It makes sure that any spontaneous compositions never get lost in the haze of memory

Apr 24, 2014 08:33 GMT  ·  By

Audio cables are just that, audio cables, but Gibson invented one that has its own integrated storage space, with the purpose of always recording what you start playing on whatever musical instrument is connected to it.

You probably wouldn't be able to guess that the Gibson Memory Cable has integrated storage just by taking a look at it.

Sure, the control module is a bit thicker than some would expect, but that's not such a big issue in the grand scheme of things.

Certainly not enough to suggest that the cable can record audio on its own, and store it without needing to be connected to a PC or whatever else.

The name of the product, though, Gibson Memory Cable, does raise suspicions, and the description shows that yes, there really is integrated storage. 4 GB to be exact.

For storing audio, that's a lot of space. Enough to record, as CD-quality, 44.1 kHz 16-bit time-stamped WAV files, up to thirteen hours of music.

Gibson collaborates with Tascam on this and was thinking of all those aspiring musicians that might have sudden bursts of inspiration only to forget their ideas not an hour later.

The Memory Cable will record everything you play, thanks to the Tascam-made digital recorder built into that control module we have mentioned, alongside the storage space.

There's just one problem: the power. There's no way the cable's battery will last for the thirteen hours it takes to fill that 4 GB microSD card. A single AA battery won't go for longer than eight hours on a single charge.

Fortunately, you're unlikely to have such a trance that you can't stop playing your electric guitar or violin or keyboard (or whatever else) for that long. Even if you did, by some bizarre cosmic alignment, get such an idea (think 10 hours of nyan cat), your body will probably give out long before you're done.

Anyway, if you buy the Gibson Memory Cable, you'll probably want to keep some replacement AA batteries on hand, just in case.

The cable can work in two modes: a continuous mode that records everything passing through the cable, and an auto mode that detects whether or not a signal exists, only activating then. This ensures that you don't waste the storage space we have previously talked about. All in all, the Gibson Memory Cable has a price of $100 / €72.