Waves Software

October 2008 Guitarist 133
Photogra Phy by SI MoN LEES
WAVES GTR GROUND £470
RECORDING
Ground control to major chord: Waves introduces a
controller for its GTR3 software by Trevor Curwen
Waves GTR Ground £470
The IK Multimedia Stomp IO
(£657) controller, which comes
complete with all of the different
AmpliTube software versions,
is the closest rival to the GTR3
and GTR Ground package.
Stomp IO comes with just one
pedal treadle, but has inputs for
up to six more external
controllers. NI Guitar Rig 3
Kontrol Edition (£399) offers a
fine set of amp sims and effects
and comes with the Rig Kontrol
controller/audio interface,
which offers a practical set of
functions with nine switches
and a single treadle pedal plus
two additional pedal inputs.
The Rivals
W
e recently took a look at
Waves’ GTR3 amp and
effects simulation
software [issue 304], which
provides a classy set of sounds for
recording guitarists. However,
Waves has just released a new
product that will greatly extend
GTR3’s practicality, perhaps even
tempting some to use it onstage.
The GTR Ground is a foot
controller that connects to a
computer via USB 1.1 and has 11
assignable buttons and dual
dedicated expression pedals for
transmitting MIDI messages to
control all aspects of the software.
GTR Ground has a radical and
very elegant design that also
manages a great deal of
practicality. The unit is metal and
ruggedly built. It sits firmly on the
floor courtesy of seven rubber feet
and a pair of elongated supports
that look like hydrofoils, raising
the front edge of the unit so it sits
at an angle that makes foot-
control feel very natural.
Apart from the A/B footswitch
that sits alone at the left end, the
footswitches are placed in two
rows, four at the top, six at the
bottom, separated by a rounded
stainless steel bar that not only
serves as a carrying handle, but
also has the immensely practical
function of being a barrier that
allows you to operate the top set of
switches without inadvertently
hitting the lower ones. It can also
function as a foot-rest where you
pivot your foot and operate both
sets of switches using heel and toe.
Slightly set apart from the
switches are a pair of treadles for
continuous control over effect
parameters and real time wah and
volume control. Power is via a
supplied 12V DC adaptor and
there is an additional RJ45 socket,
like an Ethernet socket, which
Waves enigmatically says is for
“future use”.
The middle bar acts as a barrier between upper and lower buttons as well as a foot pivot
GIT308.rev_waves 133 9/9/08 4:10:41 pm