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In order to take advantage of the great guitar-processing apps available for the iPad and iPhone, you need a way to get the signal from your guitar or bass into your iOS device. For that, you’ll need a dedicated guitar interface or a more fully featured audio interface that can handle not only guitar and bass connections but also microphones and sometimes even MIDI as well.
Two different types of guitar/bass interfaces are available on the market:
- Digital interfaces, which connect through the dock port on your device
- Analog interfaces, which connect through the headphone jack on your device
The general consensus being that while there are lots of guitar amp models, sounds and guitar effects to choose from within the Garageband IOS app, they don’t all sound that great. You also need to remember that the iRig inputs to your device via the headphone jack – this does no favours to the quality.
Going digital
Mar 22, 2018 Added a 2nd track and select input 1 + 2 as the input. Never had any issue recording into GarageBand using the Roland Duo EX. Now when recording in GB (connect headphone on iPad, not on Helix) choose MT Daw as your input of a track and set it to Master Out within GB. You will now be able to record a wet Helix signal into GB. May 10, 2011 I would like to buy a completely cool sound tool from Korg called the Kaossilator and ideally would like to connect it to my iPad 2, play the Kaossilator, and have GarageBand record the input. The problem is that I have absolutely no idea how I could pull that off. Any suggestions would be. It features a new 1/8″ stereo headphone out with preamp and level control, making it compatible with even the most recent iOS devices. Plus, when used with the optional DC power supply, the unit will charge your iPhone or iPad while in use for unlimited playing and recording time – super handy! USB Guitar Cable, VAlinks USB Interface Male to 6.35mm Mono Male Electric Guitar Cable Studio Audio Cable Connector Cords Adapter for Instruments Recording Singing iPhone GarageBand Game-3m 10ft.
Initially you could only find analog guitar interfaces for iOS, but the last couple of years have brought forth plenty of digital models. These offer better sound quality than the analog ones, because they convert your instrument signal into digital audio and keep it in the digital domain as it goes into your device. Conversely, analog interfaces bring the signal in through the analog headphone jack, and it doesn’t get digitized until it gets into your device.
These digital interfaces offer 24-bit audio resolution, which is the same resolution used in most professional computer recording software. The result is that your guitar or bass will sound the same going into an app as it does coming out of your guitar, and no noise will be added.
Some of the best-known interfaces of this type include:
- Apogee Jam
- Apogee Jam 96K
- Griffin Guitar Connect Pro
- IK Multimedia iRig HD
- Line 6 Mobile In
- Peavey AmpKit Link HD
- Positive Grid’s JamUP Plug HD
- Sonoma Wireworks GuitarJack Model 2
The only disadvantage to digital interfaces is their cost, which is typically in the $90 to $120 range, depending on the product.
Connecting one of these interfaces to your device is easy: Just plug it in to the dock connector, plug your guitar or bass into its 1/4” input jack, and you’re ready to rock.
Note that some interfaces feature the older-style 30-pin connectors, which means if you have one of the newer generation of Lightning-equipped iOS devices, you’ll need one of Apple’s Lightning-to-30-pin adapters in order to connect it to your device. This adapter will set you back about $30, so figure that into your budget, or choose an interface such as IK Multimedia’s iRig HD, or Griffin’s Guitar Connect Pro, which supports both formats out of the box.
If you plan on using both MIDI and audio in your live rig, make sure you buy an interface that supports both. You only have one data connector, after all— don’t make your devices fight for space!
The analog alternative
Analog instrument interfaces offer an inexpensive alternative to the digital products. Although analog audio isn’t as clean and pristine as digital audio, for a lot of applications, the difference won’t be particularly noticeable. Analog guitar interfaces tend to sell in the $20 range, for the most part, so if you’re willing to live with a signal that might be slightly noisy at times, you can save quite a bit.
These interfaces connect through your device’s headphone jack, using a kind of connector called TRRS, which is a special type of mini-plug that allows audio to travel both in and out of your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch. This is important because not only do you want your guitar signal to go into your iOS device, you want to be able to hear it and any background tracks or other music you’re playing with it at the same time.
If you’re wondering where you’ll be able to plug your headphones into, since the interface is connected to your headphone jack, there’s a simple answer. All of these analog interfaces have their own built-in headphone output jack, so you can listen to the audio coming out of your device at the same time as your guitar’s signal goes in through the iOS device’s headphone jack.
Because they’re 30-pin devices (a format that Apple has replaced), analog interfaces may not remain on the market all that much longer. But currently, these three were still available, all at reduced prices (under $30):
- IK Multimedia iRig
- Positive Grid JamUp Plug
- Griffin Guitar Connect Pro
Try again after each step
- In the App Store, tap Updates. Find GarageBand in the list. If you see Update next to GarageBand, tap Update. If not, skip this step.
- If you use Audio Units Extensions or Inter-App Audio apps as instruments or effects with GarageBand, check with the manufacturer for updates.
- If you use an external audio interface, disconnect it. If GarageBand works, you might need to update or service your audio interface.
- Delete any Audio Units Extensions or Inter-App Audio apps.
- Create a new song, then play it. If it works, check your other songs and solo tracks to see which one caused the issue.
- Reset GarageBand. Go to Settings > GarageBand, then tap Reset GarageBand. When you reset GarageBand, your song files, presets, or patches aren't affected. Other custom settings, such as the 24-bit audio resolution and Multitrack Recording settings, are reset to factory defaults.
- Back up any songs on your device. Then delete GarageBand and redownload it.
Garageband For Ipad App
Still not working? Contact Apple support.
Learn More
- Use GarageBand on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.
- Visit the GarageBand Support page for more articles and support resources for GarageBand.
- Share tips and solutions with fellow GarageBand users from all around the world. Visit the GarageBand for iOS Support Community.