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If you're a guitarist looking to leverage the power of your iPhone or iPad for mobile effects or recording, you've long been able to use the iRig and AmpliTube app for iOS. Offering a suite of effects and amp models along with multi-track recording and master effects processing, AmpliTube has set the standard which other manufacturers, including Apple with the GarageBand app, try to meet. But if IK Multimedia has demonstrated one thing in the past nine months, it's that they never rest on their laurels. And their latest combo, the iRig Mic and VocaLive app do for vocals what the iRig and AmpliTube app did for guitarists.
First, the hardware. The iRig Mic is a condenser microphone with an eighth inch plug that connects to the iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad headphone jack. Any app that can record via the microphone input on the headphone jack can leverage the iRig Mic. This compatibility is great as there are many apps whose utility would be improved by having a dedicated mic, including the Voice Memos app or even when making videos with the iPhone's camera. The mic also features a gain reduction switch so you can adjust the input level to the sound source. This flexibility is important as it prevents overloading the input levels in the recording application which would cause distortion. Lastly, you can listen to the mic in real time via a passthrough jack found on the plug.
The hardware itself is competent, but it really shines when coupled with the VocaLive app. Featuring a list of effects including Delay, Chorus, Compressor, Parametric EQ, Reverb, Envelope Filter, Phazer, De-Esser, Choir, Pitch Fix and Morph, you can drench your voice in dreamy reverb, add in instant harmony section in real time, or apply auto-tuning effects to get that T-Pain sound. Some of the effects are gimmicky sounding but there's enough here that you can really customize your sound for use either in the studio or in real time during a performance. There are a wide variety of presets to show what you can do right out of the box and the same app-within-an-app multitrack recording capabilities found in the AmpliTube software.
But enough about what it can do; how does it sound? Well, that depends on what you're doing with it, and which app you're using to record with. Every mic has sonic properties that color its sound, represented in how well it responds to certain frequencies. The engineers at IK Multimedia tuned their app to the iRig Mic's properties creating a rich and full sound when using VocaLive. It's really quite stunning. And with the included recording capabilities or when using the mic live, you'd might never need to leave their ecosystem.
However, there are other apps that can record audio from the headphone jack input on an iOS device and these apps don't get the same benefit when it comes to sound processing. After playing with VocaLive, I next went to the GarageBand app for the iPad. It was easy enough to set up a vocal track and enable monitoring so I could hear what I was doing. But GarageBand doesn't feature zero-latency input monitoring, and it introduced a subtle but annoying delay when performing (though importantly, there was no delay in the recorded audio). Secondly, the audio it recorded was somewhat disappointing, sounding thin and distant. Once recorded and imported into the desktop version of GarageBand, I could compensate with some EQ and compression. But it did leave me feeling a bit disappointed with the limitations of the GarageBand app itself as a recording tool when using the iRig Mic.
I'm not sure what the engineers at IK Multimedia can do to help ensure their products work well with other applications, but I do know what they can do to ensure customers wouldn't need it. IK's app offerings are some of the best, but as a whole, quite fragmented. On the one hand, there's the core AmpliTube software for guitarists using the iRig interface. IK even has a custom Fender version of AmpliTube that features authentic Fender amp and effects models. And on the other hand is VocaLive for use with the iRig Mic. Both suites have multi-track recording but neither would be a one stop shop for mobile recording. IK needs to combine their efforts for guitarists and acoustic musicians and vocalists with one app to rule them all. Give us the editing finesse of Apple's GarageBand app with the sonic capabilities of AmpliTube and VocaLive tailored to IK's own hardware and you'd have the best-in-class mobile recording environment on the market.
Whether the iRig Mic is right for you depends on what you're looking to get out of it. It's important to understand what it's for and what it's not. If you're primarily a vocalist looking bring a wide variety of effects to the stage or the studio packaged in an easy-to-use interface, you'll be hard pressed to find a greater value than the iRig Mic and VocaLive app. Assuming that IK Multimedia will be bringing an iPad version to market, grab an iKlip and have total control at your fingertips right on your mic stand. But if you're a musician looking for a way to sketch out ideas on an iOS device using third party apps, you may be underwhelmed by the iRig Mic's performance.
Wired: A wide array of great sounding effects tailored for vocalists using iOS devices when using VocaLive. Solid build construction. Gain reduction switch a plus.
Tired: Somewhat of a letdown for acoustic musicians looking for a mobile recording input device on iOS.
iRig Mic ($60)
VocaLive ($20)
VocaLive Free (Free)
