1. Is Irig Used With Ipad Garageband Pro

I had purchased Garageband ios for my iPad Air 2 along with an iRig 2, allowing me to connect a guitar. It initially work but I have not used it for several months. Only thing that has changed is I did an IOS update(9.2)? Something has changed where it Garageband no longer seems to function with iRig 2. Mar 27, 2016 It initially work but I have not used it for several months. Only thing that has changed is I did an IOS update(9.2)? Something has changed where it Garageband no longer seems to function with iRig 2. 2016-6-1  iRig HD and Ipad Garageband Noise. I use it to plug my electric guitar into my ipad mini so that I can demo in Garageband. Well I hadnt used it in a while and got it out and now something weird is happening. I can play for a few minutes and test out the virtual amps but then all of a sudden this overwhelmingly distorted white.

More then ever, it has become easier to lay down your song ideas while on the move. With GarageBand for iPad, we are also closer then ever to having a full professional recording studio in a very thin package. And at a price of $4.99, who can complain? For those who are just starting out, here's a first tutorial on recording guitar to get you and your iPad rocking.

Setup and Equipment needed

First off before even starting the application, you should get the hardware you need to enable you to record your guitar to your iPad. There are two basic input types you need to consider:

1. Guitar Input for Electric Guitar and Bass (IK Multimedia iRig, Apogee Jam, AmpKit Link)
2. Mic Input for acoustic guitar (IK Multimedia iRig Mic, Blue Yeti Pro -- requires Apple's Camera Connection Kit)

L to R: IK Multimedia's iRig, Blue Yeti Mic, Apple's Camera Connection Kit

Guitar Amp

Launch GarageBand for iPad and plug your guitar into the iRig. On the left of the screen is a ' 1/4' jack' button which lets you add a noise gate. Handy for those distorted tones. Next to it is the guitarist's best friend: the Tuner.. no excuses for a flat g-string!

On the far right is the 'pedals' section. Here you can add up to 4 pedals, change their effects level and remove pedals. To get back to the amp section, tap the 'Amp' icon on the right of the screen. One nice thing about GB for iPad is that you can change the amps settings after you've recorded your part and even create your own presets for future recordings.

Audio Recorder

If you want to record acoustic guitar, you can use the iPad's built in microphone but I would recommend looking at Blue Microphone's 'Yeti Pro' or Apogee's upcoming 'Mic' to add a professional sheen to your recordings. When you first open Audio Recorder it gives you a VU meter to check your audio input levels. A noise gate is also available by tapping on the '1/4' plug' icon.

Once you record a take, you can then add processing to the sound from a preset selection that include effects and voice transformers. The effects also give you sliders for compression, reverb, chorus, etc. depending on the effect you choose.

Recording Tips!

First and foremost.. PRACTICE! GB on the iPad does not allow editing like GB on a Mac and you don't get features like Flex Time, multiple takes, pitch correction, etc. Also, you will have to play the parts at the tempo of the song unlike those who slow a song down, record their part, and speed it up after. While some would look at this as a detriment, I look at it as positive growth for musical skills and it ultimately gives you a better understanding of your song. After all, becoming a better musician is a life long process and not a means to an end.

After recording an electric guitar you have plenty of options to affect the tone as the amps have EQ and FX pedals to compress, etc. If you want to record feedback on the electric guitar, you will need to connect the output to your speakers and boost the main volume. But.. be careful as each amp/guitar has it's own characteristics for feedback and some are just plain uncontrollable ear-piercing squeals. Layering guitars also has the usual big sound but also eats up tracks so planning is crucial.

Also, when planning your song parts, take into account that GB for iPad does things in 'sections' and only up to 10 sections. While this may not seem like a big deal, you will want to figure out the parts/sections of your song beforehand. For example, song intro, verse 1, pre-chorus, verse 2 with added guitar, pre-chorus with organ, Chorus, verse 3 with less instruments, bridge, intro, Chorus, Chorus 2, End, etc. You can put the 'Sections' into 'Automatic' mode which gives you whatever amount of bars you want i.e. Record intro and verse 1 together.

When recording an acoustic guitar or instrument, be sure to try different takes with your USB microphone or iPad mic on different spots and distances from the guitar. Mic placement is very critical to get a decent sound. For example, placing a mic close to the sound hole of the guitar can add unwanted bass frequencies. Although with the iPad mic I found this to be the best spot.

Also, there are No EQ Frequency bands to allow you to fix things after recording. For a brighter tone, consider newer strings or a harder pick. If using the iPad's mic, make sure your room is as quiet as possible, because it'll pick up every little sound as the signal to noise ratio is not great. Another trick is to use the Guitar Amp settings for EQ control. I found the most natural to be the Clean Combo setting with the gain off. As you increase the gain, it adds some crunch to the tone. This way you can EQ somewhat and even add some nice compression and chorus. Even playing with the Noise Gate setting gave some interesting results. Metal Acoustic! Experimentation is key.

Stay tuned for more GarageBand for iPad tips and tutorials on recording synths, pianos, etc. and vocals!

The iRig HD 2 from IK Multimedia is arguably the best beginner audio interface for recording guitar with Garageband.

I own three audio interfaces: the Focusrite Saffire 6USB, the Scarlett 2i2, as well as the iRig HD 2.

Due to the fact I rarely record vocals, I pretty much always stick to the iRig HD 2, on account of the fact it’s super small and convenient.

To be truthful, I would argue that, while the iRig HD 2 is not the absolute “best” you can get in terms of audio interfaces, it is great for just recording guitar and it’s the perfect interface if you’re looking for a unit that will do the trick while also being inexpensive.

With that said, there are other solid audio interfaces on the market that have multiple inputs for not only the guitar, but also vocals, so there aren’t any limitations in terms of how many instruments you can use at once.

For instance, the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 has two inputs, that way you can have your guitar/bass/etc plugged in while also recording vocals. You can read more about the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 at this link here.

The iRig HD 2, on the other hand, is only meant for playing the guitar, so if that’s all you’re looking for – just a simple audio interface for playing the guitar – then the HD 2 is a great choice, especially considering its relatively cheap price.

On the other hand, there are some issues with it. My biggest gripe with the iRig HD 2 is the fact it’s made out of plastic, which, to me, always communicates “cheap.”

Other than that, the iRig HD 2 doesn’t have a lot of down-sides to it, with the exception of some users finding it difficult to get their computer to recognize it.

Let’s say you’ve purchased the iRig HD 2 and you’re having trouble getting Garageband to recognize it; this problem can be solved by rebooting Garageband with your iRig HD 2 plugged in.

It’s also worth noting that if you have a new MacBook Pro, rather than one of the old ones, you’ll need a USB-C to USB port, so make sure to pick one of those up if that’s the case. Although, if you own a new MacBook Pro, you probably are already aware of the necessity of an adaptor.

If you want to get a USB-C to USB-B port, I recommend checking out this one right here on Amazon. This one, in particular, has four USB ports, so you can plug in multiple devices if necessary.

Let’s move on to the details and specifications of the unit, as well as what comes with the box.

***The iRig HD 2 is compatible with PC, Mac, iPad, and iPhone.

What Comes With The iRig HD 2

• Micro USB to Thunderbolt Cable (for new iPhone users)
• Micro USB to USB Cable (Will Need an Adaptor if you’re computer is brand new)
• A clip for attaching it to the microphone stand.
• ***Amplitube 4 for Mac and PC (and Amplitube for iOS)

***It’s worth noting that many of the amplifiers and presets that come with Amplitube 4 are locked, which for me, has rendered Amplitube 4 completely worthless. I never use it. From what I understand, you actually have to purchase each amp model.

• T-RackS 5 Custom Shop
• AmpliTube Custom Shop
• Syntronik Free
• SampleTank Custom Shop

It has a Micro USB Device Output and a 1/8″inch Headphone port. Reset teamviewer in mac.

And LED light that communicates that it’s turned on and whether the signal is too hot or just right.

It flashes blue when it’s turned on, flashes red when the signal is too hot, and it flashes green when it’s just right.

It has a gain control knob on it on the left-hand side of the unit, also known as a pre-amp control. In other words, you can turn down the strength of the signal in case you’re clipping.

It’s worth noting that if you’re using a guitar with active (battery-powered such as EMGs) pick-ups, you might have to turn down the gain because the signal is much stronger.

It also has a microphone clip on the back for clipping it to your microphone on stage or wherever, not only for the convenience of use but also for using the unit as a stomp-box. We’ll dive into what I mean by that later.

On the bottom of the iRig HD 2, it has two ports, the 1/4 instrument jack as well as a 1/4 amplifier jack.

What this allows, is for us to send a signal to the computer/Garageband, and to an amplifier at the same time, so we can use an amplifier/cab combo for a speaker system, and also record it through Garageband at the same time.

In other words, in case you want to play your traditional amp and cabinet set-up, including with all of your pedals and whatnot, you can send the “traditional set-up” signal into Garageband for recording, or you can play it through Garageband’s Amp Designer.

If you want to read more about using the Amp Designer, click the link here to read the article I wrote about it.

On the right-hand side of the unit, we have the FX-Thru switch as well as a headphone volume control.

The “FX” setting is for playing the guitar through Garageband’s interface. In other words, it sends the processed signal from the software, in this case, Garageband, to the iRig HD 2.

This means we can use the computer/Garageband as the amplifier/pedal effects.

The “Thru” setting is for the unprocessed signal, which means we’re using the “dry unprocessed signal,” of the guitar through the guitar amplifier, and using that signal and sending it into Garageband.

This might be confusing, so I’ll explain it another way.

The “FX” setting is for playing the guitar using Garageband as the pedal-effects board/amplifier setting, and then sending that signal out to a guitar amplifier or a mixing board for playing a live show.

If you intend on only using the iRig HD 2 through the computer and playing it back through the speakers, then FX is what you want.

FX is also the setting you want if you’re going to plug your guitar pedals into the iRig and play it through your computer speakers.

The “Thru” setting means that we’re sending an unprocessed signal to a guitar amplifier or a mixing board. In other words, the “Thru” toggle switch means that we’re sending a signal unaffected by Amplitube or Garageband settings out to an amplifier or a mixing board.

The device is 24bit and has a 96kHz sampling rate, which means that the device is operating at what is commonly believed to be the industry standard for recording.

If you want to read more about what these terms mean, check out my article on audio interfaces, The Definitive Guide to Audio Interfaces.

Other Important Things To Consider

• As I mentioned in passing above, if the LED light is flashing red, that means that you’re clipping, and you need to turn the gain on the audio interface down.
• Aim to have the LED signal flashing green when you’re strumming hard on your guitar
• For Amplitube 4, you actually have to purchase each model in the Custom Shop, which in my opinion, was a huge disappointment. Like I said above, if you know how to access these without paying $25 for each model, let me know.
• The iRig HD 2 doesn’t work for microphones, it only works for bass and guitar.
• Make sure you’ve selected “iRig HD 2” as the input, down in the Smart Controls in the Recording Settings. You can see what this looks like in the image below.

• If you’re having issues getting Garageband to recognize the device, try and reboot Garageband with the iRig HD 2 plugged in. This is what I did when I first bought the device and had trouble getting the computer to recognize it. Additionally, you can go into Garageband’s preferences and change the “Output” and “Input” device settings.
• Make sure your “Enable Audio Units” box is checked, which will allow you to enable various AU plug-ins, including Amplitube if you end up wanting to use it.

• It’s also worth mentioning that, yes, you can use the iRig HD 2 with your guitar pedals. If you want to know how to plug your guitar pedals into Garageband while using the iRig HD 2 as an audio interface, click the link here.
• I’ve also noticed that some MicroUSB cables don’t work with the iRig HD 2 for some reason. For instance, despite having the same cable as nearly all of my vapes, they don’t work in the same way, so make sure that you’re using the MicroUSB that comes in the box, rather than some other miscellaneous cable. This might just be an issue with the vape cables, but I can’t say for sure – just something to keep in mind.

How To Set Up The iRig HD 2

In terms of just getting the iRig HD 2 set up, it’s not that hard. It’s just a matter of plugging it into your computer, which looks a lot like the image below.

1) Plug your USB to USB-C adaptor into your computer

2) Plug the USB to MicroUSB cable into the adaptor

3) Attach the MicroUSB to your iRig HD 2

4) Plug your guitar cable into the iRig HD 2, and then run it into your guitar.

How To Access Amplitube 4 and Other Free Software

This part is optional, but in order to get access to Amplitube 4, Custom Shop, and the other plug-ins that it comes with, you must register the product with IK Multimedia on their website.

You don’t have to do this if you intend on just using the iRig HD 2 as is, however, it is necessary for accessing Amplitube.

1) Go to IK Multimedia’s website at www.ikmultimedia.com

2) Make an account with them.

3) Register the iRig HD 2’s serial number with IK Multimedia. You can find the serial number for the product on the box.

4) Once you’ve registered the product with them, you’ll have to download the authorization manager to set everything up, but once everything has been registered, you’ll land on a page that looks like this.

Then, you can download all of the plug-ins that it comes with.

YouTube Video Tutorial

Conclusion

All in all, the iRig HD 2 is definitely a really handy device to have if you’re a guitar player, and it’s worth grabbing, especially if you’re all about the convenience of use or you need an audio interface to travel with on the road.

Additionally, if you’re in the market for a portable audio interface that’s good for both microphones and the guitar, the iRig Pro I/O is a great choice because it works for both. I wrote about the iRig Pro I/0 more in detail at this link here.

Is Irig Used With Ipad Garageband Pro

There are also additional models with more than one input, so you can plug your guitar as well as your microphone into the same unit at the same time. It costs more money, however.