Understandably, all this drastic filtering takes a toll on the sound quality, which can get a bit lo-fi, and there’s an obvious problem with any mix that has other instruments in the same part of the stereo field – kick, snare, bass and lead vocals are often all in the middle, for example – but for the most part the isolation does work surprisingly well, and the hi/lo filter can help by limiting the effect to certain frequencies. So you can bring a tricky guitar part right to the top of the mix and play it back in an ultra-slow loop to work out what the notes are, then mute the same guitar part while you practise playing it instead. This gives you complete control over the tempo and pitch of any song you care to load up from your hard drive, and even better, the ability to isolate a section of the stereo field – as wide or narrow as you want it – which can then be solo’d or muted, either completely or just partially. With its super-simple interface, Riffstation’s main selling point is a powerful audio manipulation tool called Jam Master. And this is where Riffstation might just make your day. As a practice technique, however, trying to be the third or fourth guitarist on an already-finished track does have its drawbacks. Go on, put your foot up on that bedside table – sorry, stage monitor – and give your public what they want.

Jamming along with records is, for most of us, one of the most important (and cool) parts of learning to play the guitar.

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