It was with a healthy dose of skepticism that I approached the Spire Studio from iZotope ($349), a portable recording system that has a built-in microphone and works wirelessly with an app to allow up to eight tracks of mixing.
It looks a little like a toy, but is actually a well-thought-out app-and-hardware solution that makes it easy to quickly record and mix up to eight tracks of audio.
It only has one internal omnidirectional mic, which isn't bad for quickly capturing demos, but to really get the most out of the Spire, you need to plug your own gear into its inputs.
And that requires mics, instruments, and cables.
If you have all of these things and don't have a recording setup yet, the Spire might be just the relatively simple answer you're looking for.
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Design
Perhaps my initial skepticism was inspired by the Spire's somewhat simple-looking design.
The top panel is a dial of LEDs that display levels in comically large relief.
When powered up, these become (at times) capacitive touch buttons.
There are massive Record and Play buttons in the center, and smaller buttons for New Song, Soundcheck, and Volume.
The Volume button operation isn't obvious at first—pressing it enables the dial of LEDs that ring the top panel to function as capacitive touch buttons, which you can then use to adjust volume.
It's really more of a volume control activator.
Near these, at the top of the front side panel, there's a metallic grille that protects the internal mic.
Below this is a diamond-shaped design flourish that I first assumed was a button.
The Spire's internal mic is omnidirectional—it records in a circular pattern, picking up audio from every angle.
For those of you with XLR mics, there are also two XLR/TS inputs on the rear panel, both of which can receive 48 volts of phantom power should your mic require it.
These inputs double as quarter-inch jacks for recording line-in signal from a keyboard or guitar or pedal.
Connecting a mic or instrument to input one automatically disables the internal mic—however, using input two doesn't.
Regardless, two inputs at a time is the best the Spire can do—there's no using both inputs and the internal mic at once.
The internal mic pres are from Grace Designs.
So the Spire can tackle a quick one-off demo with several musicians sitting around it, or you can get a little more pro by using your own mic(s) to record channel by channel.
There are two 3.5mm headphone jacks, one on either side, for dual monitoring.
The back panel also houses the power button and AC adapter connection.
Because it's chunky and does quite a bit, it's no surprise that the Spire's battery life is not that impressive—it's rated at four hours, but your results will likely vary.
The free Spire app (iOS only) allows for wireless communication between the Spire and your phone or tablet.
It's easy to set up, and the app immediately checks for updates, which is also a fairly quick and seamless process.
Once your app is updated to the latest version, the Spire restarts.
You'll then connect the Spire to the app's own Wi-Fi network, which means you can't use your own Wi-Fi network when using the Spire with the app—your phone will default to its cellular service.
The Spire can store up to six hours of recording time, and each project can have up to eight tracks.
The Spire records at 24-bit/48kHz.
It's compatible with 64-bit iOS devices running OS 10.0 or higher.
Performance
Recording with the app as your controller, it's very easy to get a track's level (thanks to the Sound Check button) and lay something down quickly.
A gain knob, however, would seem a little more useful and grown-up.
Adding a new track to play along with the previously recorded track is also simple, and you can put together eight tracks of audio rather quickly.
The app will also provide a click track during recording if you wish—setting the tempo and time signature is simple.
You can keep the click playing during mixdown, or mute it—obviously, it doesn't get recorded.
You can also enable looping for recording multiple passes.
Once you're ready to mix, the app does away with the traditional fader/mixer/console screen and simply places each track—represented by a circle with a number in it—on a sort of matrix.
Moving it left to right changes its left/right panning position; Moving it up or down changes its levels.
Pressing on the numbered icon will solo that track so you can hear isolated audio.
Off to the side of the interface, you can opt for stereo or mono, and you can also mute the currently selected track.
When you're ready to export a track, the Spire will send the final mix to you as a text or email attachment.
You can also export the project itself, with all its tracks (a larger file than a simple mixdown), or even individual tracks.
When you no longer need your project, erasing it is as easy as swiping to the left in your app's library, and it's gone.
Sonically speaking, the omnidirectional microphone is decent, but you're likely to get higher-quality recordings using XLR mics and plugging into the inputs.
Of course, that will depend on the quality of your XLR mic, but if you have a decent cardioid-pattern model, for starters, it'll be easier to close-mic vocals or instruments.
The onboard omni mic is more of a catch-all tool and is harder to sing or speak directly into.
It's certainly an improvement over simply recording with your phone's built-in mic—it's far more crisp and detailed.
But the mic isn't necessarily the system's greatest strength.
Used with good mics, however, the Spire can easily become a high-quality mobile recording and mixing station.
Conclusions
With the ability to record, mix, and send files on the app itself, the Spire is the iPhone-era answer to the portable eight-track recorders of previous decades.
And like those, it's more of a learning tool or a quick-capture device for song ideas than it is a premium recording platform—but there's no reason someone with a good ear and attention to detail couldn't use it to record a masterpiece.
If you already have experience with recording apps, you might find little need for something like the Spire.
But if you're just getting started with recording, it's a fairly useful all-in-one setup that you can improve upon by purchasing XLR mics to use with it.
Again, quality mics can range from $80 to thousands of dollars, so we're not suggesting buying a $20 XLR is going to make your recordings sound professional.
However, the Spire app does present you with the basic options many recording musicians need: the ability to record quickly without a lot of setup, as well as on the go.
Ultimately, the Spire seems most suited to the young musician who wants to learn more about multitracking and doesn't have, say, a computer to record on.
All you need here is a phone and headphones.
Normally we mention similar products in our reviews for comparison, but we haven't reviewed many systems like the Spire.
An obvious alternative to this, however, would be a USB mic that can also record directly to an iOS device via Lightning port—the Blue Raspberry, the Shure MV5, and the Shure MV51 are three solid examples, and the Shure mics use a decent iOS app that allows for control of EQ and compression.
Pros
The Bottom Line
The iZotope Spire Studio is a portable recording system that connects to your iOS device to allow you to record and mix multitrack music wherever you go.
