NAMM 2023: IK Multimedia reckons its new Axe I/O One is “the ultimate affordable audio interface designed for guitar and bass players” – and they might be right

NAMM 2023: IK Multimedia has announced the Axe I/O One, which it’s billing as “the ultimate affordable audio interface designed for guitar and bass players”.

The cut-price design is IK’s most affordable Axe offering yet, bringing many of the features of its top-of-the-line dual-input $399 Axe I/O to a $129 single-input unit.

Returning features include the company’s Z-Tone impedance control, which adjusts the guitar input from from tighter/sharper to thicker/bolder, using IK’s terminology.

There’s also a Class A JFET buffer, which promises “midrange focus, warmth and harmonic excitement”, plus an active/passive pickup selector.

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Besides the sonic features, IK has crammed plenty of the Axe series’ smart connectivity onboard, too, including an Amp Out jack for easy re-amping – or to turn your physical amp into a plugin using the included software.

Speaking of which, it’s an impressive bundle, with AmpliTube 5 SE and TONEX SE thrown into the price tag. That includes 80 pieces of already-modeled gear, plus IK’s state-of-the-art AI Machine Modeling to model any real-world equipment you own. Any plugins can be controlled remotely via the Axe I/O One’s external controller input, too.

Other Axe I/O One features include MIDI inputs and outputs, iPad compatibility and a Class A mic preamp with phantom power. Oh, and Ableton Live Lite is also thrown in for good measure. Phewph.

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It’s a comprehensive feature set, and provided you only need to record one instrument at a time, it’s hard to think of any guitar interface that offers more for the asking price of $129.

For more information on the Axe I/O One, head over to IK Multimedia.

This isn’t the only guitarist-focused interface launched this NAMM season: Apogee has also announced the Jam X, which comes with a built-in analog compressor and an extended trial of Neural DSP’s Archetype: Tim Henson software.