IPHONE RECORDING APP ROUNDUP
SONOMA WIRE WORKS
• IK MultIMedIa •
apogee • posItIve grId
• pocKetlabWorKs
BY JAMES ROTONDI
It’s only been a decade since we started using cellphones for even simple tasks like
emailing or surfing the web. And it’s only
been in the last couple of years—essentially
since the advent of the iPhone 3G and the
iPad—that amp- and effects-modeling apps
and multitrack recording apps have turned
mobile devices into worthy musical sketch-pads. So, in some ways, it’s a real surprise to
look up from your coffee cup in early 2012
and find a whole spectrum of impressive
amp and effect simulators, as well as a clutch
of affordable plug-and-play interfaces, that
make jamming on your smartphone as easy
as adding emoticons to your text messages.
Not that you couldn’t see the wave coming
a while ago. IK Multimedia’s Ampli Tube and
iRig interface were among the first products
to make a splash in the mobile music world,
while Sonoma Wire Works followed up their
groundbreaking Four Track app with the rock-solid GuitarJack interface and Guitar Tone
amp-and-effects app. Created with Apple’s
remarkable GarageBand app in mind, Apogee’s
Jam interface now finds the respected up-market manufacturer entering the mobile-device
fray, while Positive Grid’s JamUp Plug and
JamUp Pro app, along with PocketLab Works’
iRiffPort and PocketAmp app, have expanded
the options even further with solid audio quality and clever designs of their own.
To be fair, certain questions are inevitable
when considering iOS (Apple’s mobile operating system) music-creation gear. Namely, how
useful is this stuff, anyway—especially for the
serious player? Sure, a few bands have actually
released music recorded on an iPhone—
L.A.-based indie rockers the 88 notably recorded
their hit “Love is the Thing” using Sonoma
Wire Works’ Four Track app—but those
instances appear to be novel, attention-getting
experiments more than serious recording
practices. If there’s a professional application
for all these iOS platforms, perhaps it’s simply
that they give musicians a convenient way to
experiment with song ideas and guitar tones
no matter where they are.
Considering what most of these apps
and interfaces cost, they’re worth the money
for those uses alone. But it could also be
argued that they’re a godsend for beginners
or hobbyists, too—because many of these
amp- and effect-modeling apps constitute
a crash course in guitar gear. For a few
bucks, you can learn the basic, salient tonal
characteristics and operating mojo of virtually every major amp, cabinet, and pedal
type extant. (I wish I had Positive Grid’s
JamUp Pro when I was 16, I’ll tell you that
much!) Add in the recording and mixdown
capabilities, and it’s clear that making music
on an iPhone or iPad—even if not yet on
the same level as working on a dedicated
digital audio workstation (DAW) or at a
full-blown professional studio—is certainly
an increasingly viable way to take your
tracks—and your talents—one step further
along that road.
Sonoma Wire Works GuitarJack
and Guitar Tone App
GuitarJack Model 2 is compatible with:
• iPhone 4S and 4
• iPod Touch 4th, 3rd, and
2nd gen. iPad and iPad2
Guitar Tone works on iOS 4. 3 or later
The industrial design of the Sonoma
GuitarJack suggests a tiny Steinway grand
... it’s hard to argue
with the build quali-
ty and elegant design
of the GuitarJack.
Frankly, I have big-
name effects pedals
that aren’t half this
solidly built.
piano crossed with a silver Ferrari. The laser-etched SWW logo on the glossy steel housing
adds to the impression of quality—GuitarJack,
in other words, comes across as a proper piece
of studio gear, not a mere accessory.
The GuitarJack weighs 2. 25 ounces and
plugs into your iPhone or iPad’s 30-pin dock
connector (a “spacer” keeps it flush), thus
providing higher quality data transfer, less
crosstalk, and better fidelity than headphone-jack interfaces. The right side of the unit features a 1/4", nickel-plated brass Switchcraft
guitar input (configurable via the included
software for Pad, Lo-Z, and Hi-Z modes)
and a 1/8" “increased-drive” headphone/line
output. The left side has a 1/8" stereo mic/
line input with similarly configurable Pad,
Normal, and Boost modes. The back panel is
made of tough brushed aluminum and held
in place by three small hex screws.
It’s also worth mentioning the rubber grip
pads on the back, which work together with
the unit’s appropriate weight to keep the
