Line 6 Debuts Sonic Port – Highly Compact Audio Interface for iOS Devices

The smallest audio interfaces are packing in more features than ever.

Line 6 has joined the small-space race with its new Sonic Port guitar system for iPod touch, iPhone and iPad. Although Line 6 has guitarists squarely in its sights for the diminutive audio interface, it has enough I/O connectivity in its form factor to provide musicians and producers of all types with a comprehensive mobile studio.

Sonic Port allows guitarists, musicians, and music producers to go all-in on their iOS devices.

Scheduled to be available later this month for $99, Sonic Port’s versatile front end provides a 1/4” guitar input, 1/8” stereo line input, 1/4” mono-stereo guitar/line-level output, and 1/8” stereo headphones output. From there, iOS connectivity comes via 30-pin or Lightning connector, allowing guitarists and all other musicians to jam and/or record using CoreAudio music apps like GarageBand, and gain access to the Line 6 Mobile POD app.

According to Line 6, Sonic Port is differentiated from the other devices in its class by an all-digital signal path that provides best-in-class sound quality, as opposed to connecting with the analog headphone jack of an iOS device. Endowed with 110dB of guitar dynamic range and up to 24-bit/48kHz audio quality throughout, the device’s design allows musicians to wring maximum fidelity from their CoreAudio music apps.

Read on for deeper details, direct from Line 6:

For forward-thinking musicians who want to use an iPod touch, iPhone or iPad as the centerpiece of a mobile studio or as a performance tool, Sonic Port provides a variety of inputs and outputs for connecting instruments and outboard gear. A 1/4″ input makes it easy to connect guitars and basses, while keyboards, mixers, CD players and other iOS devices can be connected via the 1/8” stereo input. For monitoring, users can simply plug in their headphones or powered studio monitors and enjoy unparalleled audio fidelity. Musicians can also connect to a guitar amplifier via the 1/4” guitar/line-level output.

Soak in the full potential of the Sonic Port signal flow.

The companion Mobile POD app (available as a free download from the App Store) opens the door to an incredible collection of highly prized vintage and modern guitar gear. The app includes 32 amps, 16 speaker cabinets and 16 effects—all of which can be fully adjusted, mixed and matched to create a virtually endless range of tones. Mobile POD includes over 10,000 tone presets created by artists, Line 6 and other guitar players—and guitarists can also store and instantly recall their own custom tones.

Thanks to a partnership between Line 6 and Jammit, Sonic Port instantly integrates with the award-winning Jammit app, allowing guitarists to learn, jam and record along with original multi-track master recordings of their favorite songs. When used together, Sonic Port and Jammit form the ultimate jam-along experience. Each track can be isolated for closer scrutiny, looped for extended practice or slowed down to a comfortable pace for learning. When used with Line 6 interfaces, Jammit loads amp and effect sounds that are custom made for the song, automatically changing the sound when appropriate as the song plays.

Sonic Port includes a detachable 30-pin dock connector cable and a Lightning connector cable for direct connection to iPod touch, iPhone and iPad devices. Mobile POD is a free download from the App Store. Sonic Port is compatible compatible with iPod touch (4th and 5th generation), iPhone 5, iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPad (3rd and 4th generation), iPad 2, iPad and iPad mini.

“Sonic Port provides an easy way for guitarists to make studio-quality music on their iOS devices,” said Max Gutnik, Vice President of Product Management, Line 6. “Customers can pair it with CoreAudio apps to record, practice, perform and more. For example, the free Line 6 Mobile POD app lets guitarists dial in their favorite artists’ tones in an instant, while the Jammit app is perfect for practicing. All in all, Sonic Port brings amazing audio quality and a great music-making experience to iOS devices.”

Input/Output

The way to the iOS

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