Recording - July 2014 - 48

Apogee JAM 96k
Apogee, maker of high-end A/D and
D/A converters and comprehensive,
world-class interface solutions like the
Symphony I/O (reviewed October 2013),
has leveraged its expertise into smaller
and more affordable interface products.
The smallest and simplest are Apogee's
entry-level input devices for iOS and Mac:
the MiC microphone and JAM guitar input,
both of which have recently been re-introduced in 24/96 capable forms. I
reviewed the MiC 96k in May 2014, and
now it's time for a quick look at the new
JAM 96k. And I do mean quick; this will
be one of the shortest reviews I'll ever
write, because I'm dealing with a box that
does only one thing and does it really well.
The JAM 96k is a high-impedance guitar/bass interface that offers 40 dB of
gain in a compact nickel-plated body with
black endcaps-the reverse of the original
JAM, which is still available. The new 96k
version offers (according to the Apogee
JAM webpage) "Upgraded circuit design,

Fender SLIDE

B Y M I K E M E T L AY

warmer tube amp tone emulation (Apogee tells us it has a discrete Class A JFET input stage),
and higher sample rate recording capability." It has a 1/4" input
for your guitar or bass and a locking
proprietary output connector with three 3'
adapter cables-USB, Lightning, and iOS
30-pin.
The JAM 96k has a single control, a
Gain thumbwheel. A 3-color LED indicates
a good connection (blue), recognition by
the software (dim green), signal present
(bright green), and overload (red). It's a
mono-input Core Audio device with no
dedicated drivers; you just plug it in,
launch your app, play, and be amazed.
Apogee does conversion right, and the
JAM 96k is a gorgeous-sounding interface. The company doesn't specify its input
impedance, but I would guess it's near or
over 1 Megohm, considering the clear and
present signal I got from all my test guitars
and basses. I've heard a better-sounding

B Y M I K E M E T L AY

Fender isn't new to the musical electronics game, offering a variety of modern guitar amps with enhanced modeling "brains." But
the SLIDE is the firm's first straight-up computer product, a portable
interface for guitar and bass players that provides a basic but fairly complete feature set in a compact and convenient design.
The SLIDE doesn't really look like any other interface out there, but
it's a pretty little creature, designed for practical simplicity. Its elegant
teardrop-shaped body has a generous nonslip base and a concave
outer rim specifically so you can wrap your cable around it when storing it. There are two big, easy-to-differentiate controls on the top: a
large output volume wheel and a smaller knurled wet/dry mix wheel
for zero-latency monitoring. The narrow end of the teardrop has a
high-impedance 1/4" guitar/bass input, and the wide end has a
48

RECORDING July 2014

guitar input
for a computer, but it
costs over $800 and
weighs a ton-not a fair comparison! (What was it? See next
issue for a review...) And in the pocketsized realm, there's little if any competition.
I missed having some sort of D/A for highquality auditioning, rather than making the
user rely on the iOS device's headphone output, but then we're into the realm of the ONE
(reviewed December 2013), which combines an input like the JAM's with a stereo
output and a built-in microphone for $349. If
you're the sort of tone purist who wants a
portable way to record your guitar or bass
that doesn't make you feel like you're compromising on quality, you're going to want to
try the JAM 96k for yourself.
Price: $129
More from: Apogee,
www.apogeedigital.com

headphone output minijack and a USB mini-B jack. There are no
LEDs or other indicators, nor is there an input gain control; that's all
done in your software.
Two 6' cables are provided: one with a standard USB A connector for a Mac or PC, the other with a Lightning connector (with
a Fender logo stamped on it-think about that for a second!) for
a modern iOS device. The SLIDE is Core Audio class compliant
and is instantly recognized by Macs and iOS devices as a 1in/2-out interface that supports up to 24-bit/48 kHz audio; it's
also recognized by Windows machines immediately, but for best
performance Fender provides a downloadable ASIO driver for it.
Other downloads for Windows, Mac, and iOS include a free
version of IK Multimedia's AmpliTube amp/effects modeling software as well as Rock Prodigy Lite, a guitar instruction app.
In use, the SLIDE does its job with style. The adjustable
wet/dry mix is a sweet addition to such a small interface! Just a
tiny dash of original dry sound added to whatever effects or
amp modeling you're recording with, and you feel pick attacks
as they happen, making the interface very responsive. The headphone amp speaks loud and clearly, and worked well with a
variety of my lower-impedance headphones; pretty much any
headphone under 100 ohms will get as loud as you need it to.
The tone I got from my instruments was full-ranged and clear with
the sort of articulation you'd expect from an input impedance of
500 kilohms or more; Fender doesn't quote an exact figure, but
they do mention "Dynamic Range Extension circuitry for maximum
dynamic range and signal to noise ratio [for] better translation of


http://www.apogeedigital.com

Recording - July 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - July 2014

Contents
Recording - July 2014 - Cover1
Recording - July 2014 - Cover2
Recording - July 2014 - 1
Recording - July 2014 - 2
Recording - July 2014 - 3
Recording - July 2014 - 4
Recording - July 2014 - 5
Recording - July 2014 - Contents
Recording - July 2014 - 7
Recording - July 2014 - 8
Recording - July 2014 - 9
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Recording - July 2014 - Cover3
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