Guitar Rig 7 Pro is one of the most popular virtual guitar rigs out there. The latest version from Native Instruments offers up to 115 effects and 26 virtual amps featuring a wide range of iconic and signature tones. Also included is a curated collection of artist presets from guitarists, producers, and songwriters such as Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda, System of a Down’s Serj Tankian, Def Leppard’s Phil Collen, and many, many more. Guitar Rig 7 Pro promises an accessible, hassle-free alternative to physical guitar rigs with “endless possibilities for jamming, producing, and getting lost in experimentation.” In this article, we will go through the layout of the suite, its features, the benefits of virtual guitar rigs, and some creative techniques and approaches to using Guitar Rig Pro.
THE LAYOUT OF GUITAR RIG 7 PRO
Once instantiated, the layout of Guitar Rig 7 Pro is accessible and user-friendly. Up top, you have the Main Header where, from left to right, you have the ability to access the File, Edit, and Help menus via the three vertical dots icon; show or hide the Browser menu where you can search and access presets and components; and open or close the Sidebar where you can see your Rack’s visualized signal flow and change routing if desired, or see the Info pane for explanations. You can also:
- Change the window’s view size
- Select and adjust levels
- Activate and adjust a noise gate and threshold
- Apply a master limiter to prevent clipping (which I highly recommend in any scenario)
- Monitor the current CPU load
- Toggle the audio engine
Just below, in the middle, the Toolbar offers additional features including Preset Shuffle (which will load a random preset from the Browser) as well as the options to show or hide Macros (assignable global controls), Tapedeck Pre and Post (for recording and playback of the input and output signals of your Rack), the Tuner, Metronome, Preset Volume (a level control to compensate for volume differences between different presets), Global FX (which can host components applied to the output of a Rack that will remain unchanged even if a new preset is loaded), as well as options to undo or redo changes, or clear a Rack entirely.
With the Browser menu, there are also two submenus to select either presets with the Presets menu, or Components to select components and build your own custom Rack to your liking. Users can use filters to refine their Browser searches, which include the ability to search for Genres, Input Sources (presets tailored for processing other instruments like drums, keys, vocals, and even mix bus effects), and Characters like Clean, Colored, Spacious, Evolving, and Creative. An additional feature in the form of Favorites allows users to assign a color as a tag to create favorite preset collections that can be found more easily within the Browser’s search results. To the right of the search bar, the User Content menu displays custom presets created by the user for easy access.
EFFECTS AND TOOLS OF GUITAR RIG 7 PRO
Guitar Rig 7 Pro’s available effect types include:
- Amplifiers
- Cabinets
- Delay & Echo
- Distortion
- Dynamics
- EQ
- Filters
- Modifier
- Modulation
- Pitch
- Reverb
- Special FX
- Tools
All effects are powered by Native Instruments’ machine learning technology, ICM (Intelligent Circuit Modeling). I won’t go into too much detail, given that there are 115 effects, but I will single out a few modules. One is the Cabinet IR Loader—which offers the ability to load impulse responses up to 2 seconds in length. You can upload and mix up to four different impulse responses or choose from the factory library. You can use the mixer to adjust pan, delay, and level for each IR.
The Pro version of the Control Room module is another useful feature that has 8 simulated classic microphones with the ability to adjust their models, phase alignments, simulated distance from the speaker, and mic positions. The simpler Matched Cabinet module allows for a parallel blend between two different mic positions on your simulated cabinet—for an edgy or mellow tone. The Pro version is loaded with every amplifier in 7 Pro, allowing you to adjust between a direct cabinet sound and a virtual recording room. Other modules such as Split Mix (A/B mix between two parallel effects chains), Split M/S (separates mid and side signals for separate processing and blending), and Crossover (same features but with separate low and high-end processing) allow for a level of control and immediate access to sophisticated presets not possible with physical guitar rigs.
WHY USE A VIRTUAL GUITAR RIG?
There are many reasons why a virtual guitar rig might be more ideal than a physical rig. Perhaps the most apparent one is that such setups don’t inherently cause as much noise—that is, unless you decide to route its output through a large pair of monitor speakers and intend to recreate the opening scene to Back to the Future.
Another benefit is cost—pedalboards, amplifiers, cabinets, as well as microphone setups for home studio recording can cost into the thousands for even modest rigs. A virtual rig allows you to access and customize these components at a fraction of the cost, while requiring far less physical space for storage and setup. For live performance, it is much more convenient and less time-consuming to have one device (such as a computer running Guitar Rig 7 Pro) as your FX rig, as opposed to setting up a complex array of pedals. Conversely, it can be risky to have a computer handling all your effects with the possibility of a crash in the middle of a solo. For these situations, a redundant system can be used to automatically switch computers in the event of a crash. This strategy is also used for productions that use Ableton Live in performance.
Another consideration to keep in mind is the creative routing potential offered by a virtual rig like Guitar Rig 7, allowing users to create sounds that would be more technically difficult, or even impossible, to achieve with a physical rig.
Lastly, the ability to create and access Presets of pedal configurations and routing on the fly is a huge advantage of virtual rigs
CREATIVE APPROACHES WITH GUITAR RIG 7 PRO
SATURATION AND MULTI-AMP BLENDING
The ability to route multiple amps into each other to blend them together and achieve different kinds of saturation is achievable with Guitar Rig 7 Pro. For example, you could start with the AC Box amplifier, then place an instance of Citrus after it, and top it all off with a Tweedman for some vintage midrange boost. Here’s an example:
The mix-and-matching possibilities are limited only by the number of amplifiers available and your computer’s CPU load. With 7 Pro, you can simply drag in one amp after another into the signal flow. This would be a problematic and impractical technique with a physical setup. Additionally, the Split Mix tool allows you to mix two parallel A/B paths before its output—you could easily create one rack in the A path and then blend it with the sound of another in the B path.
UNIQUE CONVOLUTION REVERBS
Let’s pair and create our own convolution reverb using Custom IRs from the Waveinformer Member Resource page. By simply loading the IRs into the Cabinet IR Loader (and keep in mind that you can’t use IRs longer than 2 seconds), you can adjust, level, and blend each response to create an ideal ambience for your amplifier signal flow chain. Here is a blend of four different IRs—a shower, stairwell, spring reverb, and a trash compactor—on an electric guitar recording:
NON-GUITAR / MIX BUS PROCESSING
Guitar Rig 7 Pro supports effects processing beyond guitars and basses. Available Input Source presets in the Browser menu also include:
- Drums
- Keys
- Mixbus
- Pads
- Piano
- Sequence/Loop
- Special FX
- Synth
- Vocal
Let’s experiment with one of the Mixbus presets using a sample of a fully-produced song. The song could use a little more energy in the mix, so here’s what it sounds like dry (A), and through the Mix Energizer preset (B):
The mid-highs are much more emphasized, helping to remove some mud, and the mix overall gels a little better. Results will vary depending on the context, so have fun experimenting. The ability to integrate Guitar Rig 7 Pro in a variety of production scenarios is another huge advantage of a virtual rig.
INSTRUMENT-SPECIFIC PROCESSING AND PRESETS
Song Three Bass on Bass
DR Mash Upside Down on Drums
Krystal Wind on Synth Pad
Under Water on BG Vocals
CONCLUSION
There can be many benefits to a virtual rig, including low cost, preset creation and accessibility, noise control, routing flexibility, and additional functionality that goes well beyond guitar amping and processing. Despite the technological advancements in virtual rigs, the market for physical pedals will likely endure. But for musicians, producers, and engineers looking for ways to experiment with, inspire, and expand their sonic palettes, you can’t go wrong with Native Instruments’ Guitar Rig 7 Pro!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dutch Jordan is a multi-instrumentalist, recording artist, and producer based in Los Angeles. He is a Berklee College graduate with experience in songwriting, engineering, and session work. Jordan was an Artist in Residence at WYEP in Pittsburgh and worked at Mr. Smalls Recording and Mastering. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Music Production and Recording at the Los Angeles College of Music.
