For a good while now, electric guitar and bass players have been able to interface their instruments with computers and mobile devices thanks to solutions like the JAM from Apogee and the iRig from IK Multimedia. Now, acoustic players are to get their chance to join the digital party with the launch of the AcousicLink solution from Alesis.
The AcousticLink pack consists of a drill-free single-coil acoustic sound-hole guitar pickup, a 16.5-foot (6 meter) GuitarLink guitar-to-USB cable and Steinberg's Cubase LE recording software. There's no need for instrument modification, as the pickup is secured in the sound-hole with soft, cushioned clamps, and a flexible harness fastens the cable input into place on the guitar's strap peg.
This digital recording solution for acoustic guitars includes analog-to-digital conversion technology that's said to retain all the texture and body of an acoustic instrument's sound for CD-quality recording, and can be used with just about any recording or effects processing software - such as Apple's GarageBand (via Apple's iPad USB connector), Protools or Studio One.
There's no price shown on the AcousticLink product page, but the company said at Summer NAMM that it will retail in Q3 for US$69, with an estimated street price of US$49.
