Whether you’re a musician, or are shopping for one this holiday season, here’s a look at JAM, by Apogee Electronics, a professional grade digital converter for studio quality recording.

With a true “plug and play” setup, it takes just a few minutes before your ready for some high quality recording on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Unlike a simple adapter, JAM is a converter, which transforms the analog signal from your instrument to a digital one before it enters your device, avoiding any unwanted noise.

The input is particularly useful for recording multiple tracks with clarity. Just plug your headphones into your computer or other device, and you’ll have in-ear monitors. Alternatively, let it play through your built in speakers and play/record new parts to your creation while listening to existing tracks. Either way, the integration with GarageBand is seamless, and the sound quality superb.

Although originally designed for electric guitar and bass guitars, JAM is compatible with any instrument that has a built in pickup. We also tested JAM with a Taylor 510ce acoustic/electric, and it sounded very crisp and clear.

Physically speaking, JAM is compact and convenient in size, and is easily stored in a guitar case or bag. It comes equipped with two cables, one for use with Mac (via USB) and one for iPad/iPhone. You won’t have to worry about a lose connection as the output on JAM locks into place. It is also a very lightweight design that poses no threat of pulling the cable out of your guitar — all in all a very functional design.

For a hundred bucks, and a piece of American engineering (Made in USA!) JAM is a great pickup.

There’s no shortage of music apps out there, but we are fans of this one, which helps you make real music, instead of tapping buttons to create more fake music.

Star Scales Pro 2.1 is the latest update to the iPhone/iPod/iPad app that teaches aspiring guitar players scale patterns instead of complex charts. It helps improve speed and accuracy while playing the real guitar while working on your muscle memory.

The update doesn’t change much of the core functionality, but it adds better sound effects, graphics, and a cleaner fretboard interface.

The app is the product of Slovakia-based JoyApps, and it lets you practice on a six or seven string virtual guitar. It’s a teaching tool that’s good for pros and wannabes a like.

Highlights from the developer:

• Clustered scales for easy orientation
• Double length playback for root note of the scale
• Scale pattern on the whole fretboard in landscape mode
• Random generator to getting to practicing to the scales

“We would like to make the play on the guitar as easy as it could be. Time and time again, the pattern method has been proven the most effective method for learning scales that is why we hope scale pattern will assist in achieving better results,” said Zoltan Bognar, the app’s developer.

Star Scales Pro 2.1 is $0.99 and available worldwide through the App Store in the Music category.

News

We are the generation of Napster, LimeWire, and torrents. Needless to say, many of us don’t necessarily enjoy paying for our music. Some haven’t since 1999.

One of our favorite sources for music on the cheap, Rhapsody, recently announced its intention to re-tool their current app so that users can download any of their 9 million songs to their iPhone and listen to them even when they are in airplane mode. Users will not have to rely on a wireless signal to listen to their music and it is theirs as long as they are Rhapsody customers.

This is the beginning of a much-needed move away from streaming content. AT&T’s service sucks. We know that. Even apps that are great ideas in theory, like Ustream, fail in practice because of an over-reliance on an unreliable network. Content that you can download and use everywhere, even if it deletes itself off the iPhone after use, is exponentially better than not being able to access that content at all.

This is a great step towards increasing accessibility and transparency in content-rich apps. The concept of having unlimited access for a limited amount of time is not a new concept. It’s called a rental. It’s natural for developers to try to utilize all the bells and whistles of the iPhone, but it’s good to see that they are moving away from the streaming model towards a simpler, more effective one.

Apps

We all fancy ourselves rock stars. The vast majority of us aren’t, but that certainly doesn’t stop us from trying. When you need to rock out while on the go, turn to your trusty iPhone. Staying on the musical theme of our news section, here are three rocking apps for your rolling pleasure.

Noise Trio -- This app is a fun free one that uses tone rows to allow users to slide their finger along a matrix to create a song. Sliding sideways plays notes in the scale, up/down changes the tonality of the note, and pressing a certain cell in the matrix starts and stops a drum loop. Users can choose between three instruments: a flute, a blues guitar, and eastern bells. Each comes with their own scale, which seems limiting at first, but these scales are meant to be played in variations over and over. The guitar sounds very little like a blues guitar, but the main problem with the app is how buggy it is. When it works, however, it rocks.

Guitar Rock Tour 2 – This app is a brilliant free one for the Guitar Hero faithful. The app features the same rolling, tap based gaming interface as the console games, and has a soundtrack of classic tunes that includes “Born To Be Wild,” “Sweet Home Alabama,” and “Paranoid.” The two aspects of the app that set it apart are the ability to play drums as well as guitar, and the option to compete over WiFi with others. The app even includes a career mode that allows users to travel across the globe with their band, a nice touch to a game that really didn’t need it.

Baby Scratch — This app is predicated on the notion that we would all be much cooler if we were behind a turntable in a crowded club, scratching away. The best part about this turntable app is the ability to sample whatever your iPhone’s mic can hear, and scratch over it. The app utilizes the Flare scratch engine, which is by far the most simplistic and fun scratching experience for the iPhone. Users can also overlay beat loops on samples and control the volume with a responsive fader. The app’s lack of variety doesn’t give it much replay value, but for all of the nothing it costs, it is certainly a great value.

The Bose L1 Compact is a very impressive portable PA system. We were a bit skeptical upon seeing the small box it arrived in, but this thing kicks ass. We have played with amps of similar size. Some have strong volume or tone, but have a learning curve more intense than that of the instrument being played. The L1′s incredible sound, coupled with the user-friendly two-channel mixer onboard makes it the complete package.

This is perfect for you, your guitar and whatever small crowd or venue you run into. It’s great for a coffee shop, open mic gymnasium or your living room. All you have to do is adjust the height of the tower for the coverage you need. It is a very easy to use system, but its versatility shines. There are a total of four pieces: the base, and three extensions. The base can be used with one extension only, making it an extremely portable amplifier, or it can be used with the full tower of all extensions. There are no cables to deal with between these extensions either. The square extensions piece into one another, and the connections are made internally, which is nice because instrument and microphone cables are enough to deal with. For your microphone channel, there are adjustments for volume, treble, and bass. Once you have an instrument plugged in, all you need to do is adjust volume. There is even a green light for each indicating that your signal is being received. So many portable amps require fumble over 30 knobs and switches before a sound you can tolerate emerges, but the L1 System keeps it simple, and small. While we only tested this with guitar and vocals, it could certainly be used with a bass or keyboard as well.

Each array of the system has a durable soft protective cover. The slipcover for the base even has an attached diagram of how to connect your instrument, microphone, and each component of the system that you wish to use. It couldn’t be easier.

For those with a variety of PA system needs, just place the base on a table and pick up the mic and your ready to give a presentation. There is even an mp3/Ipod input (1/8") for your intermission from the stage, or just hanging around at home.

Though this system is $1,000, a few hundred more than other similar two channel systems, the sound and tone quality are worth the extra investment. That, coupled with the ease of use and modest size of the L1 Compact make it an easy choice.

I got my first taste of this generation of Mad Catz music game accessories at E3 over the summer. two products stood out. One was a $300 real wood Fender Stratocaster, which is basically an actual guitar with video game components inserted instead of strings and pickups. The other wasn’t quite as flashy, but it was still cool in the looks and concept departments.

The Wireless Fender Precision Bass is one of the only (Beatles Rock Band not included) video game guitars that specifically caters to the oft-ignored bassists out there. The most obvious feature will grab you right away in the split strum bar. This allows you to have a certain degree of realism in doing two-fingered bass strumming.

The elongated neck and fret buttons make for comfortable game playing. The guitar is 84 percent to scale, but it actually feels like you’re holding a bass when you hold this guitar’s shape in your arms and start to pick away at your favorite songs.

The two fingered mode is interesting, but I’m still a “thumb strummer” in Rock Band and Guitar Hero. It takes some getting used to. But the bass is well put together.

It’s a Rock Band 2 product, licensed by Harmonix/MTV Games on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 for $89.99.

The Boss TU-88 is a versatile micro monitor and tuner. It offers a tuner, metronome and built in headphone preamp in one device.

The guitar tuner, which can be accessed wirelessly or by connecting your instrument to the input jack, is very easy to use. It also can play a reference tone for you through the “Accu-Pitch” speaker. This built-in speaker will also play another tone indicating that the instrument is in tune (within 5 cents sharp or flat in actuality).

The metronome is also a nice addition. I often avoid metronomes while playing because I don’t want to put the time into finding my exact tempo with it, but the TU-88 bypasses that with a unique feature I had never seen before. The “TAP” button allows a user to set the metronome’s tempo to his or her tempo. Pushing the button with the beat of whatever your playing will set the metronome to your beat. This ensures that you stick to the beat that you intend to. You feel the beat — you set it, and you keep it. If your’re reading music and do know exactly what tempo you need, the TU-88 can certainly accommodate you.

The tuner and metronome are very useful and innovative, but what really makes the TU-88 stand out in my mind is the headphone amplifier. There are tons of devices that tune guitars, quite a few of them offer built in metronomes, but this is the first device I’ve seen that includes a tuner, metronome, and headphone amplifier.

The headphone amplifier allows one to plug their instrument cable into the TU-88′s input jack, plug and pair of standard headphones into the “phones/line out” and play straight to their headphones. This is ideal for an electric guitar player who wants to work on something quickly without dealing with large amplifiers. Often times while traveling a headphone preamp is useful. Noise level is minimal while using a headphone amplifier, which makes it an ideal addition to your gear for private practice sessions. The “Mix in” jack even makes it possible to plug in a CD/MP3 player to play along with — all within your headphones.

Weighing in at only 7 ounces, the TU-88 has everything you need for your next gig whether its in the living room, a friend’s garage or Gillette Stadium.

Ever been ready to grab your guitar and work on a new lick or turn on some music to work on a new lead guitar part, but you couldn’t because it would make too much noise?

It’s hard to believe, but sometimes as musicians we find ourselves in situations where others don’t want to hear us play. There are other times when we would rather practice privately, and for these times we should never sacrifice playing but simply make use of the VOX Headphone Amp.

Plugging this device into the 1/4-inch instrument cable jack on your guitar allows you to listen privately to your guitar playing through any pair of headphones with a 1/8-inch jack. The VOX AC30 is made to sound like VOX’s famous AC30 high gain amplifier. It’s sound was great; it has been modified to be a powerful high gain guitar sound which is perfect for playing along with your music CD’s or mp3′s. The headphone amp has an auxiliary input for music from a CD player, mp3 player, computer or even the radio.

Once connected to the auxiliary input, you can play guitar along with your favorite songs, which is a great way to practice all within your headphones! If you aren’t interested in the AC30′s high gain guitar sound, VOX does offer other headphone amps, which aesthetically are the same as the AC30 shown. All priced at about $40, VOX offers AC30, Classic Rock and Metal options.

For a few dollars more they also make products specifically for bass guitar and for lead guitar parts only. They’re ideal for playing privately at home or even for traveling. Playing at the hotel or even in the car is no problem with VOX’s headphone preamps.

All in all, this is a useful gadget for any electric guitar player, and it is offered at a fair price. Measuring only 3.39″ x 3.15″ x 1.22″, and weighing 1.41oz., it won’t weigh your guitar down while plugged in. Other headphone preamps I have used, like the Pocket Rock-it, did not sound as true to a real amp sound despite being bigger than the Vox.

It can be a headache setting up amps and connecting them to your guitar, but the headphone amps make it a piece of cake if you’re looking to practice on your own, quietly. It runs on 2 AAA batteries (included), which will keep you rocking for up to 15 hours.

This fall music-game lovers will have many a worthy option to get their fix with, including The Beatles: Rock Band, Guitar Hero 5, and Band Hero.

But remember, with great music-game comes great amounts of plastic peripheral responsibility, and today, we finally know what the Guitar Hero 5 guitar will look like, but don’t hold your breath, it’s not a show-stopper.

Adorned with a red finish complemented by a white pick-guard and all set about a Stratocaster style guitar, this new Guitar Hero controller is pretty sexy. There, I said it.

Noted changes include a revamped strum bar built for added durability and performance, an updated slider that now sends all digital values instead of the analog ones of World Tour for increased precision, and, thankfully, reliefs on the slider so you’ll know exactly what notes your sliding your fingers to.

Not sure if anything I’ve heard so far warrants dropping more cash for the Guitar bundle, but, to each his own, and since I’ve played every music game under the sun, as they are the air I breathe, I’ll most likely pony up the cash to bathe in “the new thing.”‚  What do you think?

Boston band Vivian Darkbloom looks like most other rock groups, but if you look closely, something might catch your eye: the Nintendo Wii controller attached to the guitar.

Guitarist Rob Morris, with the help of a laptop, some software, and a bit of Velcro, can move, shake, or tilt his souped-up guitar to change its sound on the fly.

Here’s basically how it’s done (read the Globe story for full details):

Notice anything different? Photo ‚© 2009 The Boston Globe

1. Attach the remote to the guitar: Duct tape works. Velcro is a little fancier. Don’t let it fall off on stage.

2. Make the Wiimote and computer talk: Morris runs “Bluetooth Setup Assistant” on his Mac.

3. Software: The Max/MSP multimedia suite to translate the controller’s motions into any guitar effect he wants. Besides pitch and echo, he likes the “granular synthesis” effect, which can create blips and beeps that sound like old video games.

4. Convert to audio: Plug the guitar and laptop into a PreSonus Firebox, and connect the Firebox into an…

5. Amp: Turn it on and rock out!

Vivian Darkbloom plays tonight at 7:30 as part of the Boston Music Spotlight Live series at Olivers Nightclub at the Cask ‘n Flagon. 21+. $10 at the door.

Click here to read John’s story in the Boston Globe.

Monday we reported that Guitar Hero guitars worked in Rock Band 2 and that the Nyko FrontMan Guitar now needed to be set to “Guitar Hero” mode in order to work in Rock Band 2 — and indeed it does not work at all in “Rock Band” mode set on the guitar’s receiver.s

We brought this to the attention of Nyko, and upon further investigation, they found that a recent PS3 firmware update is causing the FrontMan input mechanism to change. When playing Rock Band II on the PS3 with firmware version 2.52, setting the FrontMan dongle to “Rock Band” causes the guitar to not work with the game. Versions prior to this firmware work just fine, as does Rock Band I.

Full statement from Nyko:

It has come to our attention that a recent firmware update for the PlayStation3, version 2.52, has caused some changes to the input mechanism of the Nyko Technologies FrontMan guitar.

Nyko Technologies is committed to improving the gaming experience with the best quality peripherals available on the market, combined with unique value-add features that cannot be found on any other product at the time of launch. We regret that the latest firmware may cause some trouble to Rock Band II players using the FrontMan, but we fully acknowledge this issue and provide the simple afore-mentioned solution. We will continue to do our best in providing gamers with accessories that they can enjoy with the best games, and our customer support team is prepared to provide assistance to ensure a great experience with our products.

I’ll tell you what’s up: the Guitar Hero guitars work with Rock Band 2 on PlayStation 3.

This was a big conundrum last year when we realized Activision and Harmonix weren’t going to play nice and let us use their guitars on the competing games.

We’re looking into what happened, but for sure we know that the Guitar Hero III guitar works in Rock Band 2 on PlayStation 3.

GameSpot has a good, slightly dated chart for other games.

We do not know if the Rock Band 2 special edition guitar works on Gutar Hero III or World Tour yet.

But one interesting twist, the Nyko FrontMan guitar that we love so much does still work with all games. However, it does not work in Rock Band 2 on “Rock Band Mode.” There is a switch on the Frontman’s receiver that selects between “Guitar Hero” and “Rock Band” modes — and that switch has to be on “Guitar Hero” in order to play Rock Band 2.

For those about to rock — we salute you. And for those who aren’t, Activision is cool with that too.

Tradmork reported that Activision, makers of the highly successful Guitar Hero series have recently filed a trademark for the term “DJ Hero.”

The official documents, filed February 8, state that Activision is looking to use the term in conjunction with “computer game software and related instruction manual sold together as a unit. Interactive video game programs; computer game discs; downloadable software for use in connection with computer games; video game controllers; interactive video game comprised of a CD or DVD sold as a unit with a video game controller.”

While there’s no official word from Activision about the possible turntable simulator, it should be noted that gamers have been clamoring for a title similar to what is being hinted at for quite some time. Check out the custom Guitar Hero turntable Gizmodo reported on at CES this year.

This is far from a confirmed game announcement. In fact, Activision has filed multiple trademarks dealing with the Guitar Hero franchise merely to protect the name. Ever hear of Guitar Villain? What about Drum Hero? They may not be games, but Activision holds the rights to these names just like they now hold the rights to DJ Hero.

You know we’re gonna be following this one closely.

Guitarist Joe Trohman doesn’t believe in idols.

“People always ask who mine are,” the 23-year-old said in a recent interview. “But that phrase, ‘I’m only human’ — it’s there for a reason.”

In the past seven years, Trohman’s band — Fall Out Boy — has exploded from an underground sensation to an internationally recognized pop-punk powerhouse, hitting number one on the Billboard charts and performing at the MTV Video Music Awards last September.

For some fans, his success and talent makes Trohman a rock-and-roll idol himself. But he won’t have it, he says. And, speaking with BLAST, Trohman insisted that the name of his new line of custom electric guitars had no special meaning — called the Joe Trohman Washburn Idol.

Designed by Trohman and manufactured by Washburn Guitars last year, the Idol is aesthetically simple: available in black or white, with a classic binding — cream around the black model, and black on the white. The neck is wide and thin, the solid basswood body is thin and light and there are just four adjustment knobs.

“I have guitars that have a lot of weird modes, and tons of switches and stuff,” Trohman said. Those are fun, but as the guitar player for Fall Out Boy … I don’t have a bunch of effects. I just have a guitar, and it needs to be able to do its job.”

Maybe the flashiest physical feature of the guitar are its inlays on the fret board, shaped like Fall Out Boy’s keyhole logo.

“I’m very into design, and I like modern stuff,” Trohman says. “I like the simplistic value of it.”

Inspired by some of Trohman’s favorite vintage guitars — his black Les Paul Custom and white Les Paul Studio — his model hides a couple of innovative features beneath its basic surface. In particular, its Voice Contour Control (VCC) coil-splitting system allows for a dirty tone, combining single-coil pick-up sounds and humbucking, without the usual hum of a single-coil, according to the retailer’s website, empireoftherepublic.com.

“I think it’s really cool, and it works for me when I’m flicking between two amps,” Trohman says. The result, he says, is a dirty sound that roars out smooth.

When Trohman was approached by Washburn by last year, he had minor deals with some retailers, he says, but no actual endorsement. Part of the package, he says, was getting to design a guitar all his own.

“I pretty much couldn’t turn it down,” he says. “It’s pretty hard for any guitarist, no matter how good they are, to make a signature guitar. I jumped on it — it was a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

Now, the Idol is a mainstay for the lead guitarist, and has knocked his 1969 Les Paul Custom out of the top spot for favorite guitar.

“It’s the first time I got to make one,” he says. “And it’s a very comfortable relationship I have with the guitar, because I was able to … put it together and make it to my standards.”

Trohman has been playing guitar for nearly 14 years, he says, and has a collection of about 30 guitars in his Chicago home. He’d love to add another of his own creations to the line-up.

“That all depends on the demand for the guitar, honestly,” he said.

The guitar has seen a spike in online orders recently. “The fact that people want to buy my guitar blind, without ever playing it, is really cool,” he said.

In about four months, Sam Ash locations nationwide will start carrying the Idol. For now, they’re available online exclusively, at empireoftherepublic.com — a name invented when Trohman mashed together a couple of terms from the Star Wars series.

The guitar sells for $420.

“It’s inexpensive,” he said, “but the craftmanship great. For a beginner who wants to start out with a decent guitar, or for an advanced player who doesn’t have a lot of money but wants a nice guitar — it covers everyone.”

Fall Out Boy has been on tour for about six or seven years straight, and last week the band flew to Moscow to perform at a private engagement.

Later this year they’ll start recording their next album record with some of the 50 songs they’ve got floating around, Trohman said.

“But right now, we’ll just do one-off shows here and there,” he says. “And we’ll work on individual things — like sitting around, enjoying being home.”

Guitar Hero III came into the world with a large reputation to live up to. For months, gamers have been waiting to get their hands on the newest hit in the Guitar Hero franchise. It represents one of the best party games around and with new multiplayer modes, and it’s better than ever.

Guitar Hero III boasts a brand new set list of over 60 songs and a ton of downloadable content.

If you have never played a guitar hero game, here’s a quick overview: you take the role of one of the game’s playable characters and battle through the career mode on four difficulties, ranging from easy to expert. There are five buttons on the guitar representing different frets. To play a note, you have to hold down the fret button and strum the guitar. Sounds easy right? Now just do that about 2000 times in 5 minutes. In this game, practice makes perfect, and sticking with it is the key. The learning curve is difficult , but once you get the hang of this game, you will be quite pleased. On to the review:

Guitar Hero III tried to go more in depth with a career mode, but this title isn’t going to be known just for a great storyline. The game starts off with you and some friends starting a band, and after playing five or six songs you move onto the next level and the next set of songs. You go through it all, including your garage band days, your music video and playing in sold out arenas. The storyline in general is quite humorous at times and is fun to watch as the comic book-like characters show their emotions.

While the Guitar Hero franchise isn’t known for breakthrough graphics, but for the spectators Guitar Hero III has done a great job of making the characters look better and the places where you perform are much more detailed. After the prequel was attacked for poor graphics you can tell they really worked to squelch the critics.

The song list is in a word, Excellent. The wide variety of songs make this a very versatile list and there’s something on it for everyone. Whether you’re an 80′s rocker or a fan of the metal, you will be pleased. Some bands featured in the game include Guns and Roses, Slipknot and Kiss. The bonus songs feature some obscure titles you probably have never heard of, but they are very fun to play.

The multiplayer has been improved on huge levels. There are now more ways to embarrass or cooperate with your friends while playing. The multiplayer provides a great way to spend a night with a friend. On the other hand, if your friends have something better to do, you now have the choice of signing into Xbox Live to find a partner or an opponent or bandmate.

Cooperative mode allows two players to play at once. In most cases one player will take the role of the bassist, and one will be the guitarist. In some songs, rhythm guitar and lead guitar are played. Most achievements will come through playing co-op songs and trying to earn huge note streaks and point totals, and the ever-sought after 1,000,000 points.

The Face-Off modes return. You can either try to match your opponents skill level in a Pro Face-Off, in which you are both given the same set of notes, or you can battle them in a Face-Off in which you can go at different difficulties and battle for highest score. This mode represents a great way to show off.

The new “Battle” mode allows players to instead of achieving star power (a power-up which doubles your note-score) you can gain the ability to attack your opponent. You can break their strings, make their note-screen flash, and even raise the difficulty level they are playing on. This was an instant fan-favorite with the people on Xbox Live.

Guitar Hero III is a great game, and an addicting one at that. It’s great fun to play, especially with a bunch of friends and once you start, you won’t stop until you’re the best.

Quick hits:

Publisher: Microsoft
Developer: Neversoft Entertainment
Platform: Xbox 360, Wii, PS3, PS2
Genre: Music
Players: 1-2
Launch Date: October 28, 2007

Playability: 5 out of 5 stars
Learning Curve: 4 out of 5 stars
Sound: 5 out of 5 stars
Graphics: 4 out of 5 stars
Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars