HISONG AirStudio S1

Capturing a musical idea or a podcast on the road usually means hauling a microphone, an audio interface and monitoring gear. HISONG's Kickstarter project, the AirStudio S1, aims to collapse that kit into one unit. The maker describes it as the world's first mobile recording capsule and says it can record studio-grade audio anywhere without extra cables or equipment.

Low-latency wireless

The headline figure is latency. HISONG says its proprietary wireless transmission keeps delay to 24ms, and contrasts this with the roughly 100–250ms typical of mainstream Bluetooth earbuds, a gap that can throw off timing when monitoring a live performance. The maker frames this under the concept "Ultra-Low Latency, Real-Time Creative Flow."

Interface, DSP and two mic modes

According to the maker, the built-in audio interface works with PC, Mac, iOS and Android, and with DAWs including Logic Pro, Pro Tools and Ableton Live. It uses a proprietary ASIO driver alongside an onboard DSP, which HISONG says allows real-time adjustment of processing while recording, so tone can be shaped before anything reaches the edit stage.

• EQ
• Compressor
• Reverb
• Noise reduction
• Limiter

The microphone can be switched between a condenser mode, suited to detailed sources such as vocals and acoustic guitar, and an enhanced dynamic mode, which the maker positions for louder or noisier settings like live or outdoor recording.

Software included

The campaign bundles Steinberg Cubasis LE for iOS, an entry-level DAW offering multitrack recording, MIDI editing and effects. Combined with cross-platform support, HISONG suggests a workflow of recording on a phone while out and finishing the edit later on a computer, in line with its "One Device is All You Need" pitch.