well as a Neumann U87 condenser and a Neu-mann Bottle tube condenser.

Once you have your basic cab and mic position set up, you can further perfect thearrangement with the six controls on the right.

Volume, Bass, Treble and Pan speak for themselves. Air introduces early reflec-tions into the signal and Distance (which only comes into play when there is morethan one mic present) delays the signal, thus causing phase-based frequency anom-alies between the mics. A reverse phase button is present for each mic so you havea pretty accurate replica of a real multi cab/multi mic array with all the flexibilityand tonal control that goes with it.

A master volume for the whole cabinet module controls the output to any postprocessing or the master output module.

< “This is the most detail I’ve ever seen in an amp modeller. As well

as being able to make some truly lovely valve tones, it’s equally

easy to set it all wrong, and create the worst amp in the world!” >

System requirements:Windows XP:Pentium with 700MHz orAthlon with 1GHzprocessors, 256Mb RAMMac OSX 10.2.6 (andOS9) G3 800MHz orfaster, 256Mb RAM(64Mb RAM) Audio inter-face compatible withCoreAudio or ASIO,CoreMIDI interface (forstandalone version)

Windows compatibility:Standalone: ASIO 2.0,Direct Sound, MME

Plug-in: VST2.0, Cake-walk DXi, RTAS

Mac compatibility:Standalone: CoreAudioPlug-in: VST 2.0, AudioUnits, RTAS face compati-ble with CoreAudio orASIO, CoreMIDI interface(for standalone version)

Windows compatibility:Standalone: ASIO 2.0,Direct Sound, MME

Plug-in: VST2.0, Cakewalk DXi,RTAS

Mac compatibility:Standalone: CoreAudio

Plug-in: VST 2.0, Audio Units,RTAS

>

>Amps are nothing without cabs, and cabs are

nothing without microphones

>

The completepackage…

>

FMU151.g_grig 21/6/2004 1:35 PM Page 30

CHORUS+FLANGER This is a re-creation of a TC Electronicchorus effect, renowned for itsstrength and clarity, but again it’s beentweaked to provide some hefty flangeand pitch modulation effects. Like theStoned Phaser, it can also be sync’d upto the house tempo, and this particu-lar module has a Stereo function thatcreates an out-of-phase super-widesound that would disappear if youheard it in mono.

ENSEMBLEEnsemble is a variation on the chorustheme but is a little deeper sounding.Ensemble will also produce a very use-able pitch modulation or vibrato forsome very pure and gentle ‘un-gim-micky’ effects.

ROTATORIt’s no surprise that the rotary speakeremulation module is so comprehen-sive, after all NI make arguably the bestHammond/Leslie emulator there is –the legendary B4.

Here we can customise both the bassrotor and the treble horn, with inde-pendent high and low speed and accel-eration rate controls, plus a stereospreader. The Rotator also has its owncabinet emulator so it can workinstead of/in conjunction with thecab/mic module.

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REVIEWS > GUITAR RIG FMCD TRACK 01oo

MODULATORS

TREMOLOTremolo gives you volume modulation.When you call up Guitar rig as a plug-in there’s an option to sync the LFO(low frequency oscillator) to the mastertempo of the sequencer, while in stand-alone mode it can by sunk to themetronome. Intensity varies from noth-ing to on and off, and the speed fromone cycle every three and a half sec-onds to helicopter style drrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

In Stereo Pan mode the volumeswells alternatively on the left and rightchannels. Further LFO waveshaping canbe accomplished with the Expert con-trols, Width, Up and Down.

STONED PHASERThis module is based on the ‘70s Elec-tro Harmonix Small Stone phaser, buthas a fair whack of extra functionalityto bring it up to date. An added Colourcontrol changes the timbre of thephaser according to the ColourStrength control, and it’s also possibleto invert the phase of the delayed sig-nal and the number of notches in thephase shifter. The Rotate control alsocreates a stereo effect by altering thespeed of the LFO to the left and right channels.

SOUND MODELLING

The massive recent surge in computer audio processing hasoffered little excitement to guitar players other than in the fieldof digital multi- tracking and the software-based digital-audioworkstation. They still relied on a decent amp and cab assem-bly to create their sounds. The early digital processors werequite good at delay-based effects like delay, chorus and flange,but the attempts at creating a realistic analogue distortionwere thin, fizzy and generally awful.

Modelling was a way of digitally analysing the effect theseanalogue components had on a defined test signal, and creat-ing algorithms to reproduce the same response in any othersignal. The same processes are used to predict complex naturalphenomena like turbulence and weather systems, and are nowresponsible for our weather forecasts and long-term climatechange ideas.

In terms of music technology this approach led to compo-nent modelling where each link in the chain was analysed andmodelled, and consequently complex virtual analogue systemscould be recreated that behaved in a very similar way to theoriginal gear, warts and all.

As a result there are now many digital emulations that actu-ally outperform the analogue originals and the die-hard ana-logue heads steer clear mainly out of superstition!

DISTORTIONS

SKREAMERThe first of two available distortionunits is the Skreamer, which I suspect ismodelled after the classic Ibanez TubeScreamer stomp box (the early ‘80sTS808 being the most coveted). Volume,Tone and Drive speak for themselvesand provide a warm saturated soundbeloved of the grunge or blues player.

Again there are some Expert func-tions. Bass and Bright are self explana-tory, and Clean adds some of theun-effected sound back into the mix,which is really useful for fine tuningthe clarity of certain parts – really good thinking.

DISTORTIONA tribute to a humble Boss DS-1 stompbox, this is the more ‘Metal’ of the twodistortions on offer. It’s much harsherthan the Skreamer and is there for yourwiddly guitar solos and lo-fi/old skoolpunk riffs. The Expert section has Bass,Mid and Treble controls for more flexi-ble shaping.

The gizmos are presented in fivecategories: Distort, Mod, Filter, Vol-

ume and Other (very inspiring – thisturns out to mean delay-based effectsand the splitter tool).

>

>

Skreamer>

Distortion>

Tremolo>

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OKTAVERThe unmistakeable ‘how much morebrown could it be?’ finish coupled withOktaver’s white lettering marks it out asa thinly disguised Boss OC-2 Octaveremulation. This model has main con-trols for the Direct, Oct 1 and Oct 2 lev-els, but strides ahead of the original byincluding independent cut-off fre-quency and resonance controls for bothsynthesised Octaves. As long as you playone note at a time the tracking is bril-liant and the tone is as fat and round asthe Southern Hemisphere. Possibly themost fun module in the rack.

WAHWAH PEDALFor anyone born in the last fourteenseconds, a wah-wah sweeps a resonant

peak over a frequency range with theresulting onomatopoeic monica.

This particular wah-wah is probablyone of the most tuneable I’ve used. Allthe useful stuff is in the Expert section.Here you can select whether you use alow-pass, band-pass or high-pass filterand also mix some dry signal back in.The groovy bit is being able to set thefrequency, resonance and volume ofthe effect for the minimum, midpointand maximum travel of the pedal. Thismeans you can create exactly the rightkind of wah for your needs.

TALKWAHYou may have seen pictures of longhaired guitarists getting into the groove

while seemingly having their stomachspumped, if not you’ve almost certainlyheard the intro to Bon Jovi’s Livin’ On APrayer. One of the guitarists was proba-bly Peter Frampton and he was playinghis guitar through a TalkBox, a littledevice that plays the guitar soundthrough a little speaker, up a tubeinto the ‘oral cavity’, where the

‘talker’ makes the sound resonate by –er – talking, and the whole appallingmess is then picked up by a vocal mic.If you’re very lucky you end up with theintro to Bon Jovi’s Livin’ On A Prayer!

This isn’t the most impressive mod-ule (in fact the best talk box emulatorI’ve come across is on Korgs’ AX10Gwhich is reviewed on page 52).

EQ SHELVING This is a no frills shelving EQ for gen-eral sound shaping duties. A high and

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REVIEWS > GUITAR RIG FMCD TRACK 01oo

PLUG-IN OR STANDALONE?

Guitar Rig will run as a standalone application and will access your audio hardwareoutside of any host DAW program. A preference box will ask which interface, whatsample rate and which output device, and a slider is available to alter the latency.

Obviously the lower the latency the more work the CPU must do, and if you ask toomuch there will be snap, crackle, pop and eventually nothing, so you need to com-promise. I was running a Macintosh G4 867DP and had a latency of 6ms using aMOTU 896 interface and had no problems at all (you have to remember to switch offany direct monitoring where the input signal is fed straight to the output for latencyfree monitoring though).

The software operates equally well as a plug-in within your DAW as an insert on an audio track. In this environment you get the added benefit of being able to automate any of the parameters throughout the song, and full recall of anysession settings.

At present Cubase, Nuendo, Logic 5 and 6, Sonar, Pro Tools 6for OSX, LE and Freeare all supported with both RTAS and HTDM versions for Pro Tools.

low frequency cut/boost will help con-trol boom and sparkle.

EQ PARAMETRICFor pinpoint accuracy we have the para-metric, which is capable of some veryprecise cutting and boosting, as eachband has a variable bandwidth or ‘Q’.

As with the shelving, there are onlytwo bands, however, more complex EQ needs could easily be met by usinga shelving followed by a parametric perhaps.

>

>

Stoned phaser>

Chorus and flanger>

Ensemble>

Oktaver>

Talkwah>

FMU151.g_grig 21/6/2004 1:35 PM Page 34

effect (try the Baby Talk preset if youget chance), but when you get the hangof it you realise that this is a flexibledelay, and several working togethercould be bonkers.

SPRING REVERBSpring Reverb is an emulation of justthat, except that it’s capable of creatingsome massive springs. With everythingmaxed out I was still hearing reverbafter twenty seconds of playing a note,and it’s a natural sound all the way.

The manual points out that with avirtual spring there’s no hiss and hum,but it almost sounds weird without it!Can we have a hiss and hum genera-tor, please?!

STUDIO REVERBThis is the posh reverb for your finish-ing touches. Time, Bright and Mix arethe main controls. The Expert sectionhas high and low damping and a Pre-Delay.

This is a pretty good reverb but it’s ashame they couldn’t include animpulse sampling delay (like AudioEase Altiverb or Emagic Space Designer)for maximum realism, mind you, Iimagine that would probably bring mypoor CPU to its knees!

SPLITRight here is one of the most powerfulmodules in the rig. The Split module

EQ GRAPHICQuite a precise shape can be createdwith the graphic, which uses eightband-pass filters to shape the tone. Allof these EQs work well and are fairlyuninspiring on their own, but whenyou start using them before and aftereffects, they can dramatically alter thebehaviour of all the other modules andbecome powerful tools.

QUAD DELAYQuad delay is so named because itemploys four taps to ping your soundright back at you. In the Expert section,you’ll find controls for Diffusion andSync, and between the two of theseit’s possible to achieve anything fromsimple clear delay to an almost ambi-ence like early reflection. The delayscan be modulated to quite hideous

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REVIEWS > GUITAR RIG FMCD TRACK 01oo

DYNAMICS

DELAYS AND REVERBS

< “All of these EQs are fairly uninspiring on their own, but when

you start using them before and after effects, they can dramati-

cally alter the behaviour of all the other modules” >

IMPEDANCE

This is a little understood aspect of electronics, certainly to most guitarists, who normally think that if theycan find an adapter to turn their 1/4” jack into whatever connecter they need then they should have no problem – wrong!

One of the reasons why plugging your guitar straight into a line input on your soundcard often sounds ponyis that not only is the level wrong (usually too low), but there is also an impedance mismatch. Impedance is a bitlike resistance but takes some other esoteric qualities like reactance and capacitance into account.

Guitars have a high impedance output and guitar amps have a high impedance input, which means that youdon’t need a lot of drive current to make the sensitive valves and FETs work. Line level inputs are low imped-ance, which means you need a strong drive current to prevent the signal from disintegrating under the stress ofdriving the circuitry.

This is why you sometimes end up with a weak and noisy signal from a perfectly good guitar by the timeyou’ve boosted the signal to a suitable level.

The Rig Kontrol acts as a DI box and boosts the guitar signal to a high level, low impedance signal that’s per-fectly matched to the line input of your audio interface. The result is a clear, strong and noiseless guitar sound.

VOLUME PEDALLike the Wah-wah, the Volume Pedalmodule is essentially very simple, buthas the facility for customising thecurve, so the sound doesn’t go com-pletely at the minimum pedal setting,and so the level at the mid point is rightfor what you need at the time. This isuseful for times when a compressormay be next in the chain for example.

LIMITERA limiter is just what you need whenyou are using extreme resonance orfeedback effects. Sometimes a particu-lar frequency will jump out at you, anda limiter like this will simply prevent itfrom getting too loud and distortingthe next module’s input.

Noise Gate Although there is a basic noise gate builtin to Guitar Rig’s input module, thismore flexible one is provided for use

after modules that may generateunwanted noise later on down the line.Its Hold, Attack, and Release controlsshould help make the gate ‘invisible’,and NI’s useful Learn function is a quickway of automatically setting the thresh-old just above the residual noise floor.

TUBE COMPRESSORThis is a good all-round compressorwith some real muscle there if needed.The attack and release times are fast,but they don’t sound fast like somecompressors you might use for a stratstyle funk rhythm track, say. It’s a goodcharacter compressor though, withcontrol over the ‘knee’ (how viciouslythe compressor kicks in when the sig-nal crosses the threshold).

The Saturation control in the Expertsection is a real bonus and adds somewarmth to the sound (in fact it’s down-right dirty if you crank it). It’s reallygood for fattening up a bass guitar andreminds me of the sound of driving mySummit TLA-1 tube compressor.

>

Quad delay >

Spring reverb>

Studio reverb >

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gate with an adjustable threshold and aLearn button to auto set the thresholdare on the right. The rest of the controlsare to do with the Rig Kontrol foot-pedal, so we’ll look at them later.

The Output module has a PresetVolume that is saved with a patch anda Master Volume that controls thewhole output level to the next link inyour chain. A basic limiter sits acrossthe outputs with a red LED to indicateany activity.

TUNERA tuner module has sensibly been sup-plied so you don’t need any extra pedalcomplications on the way in to yoursoundcard. It works in either cent orstrobe mode and has presets for Bass,open tunings in D, E, G and A, andDADGAD, as well as standard guitar.

The tuner can be tuned 15Hz ineither direction and a handy Drop Tun-ing function is included for you C#merchants. There’s a reference tonegenerator if you need one too.

METRONOMEAs well as providing a tempo referencethe metronome also acts as the mastertiming reference for the sync’ableaspects of the effects modules. It will of course sync to the master clock of a session in which Guitar Rig is used as a plug-in.

There are about twenty differenttime signatures to choose from, includ-ing two different feels for 5/4, 7/4, 9/4,5/8 and 7/8, so any budding Bartoksout there should be very happy!

FMCD TRACK 01 GUITAR RIG < REVIEWSoo

creates parallel signal paths that caninclude whatever modules you wish(including other splits!) and brings thesplit signals back together to be bal-anced with a cross-fader.

To use the split you simply dragmodules between the Split A and SplitB modules for one signal path, andbetween the Split B and Split Mix mod-ules for the second signal path.

I’ve made a very basic patch wherethe signal is split into two, half going tothe Gratifier amp and the other halfgoing to the Plexi.

The sound from each split is thenpanned hard left and right at the SplitMix module to create a stereo soundwith an entirely different amps/ cabsetup on either side.

Imagine the scenarios with splitswithin splits and the crossfades for thevarious Split Mix modules being auto-mated within your sequencer… awe-some potential for mind bendingsound morphing action, I think!

You can add what you like from theabove list of toys, but whatever you dothere are six components that live inthe rack at all times. They don’t all haveto be visible but a quick tap on thecontrol centre bar at the top will snapthem into view.

INPUT + OUTPUT This is where your guitar signal entersthe Guitar Rig. A dual-channel horizon-tal virtual LED on the left shows theinput level, and as usual with all thingsdigital you want to be as hot as possi-ble without distorting.

A volume knob adjusts the incom-ing signal level and a very simple noise

< “Imagine the scenarios with splits within splits and the cross-

fades for the various Split Mix modules being automated

within your sequencer...awesome potential for mind bending

sound morphing action, I think!” >

KONTROL

There’s a Tap function, which can(like any other function) be assignedto a pedal on Rig Kontrol, and you can choose your own sounds for the metronome’s downbeat and sub beats.

TAPEDECKS 1 + 2These 16-bit audio file players andrecorders are there to help with practis-ing and recording what you playthrough Guitar Rig. Tapedeck1 hasa time-stretch engine that will

FIXED RACK COMPONENTS

>

Split >

Tuner>

As well as the Rig`Kontrol you canuse any other MIDI controller toaccess any of Guitar Rig’s parame-ters. The process is made very easyby the Learn function. The settingsyou define in the controller windowwill affect exactly what controlswhat and different controller setscan be saved for different instancese.g. live you may have foot-pedalsthat call up different presets, but inthe studio the same pedals may turnindividual modules on and off.

You define how many controllersthere are and what they do within therack and within individual presets.

Right-clicking or control-clicking onthe desired parameter control in therack brings up a little dialogue boxwith a list of controllers as definedby you. You can click on one of theseor click on Learn and move theactual controller itself. Guitar Rigwill then assign that parameter tothat controller, overriding a previousassignment.

FMU151.g_grig 21/6/2004 1:35 PM Page 37

independently alter the tempo orpitch of the file to suit your needs

(the quality can be adjusted to optimiseCPU load in Preferences).

Tapedeck 1 will also playback loops,so it’s an ideal practise tool, and thereis a bunch of audio supplied to getyou going, including instrumentalloops and some bars of drums andbass at varying pace.

Tapedeck 2 has no time-stretchingbut will record you playing along witha backing track from Tapedeck 1. Youcan then bang this file straight up todeck 1 using the purpose built buttonand repeat the process, thus creating a

multi-layered harmonic masterpiece,like Brian May an’ that.

Rig KontrolThe hardware element of Guitar Rig isthe blue foot-controller Rig Kontrol (Iknow K is a good marketing hook, butkonstantly using it does get on yourknerves after a while!).

Rig Kontrol does a great job of eradi-cating all the problems you normallyget with software amp modellersregarding the basic guitar signal thatgoes to the A-D converters.

This foot-pedal acts as a DI box andensures that the guitar signal gets to the

audio interface at line level and at thecorrect impedance (see the Impedancebox on page 36), and there are indepen-dent gain controls for both inputs – yesthere are two inputs, so you can plug ina second guitar or a stereo guitar – ifyou sacrifice the controller functions ofthe pedal. Allow me to explain.

Unlike most external controllers RigKontrol uses an audio signal instead ofa MIDI or USB signal. The audio controlsignal (which sounds like a tone thatuses different octaves for each con-troller) enters Guitar Rig alongside yourguitar tone, so the stereo input LEDs onthe Input module would show yourguitar signal on one side and a constantlevel on the other that fluctuates slightlywhen you fiddle with the pedal.

The Input module has an Auto but-ton that will detect which channel iscarrying what information and will dis-tribute it accordingly.

The rocker pedal on the board isoptical and as the control signal isaudio there is a much finer resolutionto the sweep than the 127 stepsafforded by MIDI, and so slow move-ments produce no aliasing (that annoy-ing stepping effect).

So, the two 1/4” jackplug outputs onthe back of Rig Kontrol hook up to twoinputs of your soundcard. One guitargoes into one of the 1/4” jack inputs ifyou want to use the controller. Other-wise you can use a stereo guitar like aRickenbacker or Chapman Stick

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REVIEWS > GUITAR RIG FMCD TRACK 01oo

STORAGE – BANKS, PRESETS AND TEMPLATES

Guitar Rig has an awesome recall system. A Template stores a setting for an individ-ual component within a Guitar Rig Preset. A Preset stores all the modules in yourrack along with individual module settings. A Bank contains 128 Presets. Using Gui-tar Rig’s Bank Select messages enables you to have access to 16,384 banks of 128sounds. This gives you over two million different presets if you want them!

Each module has a little drop down menu of settings. As soon as you changesomething a save, overwrite or delete option is available, and your setting will for-ever swell in that menu.

Right clicking or control clicking on any of the banks or presets will also bring upa list of sensible housekeeping options to help stay organised.

A Properties tab even allows you to store the author, instrument, tone and datemodified, as well as an info box for detailed description and a Favourite check-boxfor instant inclusion in your Favourites bank.

Using the Search function means you can enter any of these parameters and thelikely suspects will pop up. You need never lose a guitar sound again!

ALTERNATIVELYIK Multimedia Amplitube (FM128,10/9/8/9/9, £279)Both standalone Liveand plug-in versions areavailable. Amplitube fea-tures amp and cab mod-elling with basic mictypes and positions. Avirtual stomp box set-upincluded wah, delay anddistortion, and post pro-cessing includes stereodelay, reverb and para-metric EQ.www.ikmultimedia.com

Line 6 Pod XT (FM131,9/9/9/9/9, £329)The follow up to the kid-ney bean shaped Podhardware has animproved editor/ inter-face and can hook up toyour computer with aUSB cable for editing andpatch librarian purposes.Great range of amp, caband stomp box modelsplus effects – good livechoice with optional foot-pedals.www.line6.com

Line 6 Guitar Port 2(FM143, 9/10/8/8/10,£149)Software based with aUSB hardware dongle,Guitar Port is a greatbudget modeller with anall-round basic effectsset-up. It’s strength is it’sembedded browserwhich uses the vastresources of it’s websiteto provide backingtracks, tab, patches andall kind of info.www.line6.com

>Tapedecks>

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(remember those?), or you can plug intwo guitars and use a Split module setto Dual mode and create two entirelyseparate guitar sounds within the oneset-up and jam baby – or both playalong with a drum track and record it.

Although NI keep mentioning liveuse in the manual I have a feeling thatthe layout of the pedal could be betterfor that application. At the moment thefour foot-switches are laid out in a twoby two square with the rocker pedal onthe right. It’s hard enough hitting theright pedals when they’re all in a lineon stage in the dark, let alone whenthey’re one above the other. The exist-ing layout is okay for the studio, but amore live-friendly and flexible optionfor stage use would be awesome.

The pedal-board is powered by aseparate AC or DC adapter or by a 9Vbattery. I’ve kept mine on for three daysstraight and the battery shows no signof abating yet.

ConclusionNo doubt about it, NI have delivered abarnstormer. The detailed amp, cabi-net and microphone modelling is thebest I’ve used, and I wouldn’t hesitateto recommend it to any of the puristvalve-head nutcases that I frequentlyfind myself recording.

The effect modelling as almost asgood but there are some holes. Theinclusion of some pitch change, classicfuzzbox, envelope following and alter-

native waveform generators would putthis package right at the top of the treefor computer-based guitar tone solu-tions. This is an open system, though,and there is scope for the inclusion ofall of these in time – I wonder whetherwe will be charged? It’s a bit like this isthe core system and there could bemany treats to follow, we’ll see.

As far as stage work goes I wouldn’tuse it yet. There’s no bypass on theeffects modules and assigning a foot-switch to one of the on/off controlshas too much of a lag and clunk effectto use live in a performance, Line 6still have my vote for that side ofthings – again this and a couple ofother minor jitters will undoubtedlybe improved in future upgrades, this isversion 1.0.0 after all!

The rocker pedal is a different mat-ter though, it’s tweakability makes itthe perfect software wah and volumecontroller. The whole controller thingis easy to get to grips with and actu-ally the Guitar Rig itself is easy to findyour way around without resorting tothe manual too much.

In conclusion, I highly recommendGuitar Rig as the cleanest, smoothestsounding amp modelling softwarethere is. You couldn’t do better in thestudio environment. You’ll need apowerful computer, NI recommend aminimum 1GHz processor but it’sworth it. Right then, I’m off to dosome crap finger-tapping! FM

FMCD TRACK 01 GUITAR RIG < REVIEWSoo

LATENCY AND THE BUFFER

When you play a guitar through a computer you are always goingto get latency – the delay between you hitting a string and thesound being converted into digital information, the informationbeing processed and then reconverted back to analogue again.Even the best systems will still have one or two milliseconds butthat shouldn’t really be a problem.

NI offers a nice analogy in the manual about how computershandle audio, which is worth repeating here. Imagine you need tocreate a continuous flow of water but your hosepipe is intermit-tent. You could get round the problem by filling a bucket from thehosepipe and then slowly pouring the water from the bucket. Aslong as the bucket holds enough water and the hosepipe doesn’tstop for too long you should achieve a constant flow – right?

Although audio is continuous the computer occasionally hasto do other things, so it stops doing audio for a bit, but it hasfilled a buffer with audio that keeps playing while the computeris otherwise occupied. Assuming the buffer is big enough, andthe computer doesn’t get distracted for too long then the audiowill continue.

A small buffer means quicker delivery of audio, but the com-puter has to work fast to keep it filled, which is why you get lowerlatency with a more powerful computer.

An awesome sounding, highlydetailed amp combo with infiniteexpansion potential.

VERDICT NI GUITAR RIGBuild quality

Value for money

Ease of use

Versatility

Sound/results

< “No doubt about it, NI have delivered a barn-

stormer. The detailed amp, cabinet and micro-

phones modelling is the best I’ve used” >

NI have delivered a barnstormer>

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*STOP PRESS*Just as we were going to press anupdate appeared which takes GuitarRig up to version 1.1. Here's a quickrundown of what's changed...

NEW COMPONENTS

● "AC-Box" Amplifier

● Treble Booster

● Psychedelay

● Pitch Pedal

IMPROVEMENTS

● "Audio Engine Off" Button

● "Mute Sound" Button in the

Tuner

● Various cosmetic changes

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