IK Multimedia iRig 2 Mobile Guitar Interface, Black

Product Information

This model is based on the Peavey® 5150™ head, an amp made famous by a guitarist whose combination of chops and musicianship is legendary. An additional benefit (that I overlooked before trying the iRig HD 2) is that the small interface lets you plug in and play nearly anywhere.

Gear Review: IK Multimedia iRig HD 2 Digital Guitar Interface Gear Review: IK Multimedia iRig HD 2 Digital Guitar Interface

While testing the iRig HD 2, I could run AmpliTube on my Macbook, grab a set of headphones and play through any amp model I wanted, with all the functionality of a full guitar rig. All of this could happen in a matter of minutes, without risk of disturbing the evening peace. It’s an ideal solution that will allow me to practice more often, without having to deal with a cheap-sounding headphone amp. The iRig HD 2 unboxes with all the necessary cables for either a phone, tablet or USB-based connection. Since I happened to be using a Macbook Pro, I used the USB connector cable, running from the iRig HD 2 enclosure to the Macbook’s USB port. Pretty simple. My wife and I have three children, who all go to bed early, around 7 p.m. After bedtime has come and gone, we watch TV, read or just spend time in the living room. There are a lot of times I’ve found myself wanting to play guitar, but can’t because I’m worried about waking the kids up or disturbing my wife while she watches TV. Based on the MXR® Flanger 117, it puts one of the most distinctive flanger sounds at your fingertips.Tone and volume knob changes were more subtle, and sounded best when they were both kept at 10. Convenience and Ease of Use As I previously mentioned, the best "feature" of the iRig HD 2 is the convenience and ease-of-use you get from being able to play guitar through your computer or mobile device. I could utilize lots of effects and amp models on my couch, while my wife watched TV and my kids slept soundly. The iRig HD 2 is IK Multimedia's second release of the widely-used iRig HD. Both units are mobile guitar interfaces that route your guitar’s signal through a phone, tablet, PC or Mac for effects processing and amp modeling. So, how does a device like the iRig HD 2 benefit you? Primarily, the iRig HD 2 interface allows you to use mobile amp modeling and effects processing applications to play guitar more freely, with or without a full rig. Its most significant benefit, that I can now vouch for (more on that below) is its portability.

iRig2 iOS Audio Interface - Andertons Music Co. IK Multimedia iRig2 iOS Audio Interface - Andertons Music Co.

Any guitar player can benefit from the convenience and portability of the iRig HD 2, though I like it particularly in the following situations:The AmpliTube software can be used on iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Mac and PC. | Image via IK Multimedia. With the heavier distortion settings, the signal came through a little noisy at times, though not more than I would expect with a physical amplifier. Generally, the high-gain settings I tried (at varying volumes) sounded full and studio-quality. I’d go as far to say it sounded more like a full guitar rig than a headphone outfit. With AmpliTube 4's default amp, I used the clean channel and, at times, a little reverb and chorus layering.