The Apogee Jam Plus and iRig HD 2 are two highly popular USB inputs with many insane features. Both are quite capable and have excellent tonal characteristics. If you’ve had the experience of using any Apogee product in the past, you’d know that its products are highly innovative. The same is the case with the Apogee Jam Plus USB input. Apogee Electronics, a leader in digital audio recording since 1985, today announced the latest in its jam series of guitar interfaces: jamx. Building on the original jam interface from 2010, jamx provides the easiest way to connect your guitar to a computer or iOS device for studio-quality sound. However, jamx adds a new feature unmatched by competitors: an analog compressor built right in. Apogee’s new jamx interface allows guitarists to plug in and get creating immediately with studio-grade sound and tone-shaping compression. Guitar enthusiasts will experience their instrument in a whole new way through jamx. Key Features

Jam X's built-in analog compressor introduces an all-new feature to the Jam family. Choose from 3 presets that respond to how much you drive the input gain. By applying compression before your virtual amp sim, you'll find new life in your guitar tone. With Jam X, you'll have endless inspiration developing your own tone. The display is user-configurable. You can change the colour from 10 presets or make your own via Peterson Connect, and these colours are not just useful from a visibility point of view but allow players to assign different colours to different tunings. Jam+ combines a digital overdrive circuit, an instrument preamp, and high-quality A/D and D/A converters into a single, portable device. Apogee has engineered each component of Jam+ to provide the highest-quality signal possible with the least amount of noise - what they term pure-digital.

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However, Jam X adds a new feature unmatched by competitors: an analog compressor built right in. Apogee’s new Jam X interface allows guitarists to plug in and get creating immediately with studio-grade sound and tone-shaping compression. Guitar enthusiasts will experience their instrument in a whole new way through Jam X. For the Jazzmaster owners Fender is going bigger with two set options – recognising that its offset model is being embraced by another new generation, while still beloved by established guitar tinkerers. Next, we have the iRig HD 2 digital USB input. It is manufactured by IK Multimedia, a popular brand that develops and sells audio solutions.

In use, the Apogee Jam X USB is simple to set up. The Jam X USB works on both MacOS and Windows, as well as iOS if that’s what you have available; like if you’re travelling and can’t bring a computer with you. You can monitor via either headphones or powered speakers, with the Apogee Jam X USB offering ample volume for both options. While the Apogee Jam X USB is small, it’s rugged, and will endure being bounced around in a case or bag while travelling, serving as an on-the-road solution to recording if needed. The audio quality could have the Apogee Jam X USB easily serve as your main interface for home and studio recording as well! The company came into being in 2006 and is among the fastest-growing companies in the musical arena. Let’s take a deeper look at it and see how it differs from the Apogee Jam Plus USB input.Jam X is a fantastic, compact and well-built interface that enhances the range’s portable and sonic credentials. Like the Plus, we love the added extra, this time with the attitude the compressor brings, while the included 60-day trial of Neural DSP’s Archetype: Tim Henson is a welcome bonus. If you’re an iOS user you’ll find it an especially useful and portable guitar recording solution, and overall it’s agolden nugget of an interface. Specs Apogee’s Jam Plus is more than just great for its price – it’s great, period. It’s not the best way to record your guitar, but I find myself using it more and more because it really is the simplest way of recording a guitar.