9 minute read
RECORDING
IK Multimedia iRig Pro Quattro I/O
By Jon Musgrave, Electronic Musician, August 2022
With its small size, 4in/2out capabilities, MIDI I/O and extensive powering options (4xAA batteries, host USB, micro USB or 9V mains), IK Multimedia’s iRig Pro Quattro I/O ticks the box as a mobile interface. With additional mono and stereo modes, however, you’ve also got a mobile podcast/broadcast front end. Throw in an onboard mic and optional twin mic capsules and Quattro I/O becomes a field recording interface. Finally, with no USB host connected, you can simply use Quattro I/O as a 4in/2out location audio mixer to feed other devices such as cameras. Underpinning all this you have four ultra-low noise mic preamps with 48V phantom power, up to 24-bit 96kHz operation and asynchronous USB for ultralow conversion jitter, providing excellent audio quality. Unashamedly multi-function, available in regular and deluxe packages and highly versatile, IK Multimedia’s Quattro I/O is exactly the sort of device we need in the increasingly multimedia world in which many of us operate. $373, ikmultimedia.com
IK Multimedia Syntronik 2 MAX
By Dave Gale, Electronic Musician, April 2022
Scour the auction sites for the synthesizers you couldn’t afford when you were a teenager, and you’ll likely find them a daunting financial prospect. All is not lost, though, as we dive into IK Multimedia’s Syntronik 2 MAX, a full-sized compendium of 33 software instruments. Syntronik 2 operates within the plugin domain: Upon loading for the first time, one of the first games to play is ‘spot the synth’. There are some cryptic names in play, all of which relate to some form of classic from yesteryear, including the Minimoog Model D, Prophet-5, Jupiter 8, Juno 60, Oberheim OB-X/Xa and even PPG Wave 2.3. Syntronik’s sound engine is sample-based, meaning that the initial sounds you hear are derived from the original machines. Their DRIFT technology promotes a degree of detuning to mimic the originals, varying phase and color, alongside the pitch element. It’s a potent combo, for both sounds and analog behaviour, and very effective. $450, ikmultimedia.com
GUITAR WORLD GOLD AWARD
PERFO R MANCE
LD Systems Maui 5 Go 100
By Paul Riario, Guitar World, March 2022
With soundmen becoming increasingly scarce, many performers have had to rely on themselves to provide sound for their shows. For singer-songwriting duos, solo acoustic/electric performers and buskers, the Maui 5 Go 100 will more than fit the bill for most live sound requirements and environments. The system is adequately powerful, having 200-watt RMS (800 watts peak) of class D amplification and arrives in four compact and lightweight pieces — an integrated electronics subwoofer base, column section with an integrated rechargeable lithium-ion battery, column spacer and column section with four 3-inch speakers. Key features include an integrated 4-channel mixer, Bluetooth stereo audio streaming and a lithium-ion battery that can provide up to 12 hours of continuous operation depending on how loud you drive the volume. I found the system’s no-nonsense approach allowed me to get an excellent live sound with impressive clarity in the small to medium venues where I play. $899.99 street, ld-systems.com
Mackie Thrash215 Powered Speaker
By Andy McDonough, Guitar Player, April 2022
A good part of Mackie’s success can be attributed to their thoughtful design, and with the debut of their new line of Thrash-powered speakers, Mackie has attempted to address perhaps the most challenging constraint to producing great audio — doing it on a budget. Thrash promises more for a fraction of what other professional powered loudspeakers cost. At just over 40 pounds, the Thrash215’s cabinet design is lightweight and its solid, durable construction is obvious. You might say that its best feature is its lack of features, making this powered speaker simple to operate. It’s designed to set up, plug in and play. The inputs accept a wide range of sources, too. Are there more expensive speakers that offer a tighter bass response, better transitions across the audio spectrum, and better definition? Yes. But with Mackie’s Thrash215 offered at these price points, anyone can afford a responsible sound system, even players who are just starting out. $349,
mackie.com
Positive Grid Experience Hendrix for Spark
By Paul Riario, Guitar World, February 2022
So far, nearly 300K users own Positive Grid’s Spark state-of-the-art amplifier, which offers a wealth of stellar-sounding onboard virtual amps and effects curated from Positive Grid’s BIAS tone engine. To celebrate the company’s 10th anniversary, they partnered with Authentic Hendrix LLC to release the Experience Jimi Hendrix Official Gear Collection for Spark as an in-app purchase. This incredible collection features highly detailed emulations of six amps and six effects that Hendrix used throughout his career, accessible from the Spark app. What’s cool is you can preview each one, select and learn more about how Hendrix used it, and download its “Official Presets’’ to use as a launchpad in crafting your own virtual rig. The models sound convincingly great, and you can absolutely move knobs and tweak settings to create unique tone that you can save to satisfy your inner-Jimi urges. The app also contains a “Famous Moments” story section, an interactive timeline of Hendrix’s artistic journey. $20 (Spark in-app purchase); $269 (Hendrix & Spark amp bundle),
positivegrid.com/jimi-hendrix
Positive Grid RIFF Guitar Interface and App
By Christopher Scapelliti, Guitar Player, August 2022
Positive Grid’s RIFF is a compact and portable USB audio interface for computers and mobile devices that’s optimized for electric, acoustic and bass guitars. To that end, RIFF features high-resolution audio (24-bit/96kHz) and a Tone mode with three preamp and overdrive emulations that let you add warmth, analog boost or cranked-up, midrange-enhanced overdrive. What makes RIFF especially great for guitarists is how it integrates with Positive Grid’s BIAS FX 2 amp and effects software, giving you thousands of tonal options, along with customizable functions from the central control knob. The device also comes with PreSonus Studio One Prime recording software and USB cables. Connect it to your computer, fire up your DAW and select RIFF as the input and output device in your preferences. Set your input and output levels, use Direct mode for zero latency, and off you go. For flawless audio, powerful tone and sheer ingenuity, RIFF receives our Editors’ Pick Award. $99,
positivegrid.com
PreSonus AudioBox GO
By Simon Fellows, Electronic Musician, June 2022
PreSonus’ new wedge-shaped AudioBox GO interface is tiny, light, and about as complex to use as a corkscrew. It’s short on features and low in price but still remarkably capable. A complete recording solution for novices, it’s bundled with Studio One Prime, PreSonus’ excellent DAW, plus StudioMagic, a collection of samples, software instruments and utilities. Of course, it’ll also work with GarageBand or any DAW of your choosing, and it’s capable of recording at 24-bit/96kHz. Operation couldn’t be much more straightforward, or more manual either. Each channel has a gain knob that provides 50 dB of variable gain and a bright red LED that illuminates if your signal starts clipping. Phantom power can be supplied to the XLR out via a small textured button that illuminates a soft cobalt blue when turned on. Essentially, you just plug in, set your levels and go. It’s that easy, and it’s perfect for spontaneous, off-the-cuff recordings. $80, presonus.com
Presonus R80 V2
By Simon Fellows, Electronic Musician, May 2022
PreSonus’ original R80 near-field active monitor caught our attention because of its eye-catching ribbon-based tweeter technology. Other than that intriguing gold ribbon, there’s not much to see. Weighing in at about 20lbs each, and measuring well over a foot high, and almost as deep, these monitors are quite a lump, but they’ll comfortably sit on, or around, a typical studio desk — just. Round the back, significant changes have been made. Where the R80 had relatively basic presetbased EQ controls, the V2 now has high-frequency and midfrequency rotary dials, plus a low cut-off multi-switch. The tweeter is essentially a pleated ribbon transducer, a form of driver able to accurately reproduce higher frequencies. As you’d expect, bass delivery is excellent, tight and not at all flabby, and mids are balanced, articulate and punchy, yet not aggressively so. There’s also purity, precision, and most importantly, detail. The listening experience is subtle because, well, that’s what we’re listening for — subtleties. $900 per
pair, presonus.com
Toontrack EZdrummer 3
By Dave Gale, Electronic Musician, September 2022
Toontrack created the original EZdrummer package to provide DAW-based musicians with the ability to combine great drum performances, in a MIDI format, with ultra realistic-sounding drum samples. The latest addition to this lineup sees EZdrummer move to its version 3 incarnation, which ships with 18GB of all new content, including a sizeable number of new MIDI Grooves. A couple of years ago, Toontrack created an SDX expansion library called ‘Rooms of Hansa’, based around the legendary Hansa studios in Berlin, and it’s been a huge success — so why wouldn’t you go back to these studios, enlist the help of supremo producer Michael Ilbert, and take full advantage of some of the finest sounding drum spaces in the world? Each and every room and kit sounds stunning, with plenty of diversity to provide you with a palette which is usable to the greatest possible degree. Toontrack’s EZdrummer 3 continues to push boundaries, while maintaining exceptional quality throughout. $172, toontrack.com
Universal Audio Volt 76 series
By Jono Buchanan, Electronic Musician, April 2022
Until now, UA seemed happy to cater to the ‘pro’ market alone. That changes with the release of the Volt interfaces, which disrupt the more affordable end of the audio interfacing world. Installation is simple. Download UA Connect, which then lets you register, install firmware updates, and then download any items of the bundled software you like. These include Ableton Live Lite, Melodyne Essential and assorted instruments and effects including LABS from Spitfire Audio. But let’s be clear; not only are the Volt interfaces a departure from the cost of previous UA designs, they have a very different remit too. There’s no UAD plugin hosting, onboard software processing nor Console software to configure recording setups. Instead, the Volts are plug-and-play USB-C interfaces which offer UA’s excellent preamps. The Volts are a radical departure for UA, and they deserve to shake up the budget interface market with a great design and hard-to-beat audio conversion. From $139, uaudio.com
