Recording - August 2014 - 60

...the next will cost you
In-app purchases are the bane of users who lack self-control;
a few dollars here, a few dollars there, and before you know
it, your "free" app has cost you a significant chunk of change.
But you get a lot for your money in the JamUp Store;
you can cherry-pick the exact items you want, or
go for maximum value with bundles called
Expansion Packs.
As of press time, there are 50 effects and 38 amps on
offer. While the models usually have "suggestive" names, the Store lists
the original gear being modeled so you don't have to guess-for example, the "Solid Silver 120" is a Roland JC-120 simulation. Just listing the
companies whose products are modeled here would fill this review-
names like Fender, Marshall, VOX, Matchless, Peavey, Gallien-Kruger,
Hiwatt, Laney, Orange, BOSS, MXR, Electro-Harmonix, Dunlop, Arbiter,
ProCo, Teletronix, Demeter, Voodoo Labs, and more.
With a few exceptions, effects processors cost $2.99 and amps
cost $4.99 each. The Expansion Packs cost $9.99 each, with each
Pack containing amps and/or effects that would cost you way more
(up to $50!) if bought separately.
I had a chance to load up almost everything Positive Grid offered
for guitar use, and try it all out over the course of several months.
(Sorry, bassists, I had to draw the line somewhere, so I didn't review
any of the bass amps or bass effects that are available in profusion
at the Store.) I did almost all my buying in the form of Expansion
Packs-the added value is just sick!

By far the best value is the JamUp Pro Upgrade. This gives you a
total of 6 amps and 16 effects for only $9.99 and is a great place
to start... or stop, if you find this collection gives you all you need. If
you're willing to spring for the ten bucks up front, the App Store sells
JamUp Pro XT, which comes with this set of models pre-installed.
Another bundle worth a special shout-out is the Metal Signature
Pack. Positive Grid worked with metal guitarists Jeff Loomis, Keith
Merrow, and Ola Englund, and collected six amps and six pedals representing their favorite tweaks. You may never have heard of these fellows or the gear they're plugging, but I found these models to be some
of the most musical and fun to play of all the stuff on offer in the Store.
Among my favorites: the Loomis 120 and Ola Peace amps and the
Ola Chorus and Merrow Drive pedals. This is ten dollars well spent!
I also adored the Vintage Effect Expansion Pack, a collection of 8
exceptional stompbox models that includes old standards I swore by
in the years I spent playing on stage in blues bands... but without
the noise and RF hum! The Electro-Harmonix Small Clone chorus,
BOSS DM-2 analog delay, and Knockout Attack EQ were standouts.
If you do a lot of work with acoustic guitar sounds, especially live on
stage when you're playing electric and can't switch guitars, the Acoustic
Expansion Pack is worth a try. It has amp models optimized for electric/acoustic guitars with piezo pickups, that purport to "restore a studio60

RECORDING August 2014

miked sound to your undersaddle or soundhole pickup"
and "turn your electric guitar into realistic acoustic tone."
Those claims are always a bit on the hypey side, but I can't
deny that the results sounded good when
tweaked properly and sat well in a mix.
The Acoustic Reverb, which is available on its own or as part of the
Acoustic Expansion Pack, was one of my
top ten effects from the Store. Other honorable mentions: the Sustain Comp, a BOSS
CS-3 model that's fun to add to your chain for sweet sustain;
the Multi Head, a Roland Space Echo model with a sweet
analog vibe; and the very whacked-out but fun Reverse Delay.
If you bought every bundle, you could load out JamUp XT
for about $100. Most folks would faint at spending that
much on an app, but realistically, would a plug-in for your
DAW that did all this cost you that little? JamUp XT represents
a killer value; even if you just buy JamUp Pro XT and never
add a single in-app purchase, you could be happy for a
long, long time with what you have.
In use
Of course, the question then becomes-so how does all
this stuff sound? And the answer is-really good. Positive
Grid has a modeling technology it calls MESH that delivers
some exceptional tones. Whether you're doing clean jazzy
stuff, overdriven warm blues, grungy alt-rock, or face-melting metal, JamUp XT delivers the goods.
I don't have access to all 38 amps on the list... heck, before
getting this app I'd never even heard of some of them!... but
in the case of the few amps I could access for real, such as a
50 Watt Laney and a Marshall JCM-800, I was impressed by
how close I could get with some judicious tweaking. Other
amps with which I'd had years of experience in the past, like
the Roland JC-120, just felt and sounded right to me. Sure,
you don't have the feedback and physical interaction of a
real amp, but the tone's close to spot-on.
The effects are a virtual treasure trove. While we all have
a few favorite stompboxes we just can't live without, most of
us can't justify buying new hardware for a single session, or
keeping a stack of vintage or modern stomps around for the
rare times we'll need them. JamUp XT is a fine alternative to
drawers full of neglected pedals. For very little outlay, you
can have a pedalboard the size of a limo, and change the
models, ordering, and settings of your entire chain with a
touch of a finger. Severely cool stuff!
There are folks who might find the amp models a bit limiting, wishing they could do more than simply turning the
knobs. For those folks, Positive Grid makes BIAS, an app
that arguably offers more amp-tweaking power than any
computer DAW plug-in. See the sidebar for a quick glimpse.
Go forth and Jam
JamUp XT offers flexibility, ease of use, and killer sound,
and if you're prudent with in-app purchases it doesn't have
to cost a fortune to get you where you want to be. If you
want more depth than breadth, BIAS is an amp tweaker's
virtual playground... I could see tone fanatics diving in and
never coming up again! Positive Grid has set the bar high
for what an iOS app can do for a guitar, and both of these
apps have my hearty recommendation.
Prices: JamUp XT, free; JamUp Pro XT, $9.99; in-app content purchases start at $1.99; BIAS, $19.99
More from: Positive Grid, www.positivegrid.com
Thanks to CT Tamura for contributing some lovely playing
during the listening sessions.

http://www.positivegrid.com

Recording - August 2014

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