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Using a MIDI controller with Guitar Rig VST in Cakewalk

I’m writing this post mostly to remind myself how it’s done.

Overview: I’ve got a nice setup in Guitar Rig, including a virtual volume pedal,  and I really want to be able to control it using a MIDI controller foot pedal.

Step 1 – Add an audio track for our guitar, to capture the guitar performance.
You’ll also want to select the appropriate input channel on your audio interface.

Step 2 – Put an instance of Guitar Rig in the FX bin, and select our super-awesome patch:

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Step 3 – Using the VST2 drop-down menu in the plugin header, select “Enable MIDI Input”:

image

Step 4 – Add a MIDI track to capture the MIDI controller data.

Step 5 – Assign the appropriate input channel for the MIDI track.

In my case, MIDI control data will be generated from my Roland A-80 controller keyboard with various pedals connected to it, connected to the Midisport 2×2 In A, so I assign the input channel thusly:

image 

Step 6 – Assign the output channel of the MIDI track to the Guitar Rig Plugin.
This is possible because we enabled MIDI input in Step 3 above – we get an option to select the plugin as the destination for the MIDI data in the output channel list:

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Step 7 – Define a controller inside the Guitar Rig plugin

Go to the Options > Controller tab in Guitar Rig, and click on “Add Controller”.

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At this point, a “New Control” module appears in the Controller list in Guitar Rig.

Step 8 – Click the “Learn” button and wiggle the controller’s foot pedal:

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Notes:

  • Obviously the controller must be turned on!
  • Assuming the foot pedal has been assigned to CC#4 (which is typical), you should see the controller number appear against the control definition in Guitar Rig.
  • For diagnostic purposes, it helps to have the meters in Cakewalk displaying incoming MIDI messages.

Step 9 – Assign the controller to the Volume Pedal

In the controller list, click on the Menu button and select Volume Pedal > Pedal

image

At this point, moving the expression pedal should be reflected in Guitar Rig’s UI as moving the volume pedal level:

ExpPedal_Volume

If we now arm both tracks for recording, we can record the guitar audio and the MIDI controller data at the same time, capturing the performance.

2 Comments

  1. Chris

    Thanks for this post. I'm trying to do a similar thing in Cakewalk but wanting my guitar patch is coming from Kontakt. How do I set this up?

  2. Colin

    Chris, you should be able to do this by putting Guitar Rig as an effect on the Kontact Instrument track, instead of the regular audio track that I use in this post.

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