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Provides: Guitar recording and effects
Developer: IK Multimedia
Minimum System Requirements: 1.5 GHz Intel, 1GHz G4 or better, 1 GB of RAM, Mac OS X 10.4.4+, 1 USB port
Price: $269-$449
Availability: Now

IK Multimedia has really done it this time; they’ve completed the circuit between guitar and computer with the StealthPedal. Now you can have the best of both worlds: the versatility of computerized effects and amps along with the feel of a real expression pedal between you and the computer. IK Multimedia really made a significant improvement on the standard USB guitar interface by adding an expression pedal plus options. Trust me, guitarists won’t be disappointed.

If you’re familiar with recording interfaces for computers, then you probably have tried at least one of the numerous offerings of the USB type. They all work the same; you plug your instrument (a guitar, bass or maybe even a microphone) into the device, and it translates it into a signal the computer can interpret through USB. You fire up your favorite recording software, which is likely Garageband, considering you have a Mac, and strum away. There isn’t really a problem with any of these devices, unless being the same as everyone else is a problem. Right, that is a problem, quite a big one.

So how do you improve upon this sort of problem? Differentiate your product from others, just like IK Multimedia did with the StealthPedal.  It’s a plain jane USB recording interface with a few special exceptions. It has a built-in expression pedal (with toe switch and support for up to two more switches) and another pedal.  And there’s so much more than Volume that you can control. You can send MIDI signals if you choose, which happen whenever you push a switch or adjust a pedal.  So not only can you do the obvious Wah control, but you can change pretty much any parameter involved with your guitar setup.  Oh yeah, about that guitar setup…

The StealthPedal comes with AmpliTube 2 (Live), AmpliTube X-GEAR, RiffWorks T4 (Ampeg SVX and AmpliTube Metal depending on Deluxe version and timing). This makes for one killer set of tonal capabilities.  There are tons of great presets for those shorts on time or motivation, or those who just want to have fun.  But if you really want to get into things, you can change everything.  Tweak it to your heart’s content and get the sound you really want.  I can’t say whether it sounds exactly like the real thing, mostly because I don’t have millions of dollars worth of guitar gear, but I can say that it sounds amazing, and that’s what really counts.

While I’m talking about the software, I might as well mention the very worst part of this bundle.  All of the included software has to be installed and verified with IK Multimedia; you know, because you’re guilty until proven innocent.  It wouldn’t be so bad if this simply consisted of one serial number registration from inside of the installer that worked for the whole bundle, but it doesn’t.  There’s a separate serial number for each piece of software, and they have to start the verification process from AmpliTube, then go to the internet site in your browser, then back to Amplitube with at least one long string of text each time.  This is incredibly annoying, and is almost enough to deduct a full point from the review.  But since you only have to do this once (even though this prevents you from using your StealthPedal in a reasonable ammount of time from opening the box), I’ll let it slide this time with just a warning.  This may tarnish your first hour with the product, but thankfully, the product recovers from this initial annoyance.

Now, the StealthPedal will work as a generic instrument input to your recording software, but you’ll likely just want to use it with the included AmpliTube software.  As you may have guessed, it works just fine with all of the other offerings from IK Multimedia as well.  I actually got the chance to play around with AmpliTube Fender.  As if you didn’t already have enough tonal choices with the StealthPedal’s included software, AmpliTube Fender adds 12 amps, 12 cabinets, 9 stompboxes, 9 mics and 7 rack FX.  The StealthPedal will work with this and all other IK Multimedia plugins, so you can truly customize your sound to exactly what you need as long as you have the money.

If you are motivated to record guitar or bass with your Mac, then the StealthPedal is likely the best choice you can make.  Even if you are just learning your instrument, this is an amazing tool to start with (after the headache of a setup process is complete).  It blends real world controls with the limitless options presented by software emulation.  Imagine all the amps and effects you could ever want right on your Mac.  It’s awesome, it’s amazing, I love it.  It is a bit pricey (between $269 and $449), but when you consider all the sounds you can get by using it, with the ability to record, you might come to the realization that it’s quite a bargain.