On having fun with computers

Last night got a little wild… technologically speaking. Since I was a kid, I’ve loved bringing together my hobbies of playing guitar and doing stuff with computers. Nothing professional, just expressional. So when I was doing just that around 10:30 p.m., the technology stars aligned and I had a gadget epiphany.

The TL;DR is I’m having fun with computers!

The brain of my hobby guitar setup is a DigiTech RP155 multi-effects processor that I bought *checks calendar* 15 years ago. It beats out my Rode Podcaster v1 mic (major upgrade coming soon) for being the oldest tech hardware that I still use today. The guitar pedal includes USB-B output, allowing me to play and record electric guitar through apps like GarageBand. However, I mostly just record video of playing sessions these days.

The newest addition to my tech stack is this mega Bluetooth speaker by Fender x Teufel called the Rockster Air 2. The thing is nearly two feet tall, weighs 30 pounds, and has handles for lugging it from place to place. It’s also just a really nice piece of hardware with satisfying knobs, a 7,800 mAh battery for up to 58 hours of playtime, and it’s packed with I/O.

• Bluetooth 5.0 with support for aptX, aptX HD, and AAC codecs
• Inputs:
  • XLR microphone input
  • Instrument input (6.3 mm stereo jack)
  • AUX input
  • USB-C port (also functions as a power bank)
• Outputs:
  • XLR output

It plays audio wirelessly from my iPhone and iPad, can power my USB-C devices, and allows me to connect my guitar for 80 watts of sweet amplification.

One of the coolest parts? I can play guitar over music that I’m playing from my phone, and input volume is adjusted separately. Initially, this was just plain awesome because I could play blink-182 guitar parts on top of blink-182 songs while fine tuning the audio for each audio source.

Before playing last night, I opened GarageBand on the iPad and used the tuner feature to tune my guitar. Then I tapped around GarageBand and tried the drummer feature for the first time in ages. I’d been playing music from the iPad through the Rockster Air 2 earlier in the day, so the drum track wirelessly came through the speaker with the guitar. NICE! GarageBand makes changing up drum patterns fun and easy, and the M4 iPad Pro is a great interface for the job (and nano texture is awesome for me).

Meanwhile, I was using my iPhone 16 as the webcam for Photo Booth on the Mac where I often record playing sessions. I wanted to try recording guitar and vocals separately with the new Rode Wireless Micro lav mics, but both my iPad and iPhone were in use. The receiver for each wireless mic is USB-C, however, and my new M4 Mac mini was sitting right in front of me with two front-facing USB-C ports. Worth a shot!

Turns out connecting the Rode Wireless Micro receiver into the Mac just works! The LED indicator lights showed that both wireless mics were connected, and the audio input method showed “Wireless MICRO” as a source.

That’s when all the pieces came together. I clipped one mic near the amp where the guitar and drums were playing and another mic on my shirt to capture vocals. The iPhone captured the video, and it all played back perfectly on the Mac after recording.

Casual and cathartic songwriting sessions upgraded. Powered by the iPhone, iPad, and Mac, some seriously cool audio equipment, and a guitar pedal I bought when I was 18.