Rig Kontrol 3

Along with Guitar Rig 3, Rig Kontrol 3 should be huge!
These are my desires: 4 expression pedals, each with a toe switch, two on each side of the board. 10 switches, 5X2 in between the pedals. 5 knobs for assigning to more permanent adjustments (volume, tone, delay amount, etc). A built in tuner that is always on.

If you want to go even further: implement 13-pin conversion hardware and follow that up with synth triggering in the software (that would be awesome!). I shall now text you a blueprint:

╔══════════════╗
║tuner..........ooooo║
║╔╗╔╗ , , , , , ╔╗╔╗║
║║║║║ , , , , , ║║║║║
║╚╝╚╝...........╚╝╚╝║
╚══════════════╝ (not to scale)

I'm really hoping you do some 13-pin synth stuff, so us guitarists can take advantage of NI samples.

 

tuner is a massively good idea. as is multi exp pedals and knobs. they at least need a few more buttons for the looper.
whats this you're going on about 13 pins? shouldn't the issue of controlling other software be a software issue?

 

Oh god. That would be great; the addition of 13 pin...
I'm a huge 13 pin guy and it would be very cool to do a virtual VG-88/99 and synth!

 

I like RigKontrol 2 as it is! Its small and compact size is a main point for me. Add 23 something buttons and three pedals, and all the convenience is lost.
That said:

- I wouldn't mind a larger display, visible in the dark of course, as it is now.

- No buttons should be dedicated to anything, the problem with the looper taking over RK2 even when you don't use loops is a software issue.

- I would like to add one special button: a momentary switch. This activates an effect only as long as it is pressed down. Imagine adding distortion or some pitch shifting effect in time with your foot-tapping, or adding delay on the tail of a long note with only a step down, and then it's gone when you release.

- Personally I prefer silent switches like on the Roland and Behringer pedalboards. The current switches on RK2 feel very solid, they give a firm response and they certainly appeal to the retro gang - which might have been an important concideration, but the loud click will actually bleed into mics on stage and in the studio when playing music other than heavy metal and rock'n'roll.

- I use the 'external' jacks for adding one more pedal now. This is a great feature that could be extended to perhaps four jacks, to satisfy those who like to extend their RigKontrol further. I'm not happy with the 'calibrate' routine. Quite simple yes, but is it really necessarry? I'm always uncertain if I get the same 'feel' on my external pedal every time, and the need to recalibrate seems to pop up at odd moments too.

- Cable locks, cable locks, cable locks!!! RigKontrol really needs some way to secure the cables so that they are not at risk of being pulled out accidentaly. The USB cable is especially vulnerable of course. Some kind of shield that you could fold over the plugs would also be great.

- The opportunity to use external power should be there; RigKontrol 2 draws maximum power over the USB2 bus, and it seems than many issues with noise and crackles stem from problems with that bus - inside the computer or with the cable.

 

I'm with Fill re: size and most of his other points. If you want a huge, unweildy pedal board there are plenty of options out there. There are very few effective, portable options.

I'm way with Marc on this: "I'm a huge 13 pin guy and it would be very cool to do a virtual VG-88/99 and synth!"

It's just about the right time for MIDI conversion and guitar modeling - in addition to synthesis and amp emulation - to go native. The PC's are just about ready, and we're all sick of carrying those bulky Roland units around, right?

One RK3 point I'm amazed wasn't at the top of the list: IT MUST SEND REAL MIDI IN ADDITION TO PROPRIETARY GR CONTROL DATA. That's the only way to make it useful to guitar synth guys (and others) running in VST hosts. There are presently no floorboards on the market that are a) bus powered and b) send MIDI to USB. Not one - it's mind boggling. I actually had to build my own! NI could make a lot of money if they positioned such a product correctly.

 

Okay Fill, then they should make an add-on board. I really want more expression pedals with toe switches and enough switches to dedicate a row of patch changes and a row of control changes. I agree on the silent switch issue too.

I really want to push for 13-pin capabilities. That would just be sick.

 

I tried out Zoom's g9.2tt, and the z-control pedal was cool, but they didn't put a toe switch underneath the pedal. I would be happy if NI made an add-on expression pedal like this. It would need three leads, so I suggest using a midi cable.

what would be really useful is if NI made add-on expression pedals with toe switches in them that used stereo cables.

I also thought about this: what if the toe switch was instead somehow rigged to the fulcrum of the pedal so it could be turned on in any position?

and this might be asking too much, but: little lcd screens for each switch and pedal so we can type in what the switch/pedal does in the selected patch.

 

Yes, that's very important. Most laptop PCs (as I'm unfortunately starting to understand in this unnaturally warm spring) will send an audible pop down to its usb2-powered thingies each time the fan engages and disengages. That's too bad...

 

YES! This would be extremely awesome.

 

I'd go for seeing the RK3 with a hose attachment for an actual Talkbox feature :-D :-D :-D

 

Absolutely! And an antenna or two, like the Theremin (or Roland's 'D-beam'), to use for expression. Imagine adding vibrato with a tilt of the knee above RK3, adding distortion as you move your head above and down (the metal pose)... Anyone who has been to a concert with Jean Michel Jarre will see the ultimate coolness in this. Why not? At least it could be an 'optional accessory'.

 

more outputs

i like the sound of silent switches too... every time i step on a RK2 switch it scares me :S


what i was just thinking would be a good idea for rig kontrol is an output that kan be pluged direktly into a guitar amplifier. sure, thats not hip with all the super balanced outs for all my expensive equipment and stuff... but, it IS for guitar rig, right? so, why not add a simple output that can be activated or deactivaded... and, the output is NOt linelevel, and is not balanced. so that the line outputs can go to mixer, recorder, whatever you plug them in to.

but, if you ever wanted to just plug into any ordinary old guitar amp, you would have that option, and not have to worry about DI boxes, or some way of converting a line level to a signal suitable for a guirar amp.

that would be kool. and, that would make selling my RK2 and upgrading to a RK3 worth my while. i dont care much for more pedals more switches.. but, an output like that, definitely something i could use

 

Rubber Button

this might sound funny at first, but id like one of those dome shaped rubber buttons on my rig kontrol 3. they are kind of like a switch covered in a rubber dome thing. ive seen them somewhere before but i forget. the point is, those are kool. and if RK 3 had one on the back that would be kool.

it id actually DID something, that would be even kooler too, even praktikal.... so i gave it a lot of thought.......

finally, i hoped it kould kontrol the 'high/low' output option on the main (or sekondary)outputs..

this way, the option kould be toggled with the rubber button or it could be knotrolled on-skreen as an option. rather than how it seems to be some hardware analog switch of some kind, with two settings, in and out.

instead, a nice, big, soft, rubber, single position button, it kould even be waterproof? so i kould appear in my next new video finally playing my guitar rig in a giant fish tank with my red snorkel.

right... so, if you want to change it you can either bend over and change it, or just switch it on screen... pretty handy if you arent switching kables, possibly wearing a guitar, sitting at a komputer? i think it may be kuite useful.

especially usefull if rig kontrol 3 had more outputs, wich in my last post i thought might be useful. not that i really kare it just seemed like some good ideas. surely many people would use the outputs if they were there? and, everyone will love the rubber button! there must be something the rubber button kould do.....

i think a dome shape would be my choice....so it doesnt stick out as much as, say, a cylindical shape might.. although, that kould be kept low too.. you kould rekognise it easile, as it would feel like a rubber button.. just a simple toggle switch... seems to me the dome shapped covering would last a very long time, especially with todays plastics and technology... if it was a cylinger shape, or any other shape than a dome, it would have to have edges or creases or something? unless you got really fancy about the design and material and everything, but, kome on, its just a rubber button after all...

 

i just had a new thought concerning things ive seen mentioned here.

in the original post, the idea of making rig kontrol three a giant monster is mentioned.


four foot pedals seems much. two maybe?
and a switch on each, along with six (silent)switches in betwen?
optional power supply, but not one of those 'wall wort' things!
and Firewire, rather than USb?
but with an additional usb port, for flash drive storage? or konektion to rk2
and, if making it a giant monster anyways

with two Main outputs
two sekkondary outputs
a 1/4'' mono out that automatikally disables when nothign is plugged in. for quickly pluggin in to any amp without having to unplug anything...
but, probably 2 main outs and 2 sekondary is enough.

make the main outs balanced xlr kables.
make the sekondary outs 1/4'' TRS/TS jacks, switchable to mono/stereo/dual mono (RUBBER BUTTON!

and, since you wanted RK2 to have jacks for aditional pedals, surely RK 3 will be fully kompatible with RK2? i hope so

kould you make RK3 firewire? and have it so you kan power it with a optional plug, so that you kan plug the UBS of RK2 in to RK3 so it is powered by the firewire, and maybe not have kliks people have mentioned from fans etc...?

i hope so... maybe i kould use my useless metal klips to to put rk2 and rk3 together? then you kould have 3 foot pedals? 12 switches? 6 loud, 6 silent? so you kan have your klik if you want it, or it you want you kan use a silent switch? in kase people dig the awesome clicks RK2 makes but, probably if RK 3 only had one foot pedal, kombining with RK2 would give you 2 pedals and x ammount of silent switches, 7 klik switches..
how they kould fit together is a different thing.. a long rectangle pedal may be awkward.

if rk3 was like that, a lot of people who got rk2 might be more temped to also get an rk3 and not have to worry about another obsolete thing to ebay so they kan get the brand new version

and give it a racing stripes

 

racing stripes

true. racing stripes doenst seem like such an unrealistic request anyways.. i just realised RK2 already has stripes on the pedal.. so, maybe just make them thicker? or, go with the one thick, one thin pattern?

all joking aside, could someone please tell me the meaning of the circular symbol on my rig kontrol? i assume its the 'rig kontrol' or 'guitar rig' symbol?

but, i dont see how it can represent either... its just a circle with some lines on the side.... dont get me wrong, it looks great, but, what does it mean? i would sleep better at night knowing this..

i think a rubber button would fit on RK2 just fine, its like they were made for each other.. i can just imagine reaching down and.... but, its not there... i know where ive seen such switches before.. those big ugly flashlights.. a lot of them have the rubber button type thing on them, thats what i want on my RK. ah well.

 

Man, I want to throw in with the 13-pin thing. I'm a huge synth guitar freak (I'd have to be, chopping up my Fly Deluxe for an internal mod for a hex pickup), and I simply go gaa-gaa for anything with Synth Access. It seams to me that NI, with all their synth prowess, could be just the people to bring this technology fully into the computer domain.

I say YES! And DO IT! .... oh, and pretty please!

 

concerning rk3 size

included in the package should be a contoller about the same size as rk2 that hosts synth access, multiple inputs and outputs, etc. but for those like me who want more switches and expression pedals, NI should sell add on boards that link to the host controller via midi and lock to it so you can pick it up as a single board.

ex:.............rk3\/
╔══╗╔══╗╔═╗╔════╗╔══╗
║╔╗║║╔╗║║,,║║,,,╔╗║║╔╗║
║╚╝║║╚╝║║,,║║,,,╚╝║║╚╝║
╚══╝╚══╝╚═╝╚════╝╚══╝
exp peds, switches, exp ped

That will satisfy us all. I will surely pay extra for a petrucci-sized board.

 

forgot to add a section on top with knobs:
╔═════╗
║ooooo║
╚═════╝

 

yeah these knobs along with a simple global EQ in the software would be great for live use.