The presets and the search engine are what’s new: Guitar Rig 4 Pro comes with over 250 presets, each of them including several tags like in Kontakt 4. This is nothing new, but why fix anything if it ain’t broke? You can then modify the order of the modules in a few clicks. You can actually create your own rig very easily by simply dragging the components from left to right. The interface is divided into two areas: on the left, the browser allows you to load presets or to visit the virtual store, which offers a comprehensive list of add-ons – from amps to effects, tools and MDF (modifiers). A very good point considering the number of functions it offers. And if you are still hesitating about changing to Native Instruments, this new version adds some new arguments to the debate.įrom the very first version, Guitar Rig distinguished itself from the rest by its nice and intuitive user interface – which isn’t something you can say about other Native Instruments products.
If anything, we regret that there are not too many new amps and, as always, bass players will feel neglected with only one amp! The update price is quite affordable considering the new features. The two new amps are high-gain specialists, but they sound very good and complement the amp collection precisely where it was lacking the most. But Native Instruments didn’t forget standard users: you get a more versatile Control Room Pro and many more speaker cabinets. Containers, side chain and effects like Resochord and Filterbank allow you to get very creative. The new Guitar Rig version has more than one trick under its sleeve and is a great tool for users who like to tweak their sound and to make the most of their gear. In high-gain mode, the Hot Solo+ is very convincing regardless of the guitar (Les Paul, Ibanez RG or ESP).Ĭheck out the sound samples and make your own opinion… You’ll notice that the second one is more hollow. With the Telecaster and the Les Paul in crunch mode the sound difference between the speaker cabinets is obvious. The sound is deeper and definitely useful, even if we might prefer some other amps available in Guitar Rig Pro. With the 335 and the Telecaster in clean mode, the amp gives better results than the Van 51. We recorded the same takes with the same settings but changing the cabinet so that you can hear the differences. We recommend you to combine both cabinets for your guitar recordings because they complement each other very well, allowing you to fatten your sound. The good news is that the Hot Solo+ is available with two very different speaker cabinets. This high-quality boutique amp is eagerly waiting for your high-speed solos! It provides two channels (Normal and Overdrive) with independent gain settings, 3-band EQ, Master, Presence (high mids) and Depth (low frequencies) controls. Based on the Soldano SLO (Super Lead Overdrive) 100, which is not an amp for dance balls but is considered the ultimate amp by many guitar players. This is a nice surprise that enriches the software’s already comprehensive amp collection. In short, the Van 51 isn’t limited to heavy metal guitars with high-output pickups. The Rhythm channel sounds very heavy, but the sound is nice! With a Telecaster you can hear the twang of the instrument, which is a good point. With our Les Paul the difference between the two channels is pretty evident. The addition of this amp is good news because Guitar Rig was quite convincing with clean and crunch sounds, but distortion was not at the same level.
Moreover, both guitars sounded different, meaning that the software stays faithful to the instrument, which is often not the case with amp simulations. The tone is accurate but not too artificial.
With an ESP or an Ibanez in the lead channel, the amp was much more convincing. Even if the amp wasn’t conceived with clean sounds in mind, we tried it out with a 335 and a Telecaster, and the results are quite ok even if not jaw-dropping. The rhythm channel features two switches: Bright and Crunch, while both channels share a 3-band EQ, a Post Gain control (master volume), a Resonance control (low frequencies), a Presence control (high mids) and a Hi-Gain switch.
This amp, appropriately named “Van 51,” has two channels. Van Halen, famous for his high-gain sound, palm muting and tapping, and his drop-D tuning. The first one is an emulation of the famous Peavey 5150, the amp of Mr. One thing must be clear: if you don’t like distortion, the two new simulations aren’t for you.