The short version is that the OMEC Teleport is an audio interface in an effects pedal format. That might be all you need to read – you might have a hundred awesome ideas of stuff to do with it already, and you’re off like a shot.
It’s possible that, like me, you need a little bit more explanation as to why this is such a revolutionary idea. There’s a ton of digital interfaces out there, right? Why is this so special?
An interface typically takes in your signal as line or mic level and outputs to your monitors and effects busses. It’s mostly designed for recording and listening back. The Teleport is designed specifically as a guitar-level DI input that turns the thing it’s interfacing with into an effects loop. It is shaped like a pedal so you can turn it on and off like you would any other effect or loop pedal and get the input and output right at the pedalboard level, but really it’s a gateway to a realm of digital manipulation.
I’ll give you an example of the possibilities this opens up – take this app for example:
LiveFX is essentially a Kaoss Pad clone in app form. You can use the Teleport to put your guitar signal through this app and manipulate your sound like they do to the beat in this video, in real time. Or, you can (like I demonstrate in the review video) set up a pedalboard in Bias FX or Amplitube and put in as many effects of whatever type you like, then with the footswitch take them in and out of your chain whenever you like. You can even then have a digital pedalboard for each song for a “wild card” spot on your board.
The Teleport functioned exactly as described, although don’t try and set the buffer too low on your software (I encountered some nasty distortion doing that), and setting your levels is very important to avoid digitally clipping your signal before it gets back to your signal chain. I didn’t encounter any noticeable latency, and the quality of the sounds is going to be only as good or bad as the apps you are using.
I used the Teleport with my laptop – I didn’t have to install any software or drivers at all, and the computer recognized it right away. I think this is probably the least interesting use for it though. Interfacing with your tablet to me seems like it would open the most possibilities, and you can do this – but you need a separate, not-included, lightning adapter camera kit for iOs devices. This, to me, was the Teleport’s biggest oversight. I think they should include all the cables and adapters you need to attach it to any device right away, even if it winds up costing more. To have to acquire a separate thing to get up and running seems short-sighted and annoying to me.
Either way, the OMEC Teleport ($139 on Amazon) is a huge idea in a tiny box, and the possibilities are pretty much limitless with this thing – what you do with your guitar tone in your digital sandbox is up to you.
