Native Instruments
GUITAR RIG SESSION
BY BRIAN BARR
PRODUCT REVIEW
package will keep you wailing
away for hours.
While not being the real thing,
the closeness in tone quality to
a valve amp is almost unreal.
The most impressive feature
of this software is the ability of
adjusting the power supply (50-
60 Hz), Variac, Sag, Response,
Voltage, & Bias, allowing you
to tailor the sound of the amps
tubes to your liking. Now you
can be your own amp tech
without years of electronics
school, or the worry of blowing
your tubes.
tracks in Ableton, Logic, Cubase etc, providing more personal control over the mix. This
is especially useful when playing a small cafe
that doesn’t have a sound guy.
Native Instruments Guitar Rig Session is the
wallet-friendly version of the award-winning
audio software plus hardware. The package includes the Guitar Rig Session I/O, a
powerful audio interface with 24-bit/192 kHz
converters, Guitar Rig 3 XE, Cubase LE 4,
Kore Player and Pop Drums Kore SoundPack,
providing a useful tool for studio and live use.
The Final Mojo
Guitar Rig 3 can be a tough pill to swallow
for a tone purist/vintage gear enthusiast. I
didn’t spend years of research and thousands
of dollars on gear to have it sit at home
while I gig through a computer—I still prefer
the real thing. But it does provide a great
alternative to borrowing another guitarists
gear when far from home. Used in the studio or for practicing, Guitar Rig is cheaper
and sounds better then any practice amp I
know of, provided you already own a decent
computer. That coupled with the extra Kore
Player and Pop Drums for programming keys,
synth, bass, drums etc., this is a great tool
for hobbyists and professionals alike. If you
already own a great interface, I suggest picking up the software-only version of Guitar Rig
3 XE ($99); you will not be disappointed.
Hardware
The USB interface is built into a small black
aluminum chassis and provides a mic in, 2 Hi-Z
line/instrument inputs, and headphone and
stereo outs to run into a pair of powered studio
monitors or mixer. You are also provided with a
line/instrument switch and a 48V switch to run
a phantom power microphone. This unit is also
powered via USB, so you won’t have to worry
about forgetting the extra power supply. The
converters on this unit are clear as a bell, with no
noticeable latency. I was able to jam for hours
without the sound quality dropping, which can
be a problem in cheaper audio interfaces. The
mic input sounds good as well for capturing the
sound of your amp or to record vocals.
The 12 matched cabinets are a whole other
beast in themselves, with 2 sliders (A-B
Mic,Dry-Air), and volume control. Create the
space that your cabinet is in by cross fading
two microphones, one being a condenser, the
other a dynamic mic. Simulate the distance
of the mic from the speaker by adjusting the
Dry to Air. Add multiple cabinets to the same
head and adjust their volumes independently.
These 3 features can help you create some
interesting cab arrangements, from huge and
roomy to tight and punchy.
Buy If...
you want an excellent guitar
plug-in/audio interface at a
wallet-friendly price.
Plug In
Guitar Rig also works as a plug-in for multi-track software. Players can record dry/direct
and customize their tone later. The package
comes with Cubase LE 4 which is a user
friendly multi-tracking interface. I was up and
running in no time, recording riffs directly
into Cubase. Normally I would have to be
in a studio and spend hours experimenting
with mic placement and different cabs before
even getting to tracking. Now I can track guitar, bass, vocals and even keys in the comfort
of my studio apartment.
Skip If...
you already have a good audio
interface with more I/O and a set
of microphones.
Rating...
4.0
Software
Guitar Rig 3 XE is equipped with 6 guitar and
bass amps, 12 matched cabinets, 21 effects
including time-based, modulation, distortion,
volume and modifier effects, two sync-able
tape decks for recording ideas, and a tuner
and metronome, making for one powerful virtual rack. The possibilities are endless in Guitar
Rig, the versatile software can achieve guitar
and bass sounds from jazz, country, rock to
metal. The 150 presets that NI provides in this
Not only is Guitar Rig Session great for
recording it is also has a powerful live use,
especially for solo traveling musicians such as
myself. I can now board a plane with my laptop, interface, guitar and midi pedal to play
live via direct input into a PA. I tested this out
running a stereo out into my keyboard set-up
at home and was able to get a great tube
sound with no latency Running Guitar Rig I
can blend the guitar’s audio with prerecorded
ONTHEWeb
Head online to hear sound clips of
the rig in action at
premierguitar.com
Native Instruments
Street $199
native-instruments.com
