Guitar Rig Session review part two
By Rob Sandall
| Posted in Guitar
The Guitar Rig Session goes under the microscope today. Last time we took a look at what this product actually was – an audio interface specifically designed to get guitarists off their stools and recording on their computers (although they can of course stay sitting on their stools). This idea is one we’ve seen a few times recently; it would appear that manufacturers have spotted those keen-but-anxious axe-wielders as an untapped resource, and are trying to provide as easy a transition to production as possible.
Getting the Guitar Rig Session set up took maybe 10 minutes in total – the hardware has its own Kontrol software you need to install first for it to recognise the interface. Next was Guitar Rig Essential 4, and a Kore ‘Pop Drums Soundpack’: more on that later. These two need to be registered through a special bit of licensing software. One thing to note is that if you have any issues in trying to get this to load up (unlikely, but on some computer specs it can happen), it’s a simple case of downloading an updated version of the license program on Native Instruments’ website.
Assuming you don’t have anything else to record with, Cubase 4 LE is also included. Again, this takes a couple minutes of your time. Note that the best thing about this software is that, much like Guitar Rig, it doesn’t actually take long to understand – I’m more used to Pro Tools, so as a novice it was interesting to discover that getting down basic recordings took little more than 20 minutes of exploration. That was without using the manual, of course: I’m my father’s son and generally ignore them.
What helps the process along is that usually you’d record your guitars, bass and vocals with EQing done within Cubase. While of course this is still possible, it makes more sense now to get your tones all beautifully EQ’d and levelled in Guitar Rig 4 Essential. There are eight amp options (with matching cabs) and 27 effects models, all inspired by classic (and modern-classic) gear, and I was incredibly impressed with how close an emulation each one was. I can’t see anyone growing out of these too fast at all, and while, sure, it’s always nice to add extras down the line – which can be achieved by upgrading to Guitar Rig 4 Pro – if you think about this in terms of real life, if you own top-notch Marshall, Fender, Vox and Orange amps, it’s going to be a long time before you go looking for more, unless you’re after a very specific sound.
For the vocals and bass there’s a preamp and specific bass amp model respectively. I did say this was for guitarists, but these two are by no means bad – both are versatile, and both will provide pro-quality sounds. The same goes for the Pop Drums Kore Soundpack – you get two full acoustic kits in sample form, with accompanying MIDI grooves and ‘quick-use’ drum setups to get you started, so even if you’re the singer songwriter who has no one to rock out with, you’re still going to have a serious back-line.
Mixing everything in Cubase and bouncing it down to MP3 or WAV doesn’t take long either, although obviously the more time you spend with it the better results you’ll achieve, as you learn the nuances of mixing and mastering. That’s the whole point of this package though – to get guitarists learning production. It works, too, and results will be satisfying with not too much effort, and then even better with a little of it.
If you’re considering making the jump from guitarist to producer, then definitely also consider a look at the Guitar Rig Session.
Tags: Guitar Rig 4, guitar rig interface, recording guitar
This “review” – including Part 1 taught me absolutely nothing !
ajw