GEAR REVIEW
A
s famous as Focusrite is for its
studio-grade preamps (these are the
inputs and boxes you typically plug
microphones or electric instruments into),
it’s now bringing that quality to consumer-
priced recording gear. The iTrack One Pre is
an incredibly easy-to-use digital interface
that allows anyone to record music onto
an iPad or iPhone, and capture audio up to
96kHz and 24-bit, substantially higher than
standard audio CDs. Let’s test it out.
As guitar and studio rigs continue to shrink
in the 21st century, the iTrack One Pre is
simply what the name says—a 2x2x2-inch
cube that has a single Focusrite preamp in it.
Don’t scoff at its diminutive size, however;
the One Pre has a lot of horsepower
under the hood. First of all, its controls
are elegantly simple. To hook the cube to
your device, plug the Apple Lightning-to-
USB cable that comes with the unit to your
iPad or iPhone. For audio output, listen to
your tracks via the headphone jack on your
Apple devices, or use the same jack to take
the sound to studio monitors or even an
amplifier.
There’s a combo Input jack that will
accommodate either a 1/4-inch guitar or