Unboxing : Guitar Rig 4 Kontrol

October 14, 2009 in Hardware by David John

Every so often I get really excited about a new technological release and the announcement of Guitar Rig 4 is on exception. Today I took receipt of a Guitar Rig Kontrol unit. Up to now I have been using the excellent Guitar Rig Session (read my full review here) and with a real buzz I opened up Native Instrument’s top of the range guitar processing system.

Obviously I will bring a full review of the Guitar Rig 4 system as soon as I have had a few days to play, be assured I won’t be releasing any of my own music on site though. I thought avid Guitar Rig fans might be interested in the unboxing process and my initial impressions of the Guitar Rig Kontrol unit.

Like the Guitar Rig Session the Kontrol unit is as solid as a rock and I have to say featured beyond my expectations.

gr1

The Guitar Rig system comes in a solidly packed cardboard box (for more photos of the unboxing session check out the photo set on Flickr here).

Opening the cardboard lid revealed the first glimpse the kontrol unit it all its glory.

Unlike a number of other guitar floor control makers Native Instruments have also kindly included a USB cable with the Kontrol edition.

Gr3

In the pack : USB Cable, Software DVD, Instructions, and the solid Kontrol hardware.

Gr4

Probably the aspect of the Kontrol Edition that surprised me the most is just how fully featured it is.

I half expected a few sturdy buttons to enable guitars to change patches as well as an expression pedal. The reality is far more exciting.

Dual Input, Dual outputs, headphone sockets, effects look, midi in and out are all proudly presented at the back of the unit.

Conclusion

I was excited by the very Guitar Rig Kontrol box but now I have seen the hardware I really can’t wait to get it hooked up to the Mac.

Quality hardware is synonymous with Native Instruments but I have to admit I wasn’t expecting the floor unit to be so fully featured.

There are a more photos of the unboxing session over in the Flickr Set. (Flickr Link).

I will aim to get a full review of the new Guitar Rig 4 software on site in the next week, I can’t wait to get playing.

Any other Guitar Rig users out there ?

7 Comments

October 14, 2009 at 6:31 pm | Mihkel

Good for you, at least you’ve got yours… I would be a user – except… I made my order on September 1st (for Guitar Rig 3 though). Tried to contact them via email, no response. Sent them a fax. On September 22nd I got an answer and my order was (supposedly) shipped.

Anyone – dare to take a guess, if the GR3 + Kontrol have actually arrived – the correct answer – NO.

Worst customer support ever. Longest order delay ever (Order made on September 1st, today is October 14th, do the maths).

Sent them another email today, let’s see… Will call them directly if I have no response by tomorrow same time…
October 14, 2009 at 7:09 pm | David John

Hi Mihkel, I know there was a number of issues with their courier company and I think a few customers are facing delays. I have passed your message on to Native Instruments so hopefully your will be a proud Guitar Rig owner very soon.
October 14, 2009 at 8:02 pm | Mihkel

Thanks David, I appreciate this.
Overall I just can’t wait to get my hands on it – Guitar Rig 3 software looks and feels just nice, even with M-Audio Fast Track as the interface. I can only imagine the power of GR3 with the Kontrol…

I’m not sure if it is worth to upgrade to GR4, as it doesn’t have much improvements over GR3 by the info on NI website…
October 14, 2009 at 9:20 pm | Andre

Looks gorgeous.
@Mihkel: all GR3 users, that registered theirs software after july 1st 2009 qualifiy for a FREE upgrade to GR Pro4. Got my upgrade yesterday by mail. They call this grace period and thats awesome customer support!!!

@David: can you check if there´s a way to use the hardware kontrol as a midi controler assignable, maybe to ableton live? If so, that´s a no brainer…

Thanks.
Andre.
October 14, 2009 at 9:24 pm | David John

@Andre I will do, I haven’t got everything set up as yet as I really want to enjoy the whole process. It really an impressive piece of hardware, I expected it to be light but this is sturdy…. I love it.
November 2, 2009 at 3:59 pm | Mihkel

I just have to follow this up – Once again thanks a lot David, don’t know what you did, but my Guitar Rig finally arrived today…
February 4, 2010 at 9:38 pm | Pete

Hi David, Nice website, good reviews. I am also thinking about getting Guitar Rig 4 Kontrol, but I am not sure about a few things. I think the footswitches can be programmed for patches and perhaps other functions, but do you always need a computer or a laptop when playing — like when performing on stage? Or can you program the footswitches at home and then just take the Guitar Rig 4 Kontrol on stage, hook it up to an amp and play? Also, when activating software on the computer, is the program matched to a specific computer or can you install it on a different computer with the same activation key they give you, say when your first computer dies or crashes? Thanks.