It's after Midnight and you want to practice that Joe Satriani lick after everyone has gone to sleep. Have you ever found yourself in this situation? How about just wanting to have your practice setup be super portable and fit in your guitar case?
That's what I wanted, and I got it down to only a couple of components. A while back I got an IK Multimedia iRig. This little piece of hardware is perfect for plugging your guitar into your iPhone (if you're using the headphone jack adapter) or your iPad.
If you want to pick one up, they're very inexpensive. Find the iRig 2 here. They've also made more versions since I first got the original.
I plugged my Fender Telecaster into the iRig, and my headphones into the iRig as well. The good thing about the iRig is that it works as a mini audio interface, feeding sound to the phone (from your guitar) and back from it (with effects).
For after hours and portable practice I've been using JamUp Pro from the folks at Positive Grid. It's an excellent amp and effects emulator for iPhone and iPad.
After a while of jamming on different riffs, I wanted something more. I wanted to play over something, and not just noodle. I instantly pulled up Spotify and started jamming along to a bunch of blues backing tracks. In the photo below, check out how I made it work. In JamUp Pro, you have to go into the Settings section and turn on 'Background Audio Mode'. This way you can run JamUp in the background, and still play Spotify backing tracks!
WHAT'S YOUR PRACTICE SETUP LOOK LIKE?
When it comes down to it, I used my guitar, the iRig, a guitar cable, pair of headphones, and my iPhone. This is my "on the go" practice setup -- what's yours?