IRig Pro Duo
A portable studio for Mac and iOS
iRig Pro Duo is IK’s first stab at cramming a lot of functionality into a single box. It’s an audio and MIDI interface designed to work with iOS, Macs or PCs and, remarkably, with Android. It can be powered over USB, by two AA batteries or an optional external power supply, and comes with a selection of cables for each of the different ways you may want to use it. There’s regular and micro-USB, as well as a Lightning cable for connecting to iPhones or iPads. No real setting up is required because the device simply appears as a source and destination for audio and MIDI inside your software.
Recording is done using the two combo inputs to which you can connect microphones or musical instruments using either jack or XLR plugs, and phantom power is available for using studio condenser microphones. Gain knobs and simple level meters let you control recording volume. You monitor using the jack outputs or the headphone socket, and a direct monitoring button helps to eliminate latency when recording.
Your MIDI gear gets a look in too, with adaptors supplied for the mini jacks to send MIDI to or from your computer or iOS device.
The iRig Pro Duo is an extremely portable box that brings studio-level connectivity to iOS for musicians: setting it up is easy and the results impressive. The plastic body could probably feel more solid, and it errs a bit on the side of lightweight. You get some free iOS apps after registering the hardware, but there’s increasing competition at this price point for catch-all professional audio devices such as this. Hollin Jones