(IK sell a Bluetooth MIDI foot controller that takes charge of AmpliTube and is almost as much as the cost of the HD 2 itself.) Perhaps this would be too challenging to engineer and fit into the diminutive case. A footswitch jack socket to toggle the THRU and FX modes of the amplifier output would have been a nice inclusion, since such a dual mode is pitched towards live performance opportunities. Using GarageBand, I was able to record acoustic guitar signals with very little noise and a workable level of latency (though seemingly not as low as with AmpliTube). Apple’s own GarageBand is a more versatile partner to the iRig on iOS, providing recording and editing functionality and also more suited to recording unprocessed signals, eg.
As with other IK products, I find the ‘freemium’ model of bundling software quite confusing here: you have to pay for the most useful features within the app. The included, upgraded version of the free AmpliTube iOS app offers some basic amp models and cabinets, the most widely used effects stompboxes and a fairly low level of latency. Getting things recorded is very straightforward, and setting gain is simple, aided by a basic LED level meter. The iRig HD 2 comes with Lightning and USB-A connection cables, plus a microphone stand clip, allowing a Velcro strap to fix the unit in position. With the toggle switch set to ‘THRU’ the output monitors the original, unprocessed signal at source, and when set to the ‘FX’ position will output the effected signal from IK’s own AmpliTube and the like. Furthermore, the interface now has a flexible amplifier jack output function to combine amp simulation and effects on a mobile device/computer with an external amplifier and speaker cabinet. This mini interface is capable of recording and playback of qualities up to 96kHz/24-bit.Īs a reaction to the removal of the headphone socket on recent iPhone hardware, a headphone preamp with a mini-jack output has been added to the specification and provides a far neater solution than monitoring output signals through the iOS device’s own headphone socket. Although slightly more expensive than the ‘mk1’ version, the HD 2 improves upon its iRig HD predecessor in a number of ways and also exceeds the specifications of some of its fiercest competitors. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc.The iRig HD 2 compliments IK’s series of compact audio interfaces designed to record guitar, bass guitar and line-level devices with minimum fuss on an iOS device or computer. iPhone®, iPod touch®, iPad®, GarageBand®, Mac® and the Mac logo are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S.
Jimi Hendrix™ name used under license of Authentic Hendrix, LLC. FENDER® and all FENDER amplifiers, logos, and trade dress are the trademarks of FMIC and used herein under license. Use of these names does not imply any cooperation or endorsement. Product names are used solely for the purpose of identifying the specific products that were studied during IK Multimedia’s sound model development and for describing certain types of tones produced with IK Multimedia’s digital modeling technology. All other product names and images, trademarks and artists names are the property of their respective owners, which are in no way associated or affiliated with IK Multimedia. IRig® HD 2 and AmpliTube® are registered trademarks property of IK Multimedia Production Srl.