Phil O'Keefe

Mackie Onyx Artist 1•2 Audio Interface and Onyx Producer 2•2 Audio / MIDI Interface Two new interfaces for you to use at home or on the go… by Phil O'Keefe Mackie has long had a major interest in the home studio market, and many of their products over the years have been designed specifically for musicians who record themselves at home. Of course today you're just as likely to want to record someplace else as you are at home, so mobility is important too. That kind of dual use flexibility was obviously on the minds of the folks who work in new product development at Mackie when they were working on their new Onyx Artist 1•2 and Onyx Producer 2•2 interfaces. While they're very similar to each other, there are some differences - let's dig in and check out the details. What You Need To Know Both the Mackie Onyx Artist 1•2 and Producer 2•2 interfaces support 24 bit recording and playback at up to 192 kHz sample rates, and work with all major DAW software applications. Both are bus powered over the USB connection, and no external power supply is provided or required. Both interfaces work with both Mac and PC computers. System requirements are Mac OS X 10.8 or later or Windows 7 or later, running on a computer with a 2.0 GHz Core 2 Duo processor (or faster) with 2 GB (or more) of RAM. You'll also need an available USB 2.0 port to plug the interface into - a USB cable is included with both models. Windows users will need to download an ASIO driver, while on the Mac both interfaces are class compliant, and no additional software driver is necessary. A card with an authorization code for Tracktion T7 is included with each interface. You'll need to download it, but it does give you a full DAW application for recording, editing and playing back audio and MIDI that you can use along with your new interface if you don't already have one. The Onyx Artist 1•2 has a somewhat misleading name. You probably think it's only has a single input, but the 1 in the product name more likely signifies its single microphone preamp - there are actually two input channels - we'll cover the specifics in a moment. The Onyx Producer 2•2 is a 2x2 audio interface, with two mic preamps instead of just one. The Onyx Artist 1•2 is physically the smaller of the two interfaces, measuring 4.5" D x 6.4" W x 2" H and weighing 1.2 pounds, while the Onyx Producer 2•2 has the same depth and height dimensions except it is an inch wider and weighs 1.4 pounds. Both interfaces are built nice and sturdy to take the occasional knocks and bumps that any mobile-capable interface is going to be subjected to, with all-metal housings. The knobs and pushbutton switches have a sure and solid feel to them too, with none of the cheap and wiggly feel that often betrays low cost audio products. All of the pushbutton switches illuminate (green) when they are depressed. Both interfaces have a green LED in the upper right hand corner of the front panel that illuminates (again, in green) when the interface is connected over USB to a host computer. There are some notable differences between the two interfaces in the input department. The Onyx Producer 2•2 has two fully-featured input channels, with Mackie Onyx Mic preamps available on each input. The Onyx Producer 2•2's inputs use combo XLR / 1/4" jacks for mic, line and instrument level input sources. Each channel has a Hi Z pushbutton to facilitate direct recording with high impedance instrument sources such as electric guitars and basses. A single Gain knob per channel allows you to set the appropriate amount of gain for the input source. There is up to 55 dB of gain available, and the Onyx preamps are generally low-noise, neutral and clean in character. A SIG OL LED that is located immediately to the right of the Gain knob illuminates in green when signal is present and turns red when the input signal is too hot, which aids in getting your input Gain levels set properly. You get this indicator on both input channels of both interfaces. The Onyx Artist 1•2 has a mic preamp on input 1, but instead of a combo XLR / 1/4" input, it has a regular XLR jack - there is no way to connect a 1/4" plug to input 1 without using an adapter of some sort. You still have a Gain control and there is a 48V Phantom Power switch, but there's no Hi Z switch. Input 2 on the Onyx Artist 1•2 is intended to handle direct recording of high impedance sources, as well as line level signals. It has a 1/4" input that accepts balanced or unbalanced line or high impedance input sources, but there is no phantom power switch and no mic input. It is possible to use both inputs simultaneously on both the Onyx Artist 1•2 and Onyx Producer 2•2 audio interfaces. The monitoring sections of the two interfaces have some differences of note too. This is where you'll find a universal 48V Phantom Power switch that applies phantom power to both inputs on the Onyx Producer 2•2. The phantom power switch takes the place of the Hi Z switch on input 1 of the Onyx Artist 1•2, as previously mentioned. Both interfaces have a large (not quite Big) silver knob for Monitor playback level control. The Onyx Producer 2•2 has a Mix knob that allows you to hear just the inputs when it's rotated fully counter-clockwise, and just the playback from the DAW when it's turned fully clockwise - by setting the knob somewhere in between the two extremes you can get just the right balance between your input signals and the DAW playback for near zero latency monitoring while recording. Instead of a knob, the Artist 1•2 has a Direct Monitor button. While even simpler to use, this gives you a preset balance between the input sources and DAW playback levels that can not be user-adjusted. Both units have a 1/4" stereo TRS headphone jack on the front panel, as well as a headphone level control. There isn't a lot on the back side of the Mackie Onyx Producer 2•2. There are a pair of 1/4" line output jacks (that will accept either balanced or unbalanced connectors), and a USB port for connecting the interface to your computer. You also get a pair of 5-pin MIDI ports on the Producer 2•2 for MIDI input and output. A corresponding LED on the front panel next to the Monitor knob illuminates when MIDI signals are received or transmitted by the Producer 2•2. The back side of the Artist 1•2 is even simpler, with just the USB port and two line output jacks that can accept either unbalanced TS or balanced TRS 1/4" plugs. Limitations There is no MIDI interface on the Artist 1•2 interface - it's audio-only. The gain knobs, as well as the headphone knob, seem to jump up a bit more in the last bit of their travel than you might be expecting. If you're having to max them out (or are coming close to it), they can be a bit tricky to adjust. The Direct Monitor pushbutton does provide zero latency direct input monitoring on the Onyx Artist 1•2, but without the Mix knob that the Producer 2•2 has, you're stuck with the pre-set ratio of input source to DAW playback level that Mackie provides, which isn't nearly as flexible as being able to set the mix to suit your own preferences. Conclusions Mackie has come up with another nice pair of musician-friendly audio products that I'm sure many people will enjoy using in the form of their new Onyx Artist 1•2 and Onyx Producer 2•2 interfaces. Both of these units are ruggedly built and have equally solid playback audio sound quality whether you're using the line outputs or monitoring with headphones, and their Mackie Onyx preamps are capable of giving you clean, quiet and professional-quality recordings too. Either would make a good recording interface for the home studio, and since they're bus powered, I suspect many will be used for mobile recording purposes too. While the Mackie Onyx Producer 2•2 is a touch wider and a little heavier (and a bit more expensive), what you get in exchange makes the trade-off more than worth it in my opinion. While the Direct Monitor button on the Artist 1•2 works okay, having the flexibility of setting your own ratio of direct signal vs. DAW playback is far preferable. I've always held the opinion that the more comfortable musicians are with what they're hearing in their headphones, the better, since it will have a direct bearing on the quality of their performances, and thus the tracks you get from them - and that includes yourself when you're working alone. Of course the Producer 2•2 also has the second mic preamp, which opens up all the possibilities the world of true stereo recording has to offer. And if you're into MIDI, its built-in MIDI interface has obvious benefits too. Given the added functionality and features, I think paying a bit extra for the Producer 2•2 makes a lot of sense, but if you are recording narration for books on tape and only need the single input, getting the Artist 1•2 will save you some money and still give you the same high quality sound. -HC- Have questions or comments about this review? Want to share your experiences with one of these interfaces? Then head over to this thread in the Studio Trenches forum right here on Harmony Central and join in the discussion! Resources Mackie Onyx Artist 1•2 USB audio interface ($139.99 MSRP, $99.99 "street") and Onyx Producer 2•2 ($209.99 MSRP, $149.99 "street") audio and MIDI interface. Mackie's Onyx Artist 1•2 And Onyx Producer 2•2 product web page You can purchase the Mackie Onyx Artist 1•2 and Onyx Producer 2•2 audio interfaces from: B&H Photo Onyx Artist 1•2 Onyx Producer 2•2 Guitar Center Onyx Artist 1•2 Onyx Producer 2•2 __________________________________________________ Phil O'Keefe is a multi-instrumentalist, recording engineer / producer and the Senior Editor of Harmony Central. He has engineered, produced and performed on countless recording sessions in a diverse range of styles, with artists such as Alien Ant Farm, Jules Day, Voodoo Glow Skulls, John McGill, Michael Knott and Alexa's Wish. He is a former featured monthly columnist for EQ magazine, and his articles and product reviews have also appeared in Keyboard, Electronic Musician and Guitar Player magazines.

Most people agree that an educated populace benefits society—where they disagree is on what “education” means. With ever-tightening budgets, some make a case that music education in schools isn’t as important as math, science, and language skills. But it’s hard to make that case once you realize that the benefits of music education are beyond dispute. Kids who play music tend to score better on tests in a variety of areas—not just music. Graduation levels are higher for kids who study music, as are test scores for reading and spelling. Even attendance is better at schools with music programs. It’s easy to pay lip service to music education, like the states that guarantee music education programs—but never fund them. And while the stats for schools offering music programs look good superficially, dig deeper and you’ll find that all is not well. Having a music program doesn’t just mean checking off a box that says “music program.” We need excellent music programs. Musical tastes change from generation to generation, and while it’s important to teach music history and fundamentals, I suspect that the number of children who want to take music classes (which are often elective courses in high school) would increase if they were exposed to music education in grade school, and offered programs that gave more attention to contemporary musical styles. Furthermore, it's also time we reconsidered the methods and tools used for musical instruction, and provided our instructors with better tools based on their input—as well as serious research studies—of how they can perform their jobs more effectively. Computers are ubiquitous today, as is modern recording technology. Courses that taught how to use basic recording programs could also focus on music theory and how to read music notation. Much of that would be computer-assisted, thus teaching students about computers as well. As to funding, we're starting to see a sharp decline in high school football programs, due in large part to increasing concerns over the long-term negative effects of head trauma injuries. Let’s allocate the funds used for football programs and marching bands to more general music education—problem solved. As a product of the public school system, my first exposure to playing music came through music classes. I was extremely fortunate to have a series of excellent band directors, who helped stoke my innate love for music. Music became my life, and still is. Of course, not everyone who takes music classes will end up becoming a musician or recording engineer—but the evidence is compelling that they’ll become better at whatever they become...and that will benefit all of us. -HC- What do you think? Do you have ideas about how musical education can be reimagined and improved for the 21st century? I'd love to hear what your thoughts are on the subject, so please drop into this thread right here on Harmony Central and tell us what you think. __________________________________________________ Phil O'Keefe is a multi-instrumentalist, recording engineer / producer and the Senior Editor of Harmony Central. He has engineered, produced and performed on countless recording sessions in a diverse range of styles, with artists such as Alien Ant Farm, Jules Day, Voodoo Glow Skulls, John McGill, Michael Knott and Alexa's Wish. He is a former featured monthly columnist for EQ magazine, and his articles and product reviews have also appeared in Keyboard, Electronic Musician and Guitar Player magazines.

Fender American Professional Jazzmaster An American original returns in updated form by Phil O'Keefe The Fender Jazzmaster has a long and somewhat storied history. This model, which was the top-of-the-line Fender when it was introduced in 1958, was designed by Leo Fender as an instrument for Jazz guitarists, but it never made many inroads there. Instead, it saw initial popularity with Surf musicians, and later still (after it was discontinued in 1980) it became a popular choice among New Wave and Alternative players. While it's been in and out of the lineup in various guises since then (including everything from vintage reissues to Custom Shop creations to affordable Squier versions), it hasn't returned as a part of Fender's American-built "standard" lineup - until now. That's right, the American Jazzmaster is back as part of Fender's revamped American Professional Series. Let's see what Fender has changed - and what the've retained. What You Need To Know Outside of Custom Shop versions, vintage reissues and signature models, standard production American-built Jazzmasters have been out of the Fender lineup since 1980; which coincidentally was just as they were about to see a resurgence in visibility and popularity due to their use by New Wave (Elvis Costello, Ric Ocasek) and Alternative (Kevin Shields, J Mascis, Thurston Moore, Lee Renaldo, Nels Cline) musicians in the 1980s and 1990s. The Fender American Professional Jazzmaster retains many of the classic design elements of the originals, but has several changes and updates too. The alder body has the same "offset waist" design that the original Jazzmaster launched with back in 1958, with the waist of the guitar being closer to the neck on the bass side, and set back more on the treble side of the body. This helps to make it a very comfortable guitar to play while seated. Playing comfort is made even better with the inclusion of the classic forearm and tummy body contours on the front and back of the body, respectively. The body comes in your choice of four colors - Sonic Gray, Three Color Sunburst, Olympic White or Mystic Seafoam, which is the color of the guitar I was sent for review. I'm a longtime fan of Fender's vintage seafoam green color, and this new color is similar, but a bit different. It's a metallic color, so it has some sparkle to it, and it's a bit brighter and even flashier-looking than regular seafoam. It's a beautiful color that I like quite a bit. With the exception of the Olympic White model (which has a black pickguard) all models come with a mint or parchment shaded pickguard / scratch plate. The American Professional Jazzmaster sticks with the 25.5" scale length of the original Jazzmasters. The neck is maple, and is finished in a satin urethane on the back and gloss urethane on the front, which I think is kind of a "best of both worlds" approach - it looks nice and glossy from the front, but feels much smoother on the back, improving the playing feel. The neck width is 1.685" at the nut. There are 22 Narrow Tall frets which are well-polished and seated. There are no distracting sharp edges to annoy you. The body end of the fingerboard has a small "overhang" to make room for the extra fret - vintage Jazzmasters have only 21. The neck pocket is nice and tight on both sides, without any significant gaps. The entire guitar was set up well out of the case, requiring only minor tuning adjustments.The neck has what Fender calls a Modern "Deep C" profile. It's a bit meatier in the shoulders, and a bit thicker from front to back than some of their previous models. It's not likely to be your favorite neck if you have small hands (like me), but those with regular-sized mitts should find it plenty comfortable. Neck thickness is 0.860" at the first fret according to my digital calipers. The maple fingerboard has a 9.5" radius. Flatter than the original's 7.25" radius, it makes note bends much easier on the newer models, with less risk of fretting out. Black dots on the fingerboard as well as on the side of the neck help you keep track of where you're at as you're playing. The headstock is adorned with a fairly traditional looking Jazzmaster decal. A single string tree helps keep the high E and B strings in place. The American Professional Jazzmaster comes equipped with a bone nut. On the back side of the headstock you'll find a set of Fender's Standard Cast / Sealed staggered tuning machines. These are as smooth and reliable as the last time I used them - they're very good machines with a 14:1 gear ratio. The neck is equipped with a Bi-Flex (™) truss rod with a 1/8" American Series nut, which can be adjusted at the headstock, making it much easier to do than when the adjustment is located at the other end. The truss rod is installed from the back of the neck, so there's a "skunk stripe" on the back. The neck attaches with four bolts, and the plate is marked in a manner that leaves no doubt that this guitar originated in Corona California. Fender also included a Micro-Tilt adjustment, which means there's no need for neck shims, so setups are greatly simplified. There have been some changes made to the electronics. For starters, the upper-horn "rhythm circuit" switch and flush mounted wheel-style secondary volume and tone controls have all been eliminated, making it a simpler and more straightforward guitar to use. You still get the standard master volume and tone controls, and they're still located in the traditional positions. These use high-quality 500k CTS pots and and come equipped with cool looking white "witch hat" knobs. A treble bleed circuit has been added to the volume control, which helps prevent the tone from changing and darkening as you turn down the knob. The two single coil Jazzmaster pickups have been redesigned by Fender engineer Michael Frank. Fender calls them V-Mod Jazzmaster pickups. They're a bit overwound and hotter than your typical vintage Jazzmaster, with a slightly fuller tone that beats any vintage Jazzmaster that I've ever heard. But just because they're overwound don't be mistaken - they don't sound "dark" at all. In fact, they're plenty bright, with a poppy sounding attack that really stands out in a busy mix. The three-way toggle switch for pickup selection is still here, but it's been relocated to the upper horn where the rhythm circuit would normally be found on a vintage Jazzmaster. I really like this placement, and I found I was much less likely to accidentally hit it in the new location. There are some notable differences in the hardware department too. The Fender-branded floating "tremolo" (vibrato) has the traditional locking mechanism, but the tremolo arm now screws in like a Strat's, which I personally prefer. Fans of playing behind the bridge will be happy to note that the vibrato plate is in the traditional position, and hasn't been moved forward like it is on the Classic Player Jazzmaster. The original threaded bridge saddles have always been one of the weaker areas of the original Jazzmaster design, and one that Fender has thankfully addressed with the new American Professional Jazzmaster. Instead of saddles with two individually adjustable allen screws (which can tend to vibrate out of position, leading to unwanted buzzing and rattles) Fender is using Mustang-style saddles. These are rattle-free and result in much better sustain, and because their string slots are deeper and better defined, they also keep the strings in place much better, without the tendency for them to "pop out of place" like they sometimes do when you play a vintage Jazzmaster with a bit too much enthusiasm. Fender includes a really nice form-fitting heavy-duty molded case with the American Professional Jazzmaster. Limitations The rosewood fingerboard option is more expensive, adding about $50 to the guitar's price tag. Furthermore, it doesn't appear to be an option that's available with all the available colors - currently it's the only choice available on the Sunburst and Sonic Gray colors, with maple boards being exclusive to the other two colors. Rosewood has always been the more commonly used fingerboard wood on Jazzmasters, with maple being much rarer, so it's good to see maple being offered for a change. Those who like to use the original Jazzmaster's extra "rhythm circuit" controls (which were mounted on the the pickguard in the upper horn) will no doubt be disappointed to see them gone, but to be fair, they make using the guitar a bit more complicated, and many players never bother to use them. Players with smaller-than-average hands may find the new neck profile uncomfortable and fatiguing to play for long periods of time. Conclusions In a lot of ways Fender has refined the traditional Jazzmaster and made it more appealing to modern players. The new fingerboard radius, along with the taller frets, certainly make it a much easier guitar to solo and bend strings on, and most of the types of mods that many players feel are necessary on earlier Jazzmasters have already been done for you. The Mustang-style saddles alone make the guitar much more playable and stable - Jazzmaster players won't have to keep a bottle of blue Loctite around anymore to prevent rattles, and any worries about the strings getting knocked out of place are gone now too. The new V-Mod pickups are the best-sounding stock pickups of any Jazzmaster to date. Unlike some of the pickups found in Jazzmasters manufactured overseas (which are really Strat pickups hidden in Jazzmaster housings), they're "real" Jazzmaster pickups, only better. I'm sure Fender will get a lot of kudos for them - I can imagine there will be many players who will want to install a set in their older Jazzmasters. Some players may take issue with some of Fender's decisions here or there - traditionalists will lament the loss of the rhythm circuit controls and some players may even dislike the flatter fretboard radius or taller frets. Some players with smaller hands will probably not dig the larger profile of the Deep C neck either, but I suspect the majority of players will see most of these changes as improvements and not flaws. Ultimately though, the only way to know if this guitar is right for you is to visit a Fender dealer and give one a try. The new American Professional Jazzmaster is probably the most stable and solid-feeling Jazzmaster yet, and with the new pickups, it sounds great too. It's definitely a guitar that will appeal to a lot of today's players. It's great to see Fender bringing such a classic guitar back to their American Professional lineup in such improved form. -HC- Have questions about the Fender American Professional Jazzmaster, or comments about the review? Then check out this thread in the Electric Guitar Forum and join the discussion! Resources Fender American Professional Jazzmaster ($1,499.00 MSRP / "street", $1,549.99 MSRP / "street" for the rosewood fingerboard-equipped version) Fender's product web page You can purchase the Fender American Professional Jazzmaster from: Maple Fingerboard version: Sweetwater Guitar Center Musician's Friend Rosewood fingerboard version: Sweetwater Guitar Center Musician's Friend __________________________________________________ Phil O'Keefe is a multi-instrumentalist, recording engineer / producer and the Senior Editor of Harmony Central. He has engineered, produced and performed on countless recording sessions in a diverse range of styles, with artists such as Alien Ant Farm, Jules Day, Voodoo Glow Skulls, John McGill, Michael Knott and Alexa's Wish. He is a former featured monthly columnist for EQ magazine, and his articles and product reviews have also appeared in Keyboard, Electronic Musician and Guitar Player magazines.

Korg plugKEY Is this the iOS MIDI / audio interface for you? by Phil O'Keefe Own a fairly recent iPad or iPhone? Apple's various iOS devices have been overwhelmingly well-received by musicians, and with the wide range of useful music-oriented apps that are available, why wouldn't they be? But they're far from perfect; many of the features you'll find on Apple's mobile devices are less than ideal from a musician's perspective, and some important features are missing entirely. Some of those areas have to do with the very limited I/O that iOS devices have built-in; you get a mini stereo headphone output, a Lightning input port, and basically that's it. But Korg has a solution, and it's something that many iOS device-owning musicians will be interested in - the Korg plugKEY. What You Need To Know The Korg plugKEY is a small (2.91" W x 2.36" D x 0.91" H) mobile MIDI / audio interface designed specifically for iOS devices running iOS 8 or later, and that include a Lightning port.It's "Made for iPhone / iPad" certified by Apple, so compatibility is assured - at least until the next time Apple changes their ports. The review sample that I was sent for testing has a white housing, while other examples I've seen online have a black one. Korg uses a -BK or -WH product name suffix to indicate the housing color, but I've yet to see a dealer who offered you a choice. A blue LED on the rear corner of the unit illuminates when it's connected to a iOS device. While small and light in overall weight (a mere 2.43 ounces), the plastic housing of the plugKEY seems sturdy enough - no doubt aided by its compact dimensions, thick plastic, and rectangular "brick" shape. The MIDI interface section of the plugKEY consists of a single 5-pin DIN MIDI input jack. This is perfect for getting MIDI information into your iOS device from your controller, sequencer or DAW's audio / MIDI interface - as long as your controller, interface or sequencer has a 5-pin MIDI output. It doesn't just work with MIDI note on/off commands. MIDI CC data for functions like your controller's pitch and mod wheels, sustain footswitch, foot pedal, and the like are transmitted to the iOS device too. This allows much greater expressive control than what's available from your iOS app's built-in virtual keyboard. The audio interface supports both 16- and 24-bit operation at 44.1 kHz and 48 kHz. The two audio sections of the plugKEY are on opposite ends of the device. Next to the MIDI input jack you'll find a 1/8" stereo headphone output jack and associated volume control. On the opposite side of the unit (next to the permanently attached one foot long Lightning cable) is a pair of unbalanced 1/4" output jacks, which are labeled L (mono) / R on the underside of the unit. In fact, everything is labeled on the underside. While not really terribly necessary since there are so few ports and controls, it is convenient that they're labeled - although the labels would be somewhat more useful if they were on the top surface instead of the bottom. While the plugKEY can be bus-powered (drawing its power from the connected iOS device), it does have another trick up its sleeve, courtesy of the micro-B USB port on the right side of the unit: the ability to charge your iOS device while you're using it. You'll need to supply a suitable micro-B USB cable and 5V USB AC power brick (or a USB power bank like the one I discuss in my article on Using Bus-Powered Hardware MIDI Controllers with iPad Apps) and connect them to the plugKEY, but once you do, the connected iOS device will start charging. Limitations There is no USB MIDI support. This means you'll need a MIDI controller with a 5-pin MIDI output jack, and while most MIDI keyboard synths still have these kinds of ports and can function fine as a controller, MIDI controllers with 5-pin DIN jacks are becoming more and more scarce. With most of the currently available low-cost controllers sporting only USB MIDI output jacks, you may have to scramble a bit to find a compatible controller or USB-to-5-pin adapter. There's no audio input on the plugKEY, which means the plugKEY isn't a good interface for audio recording. There is no MIDI output jack either. Since iOS devices have various ways that they can store and save data this isn't a terribly bothersome omission, although a MIDI output would still come in handy for sync and other MIDI applications. Conclusions The plugKEY is an interesting little box that provides a lot of added capabilities to your Lightning port-equipped iOS device. It gives your iOS device a MIDI input, as well as a more robust set of 1/4" line output jacks. And while the internal speaker is disabled when the plugKEY connects to your iOS device, that's usually what you want when you're using line outputs anyway. You can still monitor directly using the onboard 1/8" stereo headphone output jack on the plugKEY, although the level of that output is tied directly to the built-in volume knob. This also controls the output level of the line output jacks, so their levels can not be adjusted separately. The Korg plugKEY weighs practically nothing, is easy to take with you, and seems more than rugged enough to survive numerous journeys. Best of all, it's quiet - there's no appreciable hiss or noise from the 1/4" outputs to annoy you or add unwanted grunge to your recordings or performances. Even the headphone output is fairly quiet, and both the line and headphone outs have plenty of level. I think a wide range of users will appreciate what the Korg plugKEY has to offer. It's useful for iPhone 7 owners who want to continue to use the headphones they already own that have a 1/8" (3.5mm) stereo plug, and it's excellent for those who want to use an iOS device running a virtual instrument in a recording studio or live performance situation because the 5-pin MIDI input is compatible with anything that sports a regular 5 pin DIN MIDI output jack. Unfortunately it seems that today's inexpensive controllers often don't have such jacks, and since there's no USB MIDI input on the plugKEY (the micro-B USB port works only for powering and charging the connected iOS device), you can't use it with MIDI controllers that only have USB outputs. The lack of audio inputs also means you can't use the plugKEY for audio recording. For use with a computer or controller that has an old-school 5 pin MIDI output it works great, but I can't help but hope that Korg has a next-generation model in the works with added 1/4" line inputs, 5 pin MIDI Out and USB MIDI. It would have to be a bit larger to accommodate the extra jacks and ports, but I'm sure many players would consider it a worthwhile tradeoff. Such a unit would quite possibly be the ultimate mobile iOS audio / MIDI interface. As it stands, the plugKEY is simply a very useful one. -HC- Have questions about the review or want to talk about the Korg plugKEY? Then come on over to the Keys, Synths and Samplers forum and join the discussion! Resources Korg plugKEY MIDI / audio interface for iOS with Lightning Connector ($130 MSRP, $99 "street") Korg's product web page You can purchase the Korg plugKEY MIDI / audio interface from: Sweetwater Guitar Center B&H Photo Video Musician's Friend __________________________________________________ Phil O'Keefe is a multi-instrumentalist, recording engineer / producer and the Senior Editor of Harmony Central. He has engineered, produced and performed on countless recording sessions in a diverse range of styles, with artists such as Alien Ant Farm, Jules Day, Voodoo Glow Skulls, John McGill, Michael Knott and Alexa's Wish. He is a former featured monthly columnist for EQ magazine, and his articles and product reviews have also appeared in Keyboard, Electronic Musician and Guitar Player magazines.