Expert’s Rating
Pros
Cons
Our Verdict
When Apple declare GarageBand for iPad ( ) back in March 2011 , the company showcased the $ 99Apogee Jamas a way to link your electric guitar or basso to your iPad or iPhone .
Sure , other company were already making guitar interface for iOS machine ( like IK Multimedia ’s AmpliTube iRig [ ] ) , but the Apogee Jam was the first product to support the iPhone 4 and practice the dock connective rather of the headphone jack .
The dock connection provides a high quality connection with less crosstalk than the earphone jack . Sonoma WireWorks already had a dock connective guitar interface , the GuitarJack , but it only work on the iPhone 3 K and 3Gs as well as the 2nd and 3rd generation iPod Touch . A new version , the Guitar Jack Model 2 , will crop with iPhone 4 and fourth genesis iPod Touch , but has not yet been released .
A little bad than a Bic lighter , the Apogee Jam has a clean and simple aim , and a 1/4 - inch remark on the bottom lets you connect your electric guitar or bass voice using a received instrument cable . A connective on the top countenance you to connect one of two include cable’s length : a 1 metre USB 2.0 cable that connects to your Mac or a 0.5 meter cable system that connects to your iPhone or iPad ’s dock . A gain luger on the side of the Jam countenance you easily set your input degree , while a modest multicolor LED flash lamp red if your grade is too high , green when connect and ready to encounter , or blue if connected to your iOS gadget or Mac , but not ready to play . The Jam is bus - power , so no battery or external power is required .
I was able-bodied to plug the Apogee Jam into both an iPad and a MacBook Pro and start play without install any drivers . While Apogee put forward that the Jam was designed to work with GarageBand , I was able-bodied to use it with a phone number of iOS apps , include AmpKit , GuitarTone , GuitarToolkit , and 4Track .
IK Multimedia ’s AmpliTube apps did not puzzle out with the Jam . On the Mac , I was able to use the Jam to tape to Logic as well asGarageBand ( ) . By adjusting the gain using the Jam ’s slider ascendency and the stochasticity cancellation characteristic of GarageBand , I was able-bodied to get percipient and crisp sporting tones as well as crunchy distorted sound .
Compared to other iPad guitar inputs I ’ve used , like Griffin ’s GuitarConnect Cable and IK Mulitimedia ’s iRig , the Jam had the clearest speech sound . The Griffin is too overdriven and could benefit from a gain ascendence thickening . The iRig sounds better than the Griffin , but there ’s a petty noise in clean tones . Neither the Griffin or iRig can plug into your Mac .
Macworld’s buying advice
With its ability to punch into both your iOS equipment or Mac , the Apogee Jam is a simple to utilize , in high spirits caliber guitar interface . It cost considerably more than available earphone seaman adapters , but its clean clean signal and versatility make it a great little guitar appliance .
