Guitar jacks for iPad iPhone Ipod Touch

I have been using Amplitube’s iRig ( http://www.macworld.com/article/153301/2010/08/guitar_cables.html ) for quite a while with both my iPhone and iPad and think it’s great. It’s well-designed, pretty sturdy, and sounds great. I use it with Amplitube’s own app (basically amp/effect modeling), 4-Track, and now GarageBand. There were a very limited number of solutions for getting audio signals in to the iOs devices when I was first looking, and I’m convinced that iRig was the best choice then, and may still be the best choice.

However the one thing all the cable solutions had in common was connecting through the headphone jack. It looks like Sonoma Wire Works (see links below) has figured out how to connect through the dock port.

http://sonomawireworks.com/guitarjack/

http://iosmusician.blogspot.com/2011/02/new-guitarjack-2-for-iphone-and-ipad.html

And the really cool opportunity that opens up is simultaneous dual input. I assume this possibility exists for recording stereo audio for hi-def video, but for an app like 4-track (or GarageBand?), it means recording two tracks at the same time.

Of course iPhone/iPad audio recording/editing does not come close to a professional recording setup, nor even a good dedicated mobile field recorder. But the maxim from the photography field  applies here as well. “The best camera is the one you have with you”.