Following up on the huge success of Guitar Rig, Native Instruments on Friday announced Guitar Rig 2 at the Audio Engineering (AES) conference in New York. Among the new features, Guitar Rig 2 includes new classic amps and cabinets, a full setup of bass gear, and an extended selection of distortion pedals and effects units.
Guitar Rig 2 now includes eight amps with the addition of the Marshall JCM 800 emulation that delivers the powerful hi-gain tone that defined the sound of many metal bands. The Fender Bassman model adds a vintage flavor for blues and classic rock and an emulation based on the Roland Jazz Chorus makes its way into the application for jazz and pop guitarists.
The bass gear in Guitar Rig 2 is centered on an emulation of the Ampeg SVT bass head with its signature bottom-end richness. A selection of six bass cabinets ranging from 1×15 to 8×10 sizes as well as four additional microphone models optimized for bass recording are also included.
Guitar Rig 2 now includes 36 stomp box emulations. Three new distortion pedals modeled after popular real-world units offer additional crunch, overdrive and hi-gain flavors, while seven new effect modules add further options to shape the tone, according to Native Instruments. New additions include a stomp compressor, a classic Autofilter model, and a true-to-life emulation of the Dunlop Cry Baby Wah pedal.
Another addition to the application is a new Loop Machine that allows real-time loop recording delay so musicians can record and overdub up to 99 layers of audio on the fly.
A new suite of modulators consisting of an envelope follower, a multi-breakpoint-envelope, an LFO and two different step sequencers can also be put into the virtual rack at any location.
The Guitar Rig package also includes Rig Kontrol 2, a multi-functional foot pedal connects directly to a computer via USB 2.0. The pedal unit offers a professional stereo audio interface with low-latency response. No additional hardware is required for using GUITAR RIG 2 with any mobile or desktop computer that is equipped with a standard USB 2.0 port, according to the company.
Guitar Rig 2 will be available in November 2005 for US$579. Information about existing upgrade and update offers for owners of Guitar Rig 1 are available on the NI website.
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