Gesture controls are nothing new these days. From your games console to your desktop computer, there are an increasing number of devices that read your movements and translate it into on-screen commands.

iRing is a controller aimed at the more mobile side of things. It’s not aimed at those who want to just listen to music, so if you have dreams of waving your hands around to control your Spotify or iTunes libraries, you’ll be sorely disappointed. Instead, it’s for the music creators, those who are getting in touch with their muse while mobile.

Specifically, it’s a music controller, so you can compose and apply effects to music with a few waves of your hand.

Admittedly, it doesn’t look like much: two plastic “rings” with dots that fit between two fingers, one ring for each hand, that can be read by the camera in your tablet or smartphone. They’re lightweight, and definitely don’t belong to the category of wearable technology that would blend in with your regular jewellery.

They’re chunky and, frankly, a bit weird looking. But can they get the job done?

The good

In short, yes, the iRing can help you create music with gesture controls.

Using the device opens up a whole new world of interacting with your music, and once you get to grips with the gesture controls, it’s actually a lot of fun.

There were a few false starts in mastering the correct gestures – you have to remember what you’ve assigned to each gesture – but a bit of perseverance and practice, the movements start to come a bit more easily and with a bit less thought.

Those movements are then translated in 3D to your music programme, so you can control pitch, add reverb, apply DJ effects, switch loops.

There are no batteries to worry about, apart from your iOS device. And because there’s no wireless connection, you don’t have to worry about pairing the ring with your iPad or iPhone; a small amount of set up is required though.

The not so good

It can take a while to get the hang of things, so expect a few mistakes and to invest a little time to familiarise yourself with the controls.

At times you do feel a little daft waving your hands around, but if you’ve spent any time with the motion sensing peripherals on the current line of games consoles, this will feel fairly familiar.

Because iRing uses the camera on the front of your iOS device, it needs a certain amount of light to get a good read. That means the places you can use it are slightly limited, and rules out darker environments that could be frequented by DJs, for example.

It seems like a bit of an oversight, but there is only so much you can expect from a small plastic device with a cheap enough price tag, and it could be argued that most people will be using this in a well lit room rather than DJing on the fly. Also, a small light is sufficient for the camera to read the gestures performed by the two rings.

There are still only a few apps that iRing’s control system works with directly, with IK Multimedia providing four: iRing FX/Controller, Groovemaker 2, iRing MusicMaker and DJ Rig, with some in-app purchases bumping up your investment. However, the FX/Controller, for example, can be used with other audio programmes, so it’s not quite as limited as it sounds.

The rest

The rings come in three colours: grey, white and green. They’re really not designed to be a fashion accessory though, so the colour choice seems a bit pointless.

It’s more about what the product does than how it looks; this isn’t shiny, slick wearable tech.

And although apps are limited right now, there’s a software developer’s kit available so the iRing may be useful for other apps in the future outside of the music genre.

The verdict

HHHH At €20, it’s a cheap and cheerful way to bring a new element into your music creation.