Anyone tried the PRS GuitarBud for iPhones?

[brain21]

http://www.prscables.com/guitarbud

Wondering if anyone can share opinions. It looks like a pretty cool tool, esp for quickly recording song ideas to the iPhone/iPod voice recorder, or one of the iPhone 4-track apps, etc. For only $30 it looks like a winner. Of course if the sound quality totally blows, then it might not be worth even that.

Perhaps a list of apps you've tried to use it with?

 

[brain21]

Wow. No one?

 

[ibobunot]

I don't have the PRS GuitarBud but I have a custom made cable that does the same thing and it works great.

I use it with Sonoma Wire Works FourTrack and Peterson iStrobosoft.

 

[Nork]

i just go the istrobo and am really happy with it.

 

[Josh O]

Interesting. This cable and a couple of apps, my iTouch could replace my PocketPOD.

 

[DS88]

Line 6 should come out with a pocketPOD for the iPhone. That'll be awesome, just a few sounds and a few effects like the pocket pod express.

 

[clc12rock]

Line 6 should come out with a pocketPOD for the iPhone. That'll be awesome, just a few sounds and a few effects like the pocket pod express.

They had a video from the conference they had for the iPhone 3Gs where you could control your Variax/Pod/Amp from your iPhone, but it didn't work when they tried to demo it Guess they had some bugs to work out...

 

[DavidLopezJr]

I though I would never see a day when TGP would make me GAS for a iPhone.

 

[bhorn67]

I just saw these on Harmony Central. I am ordering one today, I will try to give a report soon. Any body have any recommendations on which amp simulator ap?

 

[deeohgee]

Looks promising. Does anyone know how it would work running Guitar>Effects>iPhone?

 

[ibobunot]

Any body have any recommendations on which amp simulator ap?

I have the PRS Jam Amp app but I can't recommend it at the moment it's pre-beta buggy.

 

[SeeMoore]

I have the GuitarBud, using it with a 3.0 Ipod Touch, so far, I wouldn't recommend it.
It seems there is too much signal at the input of the Touch to get a useable sound.

Plus the fact that if want to use one of the multitrackers, I bought 2, 4 Track and a 16 track, when you close out the guitarBud, to open one of the MT's, it's gone, and the only signal for the MT is straight from the input.
I may be doing something wrong but apparently you can only listen to your music and use one other app on the Touch.

The tuner with the GuitarBud works fine and is very accurate.

The app has the option to inport tracks and slow them down for learning licks but the sound quality really suffers, making it harder to hear whats going on.

I spent $30.00 for the GuitarBud, $14.00 for the 16 track and $9.99 for the 4 Track, so far I feel it's money wasted.

I had high hopes for the GuitarBud and very much wanted a protable recording device but so far it ain't working out.

Maybe after a couple updates.

 

[ibobunot]

I had high hopes for the GuitarBud and very much wanted a portable recording device but so far it ain't working out.

I gave up on the fancy stuff with my iPod Touch 2G and bought a "Monster iSoniTalk Microphone Headphone Adapter" it works great as a quickie portable recorder.

The iPhone/iPod Touch is looking for a electret condenser mic like a headset microphone anything else causes problems.

Faber Acoustical: iPhone Headset Input Options

 

[bhorn67]

I have the PRS Jam Amp app but I can't recommend it at the moment it's pre-beta buggy.

I tried it before I read your post. I agree the PRS app does not sound good at all. The GuitarBud worked fine, does what it says it does. I think the apps are the problem at the moment. Maybe they will improve.

 

[KenBond]

We are working on the an update to PRS Jam Amp.
It's only version one out there so far hope to have a minor update (free) in the next week or so.
Please let us know what you want to see in the next version.
Also keep in mind a lot is going on in this app, and that performance is better the faster the processor you have, original iPhone is pushing it the 3G is better along with the iPod Touch 2n or 3rd gen and the iPhone 3Gs is best.
Thanks
Bond Music Research / PRS Cables.

 

[brain21]

Wait, so the app is $10 in addition to the $30 cable, or do you get the app is you buy the cable?

What I'd like to see is guitar input to the iPhone, then some sort of amp/FX simulation, and the ability to record into a multitrack application. The application should be able to do something like the following:

Scenario #1:
I open up a blank "project" and have the option of setting up say a simple click track. Then I can record a rhythm guitar track. Then I can save it and exit the app.

Then at some later time I can open up the app, recall that "project file" and it loads it up just like I left it (click track and recorded rhythm guitar), and then I can record a new track on top, say a solo. When recording a solo, I should be able to set the start of the recording time (so if it starts 2 minutes in, I don't have 2 minutes of recorded silence due to HAVING to record from the start of the track). Then I can do a simple mix down (I would mute the click, and then adjust volumes of the tracks, possibly EQ) and mixdown to either a WAV or mp3 file.

Scenario #2:
I have a backing track that I got off of the internet. I start a new project. I load that backing track. I add a new track and record a solo, or perhaps just play and not record. Again, have the option for mixdown.

Would need a minimum of 4 tracks.

PLEASE do not force us to get audio files from, or save mixdown files to the iTunes database. Check out the application iPhone Explorer. It allows file system access and copy paste, even from non-jailbroken iPhones. You could put the files in one of those dirs if you don't have your own mechanism for getting audio in and out of the iPhone (I see on the prscables site that you have some sort of aq web interface for getting audio files on?).

It would be REALLY nice to be able to use PRS Jam Amp for amp modelling, and be able to route that output to OTHER iPhone applications (like one of the many multi-track recorder apps that already exist), but I think that w/o jailbreaking the phone in order to use the backgrounding app, its not even possible to run the two apps at once (thanks Apple). Running more than one app at once is possible w/ a jailbroken iPhone, but then you still have to figure out I think how to properly get the audio output from one app into the other....

 

[G-Let]

The app sounds terrible. The guitarbud is an expensive, poorly made molded cable. I've also had trouble with the iPhone mic staying on while the guitarbud is plugged in. Yes, I've tried playing at full volume when plugging it in. The problem persists most of the time. I suggest avoiding these for now.

 

[guitarlifestyle]

I would agree that the app and GuitarBud leave a lot to be desired. I bought both and have been disappointed.

 

[Blindspot]

Any update on the performance and usefulness of the Guitarbud?

 

[norumba]

hope someone makes a similar app for Droid...