Designed for guitarists by guitars, this smart adapter lets you leave the wires and cords behind.
Attention all rockers, your jam session is about to get a whole heck of a lot cooler… and smarter. Typically speaking, guitar “jacks” refer to a style of connector used to link one piece of audio equipment to another. And, while wireless systems for a gig or sesh are nothing new, Scotland-based startup Ingenious Audio is hoping to give in-home and on-stage music recording its biggest breakthrough in the last 50 years.
The aptly named JACK is the world’s first guitar device to connect to any Wi-Fi-enabled gadget such as a PC, tablet or smartphone. The ARM9-based unit works by wirelessly relaying an electric guitar’s output to an amp without musicians having to worry about radio interference or annoying Bluetooth latency. JACK’s customized system provides best-in-class bandwidth with no compression, and responsive high-resolution audio over a secure long-range connection to an entire lineup of devices. Those looking to wirelessly play some guitar riffs through an amp will need a pair of devices, one plugged into the guitar’s jack and the other connected to the amp.
Measuring just 3.9″ x 1.9″ x 0.78” in size, the 3-ounce device is the perfect tagalong and can easily fit inside any bag, trunk, or pocket for that matter. As its creators note, JACK eliminates the need to ensure a venue has a wireless network already in place or mess around with complicated login credentials at home. Instead, users just plug the adapter into any guitar, amp or pedal, and instantly go wireless. This is because it creates its own encrypted Wi-Fi network with click-to-connect simplicity. JACK not only enables a quick and easy setup at gigs, its wireless capabilities allow for a mess-free home or dorm, and rock out on-the-road by plugging in a set of headphones.
“JACK is the missing link for modern guitarist – everyone today expects anything they buy to be wireless and connectable, whether it’s a camera, phone, media player and they do all their recording, editing and sharing on PCs and phones. JACK bridges that gap. JACK provides studio quality uncompressed 24-bit real time audio. Wireless guitar kits exist today, but to date none have been able to use the high data rate Wi-Fi system. Using Wi-Fi means JACK can connect to the five billion Wi-Fi enabled devices out there,” the team explains.
In fact, JACK’s patent-pending technology is believed to be nearly 13 times quicker than conventional Bluetooth and about three times faster than compressed low-latency Bluetooth. The unit also works with companion software with an iOS, MacOS and Android apps in the works. Once the tunes are in the computer, users have the ability to record, edit, upload, and when complete, share songs to the world.
Musicians interested in this next-gen, smart device will be happy to learn that team has launched a Kickstarter campaign, where it has already surpassed its £20,000 goal. To learn more or get your jack kit (which will run about $280), head on over to its official page here.
Atmel | Bits & Pieces 