Review: Easy Field Recording With The iRig Recorder

When I reviewed the iRig Mic back in March, I described a hardware and software package that gave vocalists and musicians a mobile platform for laying down tracks and providing real-time vocal effects. IK Multimedia, the company behind those offerings, have built their company around making tools musicians can use live and in the studio. Wanting to increase the versatility of the iRig Mic, the company has released an app that brings new possibilities to mobile recording.

You?ve long been able to use the iPhone?s own Voice Memo app to record audio on the fly. Taking that concept to the next level, the iRig Recorder allows audio recording, editing and effects processing all in one package. The interface is sparse and simple. Using the built in mic, the iRig Mic or any audio input source that works with the headphone jack, pressing the record button will begin recording audio to the device?s memory. You can use as much free space as your iOS device has. In addition to a large time counter, you can see input levels in real time and a scrolling wave form.

When you?re finished recording, you can see a list of all of your recordings, easily play them back or begin editing. Trimming and cutting a file is dead simple and I was pleased to see pinch to zoom functionality added for making accurate edits. You can also clean up audio by running it through various filters including: optimize volume, optimize tone, cleanup, brighten voice, smooth voice, speed up, slow down and pitch shift. Each effect has a few settings, but for the most part, IK Multimedia tries to make the process less intimidating for novices, focusing instead on results.

For example, optimize volume is a basic compressor/limiter. There is a strength slider and a selection to optimize for speech or music. A preview button allows you to hear how the effect will change the recording and an apply button will add the effect to the recording. As a nice feature, the iRig Recorder will process the audio and then save it to a new file. However any additional effects will applied to the same new file. This preserves the original recording, but doesn?t really allow for individual undos.

One of the criticisms I had for the iRig Mic was the quality of the audio recorded when using non-IK Multimedia applications. IK?s engineers spent a considerable amount of effort tuning the performance of their mic hardware to the software and as such, the mic sounds its best when used with their apps. The same is true with the iRig Recorder. Recordings made with the iRig Mic inside the app sounded fantastic, with plenty of warmth and presence in the voice.

I frequently make field recordings using a Zoom H2. And while the Zoom will continue to have it?s place due to its stereo mics, I can easily see myself augmenting my setup with the iRig Mic and Recorder package. From a workflow standpoint, being able to trim, edit and do basic cleanup operations right on the phone is a timesaver. I can also export right out of the app to e-mail, Wi-Fi file sharing, FTP upload or straight to SoundCloud!

It?s clear a lot of thought went in to this app, and I?d love to see the editing capabilities IK Multimedia has pioneered here in their iOS apps ported over to their other offerings such as the AmpliTube or VocaLive multi-track recorder. Until then, it?s another great way to get quality audio recorded on to an iOS device.

Wired: Clean interface. Simple editing bring powerful enhancements to novices. Great compliment to the iRig Mic.

Tired: Inability to preview entire file during effects processing. No granular controls for professionals.

iRig Recorder ($5, Free, iTunes)

iRig Mic ($60)

Source: http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2011/05/review-easy-field-recording-with-the-irig-recorder/

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