- in Gear , Hardware , New Music Gear Monday by Bobby Owsinski
New Music Gear Monday: iZotope Spire Studio Wireless Interface
Have you ever had a great music idea but either didn’t have your gear available, or it took too long to get it set up before the idea disappeared? Yeah, me too. That’s a big part of modern recording technology in that there’s a lot involved with actually getting to the point where you’re recording. Sometimes by the time you’re ready, the inspiration has passed. Those clever boffins at iZotope have noticed the problem as well, and as a result, the Spire Studio wireless interface for your smartphone was created.
Spire Studio was designed to be a quick and easy way to get tracking in the least amount of time possible (Is 1 click fast enough for you?). First of all, it’s uses a wireless Bluetooth connection to your smartphone or tablet, so there’s no need to go hunting for that special adapter interface cable. Next is there’s a built in mic for recording vocals or acoustic instruments, so no need for worrying about microphone connection and placement. It also has built-in calibration for the mic and inputs so you don’t have to worry about overload.
The unit itself features two combo XLR/phone jack inputs featuring Grace-designed preamps with phantom power, two 1/8″ output jacks for connection to monitors or headphones, and a separate 1/8″ output jack dedicated to headphones. 3 buttons on top for New Song, Soundcheck (calibration) and Volume on the front, as well as Start and Stop buttons and a ring of LED level indicators around the top complete the hardware part of the unit.
The included software features a DAW with up to 8 tracks of recording, along with a number of iZotope Effects, including amp/cab emulators, reverbs, EQ, and delays. You can edit your tracks in the app or export them to your computer DAW, or share them directly on social media from the app.
Spire Studio is incredibly small and lightweight coming in at just under 2 pounds. It has a rechargeable internal battery that can run for up to 6 hours, but is supplied with a 5V charger/power supply as well.
iZotope Spire Studio is available for smartphones or tablets running iOS 10 or later, Android 7.0 or later, or Samsung S6 or higher. This cool little unit sells for $349. You can find out more on the dedicated page, or on the video below.
