I don’t think I have talked about it very much of late, but it is true. I used to be a musician of sorts. I started my career in a guitar shop called Derringers Music in Leader Street Adelaide back in the early 90′s. I was there for a good 8 years of my early twenties and had the time of my life.
Then I decided to try and make some real money and a proper career for myself and found the IT and Telecommunications industry provided me just that. Sigh. Now I am old and boring and play with toy robots in my home office.
But the lust for vintage guitars and great rock n roll never leaves the boy. I still lust after a sunburst 1957 Fender Stratocaster with a rosewood fingerboard, busted up and dented to hell. But alas, those things are way to expensive these days and my hopes are fading quicker than you can say Seth Rogen is a weird choice for the Green Hornet.
To get to the crux of this post I have found nirvana. Instead of tossing in bed at night wondering how I can get a Marshall stack through the house without being busted by the financial global controller, I found the iRig by IK Multimedia and my whole world changed (again).
This magic little jigger is the gateway between guitar and iPod/iPhone/iPad, and subsequently my nirvana.
I simply couldnt believe that for around $39 delivered I purchased this on eBay and then downloaded a free version of the software AmpliTube and was able to competely ROCK OUT with a mostly authentic sounding Marshall stack with nothing more than my iPhone.
Best invention of the decade. Bedroom artists take heed, you need one of these.
The basic freeware on iTunes gets you started well enough with a basic rig and I found that by using the same thing on iPad rather than iPhone I had better control, undoubtedly because of more real estate to see the effects and controls etc.
A clever built in feature of the App allows you to buy a range of stomp boxes as well for roughly $3.99 AUD each but I did my research and discovered that you can buy the full AmpliTube version for $23.99 and get just about everything in one hit which must be a saving of something right?
I am still reeling from just how authentic it sounds. Ok so I havent been in the studio or played live for many many moons now but the device and the freeware has saved me a packet and given me instant access back to my bad licks and terrible Hendrix impersonations, somethign I am very thankful for.
Can wait to buy some stomp boxes and effects to get really psychedelia funky.
