Apple’s iPad has reinvented the way we do many things. As a musician who grew up recording demos on a 4-track cassette recorder, the capabilities of recording and synthesis the iPad presents are simply staggering. One of the best, and most-used accessories, I have for my iPad is the IK Multimedia iRig. The iRig is an input dongle that plugs into your iPad’s (or iPhone/iPod touch) headphone jack, allowing a standard instrument connection into the iPad while still giving you an output to go to headphones, a mixer, or set of powered speakers. It’s worth noting that while there are a lot of other input devices that are now available for the iPad, the iRig is still the most affordable and arguably the most convenient—I can drop it in my guitar case or laptop bag and always have it available when creativity strikes.
The iRig is made for use with IK Multimedia’s Amplitube series of apps specific to iPhone/iPod touch and iPad—unfortunately they aren’t universal yet. It can also be used as an input device for Apple’s amazing GarageBand app along with most other apps that require an input for sound processing. It’s pretty amazing to be able to carry a whole arsenal of great-sounding virtual amps and effects on such a compact device, not to mention the capability of recording up to 8 tracks of audio. It’s of note that the iRig works not only with guitar and bass, but can be used for virtually any instrument. I’ve experimented using it with some synths, drum modules, samplers and other noisemaking units—the sonic possibilities are endless. Pick one up today and join the mobile studio revolution!