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Amplifi Amp's Itunes Limitations


ChristianArnold
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*** Problem has been solved. If you use iTunes Match, any song you try to play through the AMPLIFi App will not play. The actually song has to be on your actual device.***

 

The biggest issue (not for me because I am an apple user) is that this is NOT geared for anyone who uses anything else but iOS and buys their music through iTunes (this iTunes part is a problem for me because I do not buy all my music through iTunes). With the AMPLIFi app, you can only stream music that has been purchased through iTunes. Also, this music is the only music that pulls up suggested tones to match the music. ***All devices (iOS, Android, Mac, PC, Windows Phones) will be able to stream their audio to the amp via Bluetooth (provided it has Bluetooth capability). But the amp's tone matching functions DO NOT WORK with anything else but iOS and music strictly purchased through iTunes.  I am assuming that this is how the tone matching works. Line 6 must have teamed up with Apple and use the metadata in the music from iTunes to match up tones. Even music that you put into your iTunes library from CDs or if you purchased through Amazon will not be able to be streamed through the AMPLIFi app and have tone matching capabilities.*** I have found this out when I was messing with the free iPhone AMPLIFi app. Check out my video of that here. 

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I have a hard time believing this is true, to be honest with you. I just can't see them going that route. I'll see if I can get someone from Line 6 to chime in. With iTunes Match, Apple doesn't even really differentiate between songs you've purchased and songs you've ripped on your own in your library.

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Try it for yourself. Download the app, try playing music through the app that you know you didn't purchase through iTunes. It won't stream and because it wont stream, it wont match tones.

 

I have a hard time believing this is true, to be honest with you. I just can't see them going that route. I'll see if I can get someone from Line 6 to chime in. With iTunes Match, Apple doesn't even really differentiate between songs you've purchased and songs you've ripped on your own in your library.

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I've got the app and tried playing several songs I loaded to my iPhone by downloading the mp3s - purchased through pledge music. The less obscure songs do find tones using the tone match.

 

No streaming as no BT device but it plays through my iPhone speaker while it finds a guitar tone.

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Hmm... Have you gone to "music library" and just played music through the app on your iPhone?

 

Yep... All the time. The music app works fine. No songs are playing through the Amplifi app. I can see my library and scroll through everything, but nothing happens when I try to click on the songs. I assumed it was simply because I have no Bluetooth device to connect to.

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Yeah, iOS7. I think it has something to do with iTunes Match. I don't really store any music locally on my phone. It does download it if I play it, but the vast majority of my library isn't on my phone. I imagine if I turned iTunes Match off, it would maybe show up and play. I suspect that may be an Apple limitation - not allowing third party apps to access songs through iTunes Match.

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I actually pay for the itunes match service, so nearly all my non-itunes purchases get matched in the cloud.

I had to create a second itunes library to do it, and be somewhat selective...

because itunes match is limited to 25k songs and i had closer to 60k

but i have alot of obscure stuff and bootlegs etc...

so i mostly just loaded it up with studio stuff.

anyway, might just solve the issue. (which i cant confirm or deny... just adding to the conversation here)

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Yeah, iOS7. I think it has something to do with iTunes Match. I don't really store any music locally on my phone. It does download it if I play it, but the vast majority of my library isn't on my phone. I imagine if I turned iTunes Match off, it would maybe show up and play. I suspect that may be an Apple limitation - not allowing third party apps to access songs through iTunes Match.

Ah good call. I do not use match, I store all my music locally as the majority of time I use my phone to play music is in the car driving to/from work. And the phone signal is not so good on that journey.

 

I imagine this is something for the FAQs if music has to be on the iOS device to function correctly.

 

Good find Phil

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To call out a couple points:

 

1: You need to have the song you want to play on the IOS7 device for the tone matching to play through the Amplifi app.  I fell for this when I first got the app, as it would "see" songs I had purchased but not downloaded to my device.  This can be changed under "settings" and selecting "hide songs not on device".

 

2: You absolutely can stream songs that were burned from your CD collection, I have tested this a number of times and works great.  my only problem is then I sometimes have to find the original album artwork online before installing on my iPad so I don't have to look at the red "beamed" eighth notes ;) 

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To call out a couple points:

 

1: You need to have the song you want to play on the IOS7 device for the tone matching to play through the Amplifi app.  I fell for this when I first got the app, as it would "see" songs I had purchased but not downloaded to my device.  This can be changed under "settings" and selecting "hide songs not on device".

 

2: You absolutely can stream songs that were burned from your CD collection, I have tested this a number of times and works great.  my only problem is then I sometimes have to find the original album artwork online before installing on my iPad so I don't have to look at the red "beamed" eighth notes ;)

Yeah I updated the initial post about this.  Thanks for the post though.

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I've just discovered a setting in the amplify app that lets you hide songs not on your device.  I don't use Match, but I wonder if you did use match and you enabled that setting in the amplify app, whether that effectively is the way forward, as it wouldn't show you the songs not on your device.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I am having problems with this app finding tones.  I have some songs which although not purchased through iTunes, will play through the amplify, but will not find a tone.  I simply reads "no tone found".  Any ideas what is causing this or how to fix it?

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Any song on your IOS device will show up in AMPLIFI's Music Library and then play when selected. 

 

It doesn't matter if you bought the song through iTunes or not. You could have loaded it via a burn from your CD, from Amazon etc.,  or you could have "hijacked" it to your iTunes library, it doesn't matter. 

 

As long as you transferred it to your IOS device from your computer's iTunes, it will show up and play from the Music Library. 

 

This, however, does not mean it will find a "tone" for every song you play.

 

If the artist or song is lesser-known, then you may receive a "no tone found".  If the artist or song is better-known, then chances are you will be offered tone options. Again, it doesn't matter whether you bought the song on iTunes or not.

 

Also, how you mark the song in your iTunes' "genre" seems to matter.  For example, I took one rare Jamaican song called Caltone Special and loaded it with two different "genre" settings -- one as "Rocksteady" (the name for an early form of reggae), and the other simply as "Reggae".  Sure enough, it found "tone"suggestions for the one marked as "Reggae" and couldn't suggest any tones for the one called "Rocksteady". 

 

All said, tone-match is not that sophisticated. It works from the info you provide with your songs and the info available in it's ever-growing data base. As other members here have noted -- it will get better in time as more songs and tones are loaded by the users.  I hope this helps.  AE

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Ah, thanks AE for the response.  I was under the impression that the software could replicate tones based on some algorithms. But it appears that these tones are soley drawn from the "tone bank" being built by the user community.  So one day I might get a "no tone found", but the next it may find one.  I guess that will get me to spend more time working out tones to help out.

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I sure wish they would at least allow music from itunes match to be streamed, I guess I'll just have to use two apps, one for music streaming and one for controlling the amp. At this point, I love a couple of tones and just want to jam along to a tons of stuff with those tones.

 

That what I do for music I play on Spotify.  I start Spotify, play a song via bluetooth through AMPLIFI, and then go to the AMPLIFI app to use  or adjust various tones I have saved in My Tones.  AE

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  • 1 month later...

So... you can stream Spotify via Bluetooth through the AMPLIFI? I was looking at getting an iLOUD or a small Onkyo system with Bluetooth mainly for use on a large screened porch. Someone suggested the AMPLIFI, which I had already been thinking about but when I looked at the specs or something on the Line6 page I got the idea that I could only use Bluetooth to play songs that are loaded onto my IOS device. I understand if I cannot pull up tones for playing guitar if I use Spotify but being able to use it as a Bluetooth player with Spotify, playing online albums and Spotify radio is important to me. I want to be sure that I can actually do this with the AMPLIFI. Originally, I was thinking of getting an AMPLIFI 150 to play tunes  through and jam along with my Mark V combo.... but if it is limited to playing only what is physically on my device (iPhone 5) that will be a deal breaker.

I hope my question isn't too confusing... bottom line, can I stream Spotify albums and radio via Bluetooth through the AMPLIFI ?

 

Right now I am using Amplitude, MultiDaw, Audiobus, and some other stuff for a mobile solution. My main thing in checking this out is to use for something to wirelessly play Spotify while grilling and having a beer... playing guitar through it will be a plus of course but I have plenty of amps... and can use the APP for selected songs if I want to do that.

I used to use Toneport Online and loved it... I am a little confused about what it has become, but I'll figure it out.

At present I have a Flextone III Pus, an original POD (upgraded to POD II), and a Toneport UX-2 (which I don't think is supported by Customtone... not sure).

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I would make an effort to go to a store and check out the speaker system on this amp.  Although it is a 5 speaker system, the 75 watt only has an 8" speaker supporting bass.  I own this amp and have used it to mess around with the guitar tones that can be obtained from it, but when it came to listening to music, I thought it was a little weak.  It is made as a guitar amp, and for that, not a bad of one.  One option would be to buy the 150 watt version, but at $500 you could purchase a mighty fine wireless speaker instead.

 

I also had an issue with "turning off" the effects, so my music also had some tone settings which were not preferable.  Anybody know a simple way of turning them off?

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Thanks popejoy, I was thinking the same. I found a new product from Amphony. A model 300 Bluetooth receiver/amp, 20hz to 20khz and 40w per channel RMS, about the size of a deck of cards and has regular stereo speaker wire hookups for 70 bucks. I have speakers and can get more... I think it will fit my needs but I still may be interested in a AMPLIFI 150 later to help me learn licks and riffs. Though I don't see how it will compare with the old Toneport Online...

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Thanks popejoy, I was thinking the same. I found a new product from Amphont. A model 300 Bluetooth receiver/amp, 20hz to 20khz and 40w per channel RMS, about the size of a deck of cards and has regular stereo speaker wire hookups for 70 bucks. I have speakers and can get more... I think it will fit my needs but I still may be interested in a AMPLIFI 150 later to help me learn licks and riffs. Though I don't see how it will compare with the old Toneport Online...

Check out these two videos. Hopefully this will help you understand the sound quality.

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I also had an issue with "turning off" the effects, so my music also had some tone settings which were not preferable.  Anybody know a simple way of turning them off?

 

The effects in the AMPLIFi should not affect the music streaming via Bluetooth.

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However, once you start the AMPLIFi Remote app, you can only stream from within the app.

 

Unfortunately, I returned my Amplifi because the occasional bluetooth dropouts were driving me crazy.  However, while I had it, the above was not true.   ALL of my music is in my personal cloud, so I used other DLNA software to play it - and it played via bluetooth.  I just couldn't stream it from within the remote app.  I had to start streaming from the DLNA app, then while it was playing I could switch to the Amplifi remote app and do whatever I wanted and my music kept playing.   Even better, I could stream music from my personal cloud through my android tablet connected to the Amplifi WHILE my iPad was also connected and editing/changing patches.   It was really quite slick...just not reliable.   In order to do it, I had to go into the remote app settings and enable the advanced routing so I could specify a different audio source.

 

Mike

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Anyone have any issues with the amplif app overwriting the music settings on their iPhone?  I had iTunes match but v little on my iPhone. I found that if I changed the amplify app settings to "hide songs not on this device" it did the same within iTunes.  

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Anyone have any issues with the amplif app overwriting the music settings on their iPhone?  I had iTunes match but v little on my iPhone. I found that if I changed the amplify app settings to "hide songs not on this device" it did the same within iTunes.  

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  • 1 year later...

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