Riaan C wrote:
Related, but slightly different. Based on what I've read here on GFSA, I've long foreseen my next move to be to Guitar Rig. But how does it really work (in a practical gig sense)? How does the software on the laptop (which will be connected to the PA/mixer running the backtrack on one line connector), actually influence the sound of the guitar? Guitar is presumably connected to another channel directly into the mixer - so how does it 'speak' to the software?
The controller is also an interface - you plug the guitar into the controller and out from the controller into the mixer. The controller obviously also plugs into the laptop. Can also be used as an interface to play back stuff from other software (although I know ASIO drivers do not like sharing, so you may have to keep your other interface for playback).
If you have Sonar installed, you can set up songs in Sonar and use GR as a plugin, also saving the settings for GR in the song. Downside is loading time for sonar to load a project, GR and patches as well as any softsynths.
How resource hungry is GR? Will running both that and Cakewalk or Sonar effectively be possible for my laptop (HP Compaq 9010 running XP SP2, 448 MB RAM, CPU is confusing: says both 2.8 GHz and 1.59 GHz, so not sure which one it is; HD is 37.2 GB capacity, 14,3 GB free).
It is fairly hungry on CPU, but not on RAM. My 1.6GHz Celeron lappy has no problems as long as I don't try run too much other hungry software at the same time. A simple amp and speaker takes about 23% of my CPU and turning a reverb on takes from 5 - 10% more. Things like distortion and phasers, etc take a negligible amount. My most complex patches (processing two signals, remember) take about 60%. Above 70% and I start getting clicks. My 3GHz desktop (2GB) has no problems running 24
audio tracks with half a dozen compressors, a reverb, a single instance of GR and two or three softsynths. I can run a second instance of GR easily, but by three it starts getting a bit shaky.
Your HP came in a couple of different configurations, if you look at the first screen of System in control panel, it will tell you exactly what you have.
BTW - GR has two "tape decks" built in - If processing power is a problem, you can mix your backing tracks down to audio (mp3, wav, etc.) at home and then play back the backing from the tape deck and play along. Once again, possibilities are what GR is good at.
