IK Multimedia, makers of SampleTank 3 which we reviewed recently, as well as ubiquitous amp sim AmpliTube, have released the latest in their lineup of iRig devices for making music on your device or computer – iRig Pads. At less than an inch thick, it’s intended for on-the-go laptop producers and home recording whiz kids with limited space. It’s got pads that light up different colors depending on the velocity with which you strike it, which is pretty cool in a biofeedback kind of way.
This is an obvious choice for anyone who does a lot of bedroom production, if you prefer to enter MIDI beats manually rather than clicking them in with a mouse. If you have even minimal rhythmic skills, you can save yourself an incredible amount of time by playing the parts, even one thing at a time. If you have a MIDI keyboard controller, you probably already do it like this, but if you’re like me, you probably wish you had something softer to whack your beats into.
It can also be used to trigger samples from your favorite horror movies, or fart noises, or whatever else will complement your 90’s style nu-metal tribute band.
If you don’t have any software to make sounds with, fret not, it comes with Sampletank 3 SE which would normally set you back another $100 and includes 6.5 gigs of sounds for you to mess with.
iRig Pads is $149.99 and is shipping now, direct from IK or your favorite musical instrument dealer.
