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Amplitube

Rocking out with AmpliTube iRig

I am not a professional guitarist. Like many of you, I can fake my way through a few chords and song melodies, but I couldn't play you any "tasty licks" or shred your face with my epic guitar wankery. I'm a hack, and I'm comfortable with that.

Humble skills aside, I do enjoy picking up the guitar at least a few times a week--just for fun and to keep up what few chops I have. My big problem is finding a way to play guitar without aggravating my wife, or waking my kid. I have … Read more

Innovative USB-recording interfaces at NAMM

I didn't imagine there was much room for innovation in USB-recording interfaces, but at the 2009 NAMM show--the annual convention for buyers and sellers of professional music gear (read: music gearhead paradise)--a couple of companies introduced some new takes on this very prosaic, but necessary, piece of gear.

For the uninitiated: A recording interface is the bridge between your musical output and your computer. You attach it to the computer, then plug your instrument (or multiple instruments, or output of a mixing board) into it, and voila. There are countless types of interfaces at all levels of price and complexity, but for home musicians who just want a quick way to get their musical ideas down on their hard drives, an inexpensive USB interface is the way to go. M-Audio is probably the best-known brand at this level, although Tascam and Edirol (part of Roland) are somewhat common as well.

… Read more