Line 6 and Planet Waves brings guitar and amp control to iPhone
By Darren Murph 
posted Jun 8th 2009 12:39PM
posted Jun 8th 2009 12:39PM
Please note: If you're a current Engadget commenter, you do not need to re-register. Simply login and you will be prompted to select a username.
Nice idea ... but in reality, no one would actually use this.
Unless they're a complete tool, that is.
You'd be surprised, this thing: http://line6.com/pocketpod/ is really popular with guitarists, and the iPhone app + Dongle is basically the same thing but will likely have a much better interface for adjusting patches due to the nice touch screen.
More useless Apps...Apple spoils us.
it didnt work......................
And this post about it is a giant fail also. I read about the botched demo in the keynote coverage. I click on this post... hoping it will actually cover what was missing in the original botched demo, like a make up demo. NOPE! Just redundant coverage of the original botch, with a gallery of photos from said botch.
Congrats Engadget. I commented on this useless post, thereby increasing the the traffic flow associated with apple posts. Hope our advertisers pay well. I did my part, no how bout you do yours and actually present something newsworthy or informative about this subject, instead of the botch recap?
They have a video of this app actually working...
http://line6.com/news/general/840/
I love my Line 6 products, but I don't know if I would pay for this app even if I did have an iPhone.
what in the hell is this?
pointless excuse to bring a guitar on stage and continue their "rock star" status?
I have a prediction: No new Iphone hardware today.
?????
Nevermind.
Maybe line 6 is busy
why not just walk over to your amp and turn the dials? this shits so pointless.
Someday you'll see a band in a club and the guitarist will pull his iPhone out to change his amp settings. You'll walk out of the club, thinking, "Why the hell did I go see that band?"
It doesn't "control" an amp, it IS essentially an amp. It uses software to emulate the sounds of different amps and effects pedals. A lot of guitarists already use similar stuff on stage, they are usually built into the amp head or controlled by stomp boxes or pedals. This is great for people who say, want to jam without disturbing other people in the house, or want to practice on the road without bringing an amp, etc...
like this deserved it's own post on the main page!
their demo even failed when demonsrating, shows that engadget gets $$ from apple for heavily advertising it's products as this would never get a mention on other sites as its crap.
so if you think this website is crappy and bias ....... why are you still here?
go away .... please go away
If you've actually used this product, you would know it's not pointless. One of the great features of the Variax guitar is that is allows you to change the tone and tuning of a guitar model to save as a preset, i.e. go from an acoustic 12 string in standard tuning to a telecaster in open G. Unfortunately, you need to have your guitar hooked to a computer to do this. If you could do this from an ipod instead, you wouldn't need a computer in your practice space.
oooh. Think of the 1/2 ft. of space saved. Of course, the capabilities of the iPhone apps vs a computer show just how useless this wannabe rockstar app is.
If you've dropped the cash for a Variax guitar, I'd say you're a bit more than just a wannabe rock star. We're not talking Guitar Hero here, this is not cheap equipment. Also, you're considering the "space saved" at a practice space...instead of using your brain and figuring out that you've just eliminated the need to lug around a computer. When you take into consideration the number of little gadgets that Line 6 produces that they could make apps for on the iPhone, there could be more to follow. I think they're just trying to cash in on their Variax guitars for now - the ability to plug in any guitar and use the iPhone like a pocket pod + backtrack is bound to happen.
As a non-rockstar musician, I find the additional 6 lbs. of computer that I haul around or setup is hardly noticeable compared to all the other gear we have onboard. Try another argument. And in terms of what they "might" come out with ... great. When they come out with it, I'll modify my comments. I'm just dealing with the reality of the demo.
lol @ the above username!
I hope this works with more L6 products than the Vetta & Variax - I have a PodXT Live and a Variax and being able to control them with a nice UI without having to be hooked up to a PC would be very handy. I imagine it'll work with the XTL, seeing as its guts are very similar to the Vetta (minus the power amp, speakers etc).
I am a guitarist, and this app seems very awesome but has very limited potential because it is only going to be used with the Line 6 guitar/amps. ie: you need thousands of dollars worth of VERY specific equipment to use it with.
Now if they had made a standalone iPhone "pod" (omg ipod pod) effects processor, that would be something to write home about. An app for all guitarists instead of a select few.
thousands of dollars? a variax 300 is about £170 on ebay these days.
I wish i could be interested in an application like this, but it seems redundant at best, gimmicky at worst:
"hey, look at what in theory we can do"
i think this is meant to show the broad uses you can have with the phone, even if those uses are useless.
As a guitar player in a gigging band I have to tell you. That's some dumb crap. Generally when playing you've had a couple beers, the place is dark, and you're in a rush to get started. Cursing at your phone because you can't switch to a different amp model would be a fantastic addition to that particular mix.
Of course, its like a trick question. If you're a real guitarist, you wouldn't be using their amp modeler or certainly one of their guitars in a live gig.
This is similar to the app that recognizes songs, except a lot less impressive. It is, as mentioned, an excuse to pull a guitar out on stage.
There are plenty of gigging guitarists out there that use the amp modeler as a preamp in mid-range rack systems - the iPhone isn't meant to do the work of a modeler in this case anyway.
i agree with you wholeheartedly. although your point about real guitarists not using modelers on stage is flamebait and demonstrably false, i will point out that never on god's green earth will i ever stoop to buy any fugly line6 guitars. fucking Yngwie Malmsteen wannabes. wankery.
@gunboatdiplomacy
Yngwie Malmsteen uses Fender Stratocasters you dumbfuck.
Damn engadget fried my reply post somehow. Anyway, yeah, that was me being a jerk, but I have some good cause. I had a line 6 pod xt when the old band was first spinning up. I wanted to have a similar sound in different practice rooms and clubs with different amps. We started practicing at a place with Marshall jcm 2000's, and that was it for the pod. I could never get anything remotely as satisfying out of a digital amp as I could out of a decent tube amp. There is of course some crap in that statement. I'm sure the marshalls do some stuff under the hood that isn't "tube" or whatever, but still. Pod went on ebay shortly after. Now I have a mesa recto combo, which is a huge pain to lug around, but is worth it.
What happened to "It Just Works" Apple? Nice FAIL on stage today. Lol fails across the board for Apple at WWDC 09.
You don't seem to be aware that this isn't an Apple product being demonstrated.
I am a Line6 Spider III owner and the modeling in it sucks monkeyballs. I wasn't really impressed by their pedals either. Moved on to Digitech and I'm a much happier person.
If the same modeling quality is present in this app, I wouldn't be expecting miracles. Not that the app is useful otherwise.
Seriously, find a used Zoom 505 off ebay. Would cost the same as this app and won't make you look like an asswipe.
Seriously? a zoom 505? I wouldn't wipe my ass with that old POS.
I like my Spider Jam and PodXT. The modeling isn't perfect, but it is nice to have some options on hand.
Reading about this app at the Line6 website it sounds like it is still in the early stages and relying on hardware developed by Planet Waves. I have no idea why they thought it was a good idea to showcase this app. I am interested in what the end product may be though.
It is always nice to see innovation.
This report doesn't actually do the app justice. It's basically Variax workbench, plus a tonelocker, in an iphone. No idiot is going to use an iphone to change models mid-set or mid-song (hello? pedalboard? I'm not stomping my iphone!), but the ability to make new guitar patches without having to hook up a computer is handy - I can take my guitar and phone down to the practice room, rather than having to lug a laptop too.
Not sure about this "just show up at the gig with your sounds on your iphone" nonsense though:
a) Not every venue has a Vetta
b) Even if they did, it's might not work or be compatible, and then you're stuck
c) You only know, and should only trust your own gear - if their Vetta breaks mid-set, you're stuck, and might even get a bill.
So if I'm taking my own amp and Variax, I probably don't need the iphone to keep my settings, since they're already all preloaded. So handy for making models in a practice room, but not much else. Also, the demo is pretty embarrassing.
Oh and Zoom 505 vs PodXTpro Live really isn't a fair comparison. The Zoom does noisy MFX, the XTpro does amp/pedal/guitar models at the flick of a switch. I wouldn't trade mine for anything.