How To Set Up Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 On Mac Garageband

  
  1. How To Set Up Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 With Garageband
  2. Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 Studio Bundle

2020-4-7  You can read more about the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 at this link here. The iRig HD 2, on the other hand, is only meant for playing the guitar, so if that’s all you’re looking for – just a simple audio interface for playing the guitar – then the HD 2 is a great choice, especially considering its. Once in the preferences menu, click the audio/midi tab option, set audio output and audio input to Scarlett Solo USB. Please exit preferences. If your Scarlett Solo is set to Direct Monitor 'ON' on the front of the interface, you will want to switch Garagebands Input Monitoring off. 2020-3-30  The Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 operates smoothly with your Garageband setup, and you can use it in a home studio or on the go (it's very portable). This USB audio interface can work with iPad, iPhone and every PC or laptop. The Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 interface is easy to use directly out of the box. This is the best interface for Garageband at this.

In this article today, I’m going to show you the two best interfaces for Garageband users, as well as offer an explanation of all their usual functions, including what those confusing specifications actually mean.

I bought a Rode mic and a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 and installed it to my mac and it worked fine on garageband for like 20 minutes until I plugged in my headphones into my com then it stopped working. I can't figure out the problem, everything is installed, the computers input is correctly on the scarlett as well as garageband.

The best audio interface for beginners to Garageband is the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, which is definitely the most suggested as well.

The second best audio interface for Garagageband, in my opinion, is the iRig Pro I/O, which is not only for guitars but also for microphones.

The first one has more than one port/channel, which means you can use it for a microphone as well as another instrument at the same time. The iRig Pro I/O is more for taking on the road.

What Is An Audio Interface And What Does It Do?

In layman’s terms, an audio interface is the piece of equipment that – through the conversion of analog to digital information – allows us to hook up all of our musical gear to our computer.

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An audio interface turns regular sound into a form of information that the computer can process, and it can also turn digital information into a sound capable of being heard by the human ear.

It acts literally as an interface between the sound and the computer. Or, in other words, it’s as if the audio interface is translating the soundwaves into a language the computer can understand.

The vast majority of computers out there come with an in-built digital audio interface that translates digital information into sound. This is called a soundcard, and an audio interface is like an external soundcard.

This is what allows the computer to play music through iTunes and other music playing platforms.

Before diving into my favorite interfaces for Garageband, let’s talk about the differences between Analog and Digital soundwaves, which will help illuminate why they’re important as well as guide you in your purchase of the right product.

Understanding Audio Interfaces – Analog Versus Digital

The primary difference between Analog and Digital is that Analog recording is a continuous wave format recorded by some kind of electrical or mechanical equipment.

Digital recordings are recordings that are broke up into data packages processable by a computer.

Why Do I Need An Audio Interface?

Music producers and musicians, and more generally, people who work with sound a lot, will eventually come to a point where they need a higher-quality device to increase the quality of the computer’s sound.

Moreover, to record external instruments and other sounds, an audio interface is essential.

A quality audio interface is crucial for music producers, musicians, and audio engineers because the average soundcard in a computer simply doesn’t cut it.

An audio interface is important because it not only performs the crucial function of translating sounds so the computer can actually play it back in a manner audible to the human ear but also to increase the possibilities when it comes to our set-up.

For instance, with more outputs and inputs, we can greatly increase just how much can be done in our home recording studio.

As I mentioned above, we’re going to explain the specifications and functions of the average audio interface, as well as some of the confusing terminology.

1) Focusrite Scarlett 2i2

One of my greatest pet peeves when it comes to buying products is how it’s actually built. Many products nowadays seem like they’re not built to last because they’re often made out of cheap plastic.

However, with Focusrite products, they’re always well-built and they seem as though attention and consideration have gone into their product’s construction.

I have a Focusrite Saffire 6USB which is the exact same way. The 6USB is made entirely of hard metal and it has lasted me for a little over a decade. It still works, by the way.

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What Comes With The Focusrite Scarlett 2i2

  • In terms of what comes in the box with it, you get the USB-C to USB-A Cable.
  • You also get Pro Tools one, which includes hundreds of different instruments as well as loops.
  • Ableton Live. Ableton Live is a digital audio workstation, that like Pro Tools and other DAWs, comes with effects, instruments, sequencers, arpeggiators, etc.

The difference between Ableton Live and other DAWs is that it’s meant for live performances and can be synchronized with lighting systems and so on. I’ve never used it before but I’ve heard it’s great for performers.

  • Soft tube, which are plug-ins created by Focusrite, including reverb, delay, and distortion.
  • Focusrite’s Red Plug-in Suite, which includes an EQ as well as a compressor.

And that’s about it.

All of the other stuff that you can get is downloadable from Focusrite on their website.

As I mentioned above, Focusrite’s products are typically very-well built. In this case, it’s made out of a red aluminum housing, and then the front and back of it are made out of plastic.

The knobs and the dials have a very sturdy feel to them, so you don’t have to worry about them falling off or breaking within just a few weeks, months, or even years, as long as you’re careful with it.

Moreover, the buttons have a tactile feel to them. In other words, when you’ve pushed the button, it actually clicks and you know that you’ve pressed it and there’s no confusion as to whether it’s turned on or not.

On the front of the machine, it has two separate channels with the XLR Jack as well as the 1/4 inch input.

An XLR input and output are connectors that are meant for professional audio recording equipment. They typically have between three and seven prongs on them.

They’re known for being “balanced,” and not as susceptible to signal interference. Many cameras and microphones employ an XLR cable.

In comparison to a regular jack connection, which is usually unbalanced, the cables are a single prong, for instance, a headphone ‘jack.’

The “Gain” dial flashes red when you’ve turned the gain up too much. If you’re using too much, the interface lets you know. When it’s clipping, it turns red, and when it’s green, it stays a nice soft Green color.

They also have the “Instrument” button which allows you to switch from the line-level and the instrument level whenever you’re using a 1/4 input jack.

Before continuing, let’s unpack the difference between Instrument and Line Level.

Instrument Level refers to any signal that is created by an instrument, but it’s most commonly used to describe the signals coming from a bass guitar or a guitar.

The power of an Instrument’s signal is typically lower than the signal generated by a microphone.

To increase the strength of the signal up to line level, a preamp is typically needed.

Line Level, on the other hand, describes what are the highest level signals. It is the signal that flows through the recording system after it’s passed through the preamplifier stage, but before the amplifier which gives power to the speakers.

I also emailed Focusrite about it and here was their response:

The Scarlett 2i2 also has the “Air” button, which is a new feature that wasn’t on my old 6USB. The “Air” button is a higher-end circuit that’s commonly a part of their higher-end products.

According to Focusrite’s page, the “Air” button emulate certain characteristics of an analog recording.

Their website explains the “Air” function in a very confusing way, but essentially, its purpose is to mimic a classic analog-style recording which has more “air and clarity.”

I also reached out to Focusrite and asked them what the button does and how it works, and here’s what they said.

It also comes with the 48V Phantom Power button to turn it on and off, in addition to the Direct Monitoring button.

The idea behind Phantom Power is to send power to some microphones that need it. It’s used to either drive active circuitry or to activate the plates within a condenser microphone.

In other words, some microphones need phantom power – an alternative source of power – and therefore, this audio interface provides that.

As it was just stated, a condenser microphone needs Phantom Power whereas a Dynamic Microphone does not. Ribbon mics apparently can be damaged by the addition of phantom power.

The purpose of the Direct Monitoring allows you to, not only change between on and off if you want to listen while you’re playing or not, but it also switches between Mono and Stereo.

The Monitoring button is a nice big dial and it takes up the most space on the interface.

It also has the Headphone Volume control for when you’re listening with headphones, along with the 1/4 inch headphones input.

On the back of it, the Focusrite 2i2 comes with a USB-C port that way you can hook it up to other devices, in addition to the balanced left and right monitor outputs.

An unbalanced cable usually has just two connectors and two conductors each, whereas a balanced cable has three prongs. An unbalanced cable would be a guitar cable, and a balanced cable would be that of a microphone.

As it was just stated, a cable that carries an unbalanced signal typically has two wires, a ground, and a signal.

Unbalanced cables can often pick up noise as the signal travels through the cable, so for that reason, they’re typically used for short distances, like the guitar cable mentioned above. The idea behind the cable being short is that it picks up less noise.

The difference between a balanced and unbalanced cable is that the balanced one has a ground wire, and it also comes with two identical versions of the same audio signal.

One is usually described as “hot” while the other is referred to as “cold” – positive and negative respectively.

On account of the fact that one is positively charged and the other is negatively charged, they end up canceling each other out. This is also called “reverse polarity.”

The hot and cold signals travel to the end of the cable and because they’re identical, they end up canceling each other out, except the one with the noise attached to it is the one that’s canceled.

This is where the useful feature comes in: if the cable picks up undesirable sounds during its travel, when the polarity is reversed at the end, the noise that comes along with it is canceled out on account of the polarity of the cold signal matching the hot.

This is called “common-mode rejection.”

In other words, both signal wires, the hot and cold, carry the same “noise,” so to speak, and because they’re similar to each other, they end up canceling each other out. The effect of this is a noise-free cable.

Additionally, balanced signals have two synchronized signals, therefore, they tend to be much louder than unbalanced signals.

On the other hand, a cable with just a signal and a ground wire is an unbalanced cable.

The signal wire acts as a transportation device for the signal. The ground wire is for the sake of reference for the signal wire, but it also has the unintended consequence of accumulating undesirable sounds.

Due to the lack of the two wires that are hot and cold, there is no canceling of the undesirable sounds in an unbalanced cable, unlike the balanced cable.

I hope this illustrated what is meant by balanced and unbalanced, but let’s move on.

The balanced outputs on the back of the Focusrite Saffire 2i2 are meant for speakers, for instance, the left speaker and the right speaker.

The Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 also has nice rubber stoppers on the bottom of it so that it doesn’t hurt your table and doesn’t slide around.

Let’s move on to the specifications of the unit.

It has a bit-depth of 24bit; a sampling rate of 192kHz, as well as a Gain range of 56db and a dynamic range of 111 dB.

If you were anything like me, these terms and specifications don’t mean a lot. So, let’s unpack what each one means.

What Is Bit-Depth?

The Bit-Depth is the number of “bits,” or pieces of information that are stored in each sample.

A Bit-Depth of 1, simply, means 6 dB. So a 16-bit audio clip, which is the standard for CDs, will have a dynamic range of 96dB. The digital noise floor tends to be quite high, so therefore the dynamic range is small.

The digital noise floor refers to the noise created by the actual system itself. Any kind of recording will pick up on undesirable sounds, for instance, an acoustic may have background noise and electronics will have thermal noise.

Moreover, there can be interfering signals from the environment as well. A digital measurement system will have within the system itself, noises that are undesirable.

Typically speaking, the more electronics there are in the system, the more noises there will be.

So, relating this back to the bit-depth, because the dynamic range is smaller, that means that recorded sounds at a lower volume may have more noise within them.

For that reason, the 24-bit audio range allows for a dynamic range of 144 dB, therefore, professionals are able to get a better-sounding recording.

In the graph I created which you can see above, there is the blue line and the red lines, and the blue line represents analog and the red lines represent digital.

You’ll notice that the analog one is one consistent line, whereas the digital line is chopped up into little squares.

Essentially, the grid-lines are meant to communicate what is known as “bit-depth.” The number of bits is basically how much information is recorded per sample.

The distance between each gridline represents one bit per line.

A sample is a term that describes the reduction of a continuous-time signal to a discrete-time signal.

In other words, it’s the transformation of a flowing and continuous signal into a signal that’s divided into individual “bits” or “parts”. For instance, converting an analog sound into a digital sound.

In other words, the more “bits” there are, the higher the quality of the information.

The fewer the bits, the fewer the number of information recorded in the sample.

This is why people argue that Analog is superior to Digital, because an Analog recording is capturing more information, thus, the sound is considered higher quality.

The specification, 16-bit, or 24-bit, represents how much information is recorded within each sample.

Using the example above, you can see how if there are more grid-lines, that means that the digital recording is capturing more of the sound, and it’s doing a better job of capturing all of the information because there are more points at which the digital recording is picking up the information.

Explained another way, if there are more grid-lines, and more “bits,” that means there will be more Red Squares, so to speak, therefore there is more information recorded in each sample.

If there are fewer grid-lines or “bits,” that means the soundwave will be chopped into fewer squares, and the recording will be choppier and not as good in quality.

The analog recording, represented by the blue line, is a continuous line in contrast to the digital which is chopped up into little squares.

I hope you’re able to see what’s being illustrated here.

For the sake of clarification, what I’m trying to say is that digital recordings are broken up into tiny little data packages, and the more data packages there are, the more information there is, therefore the quality of the recording is higher.

Analog, on the other hand, is not broken up into tiny little data packages. It’s just one long continuous recording.

Using an example, the common CD has a typical resolution of about 16-bits. Moreover, it’s also the standard by which most CDs and converters operate. While many can be much stronger than 16-bit, the consequence of this is that the computer’s processor will work much harder.

I hope this explanation has illuminated what is meant by “bit-depth.”

Let’s move on to the next specification that I laid out for the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, the “sampling rate.”

What Is The Sampling Rate?

Both the sampling rate as well as the bit-depth play a fundamental role in the quality of a digital recording.

From the explanation you just read above, you’ll see that its function is a bit easier to communicate. The sampling rate, however, is more sophisticated.

The sampling rate is the number of samples per unit of time, typically measured in seconds.

It refers to the rate at which samples are taken of an analog sound and converted into a digital sound. It’s kind of like a digital photo of the audio. The standard of measurement for communicating this signal is typically Hertz.

If you’re new to audio engineering, know that these frequency ranges used to be known as the level at which human beings can hear.

If you’re a dog person, you’ll know that they can pick up much higher frequencies, which is why dog whistles are a thing.

If you’ve ever had an amp with bad feedback around your dog, I’m sure you know how much they dislike it.

In recent years, people have figured out that humans can actually hear frequencies that are a bit lower and higher than 20Hz – 20,000Hz. These days, interfaces with a sampling rate of 48kHz and even much higher can be found on the market.

The caveat to using a piece of equipment with a higher bit-depth and sampling rate is that it tends to take up more disc space on your computer, so you won’t be able to have as many productions on the computer.

Moving past all of these explanations, you’re probably wondering if this machine works for what you need, and the answer is yes; it does.

Let’s move on to the iRig I/O, which is a much smaller but more convenient audio interface.

2) iRig Pro I/O

This portable piece of equipment is great for taking on the road, due to the fact it’s so small and light-weight.

It’s a fraction of the size of a Focusrite interface, and I use a different version of this product all of the time, an iRig HD 2, which is meant primarily for guitars.

The iRig Pro I/O, however, can be used for vocals and other instruments and is compatible with Mac, PC, iOS, macOS, and Android.

Unlike the Focusrite Interfaces, however, the iRig set-ups are typically made out of plastic, which I’m not a huge fan of, but it still performs its function well.

The iRig Pro I/O has on it two LED lights, with one being red and the other blue. If the top light is red, that means Phantom Power is on, and it’ll turn Blue or Green for MIDI in and Out signals.

How To Set Up Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 With Garageband

The Gain LED display signifies different things, however. If it’s red, it means that the signal is clipping or “too hot.”

On the bottom of the device, is where the XLR and 1/4 inch combination cord is. This means that it’s good for both guitars and vocals.

Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 Studio Bundle

On the right of it, it has the headphone jack as well as the volume control. On the left of it, you have the switch for Phantom Power, which I explained in detail above, in addition to the MIDI inputs and MIDI outports.

The top of it features a digital output which is meant for connecting to your computer or your phone.

It comes with a USB cable as well as two MIDI brake cables. It also comes with batteries, which is for Phantom Power on account of mobile recordings, as well as a USB cable for charging.

You can also power the device with the DC input, so it’ll charge your phone as well at the same time. However, you need a cable to do this as it doesn’t come with the cable.

Truthfully, this piece of machinery works the best for mobile systems, including iOS. There’s no question that this thing is all about convenience and portability.

So, let’s move on to the specifications.

It records at 24-bit and 96kHz. You’ll notice that this device as the same bit-depth as the Focusrite Interface, but it doesn’t have as strong of a sampling rate.

In other words, the Focusrite Saffire 2i2 has a more quality sampling rate, thus a better sound, however, the iRig Pro I/O isn’t meant for the highest quality recordings, it’s meant for portability and ease of use while traveling.

Moreover, there’s no latency when recording so that’s good for you to know.

The other great thing about this product is the fact it comes with other downloadable content from IK Multimedia, including Amplitube for iOS, which is the amplifier simulation software that many guitarists and bassists are using nowadays.

YouTube Video Tutorial

Conclusion

I hope this tutorial was helpful to you. There was a lot of information and specifications to unpack in this, so I hope I managed to elucidate some concepts which will help you in your purchase of the right product.

Make sure to share it on social media with your producer friends, it would be greatly appreciated.

The iRig HD 2 from IK Multimedia is arguably the best beginner audio interface for recording guitar with Garageband.

I own three audio interfaces: the Focusrite Saffire 6USB, the Scarlett 2i2, as well as the iRig HD 2.

Due to the fact I rarely record vocals, I pretty much always stick to the iRig HD 2, on account of the fact it’s super small and convenient.

To be truthful, I would argue that, while the iRig HD 2 is not the absolute “best” you can get in terms of audio interfaces, it is great for just recording guitar and it’s the perfect interface if you’re looking for a unit that will do the trick while also being inexpensive.

With that said, there are other solid audio interfaces on the market that have multiple inputs for not only the guitar, but also vocals, so there aren’t any limitations in terms of how many instruments you can use at once.

For instance, the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 has two inputs, that way you can have your guitar/bass/etc plugged in while also recording vocals. You can read more about the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 at this link here.

The iRig HD 2, on the other hand, is only meant for playing the guitar, so if that’s all you’re looking for – just a simple audio interface for playing the guitar – then the HD 2 is a great choice, especially considering its relatively cheap price.

On the other hand, there are some issues with it. My biggest gripe with the iRig HD 2 is the fact it’s made out of plastic, which, to me, always communicates “cheap.”

Other than that, the iRig HD 2 doesn’t have a lot of down-sides to it, with the exception of some users finding it difficult to get their computer to recognize it.

Let’s say you’ve purchased the iRig HD 2 and you’re having trouble getting Garageband to recognize it; this problem can be solved by rebooting Garageband with your iRig HD 2 plugged in.

It’s also worth noting that if you have a new MacBook Pro, rather than one of the old ones, you’ll need a USB-C to USB port, so make sure to pick one of those up if that’s the case. Although, if you own a new MacBook Pro, you probably are already aware of the necessity of an adaptor.

If you want to get a USB-C to USB-B port, I recommend checking out this one right here on Amazon. This one, in particular, has four USB ports, so you can plug in multiple devices if necessary.

Let’s move on to the details and specifications of the unit, as well as what comes with the box.

***The iRig HD 2 is compatible with PC, Mac, iPad, and iPhone.

What Comes With The iRig HD 2

  • Micro USB to Thunderbolt Cable (for new iPhone users)
  • Micro USB to USB Cable (Will Need an Adaptor if you’re computer is brand new)
  • A clip for attaching it to the microphone stand.
  • ***Amplitube 4 for Mac and PC (and Amplitube for iOS)

***It’s worth noting that many of the amplifiers and presets that come with Amplitube 4 are locked, which for me, has rendered Amplitube 4 completely worthless. I never use it. From what I understand, you actually have to purchase each amp model.

  • T-RackS 5 Custom Shop
  • AmpliTube Custom Shop
  • Syntronik Free
  • SampleTank Custom Shop

It has a Micro USB Device Output and a 1/8″inch Headphone port.

And LED light that communicates that it’s turned on and whether the signal is too hot or just right.

It flashes blue when it’s turned on, flashes red when the signal is too hot, and it flashes green when it’s just right.

It has a gain control knob on it on the left-hand side of the unit, also known as a pre-amp control. In other words, you can turn down the strength of the signal in case you’re clipping.

It’s worth noting that if you’re using a guitar with active (battery-powered such as EMGs) pick-ups, you might have to turn down the gain because the signal is much stronger.

It also has a microphone clip on the back for clipping it to your microphone on stage or wherever, not only for the convenience of use but also for using the unit as a stomp-box. We’ll dive into what I mean by that later.

On the bottom of the iRig HD 2, it has two ports, the 1/4 instrument jack as well as a 1/4 amplifier jack.

What this allows, is for us to send a signal to the computer/Garageband, and to an amplifier at the same time, so we can use an amplifier/cab combo for a speaker system, and also record it through Garageband at the same time.

In other words, in case you want to play your traditional amp and cabinet set-up, including with all of your pedals and whatnot, you can send the “traditional set-up” signal into Garageband for recording, or you can play it through Garageband’s Amp Designer.

If you want to read more about using the Amp Designer, click the link here to read the article I wrote about it.

On the right-hand side of the unit, we have the FX-Thru switch as well as a headphone volume control.

Scarlett

The “FX” setting is for playing the guitar through Garageband’s interface. In other words, it sends the processed signal from the software, in this case, Garageband, to the iRig HD 2.

This means we can use the computer/Garageband as the amplifier/pedal effects.

The “Thru” setting is for the unprocessed signal, which means we’re using the “dry unprocessed signal,” of the guitar through the guitar amplifier, and using that signal and sending it into Garageband.

This might be confusing, so I’ll explain it another way.

The “FX” setting is for playing the guitar using Garageband as the pedal-effects board/amplifier setting, and then sending that signal out to a guitar amplifier or a mixing board for playing a live show.

If you intend on only using the iRig HD 2 through the computer and playing it back through the speakers, then FX is what you want.

FX is also the setting you want if you’re going to plug your guitar pedals into the iRig and play it through your computer speakers.

The “Thru” setting means that we’re sending an unprocessed signal to a guitar amplifier or a mixing board. In other words, the “Thru” toggle switch means that we’re sending a signal unaffected by Amplitube or Garageband settings out to an amplifier or a mixing board.

The device is 24bit and has a 96kHz sampling rate, which means that the device is operating at what is commonly believed to be the industry standard for recording.

If you want to read more about what these terms mean, check out my article on audio interfaces, The Definitive Guide to Audio Interfaces.

Other Important Things To Consider

  • As I mentioned in passing above, if the LED light is flashing red, that means that you’re clipping, and you need to turn the gain on the audio interface down.
  • Aim to have the LED signal flashing green when you’re strumming hard on your guitar
  • For Amplitube 4, you actually have to purchase each model in the Custom Shop, which in my opinion, was a huge disappointment. Like I said above, if you know how to access these without paying $25 for each model, let me know.
  • The iRig HD 2 doesn’t work for microphones, it only works for bass and guitar.
  • Make sure you’ve selected “iRig HD 2” as the input, down in the Smart Controls in the Recording Settings. You can see what this looks like in the image below.
  • If you’re having issues getting Garageband to recognize the device, try and reboot Garageband with the iRig HD 2 plugged in. This is what I did when I first bought the device and had trouble getting the computer to recognize it. Additionally, you can go into Garageband’s preferences and change the “Output” and “Input” device settings.
  • Make sure your “Enable Audio Units” box is checked, which will allow you to enable various AU plug-ins, including Amplitube if you end up wanting to use it.
  • It’s also worth mentioning that, yes, you can use the iRig HD 2 with your guitar pedals. If you want to know how to plug your guitar pedals into Garageband while using the iRig HD 2 as an audio interface, click the link here.
  • I’ve also noticed that some MicroUSB cables don’t work with the iRig HD 2 for some reason. For instance, despite having the same cable as nearly all of my vapes, they don’t work in the same way, so make sure that you’re using the MicroUSB that comes in the box, rather than some other miscellaneous cable. This might just be an issue with the vape cables, but I can’t say for sure – just something to keep in mind.

How To Set Up The iRig HD 2

In terms of just getting the iRig HD 2 set up, it’s not that hard. It’s just a matter of plugging it into your computer, which looks a lot like the image below.

1) Plug your USB to USB-C adaptor into your computer

2) Plug the USB to MicroUSB cable into the adaptor

3) Attach the MicroUSB to your iRig HD 2

4) Plug your guitar cable into the iRig HD 2, and then run it into your guitar.

How To Access Amplitube 4 and Other Free Software

This part is optional, but in order to get access to Amplitube 4, Custom Shop, and the other plug-ins that it comes with, you must register the product with IK Multimedia on their website.

You don’t have to do this if you intend on just using the iRig HD 2 as is, however, it is necessary for accessing Amplitube.

1) Go to IK Multimedia’s website at www.ikmultimedia.com

2) Make an account with them.

3) Register the iRig HD 2’s serial number with IK Multimedia. You can find the serial number for the product on the box.

4) Once you’ve registered the product with them, you’ll have to download the authorization manager to set everything up, but once everything has been registered, you’ll land on a page that looks like this.

Then, you can download all of the plug-ins that it comes with.

YouTube Video Tutorial

Conclusion

All in all, the iRig HD 2 is definitely a really handy device to have if you’re a guitar player, and it’s worth grabbing, especially if you’re all about the convenience of use or you need an audio interface to travel with on the road.

Additionally, if you’re in the market for a portable audio interface that’s good for both microphones and the guitar, the iRig Pro I/O is a great choice because it works for both. I wrote about the iRig Pro I/0 more in detail at this link here.

There are also additional models with more than one input, so you can plug your guitar as well as your microphone into the same unit at the same time. It costs more money, however.