IK Multimedia

Sampletank was a hit: a sample-based virtual instrument with great sounds and, at the time, not much competition. Two years on, there are plenty of fully-featured software samplers and non-sampling virtual instruments too. Can Sampletank 2 keep up?

In spite of their diminutive size, these monitors turn in a seriously impressive performance.

Microphones that include A-D converters, allowing them to be plugged directly into computers or iOS devices, are becoming increasingly popular. IK's offering is built around a large-diaphragm capacitor mic with built-in 24-bit converters that support sample rates up to 48kHz.

The latest instrument plug-in from IK Multimedia and Sonic Reality packages eight Gigabytes of samples, mostly from a huge range of classic synths, in IK's Sampletank front end.

The iRig Pro Duo promises to be a versatile and affordable all-in-one studio for iOS, Android and desktop computers.

In a box in the attic, I have a big acoustic-guitar pickup that never gets used. Apart from sounding a bit brittle, it blocks most of the sound hole when installed, thereby compromising the acoustic properties of my guitars. iRig Acoustic does the same job, but takes a very different approach...