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Hi all, so I finally pulled the trigger on a guitar interface for my iPad: I got the Apogee Jam, and after a bit of a struggle I got it working pretty good with Garage Band. I've just bought and downloaded Amplitube but I've not had a chance to play with it since I'm at work (pesky jobs!).

Couple of questions though:

1. For some reason I can't get a decent volume out of the iPad's internal speaker. For some reason my guitar through this thing and into Garage Band is quieter than when my iPad plays MP3s, is that usual or am I missing something?
2. If I increase the amp's volume in Garage Band it sounds like the iPad's internal speaker is distorting, but it sounds fine with equivalent virtual amp levels when using headphones, has anyone else found that?
3. If the volume issue in my first question is to be expected, I presume I can get some half-decent powered external speakers to play through: do any of you have a similar setup and what speakers would be recommended since I really don't want to be playing through the iPad with headphones on.
4. My bass player is now all interested: do any of you practice bass through an iPad? What recommendations would you make on the interface (would the Apogee Jam interface work for bass) and what software to use for bass?

Thanks in advance for any replies/help you can offer.
    a month later
    12 days later
    I use my headphones when I practice through my ipad, but if you hook it up to some decent speakers you can get some good sound. I even have a decent cable so i can use it for a gig, I normally go into the PA from my phones out. I use the ampkit+ app, you get some good amps and effects that you can buy. Just a pitty it gets expensive.
      17 days later
      Norman86 wrote: regarding this... have you guys seen Rock prodigy for ipad/pc?
      What do you guys think of this? Fender themselves are also on this bandwagon somehow...

      http://www.fender.com/news/fender-becomes-exclusive-launch-sponsor-of-rock-prodigy/
      Hi Norman, I've not seen or heard of Rock Prodigy until you brought it up here, looks interesting.
      Armandearl wrote: I use my headphones when I practice through my ipad, but if you hook it up to some decent speakers you can get some good sound. I even have a decent cable so i can use it for a gig, I normally go into the PA from my phones out. I use the ampkit+ app, you get some good amps and effects that you can buy. Just a pitty it gets expensive.
      Yeah, at home I've been plugging it through the AUX input of my Bose Sound-dock thing, sounds great. Whatever the reason for the trashy distortion with the internal iPad speaker, it doesn't happen through the Sound-dock thingy. I've also run it through the band PA, messing around during breaks as opposed to using it in a proper band context, and it sounded really really good!! Yes I guess you could say it gets expensive, but you know, spending R150-or-so on the Jimi Hendrix Amplitube pack to get a Marshall Super Lead-ish amp and a Univibe to play around with - plus a Silverface 65' Deluxe Reverb model, something like that, and other effects, like a Fuzz Face clone - is cheaper and easier than dropping serious cash on the real deal.

      One thing though: there is a slight, discernible latency between hitting a note and hearing it come through the speakers, maybe it's the Apogee Jam interface, it really is a very small thing, and certainly not enough to ruin the enjoyment of using this as a convenient practice or mess around rig.
      TheFourthDimension wrote: Out of curiosity, why would you want to play through your iPad?
      My main amp stays at the practice venue, and I've got a spare at home but I don't really have space enough at home to permanently have a rig set up and ready to plug in and play. I wanted to get an iPad primarily for music/guitar related stuff, like keeping all my song lyrics on so I can finally ditch and awkward ring-binder/files. But I'd also read-up on a lot of different music/guitar apps, like Amplitube, Garageband, Gigbook, Songwriterspad and others, and figured for practice, theory study, modelling and playing with effects and ideas and what-not, multi-track recording capability... plus then Guitarist Magazine and other publications cost a fraction on the iPad that they do in CNA...

      All in all the iPad is an excellent device for a whole host of music-related stuff, and being able to use one as a convenient, small-footprint, and decent sounding but quiet rig to play through for me is very handy indeed!
        btw, which ipad are you using?

        i have the mini, and volume from the speakers is nothing to complain about! its quite loud!
          Norman86 wrote: btw, which ipad are you using?

          i have the mini, and volume from the speakers is nothing to complain about! its quite loud!
          It's the latest one, 3 I think with the retina display.
            if it has the lightning adapter its the 4. or the new new ipad, or sumin!
            but its strange that it has no volume!

            im looking or a nice 2 channel system, but so far, no luck.
            airplay accessories are near to non existent, and the nice bluetooth things are also too expensive imo.
              Norman86 wrote: if it has the lightning adapter its the 4. or the new new ipad, or sumin!
              but its strange that it has no volume!

              im looking or a nice 2 channel system, but so far, no luck.
              airplay accessories are near to non existent, and the nice bluetooth things are also too expensive imo.
              It's got the standard Apple dock adapter that they've had on iPods, iPhones and iPads for ages, so not the new lightning adapter, which I understand is smaller. It's not that there's no volume, it's just that it's very quiet compared to, say, playing MP3s through the same speaker.

              In Music Mate in 4ways they had this Alesis IODock (I think that's what it was called) thing which you insert the iPad into and it becomes a multi-channel input device with XLR connectors and the works, but that was rather more functional, and expensive, than I needed so I went for the Apogee Jam instead.
                Sebber wrote: 4. My bass player is now all interested: do any of you practice bass through an iPad? What recommendations would you make on the interface (would the Apogee Jam interface work for bass) and what software to use for bass?
                I recently bought the Bass expansion in JamUp, for R40 and it is brilliant! Lots of classic and modern bass amps and effects, I got some amazing sounds and that was BEFORE i even plugged my bass in - just pitch shifted my normal guitar down an octave. I was surprised. ?
                  10 days later
                  Been mucking about with my irig for a while and I like it a lot ...using mainly garageband for now as its a one off cost ,,,I have downloaded the free versions of ampkit and amplitube but yet to play with them properly...it can get expensive.

                  So far its brilliant and the irig replaces my battery powered amp when I go on holiday to muck around with....will try it at next band practice thru the PA too just to see how it sounds but certainly thru the headphones it sounds pretty good. easy to record and muck around with too...

                  damn, its great piece of kit .... the internal ipad (mini) speaker is no good though ..it distorts pretty quickly.
                    19 days later
                    iRig HD has been released... 80Euro, plus 30 Euro shipping..
                    im hoping we can get from the ZA distributor, but they cant say when it'll be available here.. :?

                    otherwise im just gonna have to take the plunge and have it shipped from IK multimedia themselves...
                      2 months later
                      Norman86 wrote: iRig HD has been released... 80Euro, plus 30 Euro shipping..
                      im hoping we can get from the ZA distributor, but they cant say when it'll be available here.. :?

                      otherwise im just gonna have to take the plunge and have it shipped from IK multimedia themselves...
                      Gammatek, the local distributor, is... not quite with it.
                      They could not tell me who of their retailers would have stock of the iRig HD, or what the RRP should be.
                      anyways, i was able to get one (read as paid for, awaiting delivery) from Mercury Music.
                      and for cheaper that the 80 Euro plus 30 Euro shipping, plus VAT.
                      Paid R1400 for mine, but if anyone was interested, you would have to find out from them about cost.

                      anywho, will post a New Interface Day when i get it ?
                        Norman86 wrote:
                        Norman86 wrote: iRig HD has been released... 80Euro, plus 30 Euro shipping..
                        im hoping we can get from the ZA distributor, but they cant say when it'll be available here.. :?

                        otherwise im just gonna have to take the plunge and have it shipped from IK multimedia themselves...
                        Gammatek, the local distributor, is... not quite with it.
                        They could not tell me who of their retailers would have stock of the iRig HD, or what the RRP should be.
                        anyways, i was able to get one (read as paid for, awaiting delivery) from Mercury Music.
                        and for cheaper that the 80 Euro plus 30 Euro shipping, plus VAT.
                        Paid R1400 for mine, but if anyone was interested, you would have to find out from them about cost.

                        anywho, will post a New Interface Day when i get it ?
                        I have the ipad mini and I just bought a normal guitar cable that splits with a headphone input at the 3/4inch jack. Works like a charm. What does iRig do differently?
                          Well, the iRig HD works differently in that it uses the actual digital input.
                          Unlike the headphone socket which, to my knowledge, introduces extra noise.

                          I only received my iRig today, so i'll check it out on the weekend.
                          I can say though, that it looks quite good, and is bigger than i expected.
                          But look out for my new topic on the iRig ? soon...