Sonoma Wire Works has released the GuitarJack audio adapter for iOS devices. Unfortunately, the $199 unit is limited to previous-generations of the iPhone and iPod touch.
GuitarJack connects a wide range of instruments, microphones, and other audio hardware to the iPod touch (2nd and 3rd generation), iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G via 1/4 inch instrument and 1/8 inch stereo mic/line inputs.
Addressing the most frequent request from musicians who use FourTrack, GuitarJack makes both level control and input monitoring possible when using a GuitarJack enhanced app. FourTrack has been updated to include a GuitarJack control panel, where users can select an input and set the recording level. FourTrack 4.0 includes the new TaylorEQ Song Tool, which allows Taylor Guitar players to hear and adjust the tone of their guitars playing through the GuitarJack using EQ settings custom designed by Taylor Guitars. A free TaylorEQ app with similar features, including a GuitarJack control panel, is coming soon.
GuitarJack works with most third party audio apps like tuners, amp models and other recording apps.
Note: GuitarJack Model 1 is not compatible with iPhone 4, iPad™ or iPod touch 4th generation. The fact that it’s a higher-end device and that it’s got built-in obsolescence is going to make it a hard sell for a lot of people.
Details below.
Features:
- 1/4 inch instrument input with configurable pad, Lo-Z and Hi-Z modes
- 1/8 inch stereo mic/line input with pad, normal and boost modes
- Each input has 60dB of continuous level control
- 1/8 inch stereo output with increased drive for headphones
- Sleek and rugged metal shell
- Dock connector compatible only with iPod touch (2nd and 3rd generation), iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G
GuitarJack Controls in FourTrack Allow Recording in these Modes:
- Instrument (1/4 inch) mono
- Mic/Line (1/8 inch) mono, dual-mono or stereo
- Both inputs, with the instrument input and the mic/line input (right channel) recording to separate tracks
iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G are compatible only in airplane mode, so they will display the following message: “This accessory is not optimized for this iPhone. You may experience noise caused by cellular interferance and a descrease in cellular signal strength.” Sonoma Wire Works recommends that you turn on airplane mode whenever recording on an iPhone.
Not supporting the newest iPhone/iPod is an unbelievable fail.
I've played with one of these a little bit, and while it's technically a nice device, I think it's over-engineered – it's very heavy, and with a guitar cable plugged into it, the slightest movement makes it disconnect from the iPhone, which then freaks out the FourTrack app. What's more, you can't just reconnect it at that point; you have to reboot the iPhone to get FourTrack to recognize the device, sometimes several times. This is the kind of device that really cries out for some kind of locking connector for the Dock input.
If your using those older phones/pods, get a TuneTalk.
This Jack is overpriced and only works with sanoma software/apps.
TuneTalk and Multitrack all Day.
The Guiar Jack should be no more than $39.99. They are tripping. Hope they didn’t stock too many, because they will be sitting for a while.
TuneTalk doesn’t have instrument or mic/line inputs. It’s a plastic omni microphone for $70 designed for older iPod models. Based on tests I’ve done on older iPod accessories, more than likely it will not record stereo to an iPod touch or iPhone. It also cannot be used for multi-track recording on an iPod touch because it obscures the headphone output. GuitarJack can be used with many recording apps, guitar tuners, and audio effects apps, even if they do not have a GuitarJack control panel like FourTrack. See the GuitarJack Guide.
The GuitarJack weight was designed for stability. The average 10 foot guitar cable weighs more. The weight and the rubber feet help keep it stable on a flat surface. Our testing didn't show any trouble with accidental disconnections when we draped our guitar cable appropriately. When we tested plugging into and out the phone with FourTrack running using the release build, after ten or more plug cycles the app may need to be relaunched, but restarting the phone shouldn’t be necessary. Were you using the shipping version of the app and hardware? Preproduction units may not have had all four feet attached. A locking mechanism would call for more expensive moving parts and could cause it to not fit well with different sized cases.
The GuitarJack weight was designed for stability. The average 10 foot guitar cable weighs more. The weight and the rubber feet help keep it stable on a flat surface. Our testing didn't show any trouble with accidental disconnections when we draped our guitar cable appropriately. When we tested plugging into and out the phone with FourTrack running using the release build, after 10 or more plug cycles the app may need to be relaunched, but restarting the phone shouldn’t be necessary. Were you using the shipping version of the app and hardware? Preproduction units may not have had all four feet attached. A locking mechanism would call for more expensive moving parts and could cause it to not fit well with different sized cases.