iZotope’s Spire Studio is a compact device featuring different recording tools to easily create quality demos. Avoid recording demos in a studio with this compact device. (Photo from iZotope)
I don’t always write about complete products, especially refined consumer projects. This is one of those. But, this one represents something important… replacing expensive industry products and services is a way forward. This one, in particular, gives anyone the ability to make quality music on the cheap.
Being a musician today can be both a blessing and a curse with the endless technology available to use. Just choosing which tool is right for you can be overwhelming. One company aims to solve this problem with a new device called Spire Studio. Created by audio company iZotope, who have been making recording equipment for 16 years, Spire Studio is a compact device that has the features and tools you need to easily capture songs.
Looking like a close cousin to Amazon’s Alexa, this device has a built-in mic, which is “pro-level,” along with inputs for actual microphones and even includes audio effects like reverb and delay for more professional sounding demos. All you do is connect it to your phone, and you’re ready to go. Once you download the companion app, there are even more options to choose from. Think of the Spire Studio App as a quick and dirty version of Protools. It doesn’t have a full fledge work station, but it offers a stripped down experience with basic elements and filters that can be applied to multiple layers of a song.
With Spire Studio, you can use its eight tracks to overdub and record on your own or sending along tracks to your bandmates who own their own Spire Studio. This makes collaborating easy since you don’t even need to be in the same location. And if you decide you need more sophisticated tools to get the sound just right, the tracks can be exported to various audio software, like Protools and Logic.
It seems so simple after reading the specs. I keep asking myself, why didn't I try to make this? This happens all too often these days.
The device is meant for both professionals and beginners looking to record a good demo. Those with years of experience can fiddle around with Spire Studio’s various multi-layering tools, while beginners can a get a feel for what they’re doing. Keep in mind, this isn’t meant to give you high-quality albums ready to share with the world. Instead, it’s a simplified means of getting ideas down and recording demos – an improvement over using voice apps for recording. If anything, it can help you get started on a larger project.
Spire Studio launches this fall and costs $349. If you’re serious about music and don’t want to spend money hitting up a studio to lay down a demo, this device could be what you’re looking for.
The real project… getting your music into peoples’ ears.
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