Guitar Rig 3 feedback - post your impressions here!

welcome!

 

Well, I love Guitar Rig 3. I am not so happy with the continued lack of 64-bit drivers for Rig Kontrol 3. If I had known that we would be in perpetual limbo regarding support for modern OSes, I would not have bought the Rig Kontrol Edition, just the software. I'll never be parted from the wonderful Guitar Rig 3 program, but I am also checking out competition now to see if others are more proactive in supporting industry trends. It is unfortunate that it has taken so long to see some vestiges of 64-bit support. I wish the beta were open rather than closed so that there might be a solution for those of us who were foolish enough to believe earlier claims about 64-bit drivers coming out in early 2008, and then in mid 2008, and now just whenever.

If drivers are properly written, they need very little change to be 64-bit compatible. Only faulty assumptions, like using integer calls in a 32-bit OS with the ungrounded, unstandardized assumption that "int" will always be a 32-bit register leads to massive problems recompiling for 64-bit. I am led to the conclusion that while your software engineers are exceptional (among the best!), your hardware programmers should be more careful in thinking about why their drivers function. A hacked-together driver is a source of perpetual heartache. Apply your excellent software support team to the driver side of things and you will conquer the industry.

Once again, I have no complaints at all about the Guitar Rig 3 software - it is a miracle. I use it in conjunction with products from IK Multimedia, and I have every tone I could ever possibly want. We are lucky to be guitarists in this awesome digital age.

 

Not just whenever! They have been announced to release with the 3.2 update of Guitar Rig.

 

I'm going to put my request here as I think it's still a must-have option! Bearing in-mind I've found a few work-arounds, but, please implement an option to allow GR3 to have unlimited preset banks!

For example, I'd like to be able to put all the user-made presets into GR without having to first decide what goes and what to keep.

Please seriously consider this!

 

Fair enough, Marc_S. I apologize for having been so upset about this. It was really a lack of foresight on my part (as well as that of whomever wrote the drivers!) that led me to the bind I was in. 64-bit drivers ought to be an easy recompile, but the fact of the matter is that most drivers in this niche industry of audio hardware seem to be hacked-together, unstandardized, and hence quite difficult to port since it requires what amounts to a full rewrite. It isn't just Native Instruments, it is an industry problem in a big way. High-end firewire interfaces from huge manufacturers... EVERYTHING M-Audio/Lexicon/Digidesign (yes, even ProTools!)... List goes on forever. So I was out of line acting like Native Instruments is somehow especially bad about this. Everyone is. But it's still a shame that we as users of these products, chained in a way to what they allow us to do (chained because of their excellence, yes, but chained also from a lack of options - a niche market is easily monopolized) have to operate in this environment, at the total mercy of a given company's benevolence (or lack thereof) in getting progressive driver support.

 

No need to apologize, we all get passionate about our music. As I've said too many times, if it was easy, it would be done by now...

 

Positive Feedback and Some suggestions...

First, thank you for making such an awesome piece of software! I literally got rid of my pedals, and leave my Vox at home nowadays, opting instead to carry a bookbag with the Rig Kontrol and a laptop(along with a separate audio interface, sorry more on this in number 1)!

The intuitive feel of GR3 is a HUGE leap forward from version 2, and the distortion sounds finally sold me on this version. The loop machine is of huge help to my project, which is a one man band, which depends on the loop machine ALOT!

So here come my few quibbles with the software(aside from bugs, ie the UNDO bug in the loop machine, which i do hope is FINALLY fixed!lol).
1. I have found that using the audio interface and midi control portion of the Rig Kontrol simultaneously, even on a Core2Duo machine with 4 Gigs of RAM, on standalone results in occasional pops and clicks at my lowest latency settings, despite the CPU meter showing less than 20 % of use. A nicer DI would be nice to go along with the smoother drivers for the audio interface Hence why I use a separate audio interface for my a/d/d/a.
2. A second loop machine, or a way to have 4 track loop recording. It sounds excessive, but for what I do, having control over multiple tracks of loops would be a serious life saver, not to mention it would allow for great song creation using the loop machine!
3. Bring on the weird effects! Give me a thicker MuTron like Filter! A Digitech Space Station like swell pitchshifter! Ring modulators, any and all synth effects,vintage and lo-fi effects etc
4, More OD distortions. Not that the thick Fuzz and HiGain distortions aren't great, but save for the Screamer, theres not really a good OD stompbox!
5. A simple drum machine style 16 beat sequencer would great! lol I know this one is asking for a lot but, it would make using Guitar Rig for live performance so incredible!

That's all folks! Seriously though! Thanks again for creating such an awesome resource, and unshackling me from my pedals and Amp! lol For an example of what I do with GR3 feel free to check out www.myspace.com/rafasonemanband, especially the song "Sunny's Song"!

 

Dave - you gave me an idea. Do you suppose NI would make the presets for GR2 available to users of the GR3?
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Amen!

 

I think GR3 is the coolest thing I've ever seen! I'm so sad that my demo just stopped working.

FYI - the tuner is almost as accurate and easy to use as my $99.00 Peterson Strobosoft Deluxe 2.0!

I've used Digitech, Line6, Amplitube and Zoom (not the new ZFX though) and the simulations/models in GR3 are superior in every way.

The program has the best ergonomics, the cleanest layout, the shortest learning curve, and it simply encourages experimentation.

On a similar note, the sounds are so engaging and inspirational, that I can play for hours.

I can't wait to make my plunge. This will be the most fun I've ever had with my guitar.

 

3 and 3.1 is decent, even great at times, but the latest 3.2 isn't. Rolled back once again...

 

Whats wrong?

Please tell us what problem you are having with it?

 

I'm using version 3.2 and have not had any problems.

I find that presets I've created thusfar are so thoroughly engaging, that I'm not creating presets nearly as fast as I thought I would be.

 

CPU doubles for no reason. Clicks pops and crackles could be heard for no reason, when just using old presets again. Not so with 3.1. Standalone only. There were some other strange things happening, albeit small nuisances, that hasn't happened before. Can't recall which at the moment, since I rolled it back.

 

perhaps a slightly heavier CPU hit but just enough to push your system over the edge... just a thought.

I'm running a Dell 530 Core 2 Duo that is about a year old with no problems. My DVD unit just went south. Wouldn't you know it, a day before I got my free Cubase LE4 from NI!

 

Sounds like your problem may have to do with your sound cards sample rates not coinciding with those set in guitar rig or your DAW. Could also have been not a clean install. I personally have no probs with the new update I would give it another try but try uninstalling guitar rig first perhaps.

 

This is *not* the place to post issues. If you're having a technical issue, please post in the Technical Issues forum. Thanks!

Marc

 

Hey, hows come I keep getting notification to these threads when there has been no activity?

 

Service Center choked on the dowload for whatever reason, but I'll try again this weekend. In the meantime...

I am disappointed that a new version of the RK driver(s) has been released, with no mention of conversion to virtual MIDI output. This is a topic that's been raised again and again over the years, and last year an NI contributor indicated that it would be addressed in time (now would be an excellent time!)

More details/suggestions here:

http://www.native-instruments.com/forum/showthread.php?t=78203

 

Very Pleased With Guitar Rig Overall

I have been playing guitar for over 45 years. During that time I have used hundreds of different amps/cabinets, stomp boxes and studio effects units with many different guitars.

In ancient times (the 60s) I was a recording lead guitarist and worked at a number of different studios. In those days you either had to bring your own gear to the session (which as a major pain in the butt) or you had to use what the studio had on hand (which was often not what you were used-to or wanted to use).

Modern day studio guitarists have it made! Guitar Rig allows you to develop and store as many different custom amp/cabinet/effect configurations as you might ever need. All you have to bring to the session is a laptop and the Rig Kontroller (and perhaps an outboard firewire audio interface) and your guitars. Everything can be carried into the studio in one trip by yourself and you can pack up and be gone from the session in minutes instead of hours. This is nothing short of amazing for those of us that remember the "old days."

The most amazing thing is that with some careful tweaking of custom presets, built using your own guitars, you can have tones that rival the "real thing" in most situations.

My only gripe is with the Rig Kontrol and its drivers being based on USB instead of firewire. The CPU utilization and latency using the Rig Kontrol audio interface are considerably greater then I can achieve with a quality firewire audio interface. For many folks this may not be a problem, however, I like to use higher sample rates and the HQ setting to get the best high frequency response with Guitar Rig. If the USB drivers can be tweaked to lower latency and CPU demands at higher sample rates with HQ on then Rig Kontrol would be perfect in my opinion.

I give it a 9 out of 10 overall!

 

Gratifier Blows !