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Podcasters, audiophiles, collectors of cool gadgets: REJOICE!! This mixing station you see at the left is Belkin’s new TuneStudio audio platform. So what can the glorious maker of power-strips and iPod accessories bring us? Well, this new gadget is sure to help emerging podcasters and garage bands alike, as it is portable, relatively cheap for an audio mixer ($249.99), and is feature loaded with all sorts of goodies. Although it will not be available until Summer 2007, it looks to be a promising piece of tech. So what can we hope for from the TuneStudio?
OK; to the good stuff. Belkin boasts that the “Studio” is the first four-channel audio mixer that is designed to be able to record directly to the 5th Generation iPod Video, as well as acting as an external USB sound card when plugged into a PC and/or Mac. As an external sound card, the Studio can input from a PC source and output to a PC source from any of it’s connector ports, though no word if simultaneously inputting to the Studio, mixing, and recording back to the PC is possible at this stage. On the other side of the coin, the ability to record audio directly to a 5th Generation iPod Vid (sorry, no 4th or previous generations…) in 16-bit, 44 kHz quality is an interesting feature. After all, Belkin does have a pretty good history with Apple and the iPod, so don’t expect some poorly done interface either. Realistically, startup Podcasters could use the TuneStudio as a cheap, but hefty, alternative to investing in a plethora of specialized audio equipment they would not need otherwise. It’s compatibility with a PC right out of the box is also well thought-out, but in today’s world, could it even survive without that feature? It also looks like it sports some kind of compression ability right on the mixing board.
Overall, Belkin looks like it has a pretty good product on it’s hands. It’s going to be popular, especially for it’s price range and target audience. The iPod and PC market covers a wide range, but is also pretty finicky, so I’m expecting a good product here. From looking at it, the TuneStudio looks to be fairly rugged and pretty fashionable looking, so you might see someone whip one out at a concert on a Friday night. The small size and mobility are definitely a plus; while podcasters won’t take it anywhere; schools, bands, and other amateur users could easily take advantage of it’s small size (see the comparison to the iPod Video in the prior picture). The final unknown is how capable interfacing with a PC or Mac will be, which will depend on how good the included software is.
While I won’t be picking this up personally, I’m sure more than a few of you guys could find some use for Belkin’s TuneStudio, and boy, does it look pretty good. Now, if only they had it in other colors…
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