Archives

“Makes a real difference in the quality of your guitar recording”

Guitarist Magazine’s Trevor Curwen has been taking an in-depth look at AXE I/O in their August 2019 issue. He was particularly impressed by its re-amping capabilities, dedicated guitar input and ability to work with external control pedals.

Here are some some of his key comments:

“The secret sauce here is the Z-Tone knob, which changes the input impedance and can undertake more dramatic tonal shading.”

“We experienced no latency issues at all in use.”

“Reamping is easily set up through the ‘amp out’ output, which lets you feed a DI-recorded guitar from your DAW (or a live parallel feed from Input 1) to a real amplifier or stompbox(es), while still being able to monitor the session from the main output.”

“If you bring the reamped signal back through guitar Input 1, the Z-Tone can also come in pretty useful if the reamping is being done via a vintage pedal, because its sound can change depending on the load impedance”

“A pair of rear panel controller inputs provide connection for expression pedals and footswitches for real-time control of various parameters of your virtual rig”

“Why buy AXE I/O over any other audio interface? Well, as audio interfaces go, this one has decent specifications and all the facilities you’d need for standard recording tasks and being able to take input from microphones, line level sources and instruments.”

Trevor’s final verdict was:

“The dedicated Number 1 guitar input here can make a real difference in the quality of your guitar recording. Not just that, the Amp Out facility makes getting signal to your amp and back into the DAW a real doddle.  It’s a well thought out box for guitarists at a decent price.”

Key Pros

+ Good basic set of audio interface features
+ Dedicated guitar input
+ Reamping output
+ Facility to connect external control pedals/switches
+ Two line outputs to send sound to different destinations

Visit Guitarist
Learn more about AXE I/O

Nice one James. Some super playing… even if your cat doesn’t think so!

” Very, very good. Conveys the mojo of playing a real amp.”

AXE I/O has swept up the top scores in Gearslutz‘s in-depth review. Receiving the maximum 5 stars in every category: Sound Quality, Ease of Use, Features and Bang for Buck giving it an overall final score of 5 stars and a GearSlutz Gold Award.

Here are some of the key comments from reviewer Arthur Stone:

“The important thing is that in itself the sound was comfortable, clear, and detailed.”

“Using just the JFET and Passive settings and around 11 o’clock on the Z-tone I got a sweet, warm tone from a Tele FMT HH into the AXE I/O and out to a Fender Acoustasonic Junior amp. It sounded great.”

“The AXE I/O headphone amp is nice (tested with open-backed AKG K702’s) and non-fatiguing; good range of level from the ‘chunky’ dial. No noticeable gain-bunching.”

“Re-amping is a key feature of the AXE I/O; in use, the Amp Out circuitry (on jack) has the same attention to detail as the DI input. It is very low noise and grounded. A delight to use.”

“I had a sense that the designers had envisioned the studio connectivity problems faced by guitarists and eased the path to unleash god-like axe powers in the DAW era.”

“There was plentiful and effortless clean gain with a slightly creamy character. Not too clean. Not harsh. No distortion. The SM58 sounded good through the AXE I/O.”

“The sound quality for tracking/creating was notable: good definition, dynamics, and differentiation between sources.”

“Even if guitar isn’t your primary concern the AXE I/O is still worth considering: the mic inputs are on the rear so it offers a streamlined fascia on the desktop. A synth or keyboard can be DI’d, also there’s the re-amping capability to run hardware effects loops for mojo’ing-up ITB tracks.”

And the final verdict was:

“Very, very good. Both the hardware and software have real value: the AXE I/O is a fine guitar interface with high-quality sound, and the software conveys the mojo of playing a real amp.”

5 out of 5 – Sound Quality
5 out of 5 – Ease of Use
5 out of 5 – Features
5 out of 5 – Bang for Buck
5 out of 5 – Overall Score

AXE I/O receives Gearslutz 5-Star Gold Award

Read the full review on Gearslutz
Learn more about AXE I/O

New sounds from an acclaimed sound design company bring new life to UNO Synth

Attention UNO Synth users!  Not only have we added a new member to the UNO family (UNO Drum) but we keep adding more UNO Synth presets from some of the best sound designers around!  A new set of UNO Synth patches made by ADSR Sounds is available now for download.  This new-age urban / trap / hip-hop inspired pack includes a full bank of 80 presets ranging from classic basses, contemporary leads & arpeggios, and more.

Watch ADSR’s video that featured their Top 5 Things They Like About UNO Synth:

To get your ADSR UNO Synth Presets:

1. Download your signature artist presets from Download Resources in My Products under UNO Synth
2. Extract your downloaded files to your system
3. Open UNO Synth Editor and click on PRESETS
4. Drag and drop the preset folder to the Category window
5. Once imported, click on TO HW to copy some or all presets to your UNO Synth
6. Click on SEND to write the presets to your UNO Synth

To fully connect your UNO Synth with the UNO Synth Editor you must be on the latest firmware version. Download this firmware here.

All factory presets can be found in your ‘Download Resources‘ section for UNO Synth in your User Area -> My Products section of your IK Multimedia account.

Join the UNO family by purchasing your very own UNO Synth now!  Learn more here.

UNO Drum is finally here, and everyone from pros to home users are sharing their reactions and creations online.  We rounded up our favorite videos into a new YouTube playlist, to make it easy for you to find them in one place.

Check out the newest first impression & unboxing videos of the new UNO Drum, the ultimate beat creation system from IK. BoBeats, SynthMania, Doctor Mix and more showed some of what they like about UNO Drum and how easy it is to get started right out of the box.

Click Here for the full list of videos or watch some of the most popular UNO Drum videos below:

Doctor Mix

SynthMania

BoBeats

Emlyn In The Mix

The Sound Test Room

Check out the rest of the UNO Drum Community & Media Playlist on Youtube

“A well-designed, clean sounding, guitar-friendly interface”

Sound on Sound‘s editor-in-chief, Paul White, has been getting up close and personal with the new AXE I/O. He was impressed by its design, audio quality, guitar friendliness and its great included software bundle.

Here are some of Paul’s comments:

“The overall tech spec is impressive, with a quoted 117dB dynamic range and a 3Hz-32kHz frequency response, through 24-bit low-jitter converters at up to 192kHz sample rates.”

“When re-amping, the ground isolation of the amp output really helps, as a clean recording can be played back via the amp out jack and then fed to an amplifier or chain of pedals without provoking ground-loop induced hum.”

“As a straightforward interface, AXE I/O sounds very clean both for playback and for recording.”

“The Z-Tone knob gradually darkens the sound as the impedance is lowered – sometimes lowering it just a small way from maximum helps take away the brittle edge from some guitars.”

“Using the included AmpliTube, you can recreate a wide range of classic guitar sounds without ever turning on an amplifier while the T-Racks studio processors are good to have on your side during a mix. The free Lite version of Ableton’s Live is also a great way to get into composing.”

“AmpliTube Presets and the controls of software rigs can be accessed using the input knob rather than a mouse: push and turn the knob to select and load presets, with the option to assign the knob to any parameter as required.”

Paul’s final verdict is:

“All in all, the Axe l/O represents exceptional value as you get a well-designed, clean-sounding, guitar-friendly interface along with a very serious bundle of software.”

Key Plusses -+ Easy to use
+ Clean signal path with good ground-loop isolation where needed
+ Generous pack of bundled software

Visit Sound on Sound
Learn more about AXE I/O

“This could be a tremendous asset”

MusicTech has been taking a close look at iKlip 3 Deluxe, courtesy of editor, Will Betts.
Here are some of his key comments:

“The iKlip 3 is an update to the company’s successful iKlip Xpand mic-stand support for tablets. The design means it can be mounted quickly and securely to the boom arm in front of a singer, or on the upright of a mic stand, either on the front (for effects) or out to the side (for sheet music).”

“iKlip 3’s main new feature is a new quick-locking reorientation function that’s achieved with a pull-and-twist motion. The mechanics of this are really quite clever.“

“It gets you from portrait to landscape, or thereabouts, in a blink. In theory, there’s no screwing or unscrewing required to change orientation, just a pull and twist.”

“When fully tightened, the ball-and-socket joint holds the tablet bracket sturdily, with no noticeable sag.”

“The new tablet bracket is certainly an improvement on the previous design. The new design has two, large rubberised inserts for gripping your tablet and these are glued securely in place, preventing scuffs.”

Will’s final verdict is:

“If you’re a performer making use of a tablet on stage, then the new quick-lock reorientation function could make it a worthy upgrade. Equally, if you’re using tablets in the studio for lyrics as well as control over personal monitoring, this could be a tremendous asset.”

Read the full review on MusicTech
Learn more about iKlip 3 Deluxe