RECORDING QUALITY GUITAR SOUNDS ON YOUR
laptop has been made incredibly easy with the
introduction of Guitar Rig Mobile ($99 street).
The system comprises a cell-phone-sized 24-
bit, 192kHz interface with a USB 2.0 connection
and 1/4" input and output jacks. The
package also includes Guitar Rig 3 LE software,
which gives you two guitar amps (Twang Reverb
and Lead 800), a bass amp (Bass Pro 8x10),
12 cabinet models, and 12 effects. There are
also two “tape decks,” a metronome, and a
tuner. Don’t worry about having to trudge
though a manual to get going on GRM, as NI
has pared down the directions to a Quick Start
guide and a ten-step setup page. The system
is buss powered, and it runs either stand-alone
or as a plug-in on both Macs and PCs (see the
NI website for specifics and system requirements).
Though the low price and ease of use make
getting into Guitar Rig Mobile an attractive
proposition, the quality of the sounds will make
you glad you did. Whether you pick from the
15 “Signature” presets (classic tones of famed
players such as Eddie Van Halen, Stevie Ray
Vaughan, Billy Gibbons, the Edge, etc.) or create
you own sounds using the 17 Twang presets
(clean Fender-style models), ten Lead 800
presets (Marshall-style amp models), 25 bass
models, or 11 GO presets (which are matched
to the specific output and sound spectrum you
get from single-coil and humbucking pickups),
what you’ll quickly appreciate is the realism of
the sounds, and the fact that your performance
is not affected by latency.
Tested through a new MacBook (OS X version
10.5.6, 2GHz processor speed, 2GB of
RAM), the Guitar Rig 3 LE amp and effects
selections recorded beautifully and sounded
excellent when pumped though monitors for
live use. The touch responsiveness and dynamic
feel of the modeled sounds made it a snap to
get suitable tones for jazz, blues, country, rock,
and metal. I just selected an appropriate amp
type, dialed it in using the virtual amp’s knobs,
paired it with a speaker cab to get the response
I was after (big differences abound between
the 10" and 12" “loaded” open- and closed-back
types), and added effects. The distortion pedals
(Skreamer, Demon), modulators (Chorus
+ Flanger, Phase Nine), EQs (Graphic, Autofilter,
Real Wah), other processors (Volume
Pedal, Noise Gate, Stomp Compressor), and
reverbs (Studio Reverb, Delay Man) sound
excellent, and are easy to dial in. You can also
use the two onboard tape decks for practicing
parts, looping, or making sketchpad demos
(drum, bass, keyboard, synth, guitar loops, and
vocal samples are provided). You could also
import your own WAV files into the GRM’s
tape decks and jam to them if desired. All considered,
Guitar Rig Mobile’s state-of-the-art
interface and excellent-sounding amplifier and
effects models make it a great choice for those
who want the convenience of using a laptop
computer for recording and/or performing.
- Art Thompson