any suggestions for a kickbutt program to provide kool effects for the comp

[kitler07]

ok so i want to be able to use my computer as an amp, im cheep and dont want to go out and buy an exspensive amp with a thousand nobs to turn to make it sound kool, but i do want a program on my computer tht will give me the abillity to make it sound awsome.
something i can download plug my guitar to, have all effects tht the most expensive amps would have, like chorus,flang?, echo, the lil water effect, and more, at times i want it to sound like a screaming banchee at others to sound trippy like aqua mans lil sounds he makes whn he is comunicating with the fish. it would be kool if the program was able to download more effects as pple might make more perhaps i dont kno.
----------------------ok so wht i want is do yall kno a good program tht will do tht for me. i dosnt have to be a recording one, but if it does it dosnt bother me... perferably a free program, but if i have to spend a bit of money on the quality of the product im willing, i mean i am a paying member of this site only bc of the high quality it serves. i kno there are some awsome ones out there, i have played with a couple but they seemed to simple and didnt have enough for me like guitar fx plz help

[vaxwell]

I've been using Native Instruments Guitar Rig 2 for about 4 months now.

It comes with hundreds of presets, but you can create your own banks, create and save your own personal settings. It's even got two recorders; one for the input signal (just your guitar on it's own) and one for the output signal (after it goes through the amps and effects) so if you record something with the first, you can play it back and tweak your effect/amp settings whilst you're playing it back in real time - then record it back with the second. You can also use the second as a loop/backing track and then record over it with the first again. *thinks* it has a handy tuner, 8 really really expensive amps/cab setups, 43 different types of pedals/modifiers. It makes my Epiphone LP100 sound like a $3000 Gibson (I think anyway :p)

The only downfalls are that it's not free, sometimes if you have a tonne of effects (I mean a tonne - like more than 30) and you don't have a very good computer the sound gets 'blipy'. If you want footswitches, you have to spend extra to get the 'rig kontrol' unit, and because it's on my PC (desktop with two monitors, 7.1 surround sound setup) it's not very portable. I'm investing in a good plain amp and an effects unit (Digitech RP100) so I can be more portable. :) Oh, and it makes my pickups REALLY hot so sometimes when I try to touch the strings to mute them, I hear a loudish 'thump' but I think that's just my inexperience as a player. :) Great for pickslides though. lol.

Here's a vid of me using the Rig (badly :p).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85MdGzVpsrc
I like how my playing sort of blends into the backing track and doesn't sound tinny like a cheap 15watt would sound through the video camera's mic.

[raymix]

I second what vaxwell said - Guitar Rig 2 is very powerful.

Btw vaxwell, you have some cool personal preset banks you did and want to share ? I like your BAD tone on that video :)

Ray.

[RADAR_Brian]

there's some free software called guitarfx that does all the effects you would want. They only catch is you have to be online to use it... it uses ads in the program.. I think you can buy the program to turn the ads off though... but I don't mind since I have broadband... I use it all the time with my electric.. you cna build your own effects and stuff with it.. pretty neat

Here's the link: GUITARFX SOFTWARE (http://guitarfx.net/)

hope that helps

[raymix]

Got that guitarFX too, installed but never been able to make it works.
Seems like my "line in" doesn't went thru the program and I dunno why.
I just hear my dry signal.

Seems like a nice program, according to the free download settings I saw on the website ... argh !

[RADAR_Brian]

You may have your recording line turned off or selected incorrectly. Check this out:

open up your Volume Control panel.. then click OPTIONS.... Then click PROPERTIES... then you will see two check boxes for PLAYBACK and RECORDING... pick RECORDING.. then hit ok and you will open up a new volume control panel except this one is for recording volumes and line selection... you should select the line your guitar is jacked into.. I actually use the mic port, but I have a Line 1 also so pick whichever you are using and also make sure its volume is up.

It should work now. I actually mute the volume on the Playback mixer panel so the clean sound isn't amped.

I hope that wasn't confusing and I hope it works for ya.

[raymix]

Oh nah , that wasn't confusing at all, in fact that was a great idea but it still doesn't work.

The only thing I was able to get is a very weird feedback (like the recording signal was looping thru my playback) so I muted the line in, no results.

Oh well, at least Guitar Rig is okay. Btw, I have an Audigy sound card with fresh drivers (full duplex) and never had any problems till now with this program.

Thanks anyways :)

Ray.

[RADAR_Brian]

Strange. I have an Audigy card as well.

Does the demo wav file that plays when you activate GuitarFX have the effects playing?

Like I say, I have the same card, except I plug my guitar into the mic jack.

I also plug the guitar directly into the computer with nothing inbetween...

I know you have something else that works... but it bugs me when something doesn't work for someone!

[ez-one]

Guitar Rig 2 sells for about $300.00 since you said perferable free or cheap you should check out a Line6 Guitar Port for about $100.00 (probaboy $50 used on ebay) you get a guitar/compluter interface the software, about 20 some effects, toner, diffenert amps, cabintents ect..... check one out at www.line6.com

[vaxwell]

Btw vaxwell, you have some cool personal preset banks you did and want to share ? I like your BAD tone on that video :)

Ray.
I was all set to upload a custom bank for you guys to install when my computer suddenly turned off. I've been trying for the past two days to get it working again :( I hope I haven't lost anything!!

If I get it back, I'll have about 16 really nice sounding tones that I use regularly with my Les Paul and I'll post them up here. :)

BTW, I use an audigy card too. :) The Soundblaster Audigy 2ZS Platinum.