Guitar Amplifier

Turn your phone into a guitar amplifier.

Please read before use.:

This is a limited low latency application that allows users to plug a guitar into their phone to amplify the sound. This application only amplifies the sound with clean playback. There are no effects or gain (yet). The only knob that is functional is the volume knob. Swipe left or right on the volume knob to change the volume. You will also need adapters to plug your guitar into your phone (see below for adapters).

I hope to improve this application in the future. It currently works pretty well for single string notes but multiple chords start to overload the sound output a bit. This application is written in C and uses OpenSL ES. Unfortunately it appears certain OpenSL features are not accessible from android at this time. This is currently the limiting factor for effects. The application is written in C to reduce latency. The low latency C implementation is more complex than a regular Java app. I cannot pass the audio data into Java to add effects (this would cause huge latency). All this being said please also understand that this is not a brand new $1000 head going on a 4X12 Half Stack Cab. This is an application that runs on your phone and is powered by a tiny battery. For example: I am able to play simple single string notes but am unable to really get on it with strumming multiple chords in a fast rhythm.

This application is set to a frequency of 48000hz please make sure your phone supports this frequency. I will work on adding a dynamic frequency.

This application will not play through your devices speaker. You need headphones or a Bluetooth speaker. (Conect to the Bluetooth speaker before opening the app)

What you need to use this app:

1) Lollipop - Android OS 5.0

2) A phone that Supports USB OTG (On The Go) data transfer

3) A Guitar

4) Headphones or Bluetooth speaker

5) A USB OTG (On The Go) cable (See Letter A in 3rd image)

6) A USB to 3.5mm mic/headphone sound adapter (See Letter B in 3rd image)

7) An adapter for your guitar cable to make it 3.5mm (See Letter C in 3rd image)

Devices Tested On:

Tested on Nexus 6 running Lillipop 5.0 - OK (worked as expected)

Tested on Samsung Galaxy S4 running KitKat 4.4.4 - FAIL - (OTG cable not detected)

Tested on HTC One M8 running KitKat 4.4.2 - FAIL - (OTG cable not detected)