Reviews, tutorials and news (previously: IT Enquirer)
Europe is home to some pretty innovative developers. In Slovenia, Lumulabs is a small operation that developed the Lumu Power light meter, a Kickstarter success that started well over a year ago and which successfully ended in June with the first shipment of the finished devices. The Lumu Power light meter is a hardware sensor combined with an iOS app. It has both a fast-response silicon photo diode and true colour sensor in a package the size of a big marble.
If you use your iPad for audio recording or music making with any of the power consuming iRig devices, IK Multimedia has a solution for you: the iRig PowerBridge, a continuous charging system for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch while connected to digital iRig accessories. Unfortunately, some people do not fully understand how the iRig PowerBridge works, resulting in disappointment. iRig PowerBridge is not a pure iOS device charger, it’s different.
Compatible with a huge range of iOS devices, Adonit’s Pixel Bluetooth-enabled iOS stylus delivered on its promise of unparalleled precision, better tip drag and pressure sensitivity for comfortable and accurate drawing. I tested with my iPad Air 2.
It comes with its own batteries to drive 48V phantom powered microphones, has two Neutrik XLR/TRS audio jacks for mics and instruments, two MIDI ports, two speaker output ports and a headphone interface. The iRig Pro Duo is a cross-platform portable recording unit and I was curious to hear how well it sounds.
No matter how good an audio sample may sound, there are always notes that sound synthetic and with instruments like a grand piano subtleties and musicality are inevitably lost. It’s a problem that can be solved by not sampling an instrument but using true physical modelling. That’s what Pianoteq from French company Modartt seeks out to do — and from what I’ve experienced: with success.
The iRig Keys Pro keyboard is a 37 notes keyboard annex MIDI controller with velocity sensitivity. It is compatible with iOS devices as well as with Mac and Windows computers. The iRig Keys Pro has a pitch bend and modulation wheel, illuminated octave selection buttons, four user sets for quick recall of MIDI programs and …
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To avoid your iOS device being drained by an iRig Pro or one of IK Multimedia’s other iRig devices, you need some sort of power solution. iRig PowerBridge is IK Multimedia’s own solution to the problem. It’s a tiny power/data splitter that sits in-between your device and the iRig device. It delivers power to the iPad or iPhone as well as to the iRig device you’re using.
What I first thought to be part of some free perks that come with an iRig product, turned out to be quite a wonderful sound and groove app/plug-in. SampleTank 3 SE has great sounding and real-world audio samples and works both as a stand-alone app and a plug-in to your DAW.
iRig PRO is a compact audio and MIDI interface you can use with XLR-microphones, a guitar and bass, a keyboard and other line-level sources and MIDI controllers. It features an XLR and 1/4" combo jack for connecting microphones and instruments, and a MIDI input for plugging in a controller. I was very curious to know if this small box would have the quality you need when shooting video with an external audio interface. Traditionally, this would mean using a Zoom H4n sound recorder, but if you have an iPad, an iRig PRO could do the job as well.
Celemony has recently released Melodyne 4, a significant upgrade of its audio software. It’s the most extensive update to the entire product family so far and the emphasis lies on the most feature-complete version, Melodyne 4 studio. New features include the Sound Editor, which has totally new sound design capabilities, DNA (Direct Note Access) on an unlimited number of tracks, and extremely accurate tempo detection. Melodyne 4 studio is a 64-bit app, running as a stand-lone application or a plug-in within your DAW. I tested Melodyne 4 studio with Logic Pro X and on its own.
