Review: Apogee GiO

B

udding guitarists will know that recording guitar into your Mac is incredibly cool. What’s not cool is the clutter of wires and basically having to be tied to your machine to get anything done. Apogee has looked to create a solution for this problem. GiO is the resulting product and it neatly offers users an audio interface, a stompbox controller and a shortcut to basic functions like play, pause, rewind and record.

The unit is incredibly sturdy, a pretty important factor given it’s going to live on the floor. The button setup couldn’t be simpler. Four stompbox controls sit nearest to you as you look at the GiO, these control the effects you have added to your amp sound in whichever DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) you have opted for. Tap the stompbox on or off with your foot and see the pedal light glow on when the pedal is active and off when it’s not. Above those four controls are the playback controls. These are also big enough and sturdy enough to be activated with your foot. On the right and left corner of the GiO there are two rubberised buttons which will let you navigate through amp presets, again, with your foot so you needn’t be anywhere near your Mac.

Setting up the GiO is very easy, just run the installer CD and when you plug in the USB your Mac will recognise it and ask if you want to pipe all the audio through the interface. The GiO comes with an extra long USB cable, a headphone jack and an input for your guitar. In practical terms the GiO is a joy to use. The enclosure makes the unit feel like a giant stompbox so you can get as raucous as you like. The onboard playback controls are a godsend and stop you having to lean all over the place to start and stop recordings. The ability to flick through presets and turn effects on and off is also priceless as you can change sounds in-track and keep the flow of recording going. If you’ve yet to buy an audio interface and love playing and recording guitar, this is without question the one for you.