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“Worthy winner and a truly exciting innovation in speaker technology”

All of us at IK Multimedia are extremely proud and excited to announce the iLoud MTM is the winner of Computer Music magazine’s prestigious Hardware of the Year 2019 Award. Fighting off worthy competition from Native Instruments and Novation, iLoud MTM was selected as the final winner. Furthermore, it was also a runner-up in the Innovation of the Year 2019 award.

Computer Music said:

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

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

“Worth winners of our  Hardware of the Year award and a truly exciting innovation in speaker technology”

Visit Computer Music
Learn more on iLoud MTM

“It’s surprising that a device like this hasn’t existed before”

Digital DJ Tips‘ Phil Morse has been getting up close and personal with IK’s new iRig Stream audio interface and put it through a very thorough test, particularly regarding DJ applications.

Read here why iRig Stream has become Digital DJ Tips’ go-to interface and why Phil recommends it over the alternatives.

“The main use for this device for DJs would be for recording their DJ sets or recording music podcasts while mixing from their DJ gear, and it soon becomes clear that the iRig Stream’s feature set is ideally suited into this task.“

“One of the issues with recording a DJ set from many controllers, especially cheaper controllers, is that it is not easy to both record and listen to your music at the same time. The reason for this is that there is often only a single “Master out” – and so if you plug this into your speakers (quite reasonably, so you and your audience can hear your performance), there is nowhere to plug in a recording device, as you’ve “used your outputs up. With the iRig Stream though, you can plug your speakers into the 1/8″ mini-jack socket for always-on direct monitoring, and because there is an audio out volume control just for that monitor output, effectively the iRig Stream is giving you the independent second output that is missing from your controller, making it possible to record your set on one “output” and listen to your music on the other. We’re actually finding this useful at Digital DJ Tips for recording tutorials, demos, and reviews with controllers of this type, and frankly, we still use it with the bigger controllers and mixers, because on once it’s all set up, it’s just super-convenient.”

“While it’s absolutely fantastic for recording your DJ sets and mixtapes, it’s also capable of sitting at the heart of a small content production home studio, if for example, you’d like to get started on doing a podcast or producing higher quality live streams. It’s an easy-to-use device that just works very well.”

“It’s surprising that a device like this hasn’t existed before. But as I said earlier, DJs wanting something to achieve this use case in the past have usually had to use a more expensive, more fully-featured audio interface, with features and functions they don’t need – or indeed use an adaptor cable to “hack” their phone or iPad to accept a single, mono input to record that way. Neither solution is massively satisfactory. The iRig Stream changes all that. With up to 24-bit, 48kHz sampling, the audio quality is great, and for us this is the first audio interface we’ve found that hits this sweet spot that we’ve been looking for recording DJ sets, with the possibility of direct monitoring, recording crowd noises if we wish, and having simple yet effective control over the recording volume.”

“It’s a deceptively simple device, and one that we’d suggest should be a serious consideration for the DJ bag of anyone who has recording or streaming needs not fulfilled by their DJ software (or, of course, who DJs away from software altogether).”

“Overall, we loved this little interface, and the best praise we can give it is that we’ve adopted it and use it every to record performances right here at Digital DJ Tips.”

Rating 5/5 stars – Awesome for recording DJ sets!

Read the full review and watch Phil’s hands-on video on Digital DJ Tips
Learn more about iRig Stream

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.