iZotope Spire Studio Review – A Singer’s Portable High-Quality Recording
- Product: iZotope Spire Studio
- Computer Connectivity: Wi-Fi
- Price: $299 as of this post
- Cheapest place to buy: Amazon.com
- Guarantee: 45-day money back
- Weight: 1 lb. 9.3 oz.
- My Rating: 9.5 out of 10
iZotope Spire Studio Product Overview
Remember when cassette recorders are in their heydays? It was awesome then to hear your voice on playback especially when listening to how your singing goes. Nowadays, we have apps that have audio recording and playback capabilities as well, but either you end up running out of storage space or forfeiting audio quality which is more critical than the former.
Luckily, there are companies that employ technology to capture good quality audio. The Spire Studio is something that singers, podcasters and any other audio recorders would die for.
It is a portable recording system that has a dedicated WIFI signal, which you can use through an app on both iOS and Android platforms.
With a six-hour run time, you can record audio and mix tracks via the app until you get it right. If you run out of battery juice, you just need to plug it in and continue where you left off. Watch here below:
How Does It Benefit You As A Singer?
I have done a lot of recording at professional studios myself, either with a group or for my own CD Album. I can only wish I can keep going back to these facilities to record songs I want to be recorded and share it however or whoever I want to. You know what that translates to, right? Hourly rates that can end up to thousands of dollars depending on time spent in there.
What if you need to record a good audio on the go, practice your songs anywhere or whenever you want and need to, at the park, on tour bus, at the backstage before a show without carrying extra luggage of other devices and cables or just simply use it at home and being able to share it to anyone instantaneously over the internet.
And this is where the iZotope Spire Studio comes in. It is hardware that syncs with your mobile phone or tablet, and it lets you record seamlessly without compromising the quality of your recording. With its 4 to 6 hour battery life, you can be working with it anywhere and whenever the need may be.
Another benefit that caught my attention on this device is its multi-track recording and editing. You can start recording on one track with an instrument as an accompaniment, then record your voice with it on the 2nd track, then to the next track and so on. You have 8 tracks to record multiple voices or instruments. Watch an example by Kurt Vile & Courtney Barnett below.
Of course, in addition, if you’re not a singer and you just need to interview someone for your podcast, you have got your back covered as well.
Other Features and Benefits of Using The Spire Studio
The Spire Studio automatically mixes your audio quality. The manufacturer, iZotope, developed it with the singer in mind. And since singers have little to no experience in manipulating recording devices, the device is programmed to set the mixing effects and other input levels that will make your recording sound like a pro. But of course, it can’t magically turn a bad singing voice to a good one.
Like I mentioned, because it is connected to an app on your smartphone, you can use the app to share your recording to your fan base immediately.
Here are more benefits and features that you can expect from the product.
- Ease of Use – the device has touch-sensitive control buttons at the top of the panel, which light up to show you the status of each function. The buttons include Record, Play, New Song, Soundcheck, and Volume. Just press each button according to how you want your device to perform.
- Built-In Features – the device has two microphone jacks, which you can use if two people are recording. And these jacks are on top of the built-in Omni mic found at the bottom of the front panel. This mic is a mono condenser, which produces a high-quality recording, like as if it was recorded in a professional studio.
- Portable Mixer – the app is not only used for activating the device or sharing the recording to social media, but it also it comes with a powerful mixer that will let you adjust your mixing settings, like setting up effects while you are recording. You no longer need to bring those huge mixers if you want to record. All you need is an internet connection and the app.
- Multi-Format – the device saves your recordings in the hardware, which you can export as M4A or other file types. From there, you can either move the file to a cloud application, where you can enhance or edit the track, or you can share it directly through music apps. Supported formats are AIFF M4A, MP3, and WAV.
The Verdict
This device is a true representation of what a portable recording studio should be. It lets you and me capture moments of inspiration and create song recordings at the moment when the hardware is needed the most, to work on your singing. Who knows, perhaps send the result as a demo to music publishers on the get-go. And it will definitely help you with the learning process I’ve talked about a while ago about how to become a great singer.
Whether you are a professional or a budding artist, iZotope Spire Studio is the only companion you need, along with your musical instrument and your bandmates if you are in one. You would can take full advantage with it if you use a vocal trainer.
I purchased this device myself and use it quite often. You can see it here sitting on top of my electronic piano. My daughter also recorded on it the minute we opened it for the first time. Click here, take a listen.
Let me know if you have any questions, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. You can leave your questions or comments down below.
Wow, this is awesome. I just recently started learning to sing and I’ve been simply using my cell phone microphone to record myself then listen to myself after and try to tweak where I need help. It sounds like this might be a much better way to get a way higher quality recording, I’ve often found my cell phone mic just stinks and picks up tons of ridiculous background noise.
Can you turn off all mixing on this to just record your straight voice with no effects? I’m still in a place that requires me to practice the basics and want something that will still be useful when I get better.
Glad to know that you are into singing yourself. I do sing also, perhaps a different genre you’re into. Each one has their preferred style of music and all that is good, you’ll always have people that follow you because of your uniqueness, no matter what stage you’re at in your singing abilities. Practice is the key as you know, lots of it.
Yes, you can turn off the effects (mixing) on the device. They are actually pre-set effects, so you don’t have to learn anything about the audio engineering part of it. You just need to apply them if you prefer and turn them off as raw and have it mastered outside of the device later on.
How amazing is it that we can literally do everything at home nowadays! With this you can work at home . Without worrying about booking the studios for the equipment , this looks like high tech as well. Amazing review thank you! I’ll let my friend know who loves singing!
Thanks, Jayde. I purchased this device because I sing myself. It can be pricy to book studio time, especially if I need to be there multiple times. On it, I can confidently take the audio quality and multi-track recording feature on this device and have it manufactured to a CD album for distribution and/or share it digitally online.
Thank you for stopping by.
The multitrack system and wifi connectivity is what catches my fancy about this product, iZotope Spire Studio. Though, I see it is quite expensive but it worth the price most especially as it will continue fro any record if the battery is down. I really would love to hear myself voice on this device. But are there no other similar products with similar functions and features?
Hi Salim. I’ve done extensive research before I purchased this product. The audio quality on this device is one that I can confidently take to a CD manufacturing company like cdbaby.com for digital distribution. Although the finished product on the iZotope Studio is ready for distribution, you can even have it re-mastered if you prefer. No, I haven’t seen anything like it at the moment. I will continue to do some more research. If you find one, could you please let me know? I bought it right away when I saw it because the expense that I will be paying for studio time will be many times over if I have to keep going back to record multiple times.
Yeah, I love that I can go out anywhere, at a park, in my car, anywhere I can be private with the 4 to 6 hour battery time. Hey, thank you for stopping by.
Wow! I didn’t know about it even I’m a singer too! it seems really good for “on the road” recordings. Both for new ideas, demos of good quality and for social use. What is not clear to me is wether it has virtual instrument too inside. I mean, thinking about demos and ideas “on the road”, if you don’t have a guitar or a piano handy or maybe if you want to add a drum, a bass line and so on, is it possible?
Yeah, I was so happy when I saw the iZotope Spire Studio. I searched the internet if there’s something similar to what it can do. I read on it for a while, then purchase it after a week. There are 2 input ports for external devices, I haven’t used them yet since I only got it a few weeks ago, but I will soon. There is no virtual instrument in it. Either you play live instruments in separate tracks directly into its built-in microphone or plug in an external microphone or audio source like a drum machine or something. If you’re thinking of backing tracks, I get mine from here.
You mentioned, “on the road” recordings. Watch this video below, yeah, it’s awesome! Thanks for stoping by, Miche: