Anyone used Guitar Rig ?

[shanghai_g]

I recently got version 1 and am seriously impressed. Before I was using POD version 2 and found it okay for home recording but this software is of vastly superior sound quality.I use it as plug-in and it works brilliantly, especially for effects like tremelo and delay cos they are automatically synch'd to the track tempo.

I'm currently working on a tune that is in the style of 50's rock'n'roll a la Sun Studios and the slap-back echo is just perfect !

[Brian blaut]

I did give the demo version a healthy try (version 1). I was also very impressed. I imagine version 2 is great. But I just can't pay that kind of money for software. I guess if I spend $$$ on an outboard system like the Vox Tonelab, 10 years from now I'll actually have a (hopefully) working piece of hardware. Within 5 years I can imagine any software I currently use will be absolete, and will no longer work on the ever evolving new operating systems. But then again, I'm not that serious about homerecording, just a hobbyist.

I did have Amplitube 1. It was fun to use and great to record with, but like I said, now, its useless as I've changed operating systems. That and my Tonelab smokes it in tone :)

[GhostofJohnToad]

I "tried" it as well but had issues with getting it to sound right with my recording software Cubase. The Guitar Rig somehow effected my drum tracks on other tracks by adding noise to them. Could never get it off. Kinda weird. Could never get it to work right. Glad I was only demo'ing it, cause I would have hated to spend the coin and find out it didn't work the way I wanted it to. It's great for just playing through. A lot of fun stuff.

[StuH]

I have the software edition (Guitar Rig 2.2 software ed.) that was released about two months ago. I'm really pleased with it, great sound especially in "high res" mode. The modulated synth effects really blow my mind. I'm also very impressed with DSound GT Player. I use this as much as Guitar Rig.

[semitone]

I'm just a dabbler here, but I've played around with Guitar Rig 2.

Cons: Guitar Rig requires a lot of tweaking to sound good. For one thing, each effect has a gain control; constant policing of levels is needed to avoid clipping. Also, it's a memory and CPU hog. In addition, it blurps and blats at odd times, probably because my computer has a 1.9 MHz speed and less than 1 GB RAM. Some of the effects and amp models hum. Some of the amp models and most of the presets are lackluster in my opinion. Of course, that makes Guitar Rig no different from all other modelers I've ever heard.

Pros: The program really tries (and often succeeds) to duplicate the experience of a miked-up guitar amp in a studio. Mic placement yields either astonishing (or astonshingly bad) sound, and really evokes the Zen aspects of microphone use. The order of stompboxes and effects varies the sound as one would expect. Puttering around with voltage, sag, bias and other settings is a blast.

I think Guitar Rig is a useful tool that tries to cover too many bases. It costs a bundle, too. The few minutes I've listened to the demo of DSound GT Player which StuH mentions convinces me we'll see lots of modeling products duking it out soon. The DSound sounds great and at the price of a single stompbox.

I feel the state of the modeling art right now is useful but limited. Gorgeous clean sounds are avaiable for next to nothing nowadays. However, using a lot of the good modelers of all sorts out there (Tonelab, Cyber Twin, Variax, Amplitube) only reveals (to me) what a complex instrument an overdriven guitar amp really is. I've yet to hear any modeler that satisfies like the rich sound of a real cranked half stack!

[Skully]

Some of the effects and amp models hum.

I've noticed this, too.

[Big John]

Originally Posted by SEMITONE

Some of the effects and amp models hum.

Originally Posted by Skully

I've noticed this, too.

Maybe i've got this wrong but aren't they supposed to hum, like the real ones ?
FWIW i tried the demo of V2 and found some of the tones real good but some a bit lame and i found the whole 'set up' routine a bit time consuming, i want to be recording , not tweaking endlessly.
YMMV of course.

[semitone]

Originally Posted by Big John

Maybe i've got this wrong but aren't they supposed to hum, like the real ones ?

Excellent point, Big John. I'll have to light a Lonsdale and think about this.

[Big John]

Originally Posted by semitone

Excellent point, Big John. I'll have to light a Lonsdale and think about this.

Darn it !!, i'm still getting over a 'life and death' bout of pneumonia so definitely WON'T be lighting anything other then the midnight oil from now on !!, oh i miss it though ................
Anyway, yeah, i'm sure they are meant to do that and you can solve it the same way you would with the real amp, turning knobs, mic placement etc, sounds a bit like 'overkill' to me but the AC30 sounded quite noisy to me but it WAS a great take on a Vox sound.
Don't drop your Zippo now (I sampled mine !)

[Guitar Louie]

all those plug ins sound good until your right in the middle of production and the stuff cuts out and crashes. unless you have a G5 mac with 4 gigs of ram you should always opt for a hardware solution if you expect to have things go smooth. I have owned or tried more software than i care to admit and most of it does not work. I didn't want to have to mike my cabs and use pedals but if you want to sound like a pro you end up having to.

[StuH]

lol

[Guitar Louie]

back at ya yukon

[StuH]

Sorry Louie I was just chuckling with delight knowing that there might be a slight possibility my AMD 64-3800 with 1 gig ram running Win XP is actually be a G5 with 5 gigs of ram in disguise. Would explain why my setup has been so stable running all my plugins with no trouble.

[Big John]

Originally Posted by StuH

Sorry Louie I was just chuckling with delight knowing that there might be a slight possibility my AMD 64-3800 with 1 gig ram running Win XP is actually be a G5 with 5 gigs of ram in disguise. Would explain why my setup has been so stable running all my plugins with no trouble.

Uh oh !, asbestos underpants anyone ?

StuH you anywhere near Whitehorse ?

[StuH]

About 2 hours north Big John.
PS Couldn't help it!