The iRig Pre has been a highly popular device among Smule singers to use professional microphones with the Sing! app. But since more and more mobile devices now come without an analog headphone socket, the iRig Pre can’t be connected anymore – at least not easily. But IK Multimedia, the makers of the iRig Pre, launched a new series of digital audio adapters: the iRig Pre HD (~US$ 100) and the iRig Pro I/O (~US$ 150). We tested the latter and tell you how it works with Smule.Â
Audio Quality
The iRig Pre I/O and Pre HD provide an studio-quality sound with a 24-bit A/D conversion and a sample rate of up to 96 kHz. There is very little background noise, which can’t be heard anymore after the recording has passed Smule’s audio processing. So you can expect a much better sound than with the iRig Pre or with the usually rather noisy headsets. And since the audio data is delivered digitally to the device, there is no loss of quality anymore through the connection itself and the processing in the phone/tablet.Â
Comparision: the iRig Pro and the iRig Pre
Set-up/Connectivity
The new digital interfaces are much bigger than the iRig Pre. You can just lay the device on a flat surface or use the included Velcro strip to attach it to mic or phone stand. This works okay, but a more robust way to attach the rather expensive device securely to microphone stands wouldn’t hurt.Â
The iRig Pro I/O connections and buttons:
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DC in
- A power supply unit is not included, but supported. The official one from IK Multimedia can cost you another 40 to 50 dollars, but it will allow you to use the device permanently and even charge your phone! This is a significant advantage of the device. The older iRig Pre only works with batteries and needs a lot of them, especially when used with condenser mics.Â
- If you don’t buy the power supply, you can run the device with two AA batteries.Â
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Device connection
- The iRig Pro I/O comes with a lightning cable for iOS devices and a USB cable for desktop computers. A cable for Android phones is sold separately.Â
- A nice feature is that the device powers on by connecting it to your phone/tablet/computer. No need to turn it on and off manually all the time!
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Headphone socket and control
- You can connect your headphones directly to the iRig Pro I/O. No need for messy splitter solutions if your phone doesn’t have a headphone socket anymore. The output comes directly from your phone/tablet. So it’s not limited to direct mic monitoring, which is a problem of some other digital audio interfaces.  Â
- The audio quality of the headphone output is excellent and you can also control the volume directly on the device.Â
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Input
- At the bottom of the iRig Pro I/O you can connect either a XLR microphone or a line input with a 1/4" jack.Â
- A switch to turn on the 48 V phantom power for condenser mics is on the left side of the device.Â
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Gain
- To set the output gain, there is a big control dial on the front of the device.Â
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MIDI
- Smule users who also play electronic instruments can also use the audio interface to send and receive MIDI data.Â
If you buy the iRig Pro I/O and the official power supply unit, you will have to spend around $200. If that is too much for you, you might want to take a look at the iRig Pre HD, which costs around $100. It offers the same audio quality but lacks some of the connection options of the I/O: there is no external power supply, no line input and no MIDI in/out. Â
Comparision: iRig Pro I/O (left) and iRig Pre HD (right)
Using the iRig Pro I/O with the Sing! app
The iRig Pro I/O was started to be supported with the Sing! app version 6.4.9 on iOS. Before that, it could only be used by routing the audio through other apps. You need to find your perfect gain settings first, but after that, using the iRig Pro I/O is very easy.Â
Conclusion
The iRig Pro I/O provides excellent audio quality and with the optional power supply unit you can power the audio interface and even your phone/tablet permanently. This makes it a great solution for very active Smule users who are looking for optimal sound quality. It’s also a good interface if your singing is not limited to mobile devices. You can use the iRig Pro I/O for high-quality recordings on your computer as well.Â
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