I've also been looking at that product as a solution for my basic home recording needs. I have the same noise problem in garage band with the guitar amps using my Irig. Hearing similar complaints about the Alesis I/O makes me think a different recording app might be the answer. I've also heard that devices like the Irig that connect through the headphone jack weren't as good as ones that use the 30 pin. If I can find an app that plays nice with the Alesis it might be the way to go for me.
Other complaints about the Alesis seem to be that it doesn't support usb midi only the older midi connectors makes it less than ideal for modern midi keyboards. I am not a big midi guy so it is not an issue for me, but if you think you'll need that functionality you might want to research that a bit more. The other issue I've seen discussed is the limited video outs. If you,re buying it for video editing you may be disappointed. Again not so much an issue for me but their are some scathing consumer reviews about these limitations.
The features that are there are what I'm after. Recording myself doing vocals, stringed instruments mic'ed, direct guitars and bass. Basic one man project studio. It all comes down to software compatibility at this point in my research. I'm probably going to pick one up somewhere with a 30 day return policy and mess around with it. Might be a few weeks though. I hope some others chime in here.
Good luck.
