IK Multimedia iRig HD 2 - Interface for Guitar, 96 kHz with 24-bit A/D Conversion, Outstanding Audio Quality, Compact, Professional Sound, FX and Thru Adjustment

Product Information

If you don’t count basic volume tweaking, the device is ready to roll straight out of the box. Conclusion

The iRig HD 2 is a nice solid build. It is quite light, which means it can get tugged around by your guitar cable. Although the casing does have a rubbery feel to it which gripped nicely to my desk. It’s a unit designed to be portable, so the downside of having such a small device is that it will slide around more compared to largeraudio interfaces. Guitarists who want to record multiple instruments– if you mainly play acoustic guitar, sing or want to record other instruments using a microphone, the iRig HD 2 probably isn’t what you’re looking for. You can definitely still use it with your electric guitar, but there are other options available fordifferent inputs. Similarly to name-dropping Steve Albini, the word ‘analogue’ has a lot of value to some guitarists. They might be interested in what the SSL2 has to offer, which is two channels enhanced by what Solid State Logic calls the ‘Legacy 4K’ system. Positive Grid - the company behind the insanely popular Spark practice amp - has entered the world of recording interfaces with their latest guitar-focused product, Riff. This slimline USB audio interface is developed with guitar and bass players in mind and can be fully integrated with the award-winning amp and effects software, Bias FX 2.

Easy mobile guitar connectivity

I’m a guitarist who enjoys recording my own music and AmpliTube 4 offers a lot of great optionssuch as a range of cabinets, speakers, mics and rooms. As shown above you can even change individual speaker selection. Everything you see in the above screenshot can be customized and switched around.In other words, it’s like having access to a full studio and being able to instantly switch between different rigs, rooms and gear.

If you’re new to recording gear, 96kHz is basically overkill in terms of recording quality. You will see high-grade professional gear at 192kHz, but the general consensus is that there’s no benefit to going that high. 96kHz is perfect for excellent quality recording. The iRig HD 2 interface essentially routes your signal through one of either a phone, tablet or computer, allowing you to use any of those devices as a fully functional amp modeler. You can then use AmpliTube 4, or other DAWs like GarageBand and Audacity, to run amp models and effects or even to record and produce your own music. In fact, any software that can recognize and hear external audio should be compatible. I recommend trying out these different configurations so you can easily switch between the most appropriate setup whenever you need it. Overall, the iRig HD 2 is a very flexible device that will suit a lot of people. The fact that it comes with the full version of AmpliTube 4 (PC/Mac or iOS) makes that a great value device. As I previously mentioned, the best "feature" of the iRig HD 2 is the convenience and ease-of-use you get from being able to play guitar through your computer or mobile device. I could utilize lots of effects and amp models on my couch, while my wife watched TV and my kids slept soundly.Well, assuming you're recording at home, your requirements are likely to be pretty basic, at least in terms of the inputs you'll need – and the good news with this is that you don't need to spend considerable sums to start recording. Now, there certainly isn't a shortage of options out there for guitarists looking to record, and let's be honest, it can get very confusing when trying to work out which is the correct interface for you. Well, you don't need to worry, that's what we are here for. We've put together this list of our favourite guitar-based audio interfaces from industry leaders such as IK Multimedia, Focusrite, Universal Audio and many more. The iRig HD 2 is essentially a plug and play device. Simply connect it using the appropriate cable (lightning and USB cables included) and you’re good to go. As the iRig HD 2 also comes with the full version of AmpliTube 4, it’s worth talking a bit about how that sounds. I’ve been using AmpliTube (and Guitar Rig by Native Instruments) since the very first version. Each version has brought a massive improvement in quality. AmpliTube 3 was the first version that came close to feeling like recording a real guitar amp and effects. AmpliTube 4 adds so much to the realism that it sound significantly better than when I record my actual amp with a microphone. At this point, I doubt future versions will be able to add much moreto the quality because it’s so high now. Tone and volume knob changes were only subtle, and sounded best when they were both wide open. Convenience and Ease of Use

While the iRig HD 2 is class compliant with the Mac OS, I still had to set things up so it could "talk" with the sound i/o device and amp modeling software. It sounds complex, but the setup process is really simple. In a Mac, go to Settings - Sound and set the iRig HD 2 as both the default input and output device. Any guitar player can benefit from the convenience and portability of the iRig HD 2, though I like it particularly in the following situations: Without registering the product the accompanying software cannot be registered and is therefore only available in demo mode for a limited amount of days (9 if I remember correctly). In fact, it got to the stage where Logic Pro wouldn’t recognise the software. Once you get a feel for the amps, startexperimenting with different mics, cabinets and rooms. Learn the difference between a dynamic and condenser microphone and learn how the placement of the microphone affects your tone. Try different combinations of microphones and rooms. The goal here is to learn how each component affects your final tone. This takes a long time to learn in the studio, so you have an advantage learning it in AmpliTube. Note: On less powerful machines, the Kernal Buffer can be adjusted. Increasing this value will increase latency.The AmpliTube software can be used on iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Mac and PC. | Image via IK Multimedia.