iRIG PRO Review

In September IK Multimedia introduced the new iRig Pro. IK Multimedia bills iRig Pro as “the universal digital mobile audio/MIDI interface for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Mac.” I’ve taken a bit of time to get to know the iRig Pro and besides helping me post some cool Instagram vids with pristine audio it actually is a damn good audio device with midi capabilities.

iRig Pro allows you, the mobile beat maker, a grip of connectivity in one little device. There is a mic input / line in that will allow connectivity of a 1/4 inch cable and a XLR cable. On one side it has a 48 volt phantom power switch. On the other side there is a midi input where you IK midi cable fits. The midi cable is pretty much the same cable that ships with the iRig Midi device. On top of the device there are two indicator lights. one that will let you know when phantom power is on or off. The other indicator light is the trusty companion of the gain control knob which will let you know when you begin to peak and let you control your volume for the perfect level that fits your tastes.

Although the iRig Pro is bus powered when connected to your MAC or iOS device it also comes with a 9 volt battery which is only used to juice the phantom power option.

iRig Pro comes with a treat not listed on the box,” iGrand Piano FREE with 3 world-class, multi-velocity stereo grand and upright piano instruments.” In the way of free Software listed on the box, the iRig Pro comes with three IK iOS apps and three IK mac apps. Keep in mind most of these apps come loaded with additional effects, tools and instruments. It’s a gang of stuff beyond what you see listed below.

iOS

Amplitube Free
VocaLive Free
iRig Recorder Free

MAC

Amplitube Metal
T-Racks CS Classic
SampleRank XT

What IK Multimedia has managed to do here is combine several products into one. You may know the IK Multimedia iRig HD which allows you to record high definition audio into you iOS device or Mac computer. You may also be familiar with the IK Multimedia iRig Midi which will allow you to incorporate your iOS device into your rig via midi… god send if you are an iOS app synth junkie like myself. Finally, you may be familiar with the IK Multimedia iRig Pre, which allows you the flexibility to record professional quality vocals on your iOS device or Mac with a small portable preamp complete with headphone jack and phantom power. Well, IK Multimedia combined most of the features from these three devices into one device and packaged it as iRig Pro. The only feature that is missing from the iRig Pro that is included on the iRig Pre is the headphone jack as far as I can tell.

How about build quality? Well, its plastic as per standard with most devices of this type now a days. It would be nice if it were metal, right? Well, that would likely cause the weight and the price to balloon a bit. This plastic build is sturdy enough and well within reason for the rigors of the road. But only you can define the phrase “within reason.” I wouldn’t allow the clumsy band member too much freedom with this piece or any piece for that matter.

As for the sound, you get out what you put in. IK maintains that “we’ve virtually eliminated noise with our new high-definition preamp design.” As far as I can tell this statement remains try to their word. If there was noise it wasn’t apparent to my ears and thats what matters to me. I got clean signals when I used the iRig Pro. I don’t know if much else matters besides that and the portability factor. IK gets high marks for both.

Overall, the pocket sized “all in one midi / audio interface” is well worth the time. It’s the iOS musicians swiss army knife both for its portability (as big as a 3oz travel container) and for it’s multiplicity of tools that it offers. That’s just on the hardware side of it. Along with the gang of software that you get with it, both iOS and Mac, the iRig Pro is what I would call a good buy at $149.99. Mind you, in these times $149.99 can be a load of loot. Bear in mind that the build is sort of plasticy, yet, not flimsy. But when you consider that you are pretty much getting 3 IK products in one, plus a suite of seven apps for both mac and iOS, if it serves your needs in any number of ways it’s well worth it. iRig Pro is a great value with big attitude in a small pocket sized device.