After all these freakin' back surgeries, carrying a 75 pound bass amp just isn't in the cards anymore. So I started looking around for alternatives to the boring old DI box.
Over the last year, I've tried every iOS amp sim that's available. I use an iPhone 4S, which we all know is a very powerful machine. I started out with Irig. Amplitube iOS is a cool little toy. If you listen to IK Multimedia, it's the best thing since sliced bread, but that isn't really true. While it IS a good headphone practice amp, primarily aimed at the teenage bedroom guitarist, it falls short pretty quickly in terms of tone for bassists. I'm part of a growing group of bass players on Talkbass that are using iOS based amp sims in real world live situations. Most of us started on Amplitube, but quickly got frustrated by their lack of support for bass players. We've sent them messages asking for more bass gear in Amplitube iOS (at present there are only two bass amps in Amplitube, and they aren't that great), posted on their forum (and been promptly deleted for violating their usage terms by criticizing their app), but they continue to be more interested in sucking more money out of us instead of actually listening to our needs. Oh well. As any bass player knows, when we play live most times we are handed the cheapest, most beat up DI box in the soundguy's bag. It sucks but it's a reality. Guitar players use their amps and rarely play direct into the soundboard. So doesn't it make sense that a company should listen and relate to us bassists, and create a solution for the crappy old way of doing things? Well, one company has. That company is Positive Grid. Their iOS app, Jamup XT (and XT Pro) has become THE bass amp sim for iPhone/iPad. When the game first started, Jamup was a cool app, but the tone was seriously lacking. Then out of the blue, they released what they called a "minor bug fix" update. Suddenly the tone was unbelievably good!! Not only did the tone of the app improve dramatically, they released a Bass Expansion Pack. Really?? Finally a company that cares about the rhythm section?? Yup. It's true. The pack included four bass amps, a Sansamp BDDI model, and a few pedals. Downright amazing bass tones!! And we've just recently been asked for requests to be included in an upcoming second Bass Expansion!! Yeah, you read that right, they asked for suggestions from their customers instead of trying to convince us that what they give us is actually what we need. Inconceivable!! I have found my replacement for my heavy bass amp!! Using Jamup XT with the Bass Expansion, for the first time in my life I'm actually happy with my bass tone. Not only is it an awesome practice amp, but it actually sounds BETTER than any amp I've ever owned. Back to Talkbass. Our group has invited IK and Positive Grid to join our conversation, and they both did. IK came first, and their posts were arguementative from the start. Instead of taking our suggestions to heart and trying to improve their customer relations, they became defensive when we offered constructive criticism. After over a year, still no new bass offerings from Amplitube iOS. Positive Grid on the other hand, joined our conversation and really listened. They (Calvin) continue to participate in the thread and instead of getting defensive when we ask for improvements, they come back a few days later with screenshots of upcoming updates that include the fixes we've asked for!! Could it be? Is there really an iOS based amp sim that connects with it's users and maintains an amazing working relationship? It's true. Calvin and the gang at Positive Grid have been the most helpful bunch of app developers I've ever seen, and really seem to "get it". iOS based amp sim are the future, plain and simple. The "silent stage" is becoming more and more common, with church's and even bars converting to in ear monitoring instead of loud stage monitors. You can either get on board with it, or you can find yourself scrambling when the soundguy tells you that you can't use your SVT on their stage. I've found my solution, and it's Jamup XT from Positive Grid. It's the best iOS based amp sim out there, hands down. Jamup also now supports Audiobus, which allows it to interact with other audio apps in ways that will just blow your mind. Amplitube does not. IK would rather keep everything inside their own app, so they can soak us for more money with in app purchases and add-ons. I'd like to extend a HUGE thank you to Calvin and the gang at Positive Grid, for not only saving my aching back from having to carry a big bass amp to the gig, but for also giving me the best bass sound that I've had in my entire 31 year musical career. Keep up the great work!! I'd also like to thank Duke21, adambombbrown, PrietoBass, JimmyM, BluesMan845, steve_rolfeca and the rest of the group on Talkbass for their continuing dedication to making iOS based amp sims the way of the future.
2 Comments
|