Without realising it, Native Instruments has once again revealed one of the constraints of its prior version – it’s only by improving things that you recognise the faults of programs past. Guitar Rig’s entire window can now be resized globally and on the fly to best suit your DAW too. Using this new and more intuitive method, you’ll get better results much quicker than you would’ve with Guitar Rig 5. The previous version of the platform had basic presets and individual selectable components, but now you can build your rig from the ground up according to what kind of sound you want to process, and narrow these parameters further by selecting from tabs that categorise the nature of the sounds you want to hear. One of the reasons we like the workflow of Native Instruments’ Maschine platform so much is that it encourages navigation and exploration throughout its library. The new library interface is another solid addition, making for an all-round better workflow for the eyes and the brain. With Guitar Rig 6 Pro, however, comes a modern new look that is cleaner less gimmicky. There are advantages and weaknesses to this setup – for all the quick and easy visuals, it can be tough to navigate the audio routing system. Similar to Reason and Native Instruments’ Kontakt, Guitar Rig Pro operates via a stacked drag-and-drop system meant to simulate a gear rack. In doing so, it has also become a go-to for many audio-shaping tasks that stretch beyond its remit as a guitar-based platform, even if the program’s major strength remains the creative processing of guitar sounds. Guitar Rig’s presets have always been a reliable way to grant your instrumentation a more specific place in your mix.

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