Archives

The editorial team crowned it amongst the very best gear of 2019

Sound on Sound has been getting very excited over iLoud MTM, courtesy of expert reviewer Phil Ward, who has a long and impressive pedigree in speaker design, manufacture and installations – in short, a man who knows what he is talking about!

Here are some of this key comments from his 6-page meticulous review:

“Though compact and affordable, IK’s newest monitors manage to cram in a remarkable amount of tech – and the results speak for themselves.”

“The iLoud MTM’s built-in room correction is a first for an entry-level nearfield monitor.”

“In contrast to some of the distressingly heavy monitors that have recently passed though my studio room, the iLoud MTMs are refreshingly light at just 2.5kg each.”

“It seems to me that employing the D’Appolito format on a desktop monitor is a smart idea.”

“So how do the sum of the iLoud MTM parts add up? As it happens, they add up extremely well- especially given the genuinely entry-level price.”

“The iLoud MTM presents itself from the start as a very capable monitor.”

Phil’s final verdict was:

“I don’t really have any criticisms of the iLoud MTM, especially at the price. it constitutes a really clever application of electro-acoustic technology and genuinely offers something new and worthwhile. IK Multimedia should feel immensely proud of the iLoud MTM. It’s unique, it’s affordable, it does exactly what it sets out to do, and it does it brilliantly.”

PROS
Compact and inexpensive
Well thought-out design
Great electro-acoustic performance and subjective sound quality
Integrated acoustic room correction makes it uniquely capable

CONS
NONE

SUMMARY

“The only ultra-compact D’Appolito monitor that also includes onboard room correction turns out to be everything that it promises. A unique and genuinely great little monitor that ought to work well for all sorts of users.”

Read the full review on Sound on Sound
Learn more about iLoud MTM

+++ STOP PRESS+++
Every year Sound on Sound’s editorial team choose the best of the best gear from the entire year. Sound on Sound were so impressed with iLoud MTM that it is featured in their annual ‘Gear of the Year‘ round-up for 2019:

“Aimed at advancing real-world monitoring performance at a genuine entry-level price. It’s a great success.”

Read the full Sound on Sound Gear of the Year 2019 round-up

IK talks with DMX Krew about life, the UNO series, and more.

IK recently worked with legendary underground artist, DMX Krew, to create new tracks and a new sound library using UNO Drum!  With over 15 albums and a 25-year music career under his belt, we were excited to see how DMX would add his own flair on our analog drum and synth hardware. His latest albums, “Libertine 12” and “Glad to be Sad” both released this year, pushing the boundaries of the sound he’s been releasing since 1994.

DMX Krew began creating music at the age of 7, making up tunes on his family’s organ and translating them into harmonies and melodies.  Through this experience he was introduced to music hardware, first owning a Casio VL-1.  Mainly a hardware-based musician, DMX Krew has owned many cool pieces of gear, and even made his own drum machine, commenting on the experience saying:

“It took me a year to make my machine and I had to start from knowing nothing at all. I learned about basic electronics, soldering, programming and also weird stuff like making mechanical keyboards & metal cases.”

We were excited to put our UNO series to the test with such an experienced, expressive artist. After creating a brand new sound library with UNO Drum and two tracks with UNO Synth and UNO Drum, we caught up with him to talk a little bit about the experience.  

“I just got some samples that I use a lot and tried to make them small in size and punchy sounding, using the EQ in Ableton and Bias Peak. The thing I kept in mind was that the sounds had to sound good all coming out of the one output from the drum machine, so they needed to be ready-EQ-d in a sense.”

“I just play notes on the keys and twiddle the knobs until I hear something I like. The funk one has a lot of overdubs, I had to make the chords by overdubbing single notes for example, but that allowed me to pan each note in the chord across the stereo field which is a nice effect you can’t do on a polysynth. The acid one is just a live jam with an overdub of a second synth part.”

To conclude, we wrapped up by asking him to describe both UNO Synth and UNO Drum in 5 words. He responded,

UNO Synth:

Analogue synth, quite 70s sounding.

UNO Drum:

Punchy analogue drums, techno feeling.

Listen to the songs created by DMX Krew here with UNO Synth and UNO Drum here.

Ending with a word of advice, DMX Krew encourages all artists to practice a lot and create with a goal of expressing themselves truly.  He says that it doesn’t matter whether it’s a piano, or a guitar, or a computer, or a voice – all that matters is the will of the artist.

The brand new sound library from DMX Krew for UNO Drum is available for download in your User Area now! Click here to access your User Area.

Learn more about UNO Drum here.

Learn more about UNO Synth here.

Check out more from DMX Krew here.

“A truly incredible solution”

Computer Music, reviewing iLoud MTM in their January 2020 issue, have awarded them the maximum 10 out of 10 score.

Here are some of the key comments:

“A staggeringly effective iLoud-optimised version of IK’s proprietary ARC calibration system, which is built right into the speakers.”

“A speaker which presents as incredibly clinical and brutally ‘honest‘.”

“Suble mid/high details that previously went unnoticed become perfectly audible making targeting of individual elements within the mix almost supernaturally easy.”

“Low-end solidity and control are remarkable for a speaker of this size.”

And the final verdict was:

“The iLoud MTM really is a truly incredible solution.”

iLoud MTM receives the maximum 10 out of 10 score

For the full review, make sure you grab the January issue of Computer Music while it is still on the shelves – out now!

Visit Computer Music
Learn more about iLoud MTM

“I was able to nail the whole session”

Returning to the studio after an extensive 3-month Skunk Anansie tour, guitarist Ace found some time to talk to us about his experiences using his AXE I/O interface when getting ready for the tour.

Ace began by telling us how he used AXE I/O in his tour preparation:

“Before touring this year I had a couple of weeks of songwriting with the band in the middle of nowhere. I took the AXE I/O unit with me to take a deep dive into it to nail down my live rig sounds in AmpliTube 4. In the daytime I would write songs using my real amp and pedals with the band and in the evening when the space was quiet I would work on AmpliTube – recreating my rig in the digital domain from the amp configurations and mic positioning to the pedal board and the rack sounds. Having these quiet evenings with no distractions gave me the time and space to really analyse the elements of the live rigs and translate them into accurate and usable reproductions. I also referenced my recorded and live Skunk Anansie LPs for authenticity and studio matching.”

Getting into more detail, he explains how he used his AmpliTube presets for rehearsal:

“Following these sessions, I used the presets I made for rehearsals for the tour against the set list recorded tracks. Listening to these on headphones at home at any hour of the day or night I was able not to risk disturbing sleeping children etc. It really made a difference as it sounded so close – it felt as if I was in the track. Prior to this I used to practice at home with the stereo blaring and a combo in the room.”

And for warm-up:

“Fast forward to the tour, and I’ve packed the AXE I/O with me and I’m using it to warm up backstage without disturbing the rest of the band – another winning use for the unit!”

“So, following on from this, we needed to release a new single after the tour had ended to keep momentum going, which meant we needed to record it while on the road, but with no real long studio time as we were constantly travelling. We decided to cut the drums and bass in a studio in Prague and figure out the guitars after somewhere else.”

Then continuing further, he then explained how they recorded a new single while touring in hotel rooms on their days off:

“As the tour schedule continued, studio time just wasn’t an option and a large hotel room on our day-off became the guitar recording location. So, as luck would have it, I had my AXE I/O rig and AmpliTube on the Mac and using a Telecaster I was able to nail the whole session during the day in the hotel room using really authentic sounding rigs that I had put in the time developing beforehand. It really was just a case of dialling up the presets of my rig and using the the ready-made pedal board. The instant set up allowed recording straight into a MacBook and cut hours of physical gear and mic set ups and heavy lifting to give me more creative playing time. Also we could record at low volumes to suit the hotel room environment.”

“The funniest moment was when room service arrived with our dinners and came into the room (as we were quite well known in that country) and they saw me and singer, Skin, recording with the engineer and were quite surprised to say the least!”

Ace was blown away being able to achieve studio quality recording in a hotel room with just the essential equipment with AXE I/O and AmpliTube being at the heart of the process.

Many thanks to Ace for giving us an insight into life and recording on the road.

A collection of vintage and rare PCM sounds makes for 10 new free UNO Drum libraries!

A whole new sonic palette is available to explore with your UNO Drum!  The Drum Anthology Libraries are a collection of vintage and rare drum machine PCM sounds that can be loaded in your UNO Drum, drastically changing the sound of your instrument.  10 new libraries contain different drum machines from different eras, grouped to create inspiring future classic sounds, available to download for free.

We recorded 40 vintage drum machines and added new elements on the 4-piece drum kits, to give even more flexibility and creativity to the sound.  We carefully studied each piece of gear, capturing its most recognizable sounds, while adding new elements for even more flexibility and convenience. These are not 1:1 recreations; they’re our homage to the classics.

After learning each piece of gear in-depth, we divided them into 10 libraries of 4 drum machines each.  From 60’s swing to ’80s hip-hop, ’90s house and beyond, these iconic machines have shaped the course of music history, and UNO Drum puts them at your fingertips.  Comprised of homages to machines made from Roland, Korg, Panasonic, and many more, each chosen by era and style to give the whole soundset a cohesive feel.

These libraries can be installed in your UNO Drum via library updaters that can be found for free on the IK Multimedia website.  Click here to access your User Area to download.

“IK has done it again, delivering a big sound and helping to redefine what we expect from compact monitors”

MusicTech‘s Andy Jones was hugely impressed with iLoud Micro Monitor when it was first launched, so he was very keen to test out the brand new iLoud MTM studio monitor speakers. His conclusions justify his anticipation,  giving them MusicTech’s prestigious Choice Award together with a 9/10 overall score.

Here are some of his key comments:

“You get a lot in a very compact package including the wonders of digital self-calibration, where the monitors measure your room and adjust themselves to give you the best response for mixing – once just the domain of expensive monitors.”

“They are packed full of clever design tweaks and tech.”

“Each speaker instantly calibrates itself to attempt to deliver a response that compensates for your room. The process takes less than 30 seconds and you simply monitor the different colours on the LED as it does so. As to the results, well, they tie in quite nicely with my listening tests.”

“They are silky smooth with tight mids and a controlled and certainly not coloured bass.”

“This has been, for me, was one of the most interesting tests I have done. Small studio monitors have definitely come of age with IK and the MTMs will be a serious contender against speakers going right up in size and to over four figures in price.”

“Until recently, accuracy cost a fortune – but small speakers like these are starting to deliver better and better results.”

Andy’s final verdict was:

“So can these deliver the truth? Yes they can. The calibration software is your friend here so make sure you use it, because it opens up the speakers to deliver truer results.  IK has done it again, delivering a big sound and helping to redefine what we expect from compact monitors.”

 Key Plusses
+ Lovely sound
+ And a dramatic uplift after calibration
+ Well built and nicely compact
+ Lots of extras to shape the sound around the back

iLoud MTM receives 9/10 final score and MusicTech’s Choice Award

New pocket-sized mics and mobile interface provide crystal clear audio for recording video, live-streaming and more.

Calling all content creators!  We have great news for you.  IK Multimedia is proud to announce the next generation of iRig products.  Introducing the iRig Mic Cast 2, iRig Mic Cast HD, iRig Mic Video, and iRig Stream.

These mobile-friendly devices are designed to be easy-to-use solutions for capturing high-quality audio wherever you go.  Broadcasters, podcasters, vloggers, musicians, travelers, social media influencers, this is for you!

Weighing in at just a few ounces, the iRig Mic Cast 2 is an affordable, ultra-compact, travel-friendly solution for crisp, clear voice recordings for YouTube videos, Instagram, live streams, and more!  It’s featherweight mic mounts securely onto an iPad or smartphone. Its innovative magnetic design lets users snap it into place on their device in seconds (even with a case). iRig Mic Cast 2 works in both portrait and landscape orientation on phones and tablets with the included breakout cable. 

iRig Mic Cast HD offers all the core features of iRig Mic Cast 2 along with enhancements for professional use.  It adds gold-sputtered capsules for superior sound, a 40 Hz to 20 kHz frequency response, and 24-bit, 96 kHz converters for crystal clear audio via Lightning, Micro-USB and USB-C cables, all included.

To ensure the highest-quality recording in any situation, iRig Mic Cast HD offers adjustable sensitivity, making it even easier to use in a wide range of settings. For monitoring, iRig Mic Cast HD offers a headphone out with selectable direct or processed sound to ensure compatibility with the widest range of apps, as well as a multi-color LED for visual indication of the signal strength, eliminating worries about losing a take due to poor audio levels. 

iRig Mic Video is a shotgun-style mic, offering professional-quality audio capture and production features that are suitable for a wide array of video shoots.  iRig Mic Video includes the same convenient magnetic mount as iRig Mic Cast HD, plus a hot shoe adaptor for mounting to DSRLs. With the included Lightning, Micro-USB, USB-C and DSLR cables, users can switch between a serious studio setup and an ultra-mobile outdoor rig at a moment’s notice.

iRig Mic Video works with any app that records audio and also offers a 10 db pre-amplifier to boost the signal for use with DSLR camera audio circuits.  For a more secure grip and stable on-the-go shots, the iRig Mic Video Kit comes complete with the mic plus IK’s iKlip Grip Pro multifunction stand, that transforms from handgrip to monopod to tripod in seconds.

iRig Stream is an innovative stereo audio interface designed for musicians, podcasters and other creators looking to record or stream high-quality audio with their mobile device. Two line-level RCAs offer quick connection to mixers, keyboards and outboard gear, and the included Lightning, USB-C and USB-A cables can connect to the latest smartphones, tablets and laptops.  

A Stereo/Mono switch ensures compatibility with the widest range of apps, including mono-only apps like Instagram, and a loopback feature to let you playback music on your device at the same time you stream. 

All products are available for pre-order now from Sound And Music and will ship in early November.

Powerful kit and pattern control for Mac/PC and iOS.

We’ve heard your requests!  Our team has been working diligently to create the ultimate tool to expand upon the features of your UNO Drum and it is finally here.  Introducing the UNO Drum Editor – Instantly change any parameter on the UNO Drum, from adjusting sounds to creating patterns, for complete control of your instrument right from your computer, or iPad.  Discover a whole new world of control as you work hand in hand with your UNO Drum and its brand new Editor.

UNO Drum Editor makes it easier than ever to manage kits and patterns on UNO Drum itself. Load presets locally or from the hardware unit, edit and save on your device, or store back on UNO Drum to unplug and go.  The UNO Drum instantly responds to parameter changes in the Editor, and similarly, the Editor tracks changes made on the hardware, for a seamless workflow.

Gain quick access to all of your settings in an easy and organized package.  The Global Settings menu lets you map MIDI routings, channels, behavior and more.

Now you can also play and program UNO Drum just like a virtual instrument with total recall, working both inside of your DAW and as a standalone plug-in.  You can even use UNO DRUM as both a MIDI interface and MIDI controller!

With a whole new world of features unlocked free for all UNO Drum users, you have to check out whats in store.  Click here to download and learn more about the UNO Drum Editor.

Please make sure you’ve also updated UNO Drum’s firmware to the new version 1.0.2 as it is required to use UNO Drum Editor.

version 1.0.2