Focusrite are always first off the mark at Namm 2014, and this year is no exeption. Continuing their new generation of iPad compatible home studio solutions (which we’ve seen from the iTrack Solo and iTrack studio packages) comes the new iTrack Dock, a docking station for your iPad with built in audio interface.
Award Winning Preamps
The great news for recording artists and producers with attention to detail,
Focusrite are still using the same formula as with all of their
audio interfaces, as they use the same high-quality pre-amps you can also find in their other
Scarlett audio interface range. It’s this foundation of great components that make their interfaces a best-seller at DJ tech direct. The mic preamps have +48v phantom power, so you can connect the most detailed
condenser microphones for a professional studio sound. Aside from the preamps, Focusrite have also taken other features from their legendary studio gear including the innovative gain control lights which flash / change colour to show varying gain levels and if your input level is clipping.
iTrack Dock Compatibility
Steering clear of the trap that a lot of manufacturers get stuck in,
Focusrite have designed the dock so it will hold varying models of iPad – it takes Apple’s fairly recent lightening connection and as the docking system is designed for the iPad to overlap the side it can hold all iPads with the connection
which includes the iPad aid, iPad Minis and 4th generation iPads.
USB MIDI Connectivity
It doesn’t just end with plugging in your
microphone or instrument – the
iOS interface also benefits from a USB MIDI port meaning you can plug in
MIDI controllers and
keyboards to trigger and record sounds from your virtual instruments making it a perfect tool for synth tweakers as well as recording artists. Aside from USB MIDI and XLR / Jack Combi audio inputs, there's also a headphone output and 2 balanced jack outputs to connect to your
active studio monitors.
Tape App for iOS
Unlike some
iOS devices which need their own dedicated software, the
iTrack Dock will work with any core audio app, so you can use it with some of the market-leading apps out there including garage band. Although you may already have an app in mind of what you want to record with,
Focusrite already have developed their own which is quite different to other apps out there. Tape, as the name suggest has a beautiful visual interface (which can be customised by the way), with two massive tape reels at either top-corner and a wave form display in the middle. The tape app can record 2 tracks and even offers different mastering presets to optimise your recording and a convenient social share option to get your music out there asap.
New For Namm 2014
All-in-all Focusrite’s first offering for NAMM 2014, looks like a fantastic start, especially with the affordable price tag of £169.99. Namm 2014, if you didn’t know is a trade-only music fair where all the manufacturers release the latest products – it’s not open to the general public however we intend to keep you all in the loop so be sure to keep an eye on the
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