iRig and AmpliTube Review for iPhone

For those of us who play electric guitar, trying out new guitar effects and recording programs is always a treat, but the new iRig and AmpliTube app for the iPhone bring both together in an easy to use and portable device that you have with you always anyway. The special iRig device lets you plug your guitar directly into your iPhone while the ApliTube app runs on your iPhone to bring you the ability to record, practice while playing music on your headphones, and try out different guitar effects all in one.

ApliTube for iPhone

Back in the day of classic guitar playing, getting different sounds was limited to the different amps that you owned. If you really liked the sound of a certain kind of amp, then that was the amp you have and that's the end of that. But as technology continues to progress they are getting better and better at capturing the sounds of these different amps and allowing a single program to make the sounds of many different amps. Though purists believe that these programs could never sound as good, they are still a great tool for trying out the sounds of different amps and in a way that is much less expensive than purchasing a bunch of amps and trying to sell them again on eBay.

Amplitude allows you to record a single track using the sounds of the program that you can choose yourself. Besides choosing your amp sound, you can also use different guitar effects to add distortion, delay, and other effects all on your iPhone. It would have been nice if there had been a multiple track recording feature, but that is this programs only real flaw.

iRig

You wouldn't be able to use ApliTube with your phone, however, unless you have the iRig or some similar device. This simple but brilliant little bit of hardware allows you to plug your 1/4" instrument jack into one end and it converts it to a 1/8" headphones jack that is plugged into your iPhone. It also has a place where you can plug in your headphones so you can hear what you're doing. It costs $39.99 but comes with a free trial of ApliTube. You can upgrade that version of AmpliTube for another $19.99 or get individual effects for about $2 each.

How does it run?

The app is pretty large and is a bit prone to causing iPhone crashes, but besides that it is an excellent program. The sound quality is very impressive considering you're playing something through your phone. This is the kind of program you would expect on a computer, not a tiny device you can carry in your pocket. The backing tracks that it provides are great to play along with; technology has made practicing guitar easier than ever before. All in all, it's a great program. The only question is why on a phone? The truth is guitars aren't particularly portable things most of the time. But if you find yourself somewhere where you have your guitar and not your amp, then this makes for a great way to practice if you don't mind the price of all of the software.

Source: http://www.maclife.com/article/reviews/amplitube_irig_review