Apogee GiO Guitar Interface

Apogee's GiO is the easiest way to plug your guitar into your Mac. Its foot switches revolutionize the guitar experience by letting you access the amplifiers and effects in GarageBand, Logic and MainStage and also navigate record, playback and song position, all without touching your computer.

  • Plug your guitar into the professional Instrument Input
  • Easily navigate presets with the "Next" and "Previous" buttons
  • Turn on and off effects with your feet
  • Completely hands-free recording with five transport controls
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Questions & Answers

22 Questions + 27 Answers

5.0

Based on 4 reviews

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Purchase Information

$399.95

In Stock
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Features

Apple Recommends For

Incredibly easy to use with GarageBand, Logic and virtually all Mac compatible software, this one device gives you professional-quality instrument input, stereo output, expression pedal input all with dynamically lit transport control buttons and more.

GiO is a revolutionary guitar interface featuring the award-winning sound quality that made Apogee Electronics famous. Designed to work easily with GarageBand, Logic, Final Cut or any Core Audio compliant application, GiO is the perfect addition to your guitar or bass.

Take full control

Designed to work with the new Logic Studio 9 and MainStage 2, GiO allows you to control recording functions, preset changes and plug-ins like Amp Designer and Pedalboard, along with new Playback and Loopback features in MainStage. With GarageBand, GiO is truly plug-and-play. It lets you quickly connect your guitar, select and control built-in Amps and stompboxes, and record.

Truly accurate sound

The 1/4-inch instrument input features Apogee's world-class instrument preamp and converters. Hear and record your guitar's true tone straight into GarageBand, Logic and MainStage without compromise. GiO is optimized for all pickup configurations.

Input for pedal control

On-board Expression control pedal input allows access to traditional effects like wah-wah and volume. You can also control effects parameters like the length of a delay or the speed of a tremolo. (Expression Control Pedal not included.)

Convenient USB power

GiO is fully powered by the USB connection to your Mac, eliminating the need for an external power source. Simply plug into an available USB port on any Mac and you're ready to go.

Superb quality output

Hear your guitar and recording like never before thanks to GiO's 24-bit audio at sample rates of 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz for pristine, better than CD sound quality. Just connect your headphones, powered monitors or instrument amplifier to Apogee converters via GiO's 1/4-inch stereo output.

Highlights

  • Unbalanced 1/4-inch high impedance instrument input
  • 1/4-inch MIDI Expression pedal input
  • Line-level, 1/4-inch stereo output for headphones, powered monitors or an instrument amplifier
  • Five Stompbox buttons, dynamically colour coded to match software effects
  • Five transport control buttons, dynamically lit when engaged
  • Two "Previous/Next" preset selection buttons
  • Control built into GarageBand '09, Logic Pro 9 and MainStage 2 software
  • Compatible with any Core Audio compliant audio application

Did You Notice?

Revolutionary design offers complete control of all presets, effects and a transport control - all at the tips of your feet. And your instrument will sound recording studio perfect.

Technical Specs

General

  • Input Type: 1/4 Inch Mono

Connections

  • Number of Channels: 2

Dimension

  • Length: 18.0 in./45.7 cm
  • Weight: 6.5 lb./2.95 kg
  • Height: 2.5 in./6.4 cm
  • Width: 7.0 in./17.8 cm

Compatibility

Mac

  • Mac OS X v.10.5.7 or later
  • 2 GB RAM
  • Mac PowerPC G5 or Intel processor

What's in the Box?

  • Apogee GiO
  • USB cable (16.4 ft./5 m)
  • 1/4-in. Stereo to left/right RCA cable (9.8 ft./3 m)
  • Apogee software and documentation CD
  • Quick start guide

Manufacturer Information

Warranty

  • Warranty: One year warranty
  • Note: Products sold through this website that do not bear the Apple Brand name are serviced and supported exclusively by their manufacturers in accordance with terms and conditions packaged with the products. Apple's Limited Warranty does not apply to products that are not Apple-branded, even if packaged or sold with Apple products. Please contact the manufacturer directly for technical support and customer service.

Part Number

  • UPC or EAN No.: 805676300801
  • Mfr. Part Number: GiO
 

Ratings & Reviews

5.0

Based on 4 reviews

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Most Useful Reviews

  • Apogee GiO Guitar Interface

    5.0
    Perfect for Logic recording
    • Written by CV from Marina del Rey
    • Feb 9, 2010

    I'm a songwriter and I compose on guitar as well as keyboard and bass. When I first saw Gio I thought it would be a great way to record and get to the guitar sounds in Logic but had no idea it would change my entire workflow. Actually it made it just flow.. no work!

    Gio eliminates tons of mouse clicking and trips between the computer and the instrument. Truly hands free recording as advertised. It's totally intuitive to guitarists especially if you’ve used a pedal board... a great extension to bring the virtual power of Logic’s amps and pedals back into the musician’s world. I even had it tucked under my synth to use the transport... didn’t have to turn around to the computer.
    It just all works when you plug it in and the sound output is absolutely pristine.
    Even my acoustic sounds delish through it. This is obviously because of Apogee conversion and pre. The led’s are totally useful to associate with what’s on the screen. Next/Previous buttons work contextually to step through different setups or tracks... Ingenious. It’s also beautiful to look at. Almost too beautiful to step on.

    Seems like there are endless possibilities to assign the buttons to be useful for other things. Computing with your feet... awesome! Makes me wish it worked with iTunes, Photoshop and other programs I use.     …More

    88 of 92 people found this useful

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  • Apogee GiO Guitar Interface

    5.0
    Fantastic!
    • Written by CM from San Antonio
    • Nov 1, 2010

    I love this pedal. I works great with GarageBand and MainStage. Currently using it with MainStage 1 which requires a bit more setup, but works like a charm. The I/O processing in the pedal is amazing. I never had any latency issues even when I really push it. Running it off a Unibody MacBook Pro 2.53 ghz with 4 GB of RAM. Getting great tone out of MainStage and have at this point abandoned my previous amp setup. Wish it had a built in expression pedal but will be buying M-Audio Midi expression pedal soon. …More

    25 of 29 people found this useful

    Was this useful?

  • Apogee GiO Guitar Interface

    4.0
    It works and it doesn't.
    • Written by JJ from Murrieta
    • Aug 19, 2010

    It's a very good product. I have used it about 2 months now. It works great with Logic and Garageband, but not at all with Mainstage. After spending about 45 minutes on the phone with an Apogee tech support person and another 20 minutes with an apple tech, they just couldn't figure out why it didn't work with Mainstage. I removed and re-installed Mainstage, re-installed the drivers for the Gio and still, it just didn't work. Like I said, though, it works like a charm in Logic and Garageband. Biggest adjustment I've had to make is to keep my hands off the computer and use the Gio for what it's made for. Which is to c control the software. Very rugged construction. All in all, I can live with it not working on Mainstage since I'm much more comfortable working with Logic. It may work for you, I just happened to get one that didn't. …More

    29 of 40 people found this useful

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Most Recent Reviews

  • Apogee GiO Guitar Interface

    5.0
    The greatest
    • Written by ID from connersville
    • Dec 4, 2011

    If you are recording guitar on your Apple this is what you want. I am currently using it on garage band and I can do everything with my feet. It works great and is plug and play. There is no latency in my recordings and it is easy to use. Didn't even have to read the manual and I am certainly not a tech kind of guy. It is kind of pricey but I think it is worth it. Apogee says it will work with all of the Apple based recording software. …More

    2 of 2 people found this useful

    Was this useful?

  • Apogee GiO Guitar Interface

    5.0
    Fantastic!
    • Written by CM from San Antonio
    • Nov 1, 2010

    I love this pedal. I works great with GarageBand and MainStage. Currently using it with MainStage 1 which requires a bit more setup, but works like a charm. The I/O processing in the pedal is amazing. I never had any latency issues even when I really push it. Running it off a Unibody MacBook Pro 2.53 ghz with 4 GB of RAM. Getting great tone out of MainStage and have at this point abandoned my previous amp setup. Wish it had a built in expression pedal but will be buying M-Audio Midi expression pedal soon. …More

    25 of 29 people found this useful

    Was this useful?

  • Apogee GiO Guitar Interface

    4.0
    It works and it doesn't.
    • Written by JJ from Murrieta
    • Aug 19, 2010

    It's a very good product. I have used it about 2 months now. It works great with Logic and Garageband, but not at all with Mainstage. After spending about 45 minutes on the phone with an Apogee tech support person and another 20 minutes with an apple tech, they just couldn't figure out why it didn't work with Mainstage. I removed and re-installed Mainstage, re-installed the drivers for the Gio and still, it just didn't work. Like I said, though, it works like a charm in Logic and Garageband. Biggest adjustment I've had to make is to keep my hands off the computer and use the Gio for what it's made for. Which is to c control the software. Very rugged construction. All in all, I can live with it not working on Mainstage since I'm much more comfortable working with Logic. It may work for you, I just happened to get one that didn't. …More

    29 of 40 people found this useful

    Was this useful?

Read all the most recent reviews

Questions & Answers

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Most Interesting

  • I want to record an electric drumkit into GarageBand can i use this product?
    • Asked by JB
    • Dec 29, 2009

    2 Answers

  • I have a Dunlop Crybaby wah-wah pedal. Will this work as an 'expression pedal' for GiO?
    • Asked by RH
    • Apr 5, 2010

    2 Answers

    Best Answer

    No. A Wah is NOT an Expression Pedal. A real Expression Pedal is a CV pedal that was used on old Analogue Synths to Convert Voltages/CV to manipulate sounds and filters. So You'll need like a Boss/Roland Expression Pedal like their EV5/EV7 Pedals or the cooler Boss FV-500H mono High Impedance pedal that's in good metal casing and has great CV range. A regular Wah or Volume type Pedal is based on a Potentiometer that makes the sound happen and does not Convert Voltage like an Expression Pedal. Moog also makes an Expression Pedal but it's construction is not good and I had one and scrapped it for Boss. …More

    • Answered by RR from Casper
    • Apr 8, 2010
  • I already have an apogee duet. Can I use a Gio at the same time?
    • Asked by GG from Madison
    • Dec 6, 2009

    2 Answers

    Best Answer

    Yes, you could use GiO as your controller for the Guitar Modeling in GarageBand, Logic, or MainStage, and run your guitar through the Duet.

    You could also do what's called "Aggregate Device" and combine the Inputs and Outputs of GiO and Duet.

    To set up an Aggregate Device: (Snow Leopard)
    Go to "Audio MIDI Set Up" Application found in Utilities
    Click on the + button on the bottom right of the window
    Check GiO and Duet

    Now when you're setting your Audio Device (Audio Input / Output)
    in your Mac, GarageBand, Logic, or MainStage,
    Aggregate Device will be an option along with any other device you have plugged in.     …More

    • Answered by SR from North Hollywood
    • Dec 14, 2009

Recently Answered

Featured Question

Does this work with Pro Tools 9? I've searched everywhere and it says its compatible but can't figure out how to use it.
  • Asked by JC from Daly City
  • Nov 21, 2011
Answer
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