PRODUCT REVIEW
RIFFWORKS
Standard Digital
Recording Software
BY CHRIS BURGESS
Like any technology, digital recording technology inevitably grows more complex as
it becomes more widely available. And as
its power and potential expand, so do the
number of options, functions and practical
applications. Finding out what you need to
know about a new gear and new uses can
become complicated, quickly and dreadful.
Take heart—the three words emblazoned on
the box containing RiffWorks digital recording software from Sonoma Wireworks are:
“Recording made fun.”
an idea, listen to it on the first pass, and lay
down another idea on the next pass. This is
great if you want to experiment or build a
sequence on the fly with different musical
parts to hear how they sound together. Or
you can try out several takes of the same
part by setting the riff to mute each successive layer as it’s recorded, then listen to
them individually when you’re done.
compatible interface device. Almost any
type will do, but there’s also an extensive
device compatibility chart on the company’s
website, sonomaworks.com. I’ve been using
Digitech’s Mbox and a Line 6 TonePort GX
with GearBox software on my MacBook Pro,
and they both work well.
It makes sense that the “quick and easy to
use” spirit that pervades the material on
the Riff Works
software would
be a selling
point to guitar
players who
just want to
use the stuff
without having to go back
to school. But
what makes
Riff Works actually fun is the
way it makes
digital recording technology
more convenient and helpful.
The interface is blissfully simple, made to
look like gear, rather than a full-blown studio on your screen. You can build an entire
song out of riffs, record right on the song
timeline or combine them.
Riff Works takes the loop-based recording process into territory useful for those
who want playing and composing to be as
immediate as possible. There’s no need for
elaborate preparation; the whole thing is
up and running, and ready to go before you
can decide which guitar to plug in.
Riff Works also
contains seven
studio effects
and some synchronized backups that can be
applied to your
input signal,
layers or riffs,
and it supports
VST and AU
plug-ins, which
makes just
about any kind
of amp modeling software
an easy fit. I’m
using Line 6’s
GearBox, but
Riff Works’ standard package
also comes with
IK Multimedia’s
Ampli Tube 2
Live.
Buy If...
you want a useful, easy (and yes,
fun) way to bring digital recording
into your playing routine
Skip If...
Skip if . . . you don’t know a thing
about digital recording
I’ve been using
it to generate
new ideas for
solos by record-
ing the chord
progressions
of songs in
my current setlist and applying some of the
licks I’ve been pilfering from other places. It
seems to be working.
Rating...
3. 5
Riff Works
MSRP $129
sonomaworks.com
The building block of the Riff Works process
is the “riff,” which is a loop that records or
plays back over and over. But instead of
re-recording every time it loops, it stores
each pass as a separate “layer” in the loop
(up to 24 layers per riff). You can lay down
Riff Works software also includes access,
through Riff World.com, to an online community for collaborating and posting songs,
providing digital recording enthusiasts with a
tailor-made social networking environment.
It also offers teachers a convenient way to
provide students with musical examples to
follow as well as recording opportunities.
Riff Works is software only, so you must
either have or buy an ASIO/Core Audio
Our expert has stated his case,
now we want to hear yours. Log
on to premierguitar.com, click on
this digital article and share your
comments and ratings.
