Alesis iMultiMix 8 USB mixer records directly to iPod

We've seen a number of mixers incorporating iPods around here -- from the four-track Belkin TuneStudio to DJ models from Numark and iTRAX to gimmicky toys from MusicJam and others -- but none quite as polished as the upcoming eight-track iMultiMix 8 USB from Alesis, which combines 48-volt phantom power, 100 28-bit digital effects, and four high-gain preamps into a pretty snazzy-looking mini studio. Once your get your creations down pat, they can be easily transferred to your PC through iTunes, where they'll be converted into 16-bit / 44.1kHz or 48kHz recordings. Wired's Gadget Lab tells us to expect this sometime in the fall for around $500, so aspiring super producers take note.

[Via Gadget Lab]

[Colin @ Apr 12th 2007 4:28AM]

Back in my day, mixing boards were patched through to DAT recorders. You kids today with your i-this and pod-that...real producers compensate for tape hiss by pushing the limits of 0 db! ;)

[Ian @ Apr 12th 2007 8:44AM]

What the shit good is this? You can't 'easily' get music OFF your iPod, unless this just records to the HD and not to the 'player' portion of hte iPod.

[lyndon @ Apr 12th 2007 10:53AM]

This thing looks like the device they were trying to capture in U-571

[John Laur @ Apr 12th 2007 2:26PM]

It does just basically use the iPod as a HDD. It's indeed really not a very useful device.

The Alesis MultiMix 8/12/16 Firewire versions in this same product line are much better and even less expensive. They are capable of sending audio from each channel individually, the audio channel of the mix, and the state of the mixing controls all independently to the computer for multitrack recording, etc. If you are serious about doing any mobile recording, these units are really the way to go. The USB MultiMix units of the same name do not have the same multitrack capabilities, however, and should be avoided.