Ok guys,

I am thinking about getting into the software thing. Tell me about Guitar Rig.

Michael

Yes, it's a nice piece of software, you won't find this kind of flexibility in a hardware unit. You can come up with things you can't make with just about anything else.

That being said, I'm not using it much now. The latency (even around 6 or 7ms) is distracting to me so I don't find it "responsive" enough for live use (maybe I just need a faster computer). While the amp and speaker simulators are impressive, and the whole modulation system is amazing, I wish some things like the chorus and reverb had more options or were higher quality.

I can see myself using it a lot when recording pieces and mixing, as opposed to using it for practice or live performances.

There is talk of a plug-in version of the AXE-Fx by Fractal Audio coming soon. That is a highly regarded, high end guitar processor that seems to be loved by everyone who tries it.

I have guitar rig 3 and I really like it. I use it all the time for recording guitars/bass/stick. I use it a lot as well for practicing guitars, I just plug into my laptop and play along to backing tracks. For bass practice and Chapman stick I prefer to practice through a small amp if possible though.

There's a lot of versatility in guitar rig, but I never really spend time working on it - too many other things in life to get on with! I've hit on a bunch of sounds that I like and tend to just stick with them.

Note: the main instrument sound on virtually all my videos is done with guitar rig.

Ok. Is it possible to use the supplied pedal with both sides of the stick seperately? Meaning, can you use it as a 2 channel interface for one instrument with 2 outputs.

The reason I ask is because I downloaded a demo of AmpliTUBE 2 and only have a mixer to interface through the "line in" on my macbook.

I have yet to try with USB or firewire. I will probably go to Guitar Center with my stick and ask them to hook me up so I can mess with it.

Thanks again,

Michael

I'm now hijacking my own post...

This is an afterthought. Did anybody happen to check this thing out at NAMM this year? http://www.ikmultimedia.com/stealthpedal/features/

Same questions: Will it work for the Stick on stage as well as at home?

I seem to recall that the blurb for guitar rig says that it works with the stick, so I'd imagine that the foot controller would work?? If I get some time I'll dig it out and try it. To be honest, I never get the foot controller out! Usually I just use a 1/4" to 1/8" stereo cable, plug straight into my macbook pro input and separate the channels in Garageband, then add the effects there.

Yes.
It's not just a pedal, it's a 2-input preamp/audio interface + controller for guitar rig.
If you can live with the latency, it's a very nice setup. I've used it playing live, but only solo because my aging laptop would not allow for low enough latency to play with drums.

Since the pedal is an audio interface, you can also use it with IK products. I haven't tried it, but I believe (with a fast enough computer) you could run X-Gear with Ampeg SVX on one channel and AmpliTube on the other.

I can't speak to Guitar Rig, but I'm thrilled with a combination of POD Farm, SoundToys Native, and SooperLooper running in Live via an mBox2 interface on a MacBook Pro. I have the Mac souped up with 4GB and cannot detect latency while playing. The models in POD Farm and SoundToys Native are wonderful to my ears. POD Farm allows for dual paths and works great with the dual inputs on the mBox2. I'm controlling SooperLooper with a MIDI Moose, MIDI Solutions Pedal Controller, and Boss FV-500L; not the least expensive way to go, but it's compact and travels well. When Live v8 comes out I expect to use the new built-in looper instead of SooperLooper, one less moving part.

This config is working nicely for me.

Thanks,

Loren

I've been using GR for quite a while and really like what it can do...but there are improvements I would like to see. But isn't that the story for just about any software product these days? When I bought it, I had the pedal with it - but ended up selling it off as it's performance was not as good as I wanted. I now play either into a MOTU Traveler or thru several other professional sound cards I have. Significantly better.
I use it for clean sounds as well as totally ambient type sound textures. I primarily use it with my Stick (both sides processed individually) but also use it for bass when practicing, etc..

Dave

One thing I don't like is that distortions always seem to have a lot of noise/hiss. With modern sound technology can't they get rid of that sort of thing??