Guitar Rig is an amp and effects modeling software package developed by

Native Instruments Native Instruments is a German company that develops, manufactures, and supplies music software and hardware for music production, sound design, performance, and DJing. The company's corporate headquarters and main development facilities are lo ...

. The software can function either as a standalone application, or as a plug-in for other software. It was originally released in 2004.

Overview

The Guitar Rig environment is a

modular Broadly speaking, modularity is the degree to which a system's components may be separated and recombined, often with the benefit of flexibility and variety in use. The concept of modularity is used primarily to reduce complexity by breaking a s ...

system, providing capabilities for multiple amplifiers,

effects pedal An effects unit or effects pedal is an electronic device that alters the sound of a musical instrument or other audio source through audio signal processing. Common effects include distortion/overdrive, often used with electric guitar in ele ...

s and

rack mount A 19-inch rack is a standardized frame or enclosure for mounting multiple electronic equipment modules. Each module has a front panel that is wide. The 19 inch dimension includes the edges or "ears" that protrude from each side of the equ ...

ed hardware. Primarily designed for

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gu ...

and bass, the software uses

amplifier modeling Amplifier modeling (also known as amp modeling or amp emulation) is the process of emulating a physical amplifier such as a guitar amplifier. Amplifier modeling often seeks to recreate the sound of one or more specific models of vacuum tube ampl ...

to allow

real-time Real-time or real time describes various operations in computing or other processes that must guarantee response times within a specified time (deadline), usually a relatively short time. A real-time process is generally one that happens in defined ...

digital signal processing in both

standalone Standalone or Stand-alone may refer to: *Stand-alone DSL, a digital subscriber line without analog telephone service; also known as ''naked DSL'' *Stand-alone expansion pack, an expansion pack which does not require the original game in order to us ...

and DAW environments via plug-in ( VST/

DXi In computer music and professional audio creation, a DirectX plugin is a software processing component that can be loaded as a plugin into ''host applications'' to allow real-time processing, audio effects, mixing audio or act as virtual synthesize ...

/ RTAS/ AU). The software simulates a number of devices such as

preamplifier A preamplifier, also known as a preamp, is an electronic amplifier that converts a weak electrical signal into an output signal strong enough to be noise-tolerant and strong enough for further processing, or for sending to a power amplifier a ...

s, cabinets and

microphone A microphone, colloquially called a mic or mike (), is a transducer that converts sound into an electrical signal. Microphones are used in many applications such as telephones, hearing aids, public address systems for concert halls and publ ...

s under pseudonyms (such as renaming the

Shure SM57 The Shure SM57 is a low- impedance cardioid dynamic microphone made by Shure Incorporated and commonly used in live sound reinforcement and studio recording. It is one of the best-selling microphones in the world. It is used extensively in amplif ...

as the "

Dynamic Dynamics (from Greek δυναμικός ''dynamikos'' "powerful", from δύναμις ''dynamis'' "power") or dynamic may refer to: Physics and engineering * Dynamics (mechanics) ** Aerodynamics, the study of the motion of air ** Analytical dyna ...

57"). The system allows customisation of module

parameters A parameter (), generally, is any characteristic that can help in defining or classifying a particular system (meaning an event, project, object, situation, etc.). That is, a parameter is an element of a system that is useful, or critical, when ...

– either through manipulation of the graphical interface, use of a

MIDI controller A MIDI controller is any hardware or software that generates and transmits Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) data to MIDI-enabled devices, typically to trigger sounds and control parameters of an electronic music performance. They mos ...

or employment of the RigKontrol foot control pedal. Settings can be saved as presets and exported and shared with other users. Version 3 included a redesigned interface to allow improved preset categorisation and customised interfaces for "live" use.

Rig Kontrol

The Rig Kontrol is a foot-operated

USB Universal Serial Bus (USB) is an industry standard that establishes specifications for cables, connectors and protocols for connection, communication and power supply (interfacing) between computers, peripherals and other computers. A broad ...

and

. It contains an

audio interface An audio interface is a piece of computer hardware that allows the input and output of audio signals to and from a host computer or recording device. Audio interfaces are closely related to computer sound cards, but whereas sound cards are opti ...

and

DI box A DI unit (direct input or direct inject) is an electronic device typically used in recording studios and in sound reinforcement systems to connect a high- output impedance, line level, unbalanced output signal to a low-impedance, microphone le ...

, allowing integration with live sound environments. The device can operate Guitar Rig using eight

switch In electrical engineering, a switch is an electrical component that can disconnect or connect the conducting path in an electrical circuit, interrupting the electric current or diverting it from one conductor to another. The most common type of ...

es and an

expression pedal An expression pedal is an important control found on many musical instruments including organs, electronic keyboards, and pedal steel guitar. The musician uses the pedal to control different aspects of the sound, commonly volume. Separate expres ...

. Earlier versions of the device contained only six switches and an expression pedal, and did not support

interfacing Interfacing is a textile used on the unseen or "wrong" side of fabrics to make an area of a garment more rigid. Interfacings can be used to: *stiffen or add body to fabric, such as the interfacing used in shirt collars *strengthen a certain ar ...

functionality.

History

Versions 1-2 (2004-2006)

Guitar Rig was first released on both macOS & Windows in September 2004. At this time, it was a hardware/software hybrid system, with the Rig Kontrol hardware

preamp A preamplifier, also known as a preamp, is an electronic amplifier that converts a weak electrical signal into an output signal strong enough to be noise-tolerant and strong enough for further processing, or for sending to a power amplifier ...

and foot controller feeding into the software. The software featured a

drag-and-drop In computer graphical user interfaces, drag and drop is a pointing device gesture in which the user selects a virtual object by "grabbing" it and dragging it to a different location or onto another virtual object. In general, it can be used to ...

interface and a selection of 3

tube amplifier A valve amplifier or tube amplifier is a type of electronic amplifier that uses vacuum tubes to increase the amplitude or power of a signal. Low to medium power valve amplifiers for frequencies below the microwaves were largely replaced by sol ...

emulations (some with multiple preamp variations). Version 2 of the software, released in February 2006, added a number of additional amp options (including the software's first bass amps), added a new looping feature, and expanded the Rig Kontrol hardware.

Versions 3-5 (2007-2019)

Guitar Rig 3, released in December 2007, included the option to purchase the software independently of the hardware. The updated software also featured a streamlined view dedicated to live performances. Before version 3 was released, the

graphical user interface The GUI ( "UI" by itself is still usually pronounced . or ), graphical user interface, is a form of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices through graphical icons and audio indicator such as primary notation, inst ...

simulated amplifier logos and design construction; however, version 3, this was replaced with a generic name. Released in October 2009, Guitar Rig version 4 introduced improved cabinet and microphone modeling software, alongside the "Control Room" feature, which allowed for greater customisation of preamp, cabinet and microphone combinations. Announced in August 2011 and released in September 2011, version 5 of the software included an expanded version of the Control Room feature, and introduced the ability to perform sidechaining within the software.

Version 6 (2020-present)

Version 6 of Guitar Rig, announced in September 2020 and released on October 1, 2020, was the first major update for the software since 2011. This new version included a redesigned user interface, "Intelligent Circuit Modelling" (an amp reproduction system based on

machine learning Machine learning (ML) is a field of inquiry devoted to understanding and building methods that 'learn', that is, methods that leverage data to improve performance on some set of tasks. It is seen as a part of artificial intelligence. Machine ...

), 3 new amp options (including 1 new bass amp), and additional effects.

References

External links

* {{Native Instruments Native Instruments Guitar-related software