It all began in a small town in northern Italy. Not just any small town, but a town rich in heritage — a heritage of innovation. A town known as the sports car capital of the world, and also known for its exquisite cuisine and as the birthplace of Balsamic Vinegar. And the birthplace of one of the most innovative companies in the music industry - the town of Modena, Italy.
Way back in 1996 — around the time electricity was discovered and cell phones were the size of your average 4-slot toaster — two Italian engineers got together to solve a problem in a recording studio. Could you get the sound of classic analog gear from a computer? One of them said (in Italian, of course) "Could we emulate electronic circuits using DSP algorithms and feed an audio signal through the computer and get the same sound?" The answer was yes, the piece of gear they emulated was a vintage Abbey Road console, and a company was born.
Although that's a pretty simplified version of how IK came to be, it reflects the driving philosophy behind all of our products: give musicians the tools they want/need to be creative and productive.
IK started manufacturing electronic hardware accessories for computers in 2006 and in 2010 evolved into the production of app-enhanced iOS accessories. To make sure you can actually get these great products, IK now operates a new electronics manufacturing facility headquartered in Modena, Italy that is fully equipped for hi-tech manufacturing using SMT technology.
Mobile Music Revolution
So here's the cool thing about what we do… we create products musicians use to create music whenever and wherever the inspiration strikes them. And we do it with tools that are simple to use. Slash uses our stuff on tour when he's in his hotel room at 4am. You can too. In fact (again, not to brag), we've pioneered the mobile music segment of the market with our range of 50 accessories and apps for the iPhone/iPod/iPad. IK was the first company to introduce the wonderful world of mobile guitar tone (AmpliTube and Fender® Collection for iPhone/iPod touch/iPad) and a cost-effective, professional way to connect a guitar to those devices, the iRig audio interface for guitarists and bassists. Today we make the most extensive range of mobile solutions for musicians of all types - keyboard players, guitarists & bassists, vocalists and DJs.
