Review: IK Multimedia iRig Mix, Keys, and Stomp

Beatweek Best Musician Accessories for 2013

For musicians who want to create music with a combination of real instruments and their iPad or iPhone, the challenge becomes how to get them to interface with each other. IK Multimedia offers a pair of solutions. iRig Keys is a MIDI keyboard which connects to your iPad or iPhone, while iRig Stomp is a stompbox which connects your existing guitar to your iPad or iPhone. And for those who prefer spinning beats, the iRig Mix is a DJ mixing board which allows you to connect two iPads or iPhones and access the music stored on them. The key to each of these products is that not only do they physically connect your mobile device to your gear, they come with corresponding music apps to allow you to control it all.

While you’ll need some musical know-how in order to do anything productive on a guitar or keyboard, the apps themselves are intuitive enough that any musician should have an easy enough time of getting the hang of them. That means that these iRig products, rather than adding a layer of complexity to the music making process, instead simply facilitate that process.

Equally important, all of this gear is small enough to be totable to gigs or to the studio. That may bring some limitations; for instance the Keys offers thirty-seven keys, or a bit less than half that of a full piano. But for any keyboardist, guitarist, or would-be DJ who wants to integrate their iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch into their music making process in a manner that’s intuitive and inexpensive, the iRig lineup is a good place to start.

Price: $59 to $99 • ikmultimedia.com