Gigging with iOS?

[GGResearch]

Hello, I guess I will make this a partial introduction as well as a general question, as this is my first post here. Just wondering if anyone is gigging here via iOS device. I'm pretty new to the world of modeling. I've been messing around with my iPad and interface now for a few weeks and have been absolutely thrilled with the quality of sound I have been getting. I've been jumping back and forth between JamUpPro/BIAS and Ampkit. I guess where my question starts from.. Is that I have been happy enough with my sound to consider actually gigging with it. I've been gigging with tube amps and pedalboards for the past decade or so now.. But with some recent issues surfacing lately, hauling the tube amps isn't in my best interest anymore.

 

Any who, I'm glad to be a part of this forum after being a long time troll here.. And a part of many other guitar forums for years, that I have watched slowly go down the tubes. I do a lot of guitar work locally, mostly in modifications of guitars and have worked with several places doing hands on reviews of guitars, amps, pedals, and plenty of other gear. Hopefully, I can contribute and pass information forward here.

[GGResearch]

Guess no one is gigging with an iOS rig, lol.

[crimean]

I think you meant to describe yourself as a lurker, not a troll.

Cost you 75 cred points, out of the gate.  Do a detailed google search,

those people happily using i-things, will likely be quite vocal about it.

People who master ipads can be very productive, and enough software

is out there to make giiging viable. I'm guessing that custom mounting

systems for i-devices will help their uptake. Readability of tiny screens for older

tube-laden players may be a concern.

 

There are dozens of active posters at a couple guitar places I read.

I haven't noticed the numbers falliing. I'm also mostly a lurker, with worlds

more to learn.

[Ripper7620]

I just started using iOS modeling, but have known of several people doing this. I'm guessing your thinking of going straight in the PA & not the effects return of an amp? Both can be easily done. I haven't heard of any failures.

[renoldscott]

Good to know it.

[groovezilla]

"I love the smell of tube amps in the morning!"

 

Now THAT would be an app, models the smell of tube amps.

[Ripper7620]

Have been having a blast with Bias & Jamup. At first I wasn't overly impressed UNTIL I stared tweaking, holy batsh!t the tones are badass! There's something in there for everyone. GarageBand is killer & the effects in Magellen are great, except for the chorus. Positive Grid is coming out with a foot controller(4 button) as well, & then there's Final Touch mastering app.

[nelsonr]

It is good information and I am happy to know it.

[Godsky]

I played a small gig (finally!) with one with the BIAS app.

Not too shabby. But it was a sit down gig.

Have to say, it's better than lugging my twin reverb that's for sure.

[ggm1960]

I have used my iPad for guitar sim at a gig. It was a fill-in gig where I was doing both guitar and keys and wanted to travel as light as possible. Previously I'd had the iRig interface that plugged into the ear phone jack and found it to be unusable but then I got the Line 6 Sonic Port and determined it would do the trick. I have Amplitube and a couple other sims but I felt that the Line 6 app seemed to work the best for me. I didn't really need any effects on the gig and just used a basic Marshall straight to amp type sim. The only thing that might have been useful is a booster switch for lead playing.

 

I recently picked up the IK Multimedia Blue Board at Sweetwater's Gear Fest. I haven't tried it out yet but I'm hoping it may be workable for adding a boost switch and perhaps even a couple effects.

[MesaMonster]

Can you use the iTrack Solo as an interface with my iPad and BIAS. I haven't tried it yet. Any opinions?

[groovezilla]

This all comes down to stability during a live situation. Keep in mind that iOS device are based on an Operation System - hence the "OS" in term iOS. Operating Systems use shared memory space and if/when one app's memory is overwritten by another app's memory space a memory leak occurs and the system crashes. While almost all processors include a MMU (memory management unit) to avoid this from happening, we still see apps and devices crash occasionally - although much less than we did in the 80's and 90's.

 

Embedded solutions on the other hand (such as Digital Delay Pedals, Line6 Modeler, etc) typically don't use an Operating System, and if they do it's a simple embedded RTOS. This makes them much more stable and less likely to hit the crapper while your on-stage.

 

My suggestion is to find an pedal or amp that has the modeling built-in, as it will most likely use an embedded solution.