iRig Pads Just Got Better: Welcome iRig Pads Editor!

Remember our IK Multimedia iRig Pads review? During our test we had a great time with the device, but we felt that the company could have done more to support it in terms of software configurations.
Well, they must have listened, given they just announced iRig Pads Editor for Mac and PC, a companion application for iRig Pads that allows musicians to completely edit and customize this portable, universal MIDI groove controller. iRig Pads Editor is available now as a free download on the IK Multimedia web site, under the User Area, for all current iRig Pads owners. Try it out and let us know your thoughts…

Quick customization
As you know, iRig Pads comes pre-loaded with multiple setups that make it easy to control the popular groove making software programs of today. Now, users can quickly customize these setups more and even create totally new configurations.

iRig Pads Editor features an intuitive single-screen interface that lets musicians quickly reassign controls and features. Musicians can easily edit and save global configurations and individual scenes on their computer, and then transfer them to iRig Pads at will. All of iRig Pads’ surfaces and controllers can be assigned to send specific MIDI messages. iRig Pads Editor lets users assign MIDI messages to any knob, button, pad, slider or attached external controller (like an expression pedal or footswitch).

Multiple modes
A part of what makes iRig Pads Editor so powerful are its easy-to-use modes:

Note mode lets users assign the MIDI channel and the actual note to transmit. iRig Pads Editor also provides a choice between Temporary and Toggle mode. These modes determine whether note data will sound only while the pad is held down or whether it will “latch” onto the Note On message of the first press and the Note Off message of the second press. Temporary mode is best used when playing single-note instruments, like a drum or bass.

Toggle mode is useful for triggering loops: Musicians just have to tap the pad once to start a chosen loop. iRig Pads will then continue to play until the pad is pressed again. Toggle mode can also be used to send 2 different messages from a single button or pad. This makes it easy for a musician to switch between two different presets: These presets can be instruments — like 2 different bass, lead or pad sounds — but they can also be 2 different loop sets or effects settings. On the fly beat making has never been easier.

Big changes
iRig Pads Editor’s Program Change mode lets musicians set up iRig Pads’ knobs, buttons and pads (or slider) to change and transmit fixed or dynamic MIDI Program Change messages — it also lets users employ toggle mode to switch between 2 Program Change numbers with a single control.

Similarly, in Control Change mode, the user can assign handy MIDI Continuous Controller messages like volume, pan or expression. This mode can also be used to assign CC numbers to a parameter on a device that iRig Pads is controlling, such as a synthesizer, loop player, effects processor or even a full-featured virtual instrument like SampleTank 3. The values transmitted can be variable. For example, users can set it up so that when they tap a pad it sets the MIDI volume to maximum or pans the receiving instrument to a specific point in the stereo field.
iRig Pads Editor can also program iRig Pads to send MIDI System Real Time and MIDI Machine Control messages. This means users can conveniently start, stop, rewind or scan through a track without taking their fingers off iRig Pads.