Just recently discovered Everyday looper, bought it, and im thrilled with the possibilities it has. Ive been looking into a BOSS recording stations for months now and its exiting to think i have such a portable option on my iphone

Now all i have to do is get my hands on an iphone guitar jack piece of equipment

Im aware of the PRS guitarbud, the iRig, Peavy Ampkit LINK, Sonoma GuitarJack and the Alesis ProTrack.

Im aware im asking alot out of an iphone 3GS but from what ive heard on youtube and other recordings i cant help but be impressed.

Does anyone here have any experience with any or all of these products? in particular the Alesis ProTrack and senoma GuitarJack?
I understand that the Alesis ProTrack is more of a recording piece of equipment but the XLR/ 1/4" inputs seem great. and now its down to $150 these days. The Senoma GuitarJack seems great but for $200 and doesnt have the features of the Protrack im not sure if its worth it

Forgive me if this is a silly question (im not mixer or have experience with miking) but Is it possible to plug in a guitar into the protrack and still use the inbuilt microphone to sing and record with? is it possible to plug in 2 guitars into the ProTrack?

I see that the duel XLR/1/4" inputs seem just for stereo microphones but if each input had a guitar each with a preamp mute switch could you swap between instruments to create a loop?

Does anyone have any ideas in setting up a good system and walking me through what i will need to hook up the Alesis ProTrack (or similar system) to an amp? i can just wire up my output from my iphone to any standard amp?

Really Appreciate if anyone can help me out. Really hope to work something out soon!

Hope someone here has there hands on an Alesis ProTrack or GuitarJack OR something else out there im not aware of!

Hi Charles !

I think I can try to help out you a bit.



I have a ProTrack (and an iRig). In the current state of the arts, I would rather go for the ProTrack than the GuitarJack.
First it is (far) cheaper. We can now have it for 58 € in Europe : http://www.thomann.de/fr/alesis_protrack.htm . I think it's because it is (or will) be discontinued, so it is probably for selling the stocks.
Secondly, the GuitarJack needs music apps to implement custom code for you to be able to change some of its settings. It doesn't have any physical buttons, unlike the ProTrack. And as Everyday Looper, as most apps, doesn't implement this particular code (yet), you would be unable to change the gain of the preamp for example... In my opinion that's a big problem.
Thirdly, the audio quality of the ProTrack is very good, both from the integrated mics as from the jack/XLR inputs. However I'm sure the GuitarJack is really good in that aspect too, at least based on the numbers they provide.
And they have the same flaw, they are not compatible with the iPhone 4 / iPad. That's not at all their fault, but that's the way it is.
In the future, when/if some apps (including Everyday Looper) integrate the required Sonoma code, and when/if the ProTrack goes back with its normal price, it may lead to a different conclusion.



The mics are only active when there is nothing plugged into the jack/XLR connectors. And yes, you can plug two guitars in the ProTrack, one on each channel.



Yes ! That's totally possible. Normally, the two channels are for left/right of course, but you can force them to be merged as mono directly on the ProTrack. So if each guitar has a mute switch, it would work exactly the way you want.



You can plug the headphones output of your phone directly into an amp. It works well on my Peavey MicroBass. Your mileage may vary depending on the sensibility of the amp input, but I don't think you would encounter a "no-way" situation.

Have fun and tell me if something is not clear enough !

Raphaël

Ah! this is EXACTLY the kind of help ive been after!

I cant thank you enough for your detailed reply. Very clear and it couldn't be more helpful!

thrilled to hear i can force the stereo input to perform with 2 guitars. Is there anyway to use a microphone and play a guitar at the same time? i know this defeats the point with the Everyday Looper app but it would be also very interesting and handy to know if its possible.

That French Website selling the ProTrack (with a little help from google translator!) tells me i can get it to australia for an extra 50 euros. so 108 euros all up is 144 aussie dollars for me right now. Amazon US is my only other option for the ProTrack at 160 including postage.

Might just get a few things at once from Amazon to make it worth while. after all. christmas is coming up! things can just get complicated for us Australians wanting to buy some stuff! can be hard supporting local business when some gear just isnt on their radar. only one Alesis retailer in australia and it wouldnt be anywhere near these prices

Thanks again Raphaël!

Glad to be helpful .


Yes, you could do it the same way as for the 2 guitars. You plug your guitar in the first input, plug an external standard mic in the second (SM58 or whatever you prefer), you force the output to be mono and you are done. But that way, if you play guitar and sing at the same time, Everyday Looper will of course record both on the same track. No way to "de-merge" them.

The site is german in fact, but it is very popular all around Europe. Here is the UK version, probably easier for you ^^ http://www.thomann.de/gb/alesis_protrack.htm

In Europe we sometimes feel left out for some kinds of products too (It has been the case for the ProTrack for a long time). So I sympathize with you .

Have fun !

Raphaël

hello again

another quick (and a little random) question.

what is the thread size of the female mounting insert on the Alesis Protrack? is it 3/8" or 1/4"?

my order for the ProTrack got cancelled from Amazon cause they didnt have it in stock but im gonna get it from the site you sent me (thanks heaps for that!) and just thinking whether or not its worth getting the mic stand mounting adaptor. already have a camera tripod i think is 1/4" thread. It will be ok not getting the ProTrack by christmas time =P

Thanks again

Hope everyone is looking forward to christmas!

Hello again !

It is said to be a 1/4" on their site.

Cheers !

Raphaël

exactly what i wanted to hear

your a legend mate. thanks a lot!

Hello again!

my order for the Alesis Protrack from the states got cancelled cause they discovered they no longer had the item in stock, and that thomann website that was originally linked in this thread no longer stocks them

is anyone aware of any other source of where to buy these things?

I cant imagine Alesis making another generation ProTrack for the new USB-based-audio for the new iphone hardware, but is it worth waiting a while to see if anything comes out for the new apple stuff?

Considering Apple's past they will probably keep the dock hardware the same for the next few generations of iPhone

PS - apart from ebay. anything under the 150 mark?

Hi again Charles !

From what I've seen from the NAMM reports, no other dock device has been announced for the iPhone. Except for the iRiffPort, but it only has a mono input. The second version of the GuitarJack has been confirmed however (working on the iPhone 4 and 3GS).

But the iPad was very trendy ^^. You can take a look at the Alesis StudioDock, even if we are not on the same portability scale as an iPhone.

Cheers !

Raphaël