Guitar/Bass through Amplitube iPad and out to mixer?

[carlaz]

What's the best way to get a raw guitar bass signal into an iPad with Amplitube and then the processed sound back out to an XLR input on a mixer/console that expects a balanced signal?

Obviously, the iRig 2 HD has a 1/4" amp-out jack, though that's presumably an unbalanced signal that would need to go through a DI box first on its way to the mixer/console.

However, I notice that the literature for the iRig says the 1/8" headphone jack can be used "to send a stereo signal out to a mixing console". Does this mean that if one simply gets a, say, stereo 1/8" male to XLR (or dual XLR) male cable, and runs this out fo the iRig 2 HD headphone jack, this is the simplest way to run get guitar/bass processed in an iPad with Amplitube out to a mixer/console?

I ask because I was jamming on bass the other night with some guys the other night, and they tend to run stuff out of guitar effects units to a little PA through a mixer. They happened to have had a 3rd-party digital FX unit lying around, into which I ran my bass, and then out of that through an XLR to the mixer. It was OK, and sure -- I could continue using their kit or another 3rd-part analog bass DI -- but I already have Amplitube on my iPad, though I haven't used it for this purpose before. But I figure it's just a question of figuring out which connectors, etc. I need.

[Peter_IK]

You can go out from the headphone output on IK mobile audio interfaces with good results, amp out would be to (as you know and expected) go out to the input on an amplifier. There are also IK interfaces with balanced outputs like iRig Pro Duo and iRig Stomp I/O for example.

[carlaz]

Thanks, Peter_IK. Yes, I guess something like the iRig Stomp I/O is actually purpose-designed for this sort of thing. Still, I can't find any local vendors (in Colombia, where I am) offering those, however, while the smaller IKM interface devices (iRig 2 HD) are more readily available, so I thought something like that might be a more immediate and practical solution.

That said, I'm struggling to find 1/8"-to-XLR adapters locally, too, though admittedly I find can actually run my instrument-level signal from my bass into these guys' little soundboard mixer well enough with useable results. But it would be nice to get Amplitube iOS going for me here, though. Otherwise, I suppose I could get something whenever I'm next passing through the US (though that's always frustrating!).

Cheers,
Carl

[Peter_IK]

Thanks, Peter_IK. Yes, I guess something like the iRig Stomp I/O is actually purpose-designed for this sort of thing. Still, I can't find any local vendors (in Colombia, where I am) offering those, however, while the smaller IKM interface devices (iRig 2 HD) are more readily available, so I thought something like that might be a more immediate and practical solution.

That said, I'm struggling to find 1/8"-to-XLR adapters locally, too, though admittedly I find can actually run my instrument-level signal from my bass into these guys' little soundboard mixer well enough with useable results. But it would be nice to get Amplitube iOS going for me here, though. Otherwise, I suppose I could get something whenever I'm next passing through the US (though that's always frustrating!).

Cheers,
Carl

Ah, interesting to hear. I'm going to check with someone here as I believe we have some in (or at least near) Colombia now. I know that still doesn't mean miracles can happen (sometimes it is just difficult to get products into certain countries, Brazil comes to mind immediately - even Australia can be a bear sometimes) but I'll see if we have any insight there with regard t your plight.

[carlaz]

Though I suppose we're drifting a little off topic thanks again for the attention!

For what it's worth, I can report that there is nowadays a lot more IKM stuff available from local vendors than there was some years ago -- I even see some things in Mac-centric shops in shopping malls these days -- but it's mostly the smaller items. (I think I've seen at least the first-gen iLouds for sale, though -- or at least listed on vendor web sites, if not actually in stock!)

Admittedly, this is surely partly because these sort of gear is all significantly more expensive than the same things go for in the US, and of course local salaries are even more significantly lower than US salaries, making any given item pretty pricey by local standards ... so I guess most potential buyers are probably buying smaller and (thus) cheaper things when they have to buy anything. Not much to be done about that, probably! It's probably some blanket import tax or something that makes the local prices actually higher than in the US.

I have heard that getting audio gear into Brazil can be quite a headache. I dunno if it's the same for other S. American countries, including mine (though hearing that it was would not send me into shock!).

I do see things for sale on the local equivalent of eBay that don't usually seem to appear in formal vendors' inventories, though I'm not quite bold enough to try that route here yet!

Anyway, I could easily order an iRig 2 HD and have it delivered to my house without too much hassle, so that would be attractive in the short term ... if I could then also find appropriate cabling to get from the headphone jack to the band's little mixer! Though since I have gotten away with just running my bass straight into the mixer, I guess don't actually need a balanced output signal. So maybe an iRig 2 HD would be just fine .... It doesn't have the cool switches and pedals of the iRig Stomp, but I don't need that for bass.

I'm actually also kind of wondering about how to use the iPad as a source of audio with a keyboard controller. (I could be John Paul Jones and sometimes swap the bass for keyboards!) Obviously, iRig Keys could connect to an iPad and be used to play sounds with appropriate apps (SampleTank, iGrand, GarargeBand, whatever), though I'd still have an issue getting audio out to the mixer, etc. But if I were already running audio out through an iRig 2 HD (for use with Amplitube iOS and my bass), then perhaps I could use a Bluetooth-enabled controller keyboard to talk to the iPad and play stuff, piping audio out via the iRig 2 HD?

[Peter_IK]

Thanks for the info! Our team checked and it looks like Yamaki is set to stock iRig Stomp I/O in the future but we're waiting on them to provide an order so we can supply them and you can all get this great unit

Feel free to ask them when they'll get them, too, if you want any specific information. They may want to know what kind of demand they'll have for these.

[carlaz]

Thanks again, Peter.

Yeah, when I Google for IKM in Colombia, Yamaki come up as the top hit (though they actually seem to stock less IKM stuff than some other vendors). I've dealt with them before; they fixed one of my old MIDI controller keyboards when the cat knocked it over and busted the USB port.

I wouldn't want to speculate on the extent of local demand. Looking for iRig Stomp I/O on the local eBay-equivalent, I seem them going for not less than the equivalent of USD 470, which is something like 157% of the price for a new unit on Amazon US! I don't know how much of that markup is from import taxes, how much from scarcity locally, etc. Most of the units "offered" that way seem to actually be placeholder ads for units actually bought/shipped from the US "on demand" by the "vendor", so one presumes the "vendor" is paying something like the Amazon price, plus, shipping, plus taxes, and then needs to add some more to make any profit. So ... that all adds up! Honestly, Yamaki probably does about the same: none of the IKM products they list on their Web site show prices, and all claim to need 1-4 weeks of delivery time, which one suspects is how long it takes to get stuff from the US ....

But, well, this is the musician's life in the developing world! If you're "rich" enough to afford this gear at all, then you're rich enough that your lifestyle might take you to the US every once in a while, and then anything small enough to be crammed in your carry-on luggage you'll try to pick up while you're there.

But, still, I do see a lot more IKM stuff floating around locally than I did a few years ago, even if mostly the smaller cheaper pieces. I could actually right now order for delivery or in-store pick-up an iRig 2 HD from the local equivalent of Home Depot (!), even if it would cost 30-40 bucks more than in the US! But I could get it and be rockin' with it probably within a few days. That's better than things used to be.

[Peter_IK]

Yamaki is an authorized dealer so they wouldn't be doing it that way. We'll keep pushing to see how we can improve dealers getting stock in your region for sure.

Instead of Googling, you can also use this page to find authorized IK dealers based on yoru location: http://www.ikmultimedia.com/dealers

[carlaz]

And, again, thanks Peter. You can be sure that I'm always keeping an eye out for IKM stuff locally!

[Peter_IK]

And, again, thanks Peter. You can be sure that I'm always keeping an eye out for IKM stuff locally!

Glad to help! I mean, I also want to make sure we keep our guy out there working hard Teasing (mostly) but really we keep striving to overcome challenges to get products into regions that are trickier to export to and at the best pricing we can though the latter can be VERY challenging with some countries/regions having excessive import fees, taxes/tariffs, etc.

[carlaz]

Yeah, while I don't know for sure, I would at least suspect aggressive import taxes are an issue for Colombia (as probably for Brazil), making it difficult to sell such imports at competitive prices in local markets. After all, I'm definitely the type of local customer who can say, "Well, if I wait 6-12 months, I could be travelling somewhere where this thing costs only 60% of what it does locally", which means though IKM would still get my business (assuming I still think the same in 6-12 months!), it's hardly an incentive for local distributors to try to stock the same items. Ah, the joys of an imperfectly globalized economy!