Izotope- Spire Studio

Started by admin, October 18, 2018, 04:52:14 PM

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https://www.spire.live/en/blog/recording/9-quick-steps-to-start-recording-with-spire-studio.html







https://www.spire.live/en/support/using-the-spire-app/using-the-mix-tab.html


https://itunes.apple.com/app/apple-store/id1013021109#?platform=ipad



Designed for singer/songwriters, mobile producers, and more, the iZotope Spire Studio Recorder is a table-top device that aims to help you record and mix with as few wires as possible. It might look like a typical digital assistant, but this unit is capable of recording up to eight tracks, and, with its corresponding Spire app, the unit allows you to mix all eight tracks right within your phone—or export tracks to your favorite DAW for building upon your sketches in the studio.


The Spire is Wi-Fi enabled, showing up automatically within your iPhone. If you're using the Android app, the Spire will be found in your Samsung S6 (or later). Once you fire up the corresponding iOS or Andrioid app, configuring the device to record is relatively uncomplicated, thanks to its intuitive interface. Prominent record and playback buttons sit top-center, surrounded by a LED touchscreen that simultaneously displays levels and allows you to navigate through the app. The New Song button automatically opens a new song, while the Soundcheck button calibrates your Spire to receive optimum levels; simply tap the button, begin playing or singing, and the machine will handle the rest. When you record, audio will be beamed over Wi-Fi to your phone without loss in fidelity. Indeed, this device transmits audio at 24-bit/48 kHz, which is sufficient for studio-quality applications. Also, the preamps in the Spire were designed in conjunction with Grace Design, a well-regarded company.

Mixing on the app is also a rather intuitive affair, with iZotope algorithms on hand for EQ, reverb, delay, and more to help you manipulate audio into a cohesive sonic picture. A metronome with tap-tempo capability is provided for keeping your tempi straight, while on the mixing side, volume and panning control is a matter of manipulating the X/Y-axis matrix with your finger.

You can record through the Spire's built-in microphone, which provides an omnidirectional capsule. Using processes derived from iZotope's Ozone platform, signal derived from this microphone can be modified to approximate stereo, if that's your desire. Two combination jacks on the back provide XLR or 1/4" connections, giving you the ability to plug-in your own microphones or instruments. Connecting an instrument or mic to input 1 will disable the built-in microphone; however, you can plug an instrument into input 2 and still use the built-in microphone to record. Near the combination jacks, you'll find a push-button switch for sending phantom power to condenser microphones. Two 3.5mm headphone jacks are on hand, so you and a friend can both monitor signal. The unit ships with its own power supply, which charges the built-in battery, which lasts up to four hours at a clip.

Note: Please note: You must have a Samsung S6 or later to use the Android app.

Controls at a Glance
Record Button: Tap this to record your music
Play Button: Push this button to playback or pause your music
New Song Button: This will select a new song within the Spire app
Soundcheck Button: Tapping this button will automatically set your levels; simply push the button, make some noise, and let the Spire calibrate itself
Volume Button: This increases the volume of your headphones
LED Touchscreen: The multifunctional LED touchscreen can be used to monitor recording levels, and also, to navigate through options in your Spire app, once it's connected

Table-Top Wireless Recording Device
Transmits 24-Bit/48 kHz Audio over Wi-Fi
iOS & Android Compatible
Automatic Level Sensors
Record/Mix up to 8 Tracks within App
iZotope Algorithms for Sonic Modulation
Built-In Omnidirectional Mic
2 x Combination XLR-1/4" Input Jacks
2 x 3.5mm Headphone Jacks
4-Hour Battery, Charger/PSU Included


Izotope- Spire Studio
https://www.spire.live/content/spire/en/blog.html
Now works with IOS and Android

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.izotope.spire


https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SpireStudio--izotope-spire-studio
https://www.gearslutz.com/board/product-alerts-older-than-2-months/1172954-izotope-launches-spire-studio-complete-portable-recording-system.html

Tech Specs
Computer Connectivity:   Wi-Fi
Form Factor:   Portable
Simultaneous I/O:   2 x 2
A/D Resolution:   24-bit/48kHz
Number of Preamps:   2
Phantom Power:   Yes
Effects:   Izotope Effects; Amp/Cab Emulators, Reverbs, EQ, Delays (Spire App required)
Analog Inputs:   2 x XLR-1/4" combo (mic/line)
Analog Outputs:   2 x 1/8" (monitor/headphones)
Headphones:   2 x 1/8"
Wireless:   Wi-Fi (audio beamed to phone)
Features:   Built-in omni microphone
Software:   Spire App (free download)
OS Requirements - Mac:   iOS 10 or later
OS Requirements - PC:   Android 7.0 or later, Samsung S6 or higher
Power Supply:   5V DC power supply / Rechargeable lithium-ion battery
Battery Life:   4-6 hour run time
Height:   3.5"
Width:   4.9"
Depth:   4.5"
Weight:   1 lb. 9.3 oz.
Manufacturer Part Number:   SPIRESTUDIO


admin

#2
Short review

Ive been working with the Izotope Spire Studio - using my Android LG V20 phone (running Android 7)

So far so good   - but the biggest marketing error   / blunder I see is  -  after a full year after release, Izotope has never created a proper Step by Step User Manual or instruction guide PDF  -

Instead they have a  Global Product Manual that serves more as a 23 language interpreter doc, and less useful as an actual product guide   , it misses many important concepts - like how to overdub additional tracks after the initial recording?

https://www.spire.live/content/dam/spire/product-support/Spire-Studio-Manual.pdf

https://www.spire.live/content/dam/spire/how-it-works/Spire_Brochure_digital.pdf
Instead if you seek to learn how to use Spire Studio, there are  countless Youtube videos that require hours of spare time to watch and decipher the required instructions  - but you must waste lots of time as most of these videos are marketing fluff, and few hands on how to tutorials   
https://www.spire.live/content/spire/en/how-it-works.html

Maybe this is a generational thing - ( I LOVE reading my product PDF manuals). 

If iZotope Spire Studio fails in the marketplace and has slow sales, IMHO its directly related to Izoptope Never providing a decent step by step guide as a PDF doc for Spire Studio 

https://www.spire.live/en/support/using-the-spire-app/performing-a-sound-check.html




admin

#4
Review
http://geargods.net/review/izotope-spire-studio-review/


iZotope SPIRE Studio Review
by Trey Xavier
What's up Gear Mortals? Trey Xavier here. Today we're taking a look at the iZotope Spire Studio, a recording device with 2 inputs and an onboard condenser microphone, that you can run using your iOS or Android device. It allows you to record and "mix" (volume and panning) up to 8 tracks with onboard effects and amp modeling.
Let's start by talking about iZotope in general. These wizards make software that I use every single day, and it is black magic if I've ever seen it. Their DeNoise, DeReverb, and DeClick plugins (from their RX Suite) are invaluable tools for audio, especially for video audio, when sometimes the audio you captured can't be re-tracked and needs repair. Not to mention their Ozone mastering software. Their plugins are untouchable, and used by hacks like me and Hollywood professionals every single day to make miracles happen.

The Spire Studio is their first foray into the world of hardware, and although it has some cool features, at the end of the day it's left me asking why they've left the safety of a field they dominate to dabble in physical products.

To understand why I feel this way, we need to take a look at what the Spire does and how it operates, and the kinds of choices iZotope has made along the way – and then compare it to the alternatives. The main selling point of the Spire is its simplicity. It's mostly very easy to use, and once you get the hang of how it works, you can get up and running very quickly. The controls on the face of the Spire are pretty intuitive, with a cool touch strip for adjusting output volume and track levels, and big friendly Play and Record buttons for idiot-proof functionality. There's two combo jack inputs on the back, and two headphone outputs so you can record with a friend.

The Soundcheck function sets the input gain level automatically, just hit it and start playing as loud as you're going to and it will keep you from clipping the input (on almost anything, drums up close were a problem). Once again, trying to idiot-proof the process. Set the metronome with a couple taps, and away you go. The Spire syncs with the app over wi-fi so you're recording to the Spire's internal hard drive, but the tracks are also on your device so you can edit (kinda) and mix (sort of) them.

But for me, that's where the features end. Once you start recording, you come up against the unit's hard limitations. 8 tracks per song isn't much, especially considering it's an entire dedicated piece of hardware. There are a whopping total of 3 internal amp sims – an AC30, a Twin, and a bass amp of some kind. These and the effects that come included (mostly ambient and time-based effects) print to the track when you record them, so (as Stewie says in an episode of Family Guy) "Once it's in there, you can't get it out."

The track editing is extremely limited and not very easy, as the automatic zooming in and out doesn't let you set a level of zoom and leave it – it zooms when it wants, to one level, and then zooms back out when you lift your finger off. This makes accurate cutting and punching in nearly impossible and very frustrating.

The microphone on the front of the device sounds great, there's no question about that. I made the mistake of slathering my vocal in the "Warm Vocal" effect, which after mixing left me with way too much reverb (there's an adjustment level for it, but once again, if you set it wrong during tracking, you're stuck with it. But otherwise I would have had a pretty solid sound to work with. But I think their claims of "Sound like a pro with studio-quality, built-in microphone" may be a bit strong.

I also encountered a fatal error that left me stunned and beyond frustrated – more than halfway through recording the demo for the video, I watched my song file disappear before my eyes. I literally saw the song title disappear off the main page with no prompting from me whatsoever, I wasn't even touching either device at the time. Luckily, I'd backed up the project to the cloud about 20 minutes before, so I didn't lose absolutely everything – just a lot.

I wouldn't condemn the Spire studio entirely on the basis of this single event of what I'm sure is just a glitch that most people won't experience, but I did nearly throw it into a wall and give up on the review entirely.

As a mainly rock and metal guitarist, I was also bummed at the lack of any kind of high gain amp sim in the bunch. Really, just having 2 guitar amp models that serve the same function is a bit lame, and I hope a future firmware update will bring in a couple more. There are no drum loops or the ability to create drum tracks anywhere in the Spire or its app.

All in all, what I'm looking for now is a very compelling reason why I should use this over a mobile interface and the Garage Band app (32 tracks, a plethora of amp models, MIDI, libraries chock full of samples and drum loops, virtual keyboard, non-printing effects, etc.). Why do I need to record to a separate piece of hardware if I have to use my device to control it anyway? What's the advantage to having a bulky thing when you can't do everything on it by itself? Mobile recording is ludicrous right now, you can do sooooo much on just your device, I would expect for something standalone to at least consider competing with that.

Had they simply added a plug to allow the Spire to be used as an interface, we'd be having a very different conversation, although I wouldn't use it for its internal recording capabilities or the included app, but instead as a gateway to the many, more powerful mobile DAWs on the market. An interface with a built-in, high-quality microphone starts to approach the value that the asking price of $349 promises, but not for an all-proprietary ecosystem that's this limiting. The wireless aspect is a selling point that they've really been hammering on, but in this case it seems to actually hamstring the functionality of it, and I don't really think it being wireless is in any way important or cool since it's virtually chained to your device anyway.

Of course, I'm not dumb – this isn't meant as an alternative to going to Sphere and spending $2k a day with a professional engineer and a million dollar room and mic locker. This is for making songwriting demos remotely, quickly, and with as little hassle as possible. I can dig that – but when you're forced to use your device with it anyway, and with so many alternatives that do that same thing better and cheaper, who is the Spire actually for?

I'll be waiting for the Spire 2 to add a USB cable connection and the ability to record straight to it without needing to use a device before plopping down my hard-earned tree fiddy.

You can learn more about the Spire on the iZotope website here.

https://www.spire.live/en/lp/spire-studio-intent.html