Native Instruments Guitar Rig 5 Pro

Amp Simulator

This software is incredible. There's so much stuff in here- a ton of amp heads and a ton of cabinets, plus loads of classic effects pedals (Boss DS-1, Tube Screamer, Big Muff, Boss CE-1, etc). I love this program since I love trying to match a guitar sound exactly as I hear it in a song, so all the gear in here has made it really easy to do. It's pretty simple to use, as long as you know what each of the units is. I like to compare it to Photoshop- Photoshop is an amazing program where if you know what you're doing you can do some really cool stuff, but if you have no idea how to use it then it's going to look awful. GR5 Pro is the same way- if you have a good ear for getting the right guitar tone then it's perfect but if you don't know what you're doing then it will sound awful. It has a preinstalled bank of preset rigs and tones that can be pretty decent, but I like starting from scratch since I think it sounds better that way. The presets that are included are definitely diverse in genre (everything from metal to shoegaze), so there's a good selection. They have a great number of classic amps (Twin Reverb, Bassman, Dual Rectifier, JCM800, AC30, etc) and they're pretty accurate in matching/emulating the tone of the actual amp. I love it because it's essentially an entire Guitar Rig that fits in your laptop, that way you can get all your tones and gear without having to lug it around in a van. My only complaint is that they seem to have discontinued the Guitar Rig product line, so they should reissue a Guitar Rig 6 that would include additional amps and pedals. This software is really good at what it does, I just wish they continued making it because the people that use it really love it. So Native Instruments, if you're reading this, please continue making Guitar Rig software!

i use this to process my basslines and other synths

Got tired of lugging around tube amps, plus I live in a building with other homes and can't really crank my amps to 11. I've been playing through guitar rig for years now and I love it, with a little toying around I can more or less replicate tones from all my favorite guitarists.

I use guitar rig for many things. Bass lines, cool effects, reverb, and naturally GUITAR effects :)

ill be quite honest with you i like mic'ing a real amp. it just captures more of the pure essence for my tone in a more crisper way but GuitarRig has saved my life a few times when theres those moments you just cannot go through guitar sounds with amps and mics due to being somewhere else, being in that creative quick pace where u just need to lay down the guitat melody and go... it has impressed me.

Guitar Rig 5 can make a flat saw into a massive sick lead!! Really love this VST. Thanks NI!

It is great to find new sounds you might like. I really don´t use it when I record, but I go and take a look at it when I´m looking for that sound I´m thinking of and can´t tell which one it is! You could say I use it more of an experimental tool.

These are great effects, every guitarist should be using this.

Transforms anything into a grade-A (sort of) guitar plugin, I love it.