IK Multimedia AXE I/O USB Guitar Audio Interface

AXE I O

High end sound meets
best in class guitar tone

Premium audio interface with advanced guitar tone shaping

The audio interface guitar players
were waiting for
Since we pioneered guitar amp and effects modeling in 2002, IK Multimedia has spent more time studying guitar and amp recording than possibly anyone else on the planet. Modeling over 400 pieces of gear has required tens of thousands of hours painstakingly measuring the interactions between instruments, pickups and amplifier circuits, not to mention the cooperation of the worlds most iconic guitar players, amplifier manufacturers, and engineers to learn how to create and capture great guitar tones.

AXE I O brings all that experience to you.

AXE I O offers an exclusive triple topology fully discrete input circuit, with both PURE and JFET input stages, to go from transparent to tube like with just a single switch.

Its patent pending Z TONE impedance adapting circuit interacts with your guitars pickups to give you a massive range of tonal flexibility you have never heard before.

AXE I O also includes a dedicated Amp Out, so you can create the perfect Tone Models of your amps and pedals using TONEX for Mac PC. Or process your recorded tracks using real guitar amps and stomps without the need for external accessories and without having to unplug your gear. This low noise output also eliminates ground loops during amplification and Tone Modeling to keep your high gain amps as quiet as possible.

AmpliTube TONEX

• AXE I O now ships with TONEX SE
• Model the sound of any amp, cabinet, combo or pedal, and turn it into a plug in to use on both Mac PC or iPhone and iPad for the ultimate tone experience. Explore ToneNET and IKs new TONEX Signature and Tone Partner Collections and discover gear you have always wanted to own.

TONEXMAX plus AXE I O plus AmpliTube 5 MAX

AXE I O plus AmpliTube 5 MAX plus TONEX MAX Bundle

A truly high end audio interface for everybody
117 dB dynamic range 3 Hz 32 kHz frequency response these are not the specs you typically find on instrument inputs. But they are essential to capturing the most accurate details of your performance, for coaxing the best performance from your instrument, and for keeping your sound pure and transparent.

AXE I O provides 2 Hi Z front 1 4 inch inputs for guitars and basses, 2 rear combo inputs with phantom power to connect mics and line instruments, and clear precision front peak meters to conveniently monitor the signal level at the channels input. Two floating balanced outputs, two unbalanced and one floating unbalanced Amp out plus a high current headphone out let you connect monitors, mains and headphones, with independent volume for both. A Monitor knob makes it easy to blend direct monitoring and the audio from your computer for zero latency monitoring.

24 bit 192 kHz conversion and an ultra stable low jitter internal clock ensures the highest fidelity, whether you are capturing vocals, acoustic instruments, amplified guitar or just direct signal for use with AmpliTube.

But that is just scratching the surface.

Your guitars golden channel
AXE I Os main channel offers 3 different circuit topologies that means you have 3 different options to adapt to any type of guitar, pickup and style so you can always dial in the perfect tone from any instrument.

PURE

A completely transparent and ultra accurate instrument preamp that will not color your sound in any way.

JFET

A Class A JFET input buffer to add subtle harmonic enhancement. A slight midrange focus adds warmth, giving you more tonal options from the same instrument.

ACTIVE

Bypasses unnecessary gain stages when using active pickups to keep your signal path as direct transparent and clean as possible.

All three stages offer 117 dB dynamic range to ensure the cleanest signal. And the 3 Hz 32 kHz frequency response preserves the full sonic impact of your instrument. Unlike the 20 Hz bass response in budget interfaces, AXE I O captures the full impact of even the deepest bass and will not artificially cut off sounds above 20 kHz.

Tone and feel like you have never heard
Guitar pickups can dramatically change their character depending on the impedance of your preamp. Many guitar amps offer a load of 1 MOhms, while pedals can run much lower. That is why the tone and responsiveness of your guitar can change so much when plugging into different gear.

AXE I Os patent pending Z TONE circuit lets you dial in impedance from 1 MOhm sharp down to 2.2 kOhms bold that interacts with your pickups.

At the maximum impedance you will find your sound tighter sharper and more precise. Increase the load and the sound becomes more thick and bold.

You will quickly find yourself using this to give your guitars even more sonic character with just a few minutes experimentation you can dial in a sound that fits the mix beautifully as if it has been EQd.

PURE mic preamps for transparent recording
When it comes to recording with microphones AXE I O offers two PURE mic preamps designed for transparent and clean recording.

These mic pres offer a wide flat frequency response 5 Hz to 32 kHz plus minus 0.5 dB at 96 kHz to avoid unwanted coloration and perfectly preserve the sonic character of your acoustic guitar piano or other instrument and maintain the signature of whichever mics you connect.

They offer 116 dB of dynamic range for ultra quiet sound perfect for recording even the most delicate instruments but make it easy to also pull back and record the loudest amp stack.

Tone Modeling and reamplification made easy
AXE I O also includes a dedicated Amp Out so you can create the perfect Tone Models of your amps and pedals using TONEX for Mac PC. Or process your recorded tracks using real guitar amps and stomps without the need for external accessories and without having to unplug your gear. This low noise output also eliminates ground loops during amplification and Tone Modeling to keep your high gain amps as quiet as possible.

It is simple connect the Amp Out to your amp then mic it up using AXE I O microphone preamp. Now you can create a perfect Tone Model using TONEX for Mac PC. Capture a clean copy of your signal while recording and feed it back to your amp afterwards to experiment with different amp stompbox and microphone settings without re recording countless takes.

AXE I O offers a simple streamlined reamplification setup in a single box to save you time money and energy and open up unlimited sonic flexibility for all your guitar recordings.

Seamless AmpliTube integration and more
For those who prefer in the box modeling AXE I O also offers a range of useful features.

First a Preset knob lets you quickly and easily scroll through AmpliTube presets. Just push the knob to select and load one. You can find the perfect preset without ever having to grab a mouse. And if you use any other software the Preset knob can be freely assigned to any CC so you can have direct control of your preferred virtual rig.

Second two dedicated controller inputs let you connect up to two expression pedals or two single double switches to control AmpliTube or any other software in real time while playing. With AmpliTubes MIDI Learn function just right click on any parameter you want to control move the pedal and it is assigned. You can do up to 6 different controller configurations with AXE I O mixing pedals and switches to suit your needs.

You can also use AXE I Os MIDI input and output to connect floor controllers or iRig Stomp I O to add even more real time controls or use it with regular keyboards and other standard MIDI gear. There is also a dedicated tuner on the front panel making it easier to tune in between takes.

And we have worked hard to ensure AXE I O offers minimal latency giving you the tightest response and feel while tracking.

Advanced digital control and routing
AXE I O also includes a powerful convenient Control Panel application to manage inputs and outputs assign routing and controller inputs.

In the INTERFACE tab you can view the active inputs enable phantom power and control the ground lift to dial in the least noise for your setup. Adjust output volume direct monitoring routing select the sample rate and more.

The CONTROLLER tab gives you control over the preset knob and 2 controller inputs. Set behavior MIDI channel MIDI CC number minimum and maximum values and more to dial in the best settings for whatever application you want to control.

The AXE I O Control Panel lets you keep focused on your work instead of adjusting settings on the unit itself for a faster freer workflow.

What is new in AXE I O Control Panel v 1.1.0
Route instrument input 1 directly to the Amp output to record both DI and amplified signals simultaneously with zero latency.

Tuner can now be configured to mute inputs when engaged for silent tuning.

Outputs 1 and 2 can now be mirrored to outputs 3 and 4 to send the same signal to two different destinations more easily.

Download the AXE I O Drivers and Control Software

Features

• Connections
• 2 in 5 out one low noise Amp out
• 2 ultra low noise mic in balanced line in
• Triple topology guitar input with Z TONE
• 2 balanced monitor out 2 line out
• Reference headphones out
• 2 fully configurable external control input
• MIDI input output
• USB 2.0 compatible with Mac PC

Best in class guitar tone

• Selectable Active Passive discrete JFET Pure instrument preamp
• Patent pending Z TONE input for a tonal palette never heard before
• Amp Out for reamplification or Tone Modeling using TONEX for Mac PC
• Comes with AmpliTube 5 SE and TONEX SE for Mac PC
• Connect up to 2 expression pedals single and double switches
• Fully assignable data knob for AmpliTube preset browsing and more
• Built in Tuner
• Rugged compact metal housing

Premium studio sound

• High resolution ultra low noise Class A microphone preamps
• Best in class conversion and superior analog design
• Asynchronous USB audio ultra low conversion jitters for premium quality
• 117 dB dynamic range
• Includes control software
• Up to 192 kHz sampling rate