iZotope / Spire Studio 2nd Generation Product Review

Today I have the portable AI assistant recorder by iZotope,Spire Studio (2nd Generation)

iZotope / Spire Studio (Gen 2)

This item is a recorder with a built-in battery and a condenser microphone, so you can immediately record your songwriting ideas into full songs!

I recommend the Spire Studio for those who find it bothersome to start up DAW software on a computer when composing. It runs on a built-in battery that lasts up to 4 hours, so you can work on music production without worrying about the battery level, even when recording in a place where there is no power supply!

Equipped with the Soundcheck function, the Spire Studio intelligently detects the type of instrument, and adjusts to the optimum input level and the tone when you sing or play an instrument into its microphone.

A built-in omnidirectional condenser microphone can record with studio-class clear sound no matter where you place it, so you don’t need to prepare a microphone.

If you download and subscribe to Spire Pro in the Spire app for your iPad or iPhone, you can start with a 6-month free trial to experience the limited special effects.

I actually use and love the Spire Studio. I even bring it into my car for recording! What I find most convenient is that it is very easy to mix the instrumental and vocal tracks. Normally, we need to adjust the EQ (equalizing) to blend the vocal track into the instrumental, but with the Spire Studio, you don’t need any mixing skills or knowledge. Also, tap once on the app screen to change the vocal track to stereo in order to make the vocal stand out more than the instrumental track.

As shown in the capture, you can visually control the volume for each track and panning to split the audio into left and right, so all the controls can be done on your iPad or iPhone screen without physically touching the mixer knobs one by one.

In fact, the Spire Studio has two Cannon terminals (XLR/TS combo jacks) on the back, so you can record singing vocals while playing guitar or two vocal tracks while playing back the sound source simultaneously! If you plug your microphone or instrument into only the upper terminal, the input will automatically switch from the built-in condenser microphone to your connected microphone or instrument. You can also connect your microphone or instrument to the lower terminal and use the built-in microphone at the same time.

Furthermore, the recorded track can be enhanced by just tapping your finger to reproduce the sound pressure. The sound is so good that you wouldn't think this music was produced without using a computer!

You can also export each track you recorded, so you can send only a vocal track to your band members. A newly added feature in the Spire Pro app update called Track Groups allows you to layer and record tracks with an unlimited number of groups.

Why don't you try to have fun with the easy and pro-quality recording with the still evolving Spire Studio!?