From Ferrari super cars to the finest balsamic vinegar in the world, many wonderful things have come out of Modena, Italy, but none have shaped the modern music world as much as IK Multimedia. It began in 1996, when Enrico Iori and Davide Barbi began exploring the potential of using DSP to emulate analog circuitry so that the emerging DSP-recording market could benefit from the sound of classic studio hardware. Their experiments with modeling a vintage Abbey Road console proved successful, and the result was the formation of IK Multimedia.
Sweetwater has fantastic relationships with many companies, and virtually all of them have their mottoes. What makes IK Multimedia's "Musicians First" motto so special is that it has a distinct double meaning. For one thing, IK Multimedia prioritizes the needs of musicians. That means their products are extremely accessible, both in that they're remarkably affordable and that they're easy to use. For another thing, it means that the developers and staff at IK Multimedia are serious musicians, so they only make products that they themselves would use. From the simplest stand to the most extensive software, every IK Multimedia product reflects this amazing philosophy.
Within their first five years of operation, IK Multimedia established two important aspects of their business model, which became the cornerstones of their Musicians First philosophy. Instead of focusing on a single specialty, they decided to cover multiple major fields, including electronic music production, plug-in processing, virtual instruments, and guitar effects. In the decades to come, this diversity, which began with titles including T-RackS, SampleTank, and AmpliTube, only grew and further diversified. The other trend they set was to keep their prices down, making the products that were instantly popular among professionals available to beginners and hobbyists too.
IK Multimedia's roots are in music software, and from Iori and Barbi's fateful experiment modeling a vintage Abbey Road console to the present, it's remained an essential part of their DNA. The immediate benefactor of their console modeling is T-Racks, which set (and continually raised) the standard for high-end plug-in processing. From the late '90s on, many DAW-based recordings owe their polished sound to this suite of mastering-grade virtual processors.
Similarly, AmpliTube solidified the concept of modeling an entire guitar rig. It began as a favorite tool for studio-style re-amping, but throughout its many iterations, AmpliTube has become a staple for both recording and performing guitarists. Themed expansions to the original gear models, including the Jimi Hendrix, Fender, and Slash editions, have further rendered AmpliTube a go-to option for committed tone seekers.
On the synth side, IK Multimedia's SampleTank established the idea of the sampling workstation virtual instrument, which was immediately adopted by composers and musicians around the world. Now in its third edition, SampleTank includes thousands of instruments across more than 30GB of content, making it one of the most extensive and affordable sample-based soft synths on the planet. Not only does it offer an excellent breadth of sounds for all types of music, but it also provides an extremely deep level of sound design options. IK Multimedia's more recent advancements in the electronic music world include the comprehensive modeling virtual instrument Syntronik and their groundbreaking Uno analog synthesizer.
One area of music production IK Multimedia absolutely dominates is Apple's iOS mobile platform. Beginning with the AmpliTube app and the original iRig, guitarists everywhere abandoned their standalone personal practice gadgets and started using their iPhones and iPads. As the line expanded with many new apps, plus microphones, controllers, recording interfaces, and more, iOS went from an amusing practice solution to a full-blown, viable music production platform. More recent products have even brought the line to Android. Today, largely thanks to the advancements made by IK Multimedia, artists and engineers everywhere make music on their mobile devices.
While much of IK Multimedia's hardware was designed with iOS in mind, it's equally popular in studios of all kinds and particularly popular with mobile music producers. For instance, Daniel Jones (pictured), the musical director for Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake, uses several IK Multimedia products whenever he goes on the road. These products range from iRig KEYS portable keyboards to iLoud Micro Monitor mini reference speakers. And no overview of IK Multimedia's contributions to studio music production would be complete without mentioning ARC, a room correction system that's saved countless small studios from the effects of poor acoustics. Many of us here at Sweetwater rely on ARC, and it's just one more reason we swear by IK Multimedia products.
