Focusrite has announced the release of the ISA C8X, the first audio interface in the company's ISA range, a product line that draws on the legacy of Focusrite's ISA mic preamp circuit.

A 26-in, 28-out USB-C interface housed in a distinctive blue 2U rackmount chassis, ISA C8X is equipped with two of Focusrite's ISA mic preamps, featuring the same Lundahl LL1538 input transformers that defined the sound of Rupert Neve's original ISA 110 and 130 modules.

Delivering up to 79dB of gain, switchable impedance and balanced inserts, the ISA preamps offer additional sonic flavouring via the interface's all-analogue Console and 430 Air modes, the former bringing saturation and "low-end punch" and the latter adding "high-end shimmer". Two front-panel instrument inputs utilize the Lundahl transformer circuitry and can access the same two modes.

The C8X's ISA preamps are joined by an additional six Focusrite mic preamps that the company says provide ultra-low-noise performance with 69dB of gain, and the interface is capable of 24-bit/192kHz AD/DA conversion with up to 125dB of dynamic range. All eight preamps can be controlled remotely with Focusrite's Control 2 software and benefit from multichannel Auto Gain.

Twelve balanced line outputs mean the C8X supports immersive monitoring in formats up to 7.1.4., and you get dual class AB headphone outputs with independent level control alongside MIDI and word clock I/O. And if you need to expand your setup with additional hardware, ADAT and S/PDIF connectivity is onboard to do just that.

ISA C8X arrives bundled with Hitmaker Expansion, a suite of software that includes the Brainworx bx_console Focusrite SC plugin, an emulation of the ISA 110 and 130 modules from the original Studio Console, and Sonnox's Oxford Reverb, a versatile algorithmic reverb.

The first ISA preamp was developed in 1985 by Focusrite founder Rupert Neve at the request of Beatles producer George Martin, and was later incorporated into Focusrite's Forte and Studio consoles before being deployed in the company's Red Range of preamps and EQs. Focusrite recently released a documentary on the story behind the ISA range.

"ISA is what Focusrite was founded upon, and it's been beloved by artists and engineers worldwide for over 40 years," Focusrite Product Manager Jack Cole said in a statement.

"The essence of the ISA sound remains the same, but we've taken some big leaps forward with ISA C8X in modernising the workflow. We felt it was important to augment those ISA preamps with features that befit the ISA name and benefit professional, project, and home studios alike."

Focusrite's ISA C8X is priced at $2299.99/£1899.99/€1848,73.

Find out more on Focusrite's website.

What is it?

Yamaha isn’t necessarily the first name you think of when it comes to audio interfaces, with previous iterations of the company’s hardware usually coming out under the ‘Steinberg’ moniker. That might well change with the release of the Yamaha URX44V, which is very much a modern audio interface looking to make a play against bigger names in the space from Universal Audio, Audient, Focusrite, and others.

The URX44V features four mic preamps, two line outputs, and two main outputs for your studio monitors. It’s got a main USB-C connection for hooking up to a laptop or PC, a microSD card slot that can handle 16-channels of audio, as well as a USB-C sub that allows you to connect an external device like a smartphone or tablet. For content creators, it also has two HDMI ports with an input and a thru that are capable of directly taking a camera or capturing another device like a games console.

It’s not the usual lineup I’d expect to see on an audio interface, and for those who don’t need the extra connectivity, it also comes in a 2-channel and 4-channel version sans any video connectivity. The front panel features two headphone outputs, a connection for a headset, and an additional 1/8-inch aux input.

A 4.3-inch, full colour touchscreen dominates the top panel of the URX44V, alongside a master encoder. Beneath the screen are four endless encoders that control various parameters depending on what’s displayed on the screen. With these encoders, you can control DSP effects on the inputs like gates, compression, EQ, reverb, amp sims, and a voice changer.

Performance

Unboxing the URX44V and plugging it into my MacBook Pro M3, I initially struggle to get it to output sound, which is a first for me when using an audio interface. After updating the firmware and diving into the manual, I navigate through the onboard ‘wizard’ for setting it up for DAW recording, and then I’m able to get it to work with Pro Tools. You can save a bunch of these ‘scenes’ to the hardware for use in varying scenarios, whether you’ve got a streaming setup or you’re just recording your latest song.

Straight away, I’m pretty enamoured with the touchscreen. It’s a first for me on an audio interface, but it’s a very unique way of interacting with this particular type of music gear. In the setup process, I set up a scene that featured a direct input for my guitar, a DI from a Mesa/Boogie amplifier, and an input for a dynamic mic and a condenser microphone.

It gives you a lot of possibilities, no matter what your particular setup is, and the ability to save multiples will make it very useful for those who jump between different roles, so whether you’re a podcaster, streaming video games, or composing for video, the URX44V can act as your hub for all of your inputs and devices.

We’re a music-making site here, however, so I’ll focus on what we do best. Running the Mesa/Boogie amp into Pro Tools, I start by using the auto gain function to get it to set the levels for me, something I admittedly wouldn’t usually do. The feature asks me to play for a bit, so I hammer away at some spiky chords to ensure it catches the hardest transients, and set about playing with the level set, which it does so admirably.

It was about this time that the interface randomly switched itself off, which was surprising as it happened while I was playing. Booting it back up, I dive into the menu and disable the auto-power off, slightly miffed that it interrupted my session. The ability to shape the sound on the way in is something I do a lot in the studio, so having this at my fingertips in the home environment is a really cool addition.

The fact that it’s accessed via the interface itself rather than via plugins also gives it a bit more of a hardware feel that you’d get in a ‘proper’ studio. Pressing buttons and turning knobs, getting away from the mouse and keyboard, makes for a much more fun workflow, which made me more willing to jump into sculpting the sound on the way in versus dragging and dropping plugins onto the signal path.

Despite its myriad connectivity, I did find myself wishing it had an instrument input on the front like the vast majority of other interfaces in this price bracket. It’s something I’ve gotten quite used to from the interfaces I’ve reviewed. It’s not a deal breaker, but if you’re mainly recording at home, you might find yourself missing this.

Verdict

While I rarely use any reverb or gating on the way in, I found the EQ and compressor to be really powerful additions to my workflow while using the URX44V. Carving your sound on the way in is excellent for your overall workflow, and the hands-on feel this interface offers is really intuitive. Although I’m primarily a music-maker, I can appreciate that the ability to save multiple scenes for content creation, podcasting, and other creative endeavours makes it a very powerful interface indeed.

This particular version is probably a bit too much for the majority of music makers, who would be much better off with the URX22 or URX44, and the lack of an instrument input on the front feels like a miss to me as a guitarist. The fact that you need to set it up with a particular scene in order for it to work properly could also throw those who are newer to interfaces, so I’d appreciate it if this were made clearer in the manual.

MusicRadar verdict: The amount of flexibility on offer with the Yamaha URX44V is really incredible, with it meeting the needs of music-makers and content creators alike. It’s got bags of connectivity, and the touch screen makes for a tactile experience that lets you quite literally get hands on with your sound sources. For more advanced producers, podcasters, and streamers, the URX44V could be just the upgrade your home studio needs.

Hands on videos

Alternatives

Specifications

NAMM 2026: Since Roland launched its original Go:Mixer, back in 2017, the demand for devices that enable you to record multiple high-quality audio sources to your smartphone - for video or anything else - has only increased.

Livestreams and social media ‘reels’ are, of course, the new rock ‘n’ roll (OK, they aren’t) and being a ‘content creator’ is now an actual job (though probably not one that your parents will understand if you try and tell them what it is you do for a living).

So now, after a couple of Go:Mixer Pro devices, Roland has introduced its most comprehensive model yet: the Go:Mixer Studio. Said to be a “studio-grade audio mixer and recording interface,” this is compatible with iPhone, iPad Mac and Windows, though there’s no mention of Android.

Go:Mixer Studio has 12 input channels and six outputs, and you can record at up to 24-bit/192kHz quality. There are also built-in effects - a 3-band EQ, a compressor and a reverb - which can be used for recording or just monitoring. Mixer setups can be stored in 16 scene memories.

The selection of inputs should cover most eventualities: there are two XLR mic/line inputs with mic preamps; a dedicated guitar/bass input; and 1/4-inch inputs for stereo sources such as a keyboard, electronic drum kit or anything else you might be wanting to record. Further stereo sources can be plugged into the aux input, which has TRRS support for bidirectional audio with mobile devices. There’s MIDI I/O, too.

Monitoring connectivity includes a 1/4-inch headphone jack and a further mini-jack output for your wired earbuds. This supports a headset or inline mic, giving you a further recording source to work with. If you’re back in the studio, you can use the 1/4-inch line outputs to plug into your speaker setup.

The Go:Mixer Studio’s control panel looks nice and clean, with just a few knobs and buttons below the display. You can also take control using the Go:Mixer Cam iOS app, which enables you to capture both multitrack audio and video. Every input can be mixed from here, and you can also export the multitrack audio files for use in your DAW or video editor.

PC and Mac users can also take advantage of the Go:Mixer Editor, which puts all of the device’s parameters on a larger display.

Power can be drawn from your device, an adapter or a USB battery pack (there are two USB-C ports so you can connect and plug in a power supply at the same time) and you can mount the Go:Mixer Studio on a tripod if required.

We can imagine a lot of scenarios where the Go:Mixer Studio could come in handy, whether you’re making video or only recording audio. All it's missing is SD card recording capabilities, but maybe that's something for the Go:Mixer Studio Pro. It’s available now priced at $299, and you can find out more on the Roland website.

NAMM 2026: Korg has announced its new microAUDIO audio interface range, which combines preamp-equipped inputs with some interesting effects tricks – in one case doubling up as a standalone analogue filter.

If the microAUDIO interfaces look somewhat familiar, it’s probably because the company actually previewed the range as a ‘concept’ product all the way back at NAMM 2025.

The new range kicks off with two devices, the microAUDIO 22 and microAUDIO 722, both of which are 2-in, 2-out USB-C interfaces.

On both units, the inputs come in the form of a pair of rear-panel balanced TRS/XLR combo ports. Each of these is equipped with a preamp that Korg states is “tuned for musical gain with minimal noise, prioritizing clarity while avoiding excess circuitry so every nuance of a performance is faithfully preserved.”

Each input channel provides mic, line and Hi-Z connectivity with phantom power available. Input levels are controlled by a pair of front panel gain knobs, which can also be linked for stereo use. These inputs are accompanied by balanced TRS outputs on the rear, along with a rear panel headphone output with a dedicated volume control.

So far, so standard, but the microAUDIO interfaces also feature DSP processing offering assignable noise gates, compressor and limiter per-channel. Interestingly, these aren’t confined to the inputs, and can also be used on audio returning from the computer.

The microAUDIO interfaces also have additional routing options including a loopback mode for easy streaming and recording of computer audio, as well as the ability to assign the headphone output to a click track of DJ cue output.

Of most interest, however, is the addition of an analogue filter on the microAUDIO 722. This is a resonant multimode filter based on the circuit found on the miniKORG 700S. It can function in low-, high- and band-pass configurations, and be assigned to either the inputs and outputs.

The 722 also includes an LFO and envelope follower for modulating the filter. The unit can also be used on its own as a standalone filter, routing audio through the inputs and outputs without connection to a computer.

The microAUDIO 722 also adds rear panel MIDI in and out, both requiring a mini-jack to DIN converter, which can be used for filter modulation or routing MIDI in/out of a DAW.

The filter fun doesn’t stop with the units themselves though. The microAUDIO interfaces also ship with Korg’s new Filter Ark plugin. Described by the company as a "next-generation filter plugin for DAW-based production”, Filter Ark combines models of filters based on the likes of the MS-20, Polysix, miniKORG 700S, and ARP Odyssey with modern modes such as physical modelling and vowel filters.

The plugin allows for up-to four filters to be routed in series or parallel, with feedback capabilities plus modulation tools including morphable LFOs, sequencers, macros, and a scale-aware mode.

As well as being made available to owners of the microAUDIO range, Filter Ark is also available as a standalone release or part of the latest Korg Collection bundle.

Although the microAUDIO 22 looks like an interesting budget interface option, the 722 is the one that really stands out. Even if you have no need for a new audio interface, that combination of a standalone stereo analogue filter and a multifaceted effects plugin looks pretty tempting for the price.

The microAUDIO 22 and 722 are out now, priced at $199/£169 and $269/£229 respectively. Filter Ark is currently available for an intro price of $49 (regular price $99). Head to the Korg site for more info.

NAMM 2026: As recording technology has become cheaper and more accessible, the line between guitarists and producers has become increasingly blurred. With its new Effects Interface Hardware Plugin, Electro-Harmonix is aiming to make bridging that gap easier than ever.

The Effects Interface is a stompbox-style hardware device that operates as a 2-in, 2-out USB-C audio interface, specifically designed for incorporating a DAW into a traditional stompbox effects chain.

This can be done in one of two ways. In its Hardware Plugin mode, the Effects Interface acts as an external effect loop, routed via its associate plugin that sits in a DAW’s insert chain.

Alternatively, in Pedalboard mode the Effects Interface can be used to incorporate software effects into a hardware chain. Here audio is sent into a DAW through the input plugin, processed using any software effects, and then sent back out to an amp or pedalboard.

The inputs and outputs are designed to operate at pedalboard-friendly levels, allowing audio to travel to and from a chain of effects pedals without the need for additional converters or DI boxes.

According to EHX, “Effects Interface handles your signal and delivers it with care between your hardware and software via a simple USB-C connection.”

In either mode, the device’s foot switch can be used to bypass the effect like a traditional stompbox.

The Effects Interface has stereo inputs and outputs, but can also operate in dual-mono mode, allowing users to set up two different effects routings simultaneously.

The level of its inputs and outputs can be controlled via both the hardware and software UI. The device also has a headphone output with its own volume control allowing for direct monitoring.

As well as being used as part of a stompbox effects chain, the Effects Interface can also function as a traditional audio interface for recording and monitoring via its ins and outs.

While the device is primarily aimed at guitarists, it’s not hard to imagine how it might also appeal to synthesists and bedroom producers looking for an easy way to take sounds out-of-the-box for a little hardware processing.

The Electro-Harmonix Effects Interface is out now, with a US street price of $359. Head to the EHX site for more information.

Black Friday audio interface deals are still out there, and having tested 12 different interfaces over the past year, I was surprised to see so many of my top picks reduced for 2025. Not only have some of my top-rated audio interfaces gone on sale, but the one I use as my daily driver has also been discounted.

Having tested so many different interfaces, I'm very well placed to make a judgement call and what's good and what's not. I don't just leave it to opinion, though. Each interface I get my hands on goes through an in-depth round-trip latency test to ensure it performs objectively against others in that most crucial of performance stakes.

Below you'll find personally recommended audio interfaces that you can pick up with a discount right now. Each and every one would serve you well as the lynchpin of your home studio. For more great deals throughout Cyber Weekend, make sure to go check out our Black Friday music deals page where we're covering all the comings and goings for the biggest sales bonanza of the year.

Shop more Black Friday deals

• B&H Photo: Early Bird Holiday deals
• Gear4Music: Early Black Friday deals are live
• Guitar Center: Up to 40% Black Friday sale
• Musician's Friend: Early Black Friday 50% sale
• Reverb: 80% off music gear
• Scan Computers: Pro audio savings
• Sweetwater: Black Friday deals up to 80% off
• Thomann: Up to 70% off Cyber Week sale

What is it?

The newest arrival to UA's more affordable suite of Volt interface, the Universal Audio Volt 876 is an eight-channel audio interface that provides an ADAT expander for existing Apollo and Volt users, as well as a keenly priced eight-channel interface for musicians looking to record simpler drum setups or capture the sound of their band in rehearsals.

There are a few options available at the moment if you’re looking for eight channels to record with, and the Volt 876 sits in the middle of the cheaper Focusrite 18i20 ($749.99/£649.99) and the pricier Audient iD48 in the US ($1,299.99/£749). Having reviewed both of these previously, I'm in a good position to see where it sits in the pantheon of eight-channel audio interfaces.

The 876 is a 24x28 interface with 32-bit/192kHz AD/DA. It’s got eight digitally controlled microphone preamps, each with an analogue compressor based on the legendary 1176, and a vintage mic pre mode with tube emulation based on the UA 610 console. It’s got 16 channels of ADAT I/O too, so you can rack yourself up a 24-channel interface with three of them, or just expand your existing setup for more complex recordings.

It’s also got an assistive auto-gain function like the 18i20, a built-in talkback mic, cue mixing, and can be remote-controlled via the UAD Console software. As well as the inclusion of UA’s Luna DAW, you get the UAD Producer Suite too, which features plugins like the LA-2A and 1176 compressors, Pultec EQs, a Century Tube channel strip, a couple of tape emulations, delay, reverb, and a guitar VST. You also get some third-party plugins with Melodyne, Ableton 12 Lite, and plugins from Softube, Spitfire Audio, Brainworx, and more.

Performance

As I imagine the vast majority of music makers will be buying an eight-channel interface to either record a band or drums, I elected to test the Volt 876 by taking it into the studio to record some drums. I also decided to make things harder for myself and do away with my usual Pro Tools and use Luna to see how the 876 integrates with the software.

Setting up the 876 with my laptop is an absolute breeze, probably made easier by being an existing Apollo user. It’s not bus-powered, so it uses a kettle lead (IEC) for power, and has a dedicated on switch at the front, which is a nice touch. It plugs in via an included USB-C cable, which has one of those handy attached adapters that let you quickly switch it to USB-A if you need.

My laptop instantly recognises the 876, and it’s a matter of seconds before I’m set up once I’ve installed Luna. I do a small bit of prep here, setting my ins and outs, adding some buses for my drums, and applying some hardware compression to the snare channel and the vintage mode to my room mics. 876 can recall settings if you save them in UAD Console, and handily, it automatically remembers your hardware settings if you’re working in Luna, which makes for quicker setup when I head into the studio.

Enlisting the help of my drummer friend Gaz of Barbarian Hermit, we set up eight mics with kick in, snare top, rack tom, floor tom, plus two overheads, and two room mics in a Blumlein configuration. Once everything was plugged in, I set my laptop on top of the Volt 876 and went through each channel, applying phantom power to the condenser mics I used on the toms and room mics. The interface remembered my settings from earlier, too, so I didn’t need to reapply the compression to the snare channel or the tube emulation to the room mics.

I ask Gaz to soundcheck the kit, setting levels via the large gain knob on the left, and monitoring the inputs in Luna. As soon as we get to the bell brass snare, there’s way too much signal coming in, and instinctively, I look for a pad switch that’s not there. It’s easy enough to trim the input in the software, but I do find myself wishing there was a quick -10dB cut I could apply here. It’s the same story with the floor tom, and although there’s a pad switch on the microphone, it would’ve been quicker and easier to just apply this on the unit itself.

Overall, though, I can’t knock how quick and easy it is to get everything set up, especially having never used it prior to the session. The front panel is very intuitive, with the split functions section and each channel having its own dedicated button; it’s a breeze to cycle through and make changes as I set the levels for the recording. There are LED lights for checking the levels on the unit itself, but I always recommend using your DAW to check your levels.

Although I don’t need to use the talkback function as the interface was in the same room as the kit, I do use the dual headphone outputs to send levels to my drummers’ in-ear monitors. Having dual knobs is handy, as I can set a different level for my own studio headphones to monitor while we’re recording, giving him a lot more juice so he can hear the scratch track and click over the sound of the kit in a large room.

Listening back to the tracks after an initial take, I’m really happy with the sounds. It perfectly captures the sound of the kit in the room, which is all you can really ask for of any audio interface. I’m a firm believer that sound quality is very similar across audio interfaces at this level, and having tested this, the 18i20, and the iD48, I’m inclined to maintain that belief.

Adding that touch of tube emulation to the room mics really brings some life to them without totally overcooking them in saturation, and it’s a similar story with the compression. It’s all light-touch stuff, and I went for the fast setting, which makes sense for tracks with a lot of transients like a snare, although you can also dial in a guitar and vocal setting depending on your particular use case.

Verdict

If you’re looking for an eight-channel interface to upgrade your recording setup, the Volt 876 is an awesome choice. I love the addition of analogue compression on each channel and the tube emulation circuitry, giving you the ability to craft your sounds on the way in, and it’s really easy to use, even if you’ve only ever had a two-channel interface prior.

The only thing I could really criticise is the lack of a dedicated pad switch, which slightly interrupted my hands-on workflow, but other than that, it’s an excellent option for a variety of different musicians. If you already own an Apollo or Volt interface and want to upgrade your inputs, then the 876 is a no-brainer with its UAD Console integration.

MusicRadar verdict: The Universal Audio Volt 876 adds another great option for the musician looking to take a step up from their two-in audio interface, or any band that wants to record in their rehearsal space. It’s super easy to use, sounds phenomenal, offers plenty of upgrade potential, and comes with an excellent software offering.

Hands-on demos

Universal Audio

Alternatives

Specifications

We’re into day 2 of the Prime Big Deal Days and my top-rated audio interface just got a healthy discount with a cool $40 knocked off the regular price taking it well below the $200 mark. It’s undoubtedly the best Prime Day music deal I’ve seen on an audio interface so far, but I can’t imagine it’s going to be around much longer with the sale set to end at midnight on October 8th.

Over the last three years or so I’ve reviewed more audio interfaces than I care to remember. It’s part of my job, as I look after the audio interface guides here at MusicRadar, and when I’m not testing budget audio interfaces in my home studio, I’m using pro-grade ones in a proper analogue studio alongside a console.

• Save $40 on my number 1 rated audio interface in the Prime Day sale

So safe to say, I know what’s required of an interface in either situation, and when I was compiling our guide, out of all the interfaces I tested the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 4th Gen came out as the best. It’s not just because of the audio performance, though. In fact, in my opinion the audio quality is so high amongst consumer interfaces now that for us mere mortals who aren’t working in million-dollar studios, you’re not going to be able to tell the difference.

If not audio quality, then why did I pick the 2i2 for the number 1 spot? Well, what I found when using the Scarlett 2i2 4th Gen was that it was not only easy to use, but it had a massive depth of functionality that made it suitable for more than just beginners. It’s pretty much plug and play on Windows, with the additional Focusrite Control 2 software taking care of any driver installation and firmware updates for you.

On Mac you can just plug it in and not even bother with the software, but that does mean you don’t get the use of remote functions like changing the input, adjusting the gain, and other core functions for tracking. You can even control it with your phone or tablet, making it a great way of adjusting if you need to go move a microphone or adjust a sound.

Add in the physical buttons on the front that can prevent clipping, automatically sort your input gain, or add a touch of high end frequencies to sweeten the signal coming in, and you've got an incredibly versatile unit that will easily handle anything you can throw at it in a home studio setting.

When I was compiling our guide I also performed latency testing on every single one of the audio interfaces, and of course, the 2i2 4th Gen came in top of the pile. It delivered an astonishing 5.782ms response time at a buffer size of 16 samples, and that’s without installing the codeless kernel extension for Mac which can lower the latency even further.

Why is this important? Well, when you’re playing your instrument into an audio interface, any latency results in a delay between you fingering a note or pressing a key and the sound you hear returning from your studio monitors or studio headphones. This can be really jarring and in my experience, anything over 10ms of latency can really throw your performance. Getting this latency down as low as possible is one of the secret ingredients to getting good quality recordings, and the Scarlett (alongside a good laptop or PC) delivers.

Universal Audio's Volt series of audio interfaces was launched in 2021, promising "classic studio sound" at a price that's within reach of budget-conscious musicians and presenting a more affordable alternative to the company's popular Apollo series.

Four years on and the range has expanded to encompass eight different models, with the latest Volt interface announced by UA this week: Volt 876 USB Recording Studio. Whereas other models in the Volt line are desktop interfaces designed primarily for solo recording, Volt 876 is a rackmount unit aimed at more complex multi-instrument recording scenarios.

A 32-bit/192kHz, 24-in/28-out interface, Volt 876 is equipped with eight of UA's tube-emulating Vintage mic preamps and eight 1176-style compressors, which can be activated via buttons on the front panel, offering a selection of presets tailored for guitar, drums and vocals. These are joined by two LED-ringed dials for input gain and monitoring level, along with various controls for talkback, metering, clocking and headphone levels.

Volt 876 features two mic/line inputs with XLR/TRS combo jacks on the front panel that double as Hi-Z instrument inputs, joined by six more mic/line inputs on the interface's rear. There are eight line-level TRS outputs on the back and two headphone outs on the front with dedicated level controls. MIDI I/O is available via dual 5-pin DIN connections and two ADAT/SPDIF ins and outs can be used to digitally expand the interface's I/O.

Volt 876 arrives bundled with a variety of software, including UA's companion Console app which offers assistive Auto-Gain and convenient recall of front-panel settings. You'll also get UA's Producer Suite, a collection of plugins that includes the company's LA-2A and 1176 emulations and the PolyMAX synth, and a copy of LUNA, Universal Audio's free, AI-powered DAW.

Coming in at the top of the Volt range, the 876 interface is priced at $999, less than half the price of the cheapest rackmount interface in Universal Audio's popular Apollo series.

Universal Audio Volt 876 USB Recording Studio will ship on on October 14.

Find out more on Universal Audio's website.

What is it?

For a lot of budding guitarists, the aim isn’t just to become a world-class shredder, but also to write and record music. Getting ideas down quickly or taking the first steps into this world can be just as difficult as the first time you try a barre chord or attempt to figure out what a mode is, but thankfully, there are solutions.

Focusrite and PreSonus have their simple Solo and AudioBox Go interfaces, whilst GarageBand and Audacity serve as straightforward DAWS. Enter Fender, looking to make this process easier than ever with the Fender Link I/O audio interface and Fender Studio software.

The difference with what Fender offers is that these products are specifically aimed at guitarists, allowing for a streamlined experience that, on paper, has the potential to make recording musical ideas easier than ever.

The main aim behind both these products is to create a portable method by which a guitarist can capture ideas as and when they strike. As such, they seem intended primarily for use with smartphones and tablets, turning devices that we almost constantly have around into tiny portable studios.

Performance

Starting with the Link I/O, the benefit of it being aimed primarily at guitar players is immediately apparent with its slimmed-down inputs and outputs. There is a ¼” jack for your guitar, a USB-C to connect it to your device, a headphone jack, and a blend control to go between direct monitoring and audio from your device. That is it. Super simple and easy to use.

The downside of this, of course, is the lack of flexibility. It really is built to serve us guitarists, with this furthered by a high impedance input jack to – in Fender’s words – “react like an amplifier”, so perfect for its intended market, but perhaps not for much past that.

As a very affordable interface, we can’t expect anything too fancy in terms of build, but the link I/O feels sturdy nonetheless. It’s mostly plastic with a thin layer of a softer, rubbery material at the bottom to stop it sliding around a desk as you use the main level control, which is a nice touch.

That level control is the point at which its affordable nature is most apparent. It feels a little grainy to use, so it gives the impression of being cheap. However, at this price point, it’s still an impressive build.

Getting the Fender Studio software up and running is equally straightforward. Leaning into the portability aspect, we install it on both our iPad and Samsung Galaxy phone with no issues at all. Plug the Link I/O in with the included USB-C cable, and we’re up and running in seconds after installation.

Our testing of this happens to coincide with our writing of a track for a demo of the new Peavey Decade Too. Tasked with coming up with some Queens Of The Stone Age-style riffs, we fire up Fender Studio and set the Link I/O to work.

The input gain is set for you with a switch on the interface to bring in a pad if you are using anything with a higher output. This makes it a genuinely plug-and-go experience with nothing to do on the interface side except plug your guitar, headphones, and included USB-C cable in.

Fender Studio detects and automatically selects the Link I/O, and after choosing an Amp, Fuzz, and Reverb within Studio, we are away and recording some ideas in about as quick a time as one can reasonably expect. Adding to the speed here is the low latency, which is low enough that we don’t feel the need to blend in any of the direct signal via the blend control. As much as having the option to blend in your dry signal is great, it’s not exactly an inspiring sound; therefore, latency low enough to monitor from the models within Fender Studio is a major win.

All this is directly replicated on our Samsung Galaxy Android phone, so those of the anti-Apple persuasion (we're indifferent either way) won’t be trapped in Apple Prison with the Link I/O.

So far, we are using a Fender product within its intended capacity with a Fender DAW – let’s try and trip it up with GarageBand. Short test, as it turns out; it worked exactly as expected with no issues. Taking it further out of its comfort zone and moving away from portable devices, we try it with our PC and a fully-fledged DAW in PreSonus Studio One (another company in the Fender stable). The only additional step needed here is the installation of the Fender Universal driver. After this, it’s the same story with the Link I/O working just as it should.

Speaking of having portability in mind, we imagine that it is this endeavour that led Fender to choose to limit the outputs of the interface to headphones only. As much as we would have liked the option to play along with the included Jam tracks within Fender Studio using a set of speakers rather than headphones, it’s hard to imagine how Fender could have kept the Link I/O at its diminutive size whilst adding speaker outputs. Moreover, if you have studio speakers, you’re likely doing work that requires a more advanced interface, so it is an understandable compromise.

Studio software

Moving on to the software, upon opening, we are greeted with four options – Open, Jam, New, and Record. In a meeting with Fender ahead of Studio’s launch, one of the aims made apparent was to have zero barriers between a creative thought on the guitar and recording said thought. The Record option is built to serve this, as it takes us straight into the Daw, recording immediately from the default audio device. Mission accomplished.

New and Open are fairly self-explanatory, but the most interesting one to us is Jam. Here, the software opens up a choice of well-produced and completely free Jam tracks, including separated stems that allow for the muting of instruments and parts as well as guidance as to the Key and Tempo, which can be changed, making for a useful practice tool.

In our previous life as a guitar teacher, this would have been invaluable. A fantastic option for those learning to jam along to backing tracks, with options to change and edit things to zone in on exactly what is being worked on. Or for more accomplished players, it’s just a fun activity for the evening, with the benefit of being able to target some of the more complicated aspects of playing along to chord changes or whatever gap in your knowledge or skills you are looking to fill.

Adding to the fun is the selection of Fender amp models and effects available within Studio. Sticking only to Fender models, it lacks the sounds from different brands on offer over at GarageBand – perhaps Studio's closest competitor – however, it still covers all the basic food groups of clean amps, overdriven amps, reverbs, delays, modulations, and drives.

It seems that Fender modelling its own products has resulted in sounds that are particularly impressive for a free piece of software. It would be unreasonable to expect the tones to be on par with paid plugins from the likes of Neural and ToneX, however, it’s hard to argue with the quality here for the grand total of £0.

The only real criticism is that some aspects feel a little clunky on first use. For example, the tuner is a little hard to find hidden within the guitar effects section, and once you’ve zoomed in on an amp or effect to edit the parameters, it’s not obvious how to get back out to the previous screen. Despite issues like these, the saving grace is within its cut-down nature, meaning that once these things are figured out, it’s an easy piece of software to navigate.

As a DAW, it is limited. You will not be using complicated chains of studio effects or fancy routing here, nor will you be creating drum loops like can be done in GarageBand. However, the benefit of this guitar-centred functionality is a very focused tool for a guitarist’s use in both practice and getting ideas down.

Verdict

What we have then is a portable duo that is highly capable within its intended functions, providing guitarists with a convenient means of getting ideas down and perhaps an introduction to the world of recording music for guitar players taking their first steps within it. Both the Link I/O and Fender Studio are slimmed-down pieces of gear, but what is lost in terms of versatility is gained through providing an ultra-focused experience that does exactly as promised.

If you are looking to go beyond just recording guitar, it may be best to look at more fully-featured options. But as a tool exclusively for guitarists and at an affordable price point, it’s impossible to go wrong with the Fender I/O. Pair it with the free Fender Studio software, and you’ve got yourself an invaluable little setup that can accompany a player pretty much anywhere.

Hands-on demos

Fender

Alternatives

Specifications

Focusrite's long-established Scarlett series is one of the most popular lines of audio interfaces in music tech history, and a firm favourite among musicians and producers on a budget, thanks to its combination of reliability and affordability.

The Scarlett line, now on its fourth generation, isn't hard to spot in a studio: that deep red aluminium chassis, inspired by the aesthetics of Focusrite's earlier Red range, has become instantly recognizable. Today, the company has announced that its outfitting the Scarlett 2i2 interface in a new colour for the first time in recognition of Focusrite's 40th anniversary.

The Scarlett 2i2 Anniversary Edition reimagines the interface in a shade of blue inspired by the colour of the ISA 110 and 130, two modules designed for Beatles producer Sir George Martin by Focusrite founder Rupert Neve that became the company's first commercial products.

Along with the classic Focusrite logo on the top of the interface, the Anniversary Edition features graphics based on vintage schematics on its underside. Each unit arrives in a black-and-gold giftbox.

On top of the standard Scarlett software bundle, the Anniversary Edition arrives with three additional plugins that "celebrate 40 years of Focusrite's pro audio partnerships". These include Sonnox Voca, an "all-in-one toolkit" for vocal production, Acustica Audio Rust, a vintage-inspired EQ, and Softube Opto Compressor, an LA-2A emulation.

“It’s fitting that we should celebrate the 40th year of the Focusrite brand by adding a limited edition to the fourth-generation Scarlett range,” says Focusrite's Chairman and Founder Phil Dudderidge OBE.

“In its usual livery, Scarlett acknowledges the original Red Range, which brought colour to the racks of monochrome outboard. This Anniversary Edition is blue, in celebration of our original house colour. Focusrite, in either guise, has always been about bringing colour to the music!”

Released in 2023, the 2i2 is a 2-in/2-out USB audio interface with two remote-controlled mic preamps and two Hi-Z instrument/line inputs, alongside professional-grade 192kHz, 24-bit converters from Focusrite's flagship RedNet range. The 4th Gen 2i2 saw the introduction of Auto Gain, a features that monitors the incoming signal and automatically adjusts gain to the optimal level.

In our review of the Scarlett 4th Gen series, we praised the newly-updated preamps for delivering an "impressive 69dB of gain" and described the updated Scarlett line as "slicker audio interfaces with better specs and more options", concluding that they were "highly recommended".

The Scarlett 2i2 Anniversary Edition is priced at $229.99/£219.99/€210.08.

Find out more on Focusrite's website.

No one is immune from mistakes in the world of music production, and even your most ‘pro’ of professional engineers will have messed something up fairly recently. An engineer friend of mine (who shall remain unnamed) quite recently nearly ruined the overheads on a paid gig by overcooking the outboard compressor he was running them through.

The point is we all make mistakes whether we’re using a Neve console and outboard gear, or just running a guitar direct into an audio interface. When recording in a home studio scenario, there are a multitude of ways things can go wrong, and sometimes music-makers don’t even know that they’re making a mistake in the first place. These subtle mistakes can ruin your productions before they’ve even started.

Over the past few years I’ve been regularly moving between ‘proper’ studios and working from my home studio, and I’ve encountered a myriad of issues, making plenty of mistakes in the process. Here are the most common mistakes I see from producers, as well as a selection of errors I’ve learned from in my time.

1. Using the wrong microphone

Recording live instruments is an awesome way to get truly unique sounds, especially when every producer nowadays has access to the same samples on Splice. Recording a sound into your interface with a mic is a super simple process, but if you don’t pick the right mic for the job you’ll regret it later down the line.

I made this mistake while recording some guitar amps a few months ago. The condenser microphone I used sounded absolutely awful when I sat down to mix it, but thankfully I’d multi-mic’d them, so I had other options. I ended up not using that one mic entirely because it sounded rubbish, but only one particular amp. On the second amp I'd used for that session, the same microphone sounded great!

It’s an important lesson that you can only learn over time, but rather than just grabbing the first mic you see in your drawer, or even worse, a mic that everyone says you should use on a source, think about what sound you’re trying to achieve. You’ll get much better results this way than just throwing something up and plugging it into your interface.

2. Not listening to the sound in the room

This links to mistake number 1, but it’s easy to forget that the sound you hear in the room is the same sound you’re going to hear when it gets to your audio interface. A microphone will impart character, as will preamps and plugins you use along the way, but ultimately if it sounds rubbish in the room, that’s one characteristic you’re not likely to be able to edit out. It’s the same if you’re working entirely in the box; your sound selection is way more important than what you do to get it to fit in the mix.

So, before you head over to your interface and computer to start tweaking knobs or dragging sliders, stop and have a listen to your instrument (or software synth) in the room. Does it inspire you? Does it get your head nodding? If not, tweak some stuff, because once it sounds great in the room, it’ll sound the same through your interface and in your DAW.

3. Not checking stereo mics for phase

Stereo miking sources is a tricky one, but can lead to some amazing sounds when you get it right. Phase issues can make things sound thin and weak, or even mask certain frequencies completely when you fold them down into mono and unless you specifically check for it, you might not notice it’s there.

Phasing is when the same sound is reaching two microphones at different times or from different directions. Because of this difference you get a cancelling effect which can massively affect the final sound. To lower the chances of this happening, you need to first make sure the mics are the same distance away from the source.

If you’re micing the same sound with two different mics, like a guitar amp or snare drum, then flipping the polarity switch on your audio interface (if it has one) or in your DAW will instantly tell you whether or not your sound is out of phase. Out-of-phase sounds will be weak, so flipping the switch should instantly fatten up the sound if the signal is out of phase.

4. Not checking your gain staging

A lot has been said and written about gain staging over the years, but this is one thing I see producers getting wrong all the time. Gain staging is simply about making sure you have enough volume going into your audio interface so that when you come to mix, you can turn it up or EQ it without bringing more noise into your signal.

When it comes time to record your source, whether it’s a microphone, line level, or in-the-box instrument, you want the meters to be peaking between -12 and -6. This allows you a clear enough signal to be healthy, but not so much that you don’t have more headroom to play with when mixing and mastering. Taking time to set this before you hit record will save you huge headaches later down the line.

5. Using the direct monitor instead of DAW monitoring

Whatever you do, don’t monitor your incoming signal from the LEDs on the audio interface. These are great for checking you’re getting a signal at all, but when you’re adding gain, make sure you’re checking this through your DAW meters which are much more accurate. As I said with the above point, getting this right is half the battle when you’re recording into your interface, and it will result in a much better-sounding mix overall.

It’s the same when you’re listening to your sounds. Apart from checking you're getting a signal, there’s not much point in monitoring your sound in the audio interface, because ultimately you and your listeners are going to hear the sound that’s coming out of your DAW. Once you’ve got your signal going into your interface, make sure to monitor from the DAW rather than the direct input from then on.

6. Pre vs post fader metering

Although not directly related to your audio interface, this is something I rarely see ever come up when people talk about recording. Leading on from my previous point about direct monitoring via your interface, it’s incredibly important to make sure your meters are giving you the right information when you get to the DAW. It might sound obvious, but pre-fader metering is the signal before it hits the DAW, whereas post-fader metering is what you hear as the signal goes to the output.

When you’re in the recording phase, you’ll want your meters set to pre-fader. Once you’ve checked your signal coming into the interface and then checked the levels in your DAW, you should then switch your meters to post-fader mode. Every DAW I’ve worked with has a way to set this, so you’ll need to work out how to do it for your particular one, but it’s a simple trick that ensures you’re seeing the right information at the right time, which will give you a better recording.

7. Over (or under) processing on the way in

Processing on the way in is a great way to make your sounds more ‘mix-ready’, but it’s easy to get wrong. I used to be terrified of doing this but once I started experimenting with adding compression and EQ on the way in, I managed to get much better sounds. As my engineer friend found out earlier in this article though, you can push it too far.

Whether you’re using DSP processing on the way in via a Universal Audio Apollo interface or you’ve got outboard gear, it’s best to find the middle ground. If you’re only boosting one particular frequency by 2db on the way in there's not really much point in using hardware or DSP processing. You might as well do this in the mixing phase. On the other hand if you end up smashing something into a compressor and adding +20dB, you might well be leaving yourself less space to change things later on, which can really limit what you do with your mixing.

Finding the sweet spot between the two takes time, and you will mess it up before you get it right. Ultimately though, it'll become an amazing creative tool that will help you get much better results from your recordings, so it's well worth the time playing with the signal before it gets into your audio interface.

8. Monitoring too loud (or too quiet)

Some of the best advice I ever received was from a professional mastering engineer, who said he hadn't touched the volume control in his studio for the last five years. The reason he does this is because whenever you change the volume of something, you change the way it interacts with the room your monitors are in.

A signal can sound way too lightweight at lower volumes, so you might add more bass to compensate. Then, later on in the mix phase when you turn it way up, it sounds far too bassy so you cut some bass. Then you get to a middle volume level to do some more processing and suddenly it sounds different again, needing further adjustment.

By getting the output volume of your audio interface at the right level for your room and leaving it there, it helps you to understand your studio monitors or studio headphones so much better. Over time, you'll come to learn how your monitoring and room react to various frequencies, which will give you much better consistency in the way you mix things.

9. Not using multiple monitors

Multiple monitoring options are essential if you want your mixes to translate. Most budget audio interfaces only have the ability to utilise one set of studio monitors, which is fine, but every single one of these interfaces does have an input for a set of headphones. This means every producer out there has the ability to check their mixes on multiple sources instantaneously, even if you're only using a pair of budget studio headphones.

Throughout the mixing phase I’m constantly switching between my monitoring to get a different picture of what’s happening. Headphones are great for checking minute details, for example if there’s a problem frequency somewhere you need to pinpoint, or getting a better picture of what's happening in the low end.

Your monitors are better for overall balance, allowing you to hear where things are sitting in the overall mix. If your interface (and budget) allows it, getting a second pair of monitors is another great way to enhance your ability to produce better mixes, offering a fresh perspective on the balance and content of the mix.

What is it?

You’ll have noticed that as audio interfaces grow in I/O count, some of those channels are achieved using ADAT or S/PDIF, and if you want analogue access to these, you’ll need to find a suitably equipped additional converter unit. New from SSL, the Alpha 8 tackles this task but also rather usefully presents as a regular USB interface, albeit one with no mic preamps.

Housed in a full-size 1U rack unit, the styling is very similar to SSL's top of the range SSL 18 audio interface, and the two units would clearly make ideal partners.

Key specs include 32-bit 192kHz converters, eight balanced analogue inputs and outputs, eight channels of ADAT I/O, two channels of S/PDIF I/O, Wordclock I/O, 18 I/O USB interfacing and in/out LED metering.

Digital connectivity is via four ADAT optical connectors (2-in/2-out) and a pair of S/PDIF coaxial connectors. S/PDIF coaxial supports sample rates up to 192kHz, and ADAT optical rates up to 96kHz with twin cable SMUX for eight channels. ADAT input and output port 2 can also be configured for 2-channel S/PDIF.

Alpha 8’s analogue outputs are DC-coupled and are therefore able to send out +/-5V control voltages, which is handy if you’re controlling CV-enabled modular or rack synths from your DAW.

Finally, Alpha 8 can be used as a standalone converter or as a USB audio interface, and for the latter is USB 2.0 class compliant. This requires no additional software on Mac OS. Windows users need to download and install SSL’s USB ASIO/WDM driver.

Performance

In typical SSL fashion, utility and flexibility are important design criteria for Alpha 8. What’s more, with no additional software app, all settings are selected either on the front panel or via the audio driver if you’re connected via USB. Onboard options are driven by the Select buttons (1 to 8) combined with further option buttons (In, Out, Analogue and Digital).

These access specific channels or odd/even pairs of channels, allowing you to set channel specific operating levels for the analogue connections (+24, +20, +18, +9dBu) and also set a mono or stereo source for the onboard headphone output. This is handy for cue monitoring, but also simply for checking that signals are routed as required. Further front panel options include clock source and sample rate if you are using the unit in standalone mode.

The final cog button activates settings mode. This is primarily used to specify the Alpha 8’s signal flow, although other options include headphone impedance, headphone sensitivity, and front panel brightness. This is the one aspect of Alpha 8 where the manual is required, as each of the Select buttons is assigned to a specific task, with the LED meters used to indicate the settings.

By way of example, if you want the ADAT inputs to feed the analogue outputs, press Select button 2 to cycle through the options until its corresponding LED is green. Similarly, if you want the S/PDIF output to be sourced from USB output, use Select button 4 to select its red LED. S/PDIF connectivity is also well implemented, allowing an 8-channel group to have certain combinations of S/PDIF and analogue or ADAT signals.

With both standalone and USB interface functionality, there are many ways you can integrate Alpha 8 into your workflow. Obviously, the extra connectivity comes in handy if you’re using analogue hardware inserts in your DAW sessions, and the multiple analogue outputs suit those with multichannel monitoring. Meanwhile, if you’re using outboard mic preamps or an analogue desk and simply don’t need an interface with mic preamps, the Alpha 8 provides a cheaper solution than the SSL 18 for example.

Verdict

It may not be the most exciting product we’ve had on the test bench, but the Alpha 8 is well designed, feature rich and reasonably priced, and is the perfect companion to any ADAT-equipped interface.

Hands-on demos

Solid State Logic

Alternatives

Specifications

Blackstar Amplification has launched the Polar Go, a guitar audio interface that is small enough to fit in your pocket and is designed to work seamlessly with your smartphone, tablet or laptop.

The Polar Go is equipped with Blackstar’s proprietary ProCapture Stereo Mics system, and has a combo XLR and 1/4” input, with +48V phantom power so you could hook it up with a condenser mic. There are dual USB-C outputs – one for power, one for data – and a 3.5 mm output for monitoring via studio headphones.

“Polar Go is more than a mobile interface,” says Blackstar. “It’s a complete, pocket-sized studio designed for the modern creator.”

We were big fans of Blackstar’s Polar 2 audio interface. It looked cool, was easy to use, exceptional for recording electric guitars. The Polar Go shrinks this concept down into a simple audio two-knob interface (for Input and Output volume) that is small enough to fit inside your pocket. And it, too, is designed for creators of all stripes, not just guitarists.

Blackstar has made this for singer-songwriters, rappers, spoken word artists, poets, comedians, podcasters and streamers, too. It is compatible with iOS, macOS, Android, and Windows, and with all major recording apps – GarageBand, BandLab, Zoom etc.

As the promo pic below suggests, you could take this down to your local park and track acoustic guitars – the birds and aircraft hum might even add a sort of field music authenticity to your work, open chords in the open air.

Sorry, we’re running away with ourselves here, but then that’s the point of a device like this. It’s a take-anywhere unit for capturing an idea – or developing on – as and when inspiration strikes, which as you know is hard to forecast.

Those stereo mics have a lot of range. Blackstar says they’ll “capture anything from ASMR to a grand piano”.

Under the hood, there is a DSP engine that applies the onboard reverb, compression, EQ and noise control. The Polar Go is designed to be used by the novice and expert alike.

The Polar Go’s rechargeable battery will give you up to six hours of on-the-go recording time. The accompanying Polar Go app lets you shape the sounds you are recording.

There is onboard video recording support, so you can synch up your A/V, presets for podcasts, guitars, vocals and more to get you started, and a Magic Wand tool to gussy up your sound in an instant.

“Whether you’re a singer-songwriter, podcaster, livestreamer or filmmaker, Polar Go transforms your audio from phone-quality to studio-ready instantly,” says Blackstar. “Just plug in and create, anywhere, anytime.”

The Polar Go is available now, priced £79/$129. For more information, head over to Blackstar Amplification.

What is it?

If you’re anything like as space-conscious as we are, you might have gradually started thinning down your hardware gear collection in favour of plugin alternatives. Yet while many of today’s plugin options provide exacting emulations of classic and current hardware seamlessly within our DAWs, for some the joy of hardware goes beyond sound.

It’s that indescribable, in-sync feeling of being hands-on with a tactile hardware instrument, effect, drum machine or gizmo that remains an enduring reason why some keep their home studios stocked out with physical kit.

Beyond the actual space demands that keeping hold of such a hardware arsenal brings, actually interfacing your hardware, especially the older stuff, with your 21st-century DAW projects can sometimes be a gruelling ordeal that can nip your moment of inspiration in the bud.

Freqport might have a solid solution. The 2019-founded Danish and Australian makers of the exceptionally cool Freqtube FT1 continue their ambition to heal the hardware/software divide with FreqInOut FO1.

This new USB-C interface routes either mono or stereo signals from your hardware into your computer and out again, enabling access to your hardware from within a bespoke, no-nonsense plugin shell.

Performance

Firstly, let’s talk about the hardware (the FreqInOut FO1 itself that is). The sturdy but sleek black unit features eight simply-labelled ports, four 6.3mm jack line inputs and four corresponding line outputs, as well as a USB-C connection to your computer. This simplicity of I/O is refreshing and plain to see, yet it obfuscates the pretty advanced under-the-hood mechanics.

Inside the box, multiple analogue processing circuits can take in more than one external hardware device and further process the incoming audio into a digital, DAW-ready format. It achieves this by leaning on internal ESS 32-bit convertors which can convert up to 192Khz.

Once the audio is routed, the Freqport software hub enables you to attenuate the gain, and further shape the signal via stereo field tweaking using M/S Processing, blending wet and dry signals via parallel processing.

Coolest of all though, for this visually-motivated writer, is the ability to create custom plugin skins for your specific hardware chains.

Upon attaching the unit, a brisk download of the corresponding software via Freqport’s website takes a matter of minutes.

The FreqInOut plugin shell can be opened either as a standalone audio track or as an input effect.

While the plugin’s rather flat appearance is a little tricky to navigate initially, hovering your cursor over the surrounding grey/white buttons handily reveals their intent.

Being so simple in terms of I/O, working with external instruments and effects is a quick matter of jacking the output of said device into one of FreqInOut’s four inputs, selecting it via the plugin window, activating it and arming the track to monitor the input. There was no latency detected whatsoever.

The setup differs for sound-generating instruments such as synths, where lowering the output is required. This wasn’t immediately clear to us, but after a few minutes of faffing, it was simple to figure out and we got a nice clean, latency-free signal from a dusty old synth we’ve not mined for years.

But perhaps the greatest joy – the ‘build your own plugin’ aspect – is achieved via using a nifty on-the-fly generated QR code. Scanning this allows you to upload an image of your hardware and use it as a preset ‘skin’ for its saved settings within the plugin.

It’s also useful for locking an image of your perfect knob-settings for instant recall in case your devices (like many of ours) end up being kicked around in boxes for a few weeks between projects.

Verdict

So, our experience with FreqInOut did exactly as it promised – providing a seamless route in for our hardware peripherals.

The speed of use even encouraged us to dig out some particularly gnarly old stuff that hadn’t seen the light of the sun in… too long to mention… inspired by the now open door to older kit that FreqInOut provided.

In terms of negatives, there’s the slight boringness of the plugin interface – though the personalisation aspect of adding photos of your own gear is pretty damn cool. Yet navigating the surrounding settings of the UI was a little too ‘functional’. It’d be nice to have a few more options to modify and modulate the incoming signal – though to be honest, there’s plenty of scope to do that with other plugins and within your DAW itself, now you’ve got the signal in play.

We also experienced a couple of initial crashes, though after a full-DAW restart the plugin cooperated well for the duration of our test.

As indicated earlier, the immediate, latency-free ability to just wire our hardware directly into our DAW projects is – in our world at least – a bit of a revelation. Previous attempts to make our external kit play nice with our DAW have frequently been beset by problems, but FreqInOut removes all the stress, making our music-making life that bit simpler.

Hands-on demos

Freqport

Alternatives

Specifications

What is it?

For a good while, Bitwig had been quietly working on its first hardware product behind the scenes, and the Berlin-based outfit hadn’t wanted to rush things. On first hearing the news of hardware development, our minds immediately veered towards a controller of some sort - a well-trodden path. However, an audio interface wasn’t very high on the list. I mean, what else can you really bring to market that hasn’t already been done before? Well, it would seem there’s plenty.

Enter Bitwig Connect 4/12, a four-in, 12-out DC-coupled audio interface with MIDI and two virtual loopback channels. In fact, it’s more than your average audio interface with the addition of monitor and DAW transport controls, and some very neat control functionality for all you Bitwig Studio users.

Housed in a very solid metal chassis, the 4/12 is a hefty piece of kit, somewhat reminiscent of the weight and build quality of UA’s Apollo Twin interfaces, complete with a big multi-use dial adorning the faceplate. However, here, the 360-degree rotary is touch-sensitive, so will respond to several different types of gestures, which I’ll go into a bit more detail later.

The I/O is split between two ins and four 3.5mm TS outs located at the top of the front panel and the rest located around the rear, which include: a Mic/Line/Instrument combi port on channel one; a 1/4-inch TRS balanced Line/Instrument jack on channel two; six balanced 1/4-inch TRS balanced outputs (channels one to six); a 1/4-inch stereo headphone output on channels seven and eight; 3.5mm TRS MIDI in and out (breakout cables included); and finally a USB-C/USB2 port for bus-powered connectivity to your computer.

In the box, you’ll find a bright orange and black braided USB-C to C cable, a USB-C to A dongle, two MIDI 3.5mm TRS to 5-pin cables and four braided 3.5mm cables to connect to your outboard gear.

Performance

When it comes to the I/O, it’s inputs three and four and outputs nine to 12 are where all the fun lies, if you’re looking to connect modular devices, that is. The two inputs are switchable between audio or CV signals and as such feature a DC filter that will cut the signal below 20Hz, thus eliminating any unwanted DC offsets when recording audio, and opens a whole ton of options when connecting to your modular set-up. Utilising the CV hardware device in Bitwig Studio with these I/O options is a doddle and you won’t even need to refer to a manual to get things up and running, it’s that easy and intuitive.

The patching options at your disposal here bring your modular and Bitwig even closer than ever before. It has to be said that the real fun lies with the Grid, and again, using the I/O modules, you can easily patch your hardware with the software modules.

I loved the Grid when it first landed with version 3 of Studio, but with Connect, it breathes new life into the virtual modular environment for me. I’ll admit to not owning much in the way of modular hardware, owing mostly to a lack of space, not to mention the question of affordability, so spending out on a Eurorack audio interface and the space to house it has never been high on my list. As such, I’ve never fully explored the Grid with external hardware. Connect 4/12 neatly kills two birds with one stone here, so there’s no worry about having to make extra room in the diminutive modular. The Grid feels even more fun and more powerful than ever.

Control panel

Connect 4/12 comes with an accompanying Control Panel app with opens up even more functionality and gives you full access to the routing and settings. Here you can adjust the sample rate and buffer size and you can easily change channel input settings here from mic, to instrument or line level inputs and also toggle the phantom power on channel one, saving you the faff of fumbling to reach the buttons around the rear of the unit.

There are also deeper settings for the Alt option in the Control Panel. You can select different outputs for wiring up an alternative set of monitors, which are then easily selectable by the Alt button on the hardware.

Levels for everything can be adjusted within the software as well as using the big rotary dial and various button combinations. While the tactility of the dial is most welcome, sometimes you may just want to freely type in an exact value, so having the option for both is great.

Big dial energy

The 360-degree touch-sensitive rotary dial is, hands down, the main attraction here. The two main options to access this power come courtesy of the Scroll and Bitwig buttons located on the bottom right corner of the front panel. As the name suggests, Scroll gives you the ability to easily scroll and zoom your views, but the Bitwig button is where the real fun begins.

Activating Bitwig mode grants you the power to control any parameter by simply hovering your mouse over it, so jumping from one parameter to the next can be as fast as it takes for you to move your mouse around the screen. Both Bitwig and Scroll modes can be used momentarily or latched and you can achieve this in one of two ways: either double-clicking the mode button or by double-tapping the dial itself, and the LEDs will change colour accordingly.

The momentary function will only give you control over a parameter while the mouse pointer is hovering over it. Using the latch function will lock the physical dial to the parameter of your choice, so you can freely move your mouse pointer elsewhere and still have control over said parameter.

It took some getting used to, as I’m so used to solely using a mouse/trackpad, but after a while, activating the Bitwig and Scroll modes was second nature and even more so when using the double-tap function. It’s a simple and yet very effective improvement on using Bitwig Studio. Many of you who already use MIDI controllers in this fashion will likely scoff at its simplicity, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find a hands-on control system as fast and intuitive.

The ‘Double Tap’ function in Bitwig mode can also be customised within Studio’s Controller settings menu. Double tapping by default latches the control, but you can also select the Reset option which will allow you to reset the value of said control. There are also options for setting the speed of the Scroll function and setting the Transport to either pause or return to the original position when stopping playback.

Working well with others

Clearly, most of the testing for this review was using Bitwig Studio, but Connect can work well with other DAWs. The most obvious match is Ableton Live and I found no issues when using the CV tools and connecting to modular gear, as both Live and Studio have their similarities, there’s no surprise here.

I also tried out Connect with Logic Pro, which, like most DAWs, will map multiple outputs ready for multichannel monitoring if you so wish, which is a nice touch. As for CV connectivity, well, you won’t find much af that here, unless you’re using third-party plugins.

It goes without saying that the Scroll and Bitwig buttons won’t have any effect within other DAWs, and the transport buttons won’t straight away either, but Connect 4/12 does support Mackie Control (MCU) protocol, and you can configure this if your DAW supports MCU (they pretty much all do).

Where we did get a bit stuck was when testing it with iOS. Though I must stress that nowhere does Bitwig claim that Connect 4/12 is iOS compatible, so this was merely a test to see if and how it worked with Apple’s mobile operating systems.

On connecting to it to an iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16, a warning flashed up stating that the accessory uses too much power to operate. Playback seemed to work from app to app, but when trying to monitor or record in Garageband, there was no signal.

However, with an iPad Air (M2) running iPadOS 18.3.1, I had no such warning with power and the device worked perfectly fine with Garageband able to see all the available channels. Recording and monitoring behaved as expected and even some (not all) of the controls were recognised as MIDI notes when using Alchemy.

Verdict

Bitwig clearly knows its market and knows what its users are looking for when it comes to breaking out of the box. I’ve always found that Studio’s hardware integration options have been top-notch and beat a lot of other DAWs out there and the 4/12 further adds to this.

Connect isn’t the only DC-coupled audio interface out there, but it’s by far the most modular-centric one I’ve come across. The addition and location of the 3.5mm ins and outs are ideal, but if I had one complaint, it’s that everything else is around the rear. I much prefer having headphones in a more accessible location, i.e. the front. Nowadays, many manufacturers even put an instrument input on the front panel too, so I’m thinking that maybe all the I/O should be on the top here?

Another very slight annoyance is that the phantom power and input-type switches are also on the rear. I guess that, visually, it’s better to have an uncluttered interface, but ergonomically, this doesn’t work for me. It’s a bit annoying having to peer around the back of the unit when plugging in cables, let alone having to scrabble around for buttons.

I can see the presence of only one mic pre as off-putting for some, but I don't think it’ll be too much of a deal-breaker. I, for one, rarely need to capture more than one microphone at a time, but those who do might want to look elsewhere.

Connect packs a lot of tools into an already feature-rich box, so I have the feeling that its size and price would be greatly affected by the addition of another mic pre. Perhaps the addition of an optical input for channel expansion would’ve been a good option, but at what cost?

The AKM converters offer industry-standard clarity and plenty of headroom when recording. You won't find any extra signal processing usually found on audio interfaces around this price point, but it's not a deal-breaker with everything else going on.

The bottom line

Testing Connect with the likes of iOS and iPadOS, while not strictly necessary, I was interested to see how much use you would get from the interface in a wide variety of studio setups. Granted, you’re not likely to be hauling this around whilst creating music on the move, but it’s good to know that, in a pinch, you could utilise its I/O with an iPad setup.

The main USP for Connect 4/12 is the seamless integration and added functionality for Bitwig Studio, once you’ve installed the Control Panel app. The multi-use, touch-sensitive controller dial with the intuitive Bitwig and Scroll modes will help you get more out of the DAW.

There are cheaper options within Eurorack as well as other DC-coupled audio interfaces out there, but if you’re primarily a Bitwig Studio user, then getting Connect 4/12 should be the next thing on your shopping list. It’s an excellent all-round device for your I/O needs.

If you've been unsure of making the jump to Bitwig Studio, then Connect might just be the sweetener to seal the deal.

Hands-on video

Alternatives

Specifications

The budget audio interface market is a crowded one, and price-conscious music-makers are spoilt for choice these days when it comes to affordable options for home recording.

Released in 2021, M-Audio's M-Track Duo is a basic but reliable USB audio interface with an entry-level spec that we described in our review as offering "fantastic value" for musicians on a budget. Today, M-Audio has announced the successor to that interface: M-Track Duo HD.

Aimed at musicians, producers, podcasters and content creators, the 2-in/2-out M-Track Duo HD boasts improved audio - 24-bit/192kHz converters compared to Duo's 16-bit/48kHz - providing 55dB of gain through M-Audio's low-noise Crystal preamps, both equipped with +48V phantom power. It also swaps out Duo's USB-B input for a USB-C.

Compatible with Mac, PC, iOS and Android, Duo HD features dual Combo XLR/TRS inputs that can handle mic, line or instrument signals, along with two 1/4" TRS outputs and a 1/4" headphone output with an independent level control. Duo HD's Direct/USB monitor switch offers zero-latency monitoring of its inputs.

The interface arrives with a software bundle that includes the MPC Beats music production software, along with a selection of virtual instruments and effects plugins from AIR.

M-Track Duo HD is priced at $99, double the price of the M-Track Duo. It's also available as part of a Producer Pack bundle with M-Audio's HD41 headphones and M100 studio condenser mic, priced at $179.

Find out more on M-Audio's website.

Alongside its highly-rated DAW Studio One, US brand PreSonus has built much of its reputation on studio hardware including mixers, monitors, headphones and interfaces.

For many users, the company is best known for its Eris range, which covers monitors and headphones, and is particularly popular at the budget end of the spectrum where it has some great value options that have scored well in our reviews.

However, for those looking to take their setup to the next level , PreSonus’ current hardware lineup is topped by a selection of interfaces and monitors that are crammed with clever, convenient features that make them perfect for recording guitarists and solo producers alike.

In the video above, we’ve put together a simple recording setup to demonstrate some of these features. The core of this setup is PreSonus’ Quantum HD 8, which is a USB-C audio interface. That interface acts as a bridge to Studio One Pro 7, which allows us to configure our recording setup directly from the DAW. For monitoring we connect speakers from PreSonus’s Eris Pro range.

The Quantum HD interfaces are the top end of PreSonus’s interface range, which includes the more compact HD 2 as well as the flagship HD 8, which has more input and output options.

The HD 8 can be rack-mounted or sit on a desktop, and includes all the features you’d expect from an interface at this level. That includes two instrument inputs on the front panel, eight mic/line inputs on the rear and 10 line outputs on the back panel.

The interface also has two quarter-inch headphone outputs for monitoring. There’s also Word Clock and optical connectivity, which makes it possible to expand the I/O up to 26 inputs and 30 outputs.

PreSonus says that the Quantum HD interfaces have a ‘high performance signal flow’, which comes from converters with a massive 124db of dynamic range.

Another big part of that performance is provided by the all-new Max HD preamps. There’s eight available in the HD 8 and two in the HD 2. These are digitally controlled analogue preamps, which offer 75db of gain but are low noise and very transparent, so they’re well suited to whatever you want to record.

One of the most convenient features of the Quantum HD range is the Auto Gain functionality, which takes a lot of the hassle out of setting up gain staging for different input types. This can be set up easily using the front panel button, from within Studio One, or via the Universal Control app.

That control app is another highlight of the interfaces’ workflow, providing hands-free control over a multitude of features. The app is available for iOS and Android as well as PC and Mac.

PreSonus was brought under the umbrella of Fender brands a few years ago, and as a result these latest interfaces include a few nice touches that particularly suit those recording guitars.

The front panel instrument connections have been designed with input from Fender and include both inputs and outputs – designed for easy re-amping. This means that users can send instrument-level signals out of a DAW in order to process them via an amp, amp sim pedal, stompboxes or a desktop effects unit.

This is great for guitars, as it makes it possible to record your guitar clean and then apply an amp and effect tone later. It’s also really nice for processing things like synths, samples or plugins so that you can treat sounds from your DAW through external effects or analogue gear.

The Quantum HD interfaces come with a bundle of software including a perpetual license to Studio One Pro 7, along with 12 months of Studio One Pro+, which is the subscription service that gives access to every plugin and sound pack PreSonus has to offer – containing sounds to suit pretty much any genre you can think of.

Although the interfaces can be used seamlessly with your DAW of choice, there’s some really nice integration when using these with Studio One specifically.

When opening a new Studio One project, users can make use of the preset Quantum HD project templates, which mean the session will open already completely set up for a multitrack project using the interface’s I/O.

Users can also directly access controls for the hardware within the Studio One mixer, meaning there’s no need to turn to the control app or hardware to set up features like phantom power or Auto Gain.

Studio One also allows users to save track presets in the DAW, which include insert effect chain and any settings for the interface.

In our simple setup, we have the outputs of the Quantum HD 8 connected to a pair of Eris Pro 8 monitors. These are coaxial monitors, which essentially means the high and low frequencies emanate from a single position, making for a more natural listening experience.

On the rear panel, they also have Acoustic Tuning controls that make it easy to adapt the speaker response to suit our studio.

If we wanted more bass, we could connect a sub – PreSonus has an Eris Sub available – and we then use the low cut to prevent our monitors from clashing with the sub.

Putting these three elements together creates a simple but powerful recording setup, with some handy touches that are likely to really appeal to busy music makers.

This setup would be great for recording guitars or vocals at home, but with the ins-and-outs of the Quantum HD 8, we could also hook up a whole rack of hardware synths, or record a multi-track band session.

The Quantum HD 8 is available now priced at £869, and the HD 2 is available for £429. The Eris Pro 8 monitors are £349 each.

Visit PreSonus for more.

What is it?

Entering into the now rather competitive space of 8-channel audio interfaces that bridge the gap between the pro realm and the home studio, the Audient iD48 is the latest release from the studio stalwarts, and it’s got a rather neat trick up its sleeve to help it trump the competition.

The headline feature is the 8 microphone preamps that are exactly the same as those in their ASP8024-HE console that’s found in studios all over the world, the same desk I work on at my weekend haunt, Spirit Studios. These aren’t DSP-powered emulations, or clones, but the exact same ones used in their professional-grade mixing consoles.

It’s a heady prospect, and that’s not all there is to shout about either. 32-bit ESS Digital Audio Converters, a huge 126.5dB dynamic range, and 68dB mic preamp gain all insinuate that this is a serious bit of kit with the specs to match its pro-grade preamps.

Two JFET instrument inputs adorn the front of the unit alongside two headphone outs capable of handling up to 600 ohm headphones. On the back, alongside those 8 mic pres, you’ve got four line outputs, two optical inputs, two optical outputs, and two clock ins and outs.

Interestingly, there’s also switchable insert routing that allows you to choose which source feeds the ADC path. That means you can use outboard gear on a per-channel basis, keeping an ultra-short signal path with no re-patching. You can use outboard gear at both the recording and mixing phases without having to get stuck in your patchbay, and you can also bypass the mic pres altogether if you want to use an outboard preamp.

Pricing

Installation & software

Getting the iD48 setup with my MacBook Pro was a breeze, and I didn’t even need to install the additional iD mixer software to get it up and running. I simply plugged in the power cable, hooked up the USB-C, and Pro Tools instantly recognized the interface and allowed me to use it.

It comes with a pretty generous software offering, and it’s definitely one that’s aimed towards the more advanced producer thats likely to get the most out of it. Highlights for me are the 2-month free trial of Sonarworks with a 20% discount on the full thing, which gives you the option to tune your monitors and headphones - although you’ll need the additional mic to do the former.

You also get Strymon’s excellent BigSky reverb plugin, as well as more from Softube, Spitfire Audio, Torpedo, Gforce, Loopcloud, and more. Admittedly, most producers looking for this type of interface will likely already have a decent collection anyway, but it definitely helps it feel like better value for money.

Performance

Getting the iD Mixer software up and running, this is where a lot of the action happens in terms of routing, as you’re able to access many options not available in your DAW. Most of the stuff in here is fairly standard, but the real innovation is the ADC Direct mode. With it engaged, the preamp signal isn’t routed anywhere, allowing you to send a signal from your DAW to your outboard without having to repatch it.

It’s a crazy good option, meaning you can use the same outboard compressor for tracking and in the mixdown phase, without having to start plugging cables in and out of your patchbay. However, it is quite confusing to get your head around.

The manual isn’t superb at describing it, and because Pro Tools insists you use the same numbered in and out for hardware inserts, you have to use your digital outs if you want to use 8 channels for hardware at the same time. It is totally worth the effort to get your head around it though, as being able to use the same hardware for incoming signals and for the mixdown phase is a big time saver.

Whilst I was testing the iD48 I was also reviewing the rather unwieldy Submarine Pickups Subsix, an external guitar pickup that splits each string into an individual channel. This allowed me to get my first taste of those Audient Console mic pres, as I had to balance the gain between the different timbres of each string.

I do love using knobs when dialing in my gain amounts though, so I appreciate that each channel has its own dedicated knob, and doing it this way meant it didn’t take long to get a nice balance going.

Of course, for fine-tuning your input gain you’ll want to check your levels in your DAW or using the iD Mixer app rather than using the 2-stage indicator lights built into the front of the unit which are good for checking if you’re clipping the signal, but other than that, rather limited.

I also used the two JFET inputs on the front, which I found were excellent for getting direct guitar tones, and the headphone outs were plenty powerful enough to drive my 250-ohm Beyerdynamic studio headphones, which can sometimes be an issue with home-studio grade interfaces.

Verdict

As a regular user of the ASP8024-HE console, I’m a big fan of the preamp sound, and the iD48 absolutely delivers that same level of clarity and quality. But the real star of the show with the iD48 is that it has the ingenious ability to give you easy routing to external hardware with no re-patching at both the recording and mixdown phases.

MusicRadar verdict: Even if you’re not using outboard gear, it’s still a phenomenally good audio interface for use at home, thanks to its fantastic quality conversion. It’s a lot of audio interface for a relative cost that’s pretty good value for money, so if you’re looking to step up to something a little more ‘pro’ from a basic interface, the iD48 is a fantastic option.

Hands-on demos

Alternatives

Specifications

What is it?

At some point there comes a time in every home studio engineer’s progression where they decide they need more inputs and outputs. Whether it’s wanting the ability to track multiple instruments at the same time, record acoustic drums, or just add more synthesizers to your rig, it can be a little daunting taking that step up from your basic 2-in, 2-out audio interface.

It needn’t be though, and the Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 4th Gen is the clearest demonstration of that I’ve encountered thus far. Giving you 8 mic preamps, 10 line outputs, MIDI in and out, as well as the ability to slave additional inputs via ADAT, the 18i20 offers a lot of connectivity for well below a grand. On paper, it’s the perfect stepping stone to expanding your studio.

It’s not alone though, there are the more ‘pro’ feeling rack mount units from Apogee, Audient, and Universal Audio that offer a similar amount of connectivity, although in most cases will cost you a lot more. Meanwhile, more home studio-friendly offerings come from PreSonus, Behringer, and Motu, which offer 8 inputs for around the same price or in Behringer’s case, considerably less.

Ten years ago the earlier iterations of the 18i20 might have been the only reasonable choice for the home studio enthusiast looking to take a step up, but we’re not exactly low on choice these days when it comes to 8-channel interfaces. So is this where should you be spending your money if you’re looking to add more ins and outs to your studio? Let’s find out…

Build quality

I’ve reviewed nearly all of the Scarlett 4th Gen interfaces from the Solo right up to today’s subject, the 18i20. They all share very similar design ethos and build attributes, which means that deep red colouration of the outer metal shell, slick black frontage with light-up text, halo lights around the knobs, and in the 18i20s case, small meters for monitoring your inputs live.

It’s a very solid-feeling unit weighing in around 3.5kg and due to its size, it won’t fit in your backpack. Realistically it’s designed to stay at the heart of your permanent studio space, but I still found it relatively easy to transport to a recording session in my local studio which has an excellent drum room. If you’re going for a permanent setup it comes with 19-inch rack ears that affix to each side of the unit, but you’ll need to provide your own screws. Underneath the rubber feet are easily removable if you things are particularly tight in your setup.

Across the front of the unit all the knobs, switches, and buttons feel rock solid which, if you’ve used any recent Focusrite gear, is a given. Overall, it’s a very solidly put together unit which definitely feels on the more professional level versus a lot of similar equipment that’s more geared towards beginners and home recording.

Software & installation

Getting the 18i20 setup on my MacBook Pro was a breeze, as is typically the case with OS-equipped machines. I downloaded the Focusrite Control App which required an initial update taking around two or three minutes, and with that, I was ready to rock. My chosen DAW Pro Tools recognized it immediately and I had zero issues immediately setting up my session for a drum recording utilizing eight microphones.

Although I’d imagine most users will have settled on software before they’re at the stage where they want to buy something like this, Focusrite does include bundled software with the 18i20. The Hitmaker Expansion includes three basic DAW offerings in the form of Ableton Live Lite, Pro Tools Intro +, and six months of FL Studio Producer Edition. You’ll also get amp simulator software, a drum VST plugin, plus a compressor, EQ, and various other tools to get you started.

Usability

For the main portion of my testing, I took the 18i20 to a local studio to record some drums for a new project I’m working on. I initially set it up at home which took around an hour, including updating the unit, creating all my tracks, setting up my project, and assigning inputs, which was much quicker than I anticipated. I encountered zero issues during this process, which was very reassuring going into a session with a brand-new interface.

At the recording studio, I set up my interface close to the drum kit, micing up the kick, snare, both toms, stereo overheads, and a room mic to make sure I used all eight of the inputs. At this point the Focusrite Control app became invaluable, allowing me to get my input levels spot on quickly and easily while the drummer practiced the song we were recording. The app allows for remote control of the hardware unit, letting you use all of the functionality without having to touch a physical button.

If you prefer using buttons it’s simple enough to get acquainted with the physical controls on the front of the unit. Each channel has a numbered button which once pressed lets you link a pair of channels into a stereo channel, add phantom power, change from a mic to an instrument input, add auto gain, add clip safe, or two stages of presence via the ‘air’ button. You also get an ’alt’ button that lets you switch between outputs, a dim switch to mute the output signal by 18dB, a mute button to silence your outputs, and there’s a talkback function that you can route through the software.

The two separate headphone outs are probably less critical in a permanent home studio setup, where you’d likely have a headphone amp, but I certainly found them useful in my scenario as I was able to give separate mixes for myself and my drummer. There was plenty of gain on the outputs too so the drummer was able to hear the scratch and click tracks clearly alongside the sound of the drums in the room itself.

Sounds

If you’ve read any of my other reviews you’ll know I don’t like judging something so subjective as sound. For what it’s worth though, I do love the sound of the preamps in the latest Focusrite interfaces and the 18i20 is no different. The drum sounds I captured during my session were clean and clear, perfect for being treated later down the line with EQ, compression, and other more creative effects.

The stages of presence boost via the ‘air’ button are subtle but noticeable. One press gives a little boost to the treble side, making your sound more forward in the mix. A second press keeps that EQ boost but adds some more saturation to the sound, making them a little bit hairier. It’s all subtle stuff, but definitely useful if you want some extra pizazz and your raw sound sources.

I tried the 18i20 with dynamic, condenser, and ribbon microphones and each type worked fantastically well. There’s plenty of gain on tap from the inputs even to drive the typically quiet ribbon microphones I used, all without requiring the addition of a FetHead. Sonically I have zero complaints about the quality of the drum sounds I was able to achieve, and I’d feel comfortable using it in any recording situation.

Verdict

For me, the Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 4th Gen sits in that Goldilocks zone when it comes to 8-channel interfaces. It’s not dirt cheap, but it’s not out of the reach of the majority of home producers and engineers. Despite the lower cost, it has the build quality to match those more rugged, professional-grade rack mount units. It’s equally at home travelling to remote recording sessions as it is living in a permanent studio setup.

Ultimately though, and this is where all the Focusrite 4th Gen interfaces excel, it’s the usability that makes them so good. I do not doubt that even a complete beginner could get the 18i20 set up and start making multi-mic recordings it’s that easy to use. The plethora of additional features combined with the power of the Focusrite Control App makes it incredibly accessible, even if you’ve not dealt with any more than 2-inputs previously.

Specs

• Price: $649.99/£539.99/€729.99
• Simultaneous I/O: 18 x 20
• A/D Resolution: 24-bit/192kHz
• Built In DSP/FX: N/A
• Number of Preamps: 8
• Phantom Power: Yes
• Analog Inputs: 8 x XLR-1/4" Combo (Rear), 2 x XLR-1/4" Combo (front)
• Analog Outputs: 10 x 1/4"
• Digital Inputs: 1 x Coax (S/PDIF), 1 x Optical
• Digital Outputs: 1 x Optical, 1 x Coax (S/PDIF)
• MIDI: In and out
• Headphones: 2 x 1/4"
• Power Supply: Standard IEC AC Input (cable included)
• Contact: Focusrite

Hands on videos

NAMM 2025: The NAMM show in Anaheim, California has long been the world’s biggest music gear convention, although in the music technology realm it’s lost a little of its influence in recent years. In part, this comes down to the pandemic – NAMM took a sizeable hit after being forced to cancel in 2021, and it’s only now getting back to being anywhere near the size it was pre-Covid.

For makers of synths and studio technology, however, the emphasis was shifting away from NAMM even before then. Berlin’s Superbooth, while smaller in scale, now feels more significant as a venue for music technology news. What’s more, these days many synth-makers opt to forego trade show announcements altogether in favour of unveiling gear online and via social media.

All that being said though, NAMM remains a significant industry event and 2025’s show was undoubtedly the biggest and busiest in several years, with major players like Roland and Behringer returning to the show floor.

MusicRadar’s Managing Editor Si Truss and Tech Channel Editor Matt Mullen sat down at the show to discuss this year’s biggest music tech stories and the hottest new products. Watch our full rundown of the biggest NAMM news in the video above, or catch up with our quick summary below.

While we’ve rounded up a few highlights here, there’s much more to see from NAMM, for music technology fans, guitarists, drummers and beyond. Catch up with all the news with our live show coverage.

NI meets Akai (and more)

The biggest news to come out of NAMM is typically the unveiling of a hype-worthy new product from a well-known manufacturer. This year, though, one of the most significant – and unexpected – announcements hasn’t arrived in the form of a shiny new synth for us all to drool over, but something very different entirely.

No, Native Instruments hasn’t rocked up to NAMM 2025 with the next generation of Maschine or an upgraded Kontrol keyboard in tow. Instead, it’s arrived with a message of co-operation and a mission to empower music-makers, no matter whose products they use.

Ahead of this year’s show, the company announced that it’s teaming up with a handful of top names in music tech – brands that could be considered its biggest rivals – to integrate its software ecosystem with products beyond the realm of Native Instruments, giving owners of instruments from brands such as Akai, Novation and Korg the opportunity to access its content and take advantage of integration with its NKS protocol.

We got the chance to check out some NI Kontakt instruments running on MPC hardware during the show, and it certainly makes for a good combo. Our biggest question, however, is where this leaves the future of NI’s own hardware business – should we see this collaboration as an admission of defeat by Maschine to its most direct competitor?

Behringer’s latest clones nail authenticity – for better and worse

Behringer has had to defend itself from ‘vaporware’ accusations in recent years – the suggestion that the prolific synth brand announces a considerable amount of gear, some of which never actually makes it to market.

Given this, the company’s return to the NAMM show after a 10 year absence is a good opportunity to try and get our heads around the shape of the company’s current lineup of genuine products. Highlights from the booth include recent releases like the controversial LinnDrum inspired LM Drum and PPG emulating Wave.

Early impressions are that both Wave and LM Drum sound on the money, and feel authentically vintage – for better and worse. Those looking for an authentic old school experience will likely be happy, but despite a few modern niceties, both designs feel decidedly old school.

The big surprise from Behringer was its clone of the Yamaha DX1 – an ultra-rare, bitimbral, frequency-modulating beast that’s the crown of the DX series.

Like the DX1, Behringer’s BX1 is a 32-voice FM synth with a formidably complex architecture, but the German manufacturer’s remake departs from the original on a few significant points, most notably its analogue filter. All in all, the BX-1 certainly looks like a crowd-pleaser, and it’ll likely be cheap enough to keep Behringer’s fanbase on side when it’s eventually released.

We’re not entirely convinced that FM synths are as ripe for recreation as vintage analogue though, particularly in a world where we’ve moved on to excellent modern FM synths like Elektron’s Digitone or Korg’s Opsix.

Melbourne Instruments’ Roto could be 2025’s best controller

Melbourne Instruments is the Australian brand behind Nina and Delia, two analogue polysynths with a twist: their knobs are motorised and rotate all by themselves in response to modulation and patch changes.

This year, the company has made the ingenious decision to repurpose these touch-sensitive, self-rotating knobs for a MIDI controller, appropriately christened Roto-Control. It’s a simple idea, but an excellent one, giving you real-time feedback on parameter changes in your DAW or device.

It’s not all about the knobs, either; eight keyboard-style buttons and a row of displays provide additional control and versatility, while Roto-Control’s Motion Recorder feature allows you to automate and loop MIDI parameters on external hardware and software.

Donner’s L1 puts a modernised spin on the SH-101

Chinese brand Donner's latest release is another generously priced analogue synthesizer that also takes cues from a vintage Roland instrument: the SH-101. Joining the B1 in the brand's Essential series is the L1, a modestly-sized monosynth that complements the expressive tones of Roland's '80s classic with a modern touch.

L1 is built around a 3340 analogue oscillator and 3109 voltage-controlled four-pole filter, a recreation of the SH-101's original filter chip that features the same self-oscillation abilities. L1's oscillator can produce saw, pulse and triangle waves, along with noise and a sub-oscillator.

These are joined by a single multi-waveform LFO and two envelope generators - one more than the original SH-101 - the first can modulate several parameters including pitch and filter cutoff, while the second shapes the VCA. The synth also features a 64-step sequencer, with storage space for 128 patterns and 32 songs, and a multimode arpeggiator.

Stylophone’s CFM DF-8 filter promises both beauty and beastliness

Coming in the same brutish-looking form factor as Stylophone's DS-2 drone synth, the DF-8 filter includes both an emulation of the smooth 2045 low-pass filter and Stylophone’s dirtier Gen R-8 filter, creating a device that the company says has ‘beauty and the beast’ vibes. But that's only half the sound design story.

While the 2045 filter has just a single low-pass mode, the R-8 can be run in low-pass, band-pass, high-pass and notch configurations. When the two filters are combined you get three additional modes: Bandpass+, Band Reject+ and Notch+.

You can access any of these modes in each of the two channels, and these are controlled by a pair of ADSR envelopes. Trigger options include gate a signal, an audio signal threshold and a manual trigger button, while there’s also an auto-repeat mode that works like an LFO.

With a desktop or modular-friendly form factor and a promised price around $300, the DF-8 looks like a potentially brilliant sound mangling tool that could pair while with budget synths and Eurorack systems alike.

There’s potential in Roli’s tech if you can look past PR bluster

Hear the word ‘piano’ and the chances are that you’ll visualise an acoustic or digital instrument with 88 keys that can be played without the need to connect it to anything else. ROLI, however, has other ideas: its new ‘Piano’ is a 49-note light-up controller keyboard that’s designed to be used with its previously announced Airwave hardware and piano learning software.

The ROLI Piano looks like a larger version of the company’s Piano M, which itself bears more than a passing resemblance to the Lumi keyboard that we first heard about way back in 2019. Alongside ROLI Piano, we’re also getting a companion AI Assistant, a generative AI platform that promises to make learning to play “easier, more intuitive and more fun than ever before”. When these two products are combined with the Airwave, you get what ROLI is calling the ROLI Piano System.

In typical ROLI fashion, the brand wasn’t shy of hyping up the potential of its tech, heralding it as the future of the piano and claiming that, “in a few years from now there will be no piano that doesn’t have a camera”. While that statement is undoubtedly hyperbolic, there’s certainly some interesting tech behind Roli’s system. We’re not convinced it’s quite ready to reshape the world just yet though.

The stage keyboard wars are hotting up

2025 sees Roland return to NAMM after taking a few years off. On the music technology side of things, the brand’s biggest announcement was its new V-Stage piano – a flagship stage keyboard that sees Roland parking its tanks on Nord’s lawn, right down to the cheeky inclusion of red panelled wooden ends.

“It’s basically an all-in-one gig rig but it has a complete focus on keyboard sounds, so that means organ, acoustic piano, electric piano. We do have a synthesizer section as well but the main focus is keyboard sounds with a dedicated section for each. It’s also designed to be very quick to operate, to set up your scenes and your patches,” Roland’s product specialist David Ahlund told us.

While Roland has its eyes on Nord’s turf, the Swedish brand has its own products to show, in the form of updated Piano and Organ lines. In short, it’s a good year for keys players and touring musicians.

Bitwig’s first hardware release wasn’t quite what we expected

We’ve known that Berlin based software brand Bitwig has had a hardware release in the works for a while, but not the precise form of what that would be. It came as something of a surprise then, to discover that rather than follow the familiar route of creating a controller that physically manifests their software (in the style of Ableton’s Push) Bitwig has instead chosen to make an audio interface.

Intrigued, we found out more from Fredrik Astevall, Bitwig’s business development manager on the NAMM show floor.

“Bitwig Connect is more than an audio interface,” Astevall explains. “It’s got all the interface features you would expect – all the ins and outs – but the CV coupling means that you can control analogue hardware, like a synthesizer, Eurorack modules, that gives it an extra layer. “And on top of that it’s a MIDI interface, there are DAW controls and a special Bitwig mode…”

When it comes to making music, there are a lot of elements to consider – each of which have their own separate claim to being the ‘most important part’ of the whole deal. Microphones? Acoustic treatment? Sixty-year-old microphone preamps? Sure, but today’s democratised recording rigs are nothing without the humble audio interface.

From the pokiest of bedrooms to the most expensive of cutting-edge recording studios, audio interfaces are pulling serious weight – and now you’ve gotten one to carry the load of your own music-making. So, how do you connect your audio interface to your computer? Here, we’ll take you through the process from start to finish – for both Windows PCs and Mac laptops.

1. Familiarise yourself with your interface

Before you start plugging anything into anything, let’s get familiar with the ins and outs of your interface. Not only will this make getting started with it more intuitive, but it’ll also tell you some important things about how to get started at all. Familiarity is particularly important from a connectivity standpoint, as audio interfaces have enjoyed a number of different connection standards over the years.

On older interfaces that still have some form of support from their manufacturers, you can expect to find a USB-B port – meaning it’ll connect via USB-A or USB-C to your computer with the right cable. Today, most interfaces have adopted USB-C as the standard. This is because USB-C is significantly better equipped than its predecessors to transmit both data and power.

2. Plug the interface into your computer

Whichever connection your interface uses, it’s time to make it. Use the cable that came with your interface, and plug one end into the interface and the other into a corresponding port on your computer.

In the above example, my Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 connects to my computer via its USB-B port; a USB-B to USB-A cable is used to mate the interface with my laptop’s USB hub.

3. Complete your audio connections

Your next step is to start making audio connections between your equipment and your audio. Some of you will have a simple songwriting setup in mind, involving little more than a Universal Audio Volt 1, a microphone, an electric guitar, and some studio headphones. Some of you will have a studio room groaning under the weight of all the synths and hardware waiting to be hooked up to your new rack-mounted multi-Apollo megalith. In most cases, you’ll have three things to think about: your inputs, your headphones, and your studio monitors.

Start with the speakers, by plugging your speaker cables into the dedicated monitor outputs at the rear of your interface. Next, plug your headphones into the headphone monitor port at the front.

The inputs are yours to manage as you wish! At my studio, a home studio mixer is permanently plugged into a number of my inputs by way of a patch bay.

At home, I have a small summing mixer that all my instruments are plugged into – and I can easily unplug the mixer if I want to record with a microphone. Cables situated, you can now place your interface in its forever home on your studio desk.

4. Turn on your computer

Now, it’s time to turn your computer on. If your interface has a power switch, leave it off until your computer is booted up. Indeed, it’s good to form something of a habit here about this; your computer should come on first, then your interface, then your speakers.

This saves both your ears and your equipment from the loud bumps and buzzes that can come from starting things up. It’s a similar principle for keeping the gain down on any channels until after you’ve plugged in a mic, turned on phantom power, or switched on a synth or pedalboard. It can also be helpful for ensuring your computer recognises your audio interface.

5. Download the relevant software

Some interfaces come with additional software, which enables access to functions you otherwise can’t access on the interface itself. In my case, my trusty Focusrite Clarett 4Pre has an analogue ‘Air’ circuit that aims to ape Focusrite’s ISA 110 mic pre – and which can only be toggled on and off for each of the four front-panel channels via Focusrite Control.

Other brands make extensive use of software for switching and routing too, including Universal Audio with its UA Connect software. Your own interface’s manual will undoubtedly hold the keys to any specific information about the software you might need, but either way, you’ll need to go to the manufacturer’s website to get it downloaded.

6. Make your interface the default audio device

At this point, you’re ready to finish up your audio interface’s setup. Make sure your interface is plugged in and powered on (some interfaces, even if powered via USB, still have a power switch on the rear), and then go to your OS’ sound settings or preferences.

In Windows, this is found in the Sound section of the Settings menu. Click on the Windows logo, then click the cog that appears in the menu. Next, you'll need to click on system, then sound, or you can just type in 'sound' if you like. Under the 'Choose your output device select your interface.

For Mac users, you'll need to start by clicking on the Apple logo. Click on 'System settings', then click 'Sound' and at the bottom you'll see a section titled 'Output & Input'. Provided all the connections have been made correctly, you should see your audio interface here.

7. Set up the interface in your DAW

Now for the the final step. Open up your favoured DAW and select your audio interface as the primary device for audio input and output. This will menu will be named different things in different DAWs. If you don't see your DAW below then a quick Google search will point you in the right direction.

In Reaper, for instance, you’ll find this option under the Device subsection of Preferences, accessed either at the bottom of the Options tab or by clicking the audio device information at the top-right of the screen. For my Focusrite, I need to select ‘ASIO’ and then ‘Focusrite USB ASIO’ from the sub-menu.

In Logic, you’ll also find this option under Devices in the Preferences window; just use the drop-down menus to select your interface, then click Apply.

In Pro Tools, this menu will be found in Setup > Playback engine. If you're changing your audio device in Pro Tools and a project is open, you will need to save and relaunch so bear that in mind if you don't want to save any recent progress or need to go back on something.

Conclusion

And there you have it. Hopefully, you should be up and running with your brand new interface and ready to record. All that remains is to load up a session, plug in your instrument and microphone, and test you can hear everything. If you can’t, or if something else has gone awry, then don't worry, we have a troubleshooting guide that solves loads of common issues.

MIDI is, in a word, a godsend. This unassuming data-transfer standard is the magic sauce that enables drastically different music technologies, developed decades apart, to tell each other what to do – whether your computer is controlling a vintage synthesiser, or you are controlling your computer with your vintage synthesiser.

MIDI is cool, but it can also be a bit of a dense subject – so, for those newly blessed with a MIDI keyboard or controller, how does it factor into your wider audio studio setup? A commonly asked question in this field relates to audio interfaces, and how you connect one to the other. So, let’s answer this question comprehensively: how do you connect a MIDI keyboard to your audio interface?

1. Plug it into your computer

In short – you don’t. For some of you, at least. This is because, when most people think about MIDI keyboards today, they aren’t actually thinking about conventional 5-pin DIN connectivity; they’re thinking about USB MIDI technology.

Many of you will be in possession of a USB MIDI keyboard, which uses a USB cable to transmit data. These kinds of keyboards are not connected to audio interfaces, but rather straight into your computer – because, internally, they are their own USB interface. You don’t need an audio-interface middleman for this USB MIDI information, only a spare USB port for the device, which also tends to provide the device’s power.

However, it isn’t always this simple. Many of you will have different equipment, different processes, and different aims when it comes to harnessing MIDI in your own studio setup or live rig – and it’s here where your audio interface may have an important part to play after all.

2. Define your needs

In order to make the most of your MIDI keyboard, and indeed your whole studio ecosystem, it would be beneficial for you to have a little sit-down and properly define your purposes. If you’ve got an old-school 5-pin MIDI keyboard you’d like to mate with your digital synth VSTs, then your needs are understandably simple; if you have a whole bunch of hard- and software you’d like to both send and receive MIDI, then there might be a few more steps to take – and potentially another piece of gear or two to buy.

Let’s review the basics. 5-pin DIN is the conventional standard form of MIDI connectivity for audio equipment. MIDI information, when carried via 5-pin DIN, is unidirectional – which is why you’ll see separate DIN ports labelled ‘in’ and ‘out’ on many MIDI-compliant devices.

If you want your MIDI keyboard to control software in your computer’s DAW, you want to send MIDI out from the keyboard to the ‘in’ port of your interface. If, however, you have a more complex MIDI controller like the Arturia Keystep Pro, and want your keyboard to control hardware as well as software – even if just by relaying tempo information from your computer – you’ll also need to connect your interface’s MIDI Out port to your keyboard’s MIDI In.

3. Locate your audio interface’s MIDI I/O

Look at your interface’s front and rear panels, and try to locate the MIDI connection ports. If you’ve got something like a Motu M4, you’ll find them on the rear.

If your interface doesn’t have 5-pin connectivity, you can still use a USB MIDI hub to achieve the same ends. These can provide more 5-pin ins and outs for you to play with too, which may be useful for more complex setups. Though my Focusrite Clarett 4Pre has DIN ports on its rear, I still choose to use this 2-in 2-out MIDI hub.

4. Plug your keyboard in

If your needs are simple, this is where your journey ends. Take a 5-pin DIN cable and connect your MIDI keyboard’s MIDI Out to the MIDI In on your interface. Note that, unlike USB MIDI devices, 5-pin DIN cables are not power cables as well as data cables; your MIDI keyboard will need powering externally to work.

This is an old-school Roland PC200 Mk 2 MIDI keyboard, which runs off a 9V battery and connects to hardware via 5-pin DIN. Here, it is plugged into my USB MIDI Hub, and will be able to control software in my DAW via the hub.

5. Draw out a diagram

If your needs aren’t met by this simple connection, then you’ll need to devote a little more mental firepower to figuring out your connectivity. Create a block diagram by drawing oblongs for each of your devices, and labelling them. From here, draw lines for MIDI connections – with arrows to indicate the direction the data’s flowing.

This diagram is for a live performance setup, where a laptop is responsible for playing backing tracks, sending MIDI information to hardware synths, and receiving its own MIDI information from a controller. There’s a lot to think about here, with respect to both audio and MIDI – which makes this diagram hugely instructive. Starting the diagram helped me visualise how many devices needed to receive MIDI – and hence demonstrated that I needed a MIDI thru box to multiply the signal leaving the interface.

6. Find your MIDI device in your DAW

Whatever the complexity of your setup – even if your MIDI keyboard is a straight-up plug-and-play USB device –, the last step is a digital one. In order to use your now-connected MIDI keyboard, you need to ensure it is discoverable in your DAW – and that your DAW is happy sending and receiving information to and from it.

I’ve used Reaper for my example, but pretty much every DAW will have MIDI settings somewhere. You’ll find the MIDI device settings for Reaper under the Devices sub-menu of the Preferences window. In here, look for the name of your device. If you’re using the MIDI input on your audio interface, you’re looking for a device name that matches your interface. Once you’ve found it, enable input and input for control settings; I’m demonstrating with my USB MIDI keyboard, but the steps are exactly the same.

Now, create a track and navigate to the input selection menu. Here, you’ll find a MIDI Input sub-menu, and you’ll find your device or interface as an option within it. MIDI is a 16-track medium, meaning you can send 16 different streams of data simultaneously; if you’ve got a more complicated multi-MIDI setup, then you can set different channels so that different devices control different VSTs. If you’re programming instruments one at a time, or just want to control one VST, then just select Channel 1.

Conclusion

Your MIDI keyboard should now be successfully interfaced with your computer, potentially via your audio interface. This hurdle cleared, you are now unfortunately through the looking glass – and may be doomed to spend the rest of your days concocting clever and complex MIDI routing schemes for an ever-growing collection of esoteric equipment.

NAMM 2025: Korg has a habit of turning up at the NAMM Show with not only its ‘official’ new products, but also a few things that it’s working on but may or may not get a commercial release. And this year, one of those things happens to be a new range of audio interfaces.

The MicroAudio 22 and 722 are “tabletop-optimised” USB-C devices with “easy-to-grab knobs”. Each offers direct monitoring, up to 24-bit/192kHz quality, a Hi-Z input and a phantom power option. There are also built-in effects, including a noise gate and a compressor.

Most of which sounds fairly by-the-numbers, and not really what you’d call - to use Korg’s words - “concept prototypes - products in their exploratory phase that push the boundaries of what’s possible in music creation.” The MicroAudio 722, however, has something special up its sockets - Korg’s 700S analogue filter.

Taken from the MiniKorg 700S, this includes both low-pass and high-pass flavours and is tweakable from the top panel. As such, the 722 definitely has a unique point of difference in comparison to other audio interfaces; whether it’s one that’s useful remains to be seen.

Other concept prototypes include the E1 Air, a slimline digital piano, and the MetroClip, an LED metronome. And, of course, we’ve already told you about Korg’s big new releases: a new version of the Kronos workstation, module and plugin version of the Multi/Poly synth, and the MiniKorg 700Sm, a downsized version of the rebooted ‘70s synth.

You can get an overview of all the company’s NAMM news on the Korg website.

NAMM 2025: Speculated on for some time, and finally confirmed to us a few days ago, German DAW-maker Bitwig has today revealed its very first hardware product - Bitwig Connect 4/12. Ostensibly a 4-in and 12-out CV and MIDI-enabled audio interface, Bitwig states that its debut hardware product is 'far more than just an audio interface'…

The interface has been purpose-built to widen the already colossal scope of Bitwig's central offering - the increasingly popular DAW, Bitwig Studio. To that end, the interface sports a 'Bitwig' mode that encompasses unique DAW control functionality.

As Bitwig states: "As a bridge between software and external gear, Bitwig Connect is the perfect device to mark our debut into hardware."

Bitwig Connect 4/12 features six 'mode' buttons which can change the functionality of the central 360 degree and touch-sensitive dial. This dial can control software or adjust the interface's own parameters, such as input gain, volume and manage inputted headphones and monitors.

Bitwig being Bitwig, this dial can also be set-up to control any Bitwig Studio parameter with immaculate resolution.

Visual feedback is provided by the front panel, which gives users high quality input and output meters, sitting next to a ring of 32 RGB LEDs which surround that central dial.

Let's look a little bit more at that Bitwig Studio integration. The company state that Connect 4/12 will enable users to take control of processes like automation, fine-tuning settings and timeline navigation with that one main dial, which has been designed to be 'intuitive and precise.'

To activate it, Bitwig tell us that Studio users can simply hover their cursor over any control/parameter and double-tap. This will latch the Bitwig Connect dial. The dial's surrounding lights will change to match the colour of the parameter you've chosen to lock into.

Beyond the Bitwig Studio integration, the other major talking point is its CV-enabled hardware friendliness. Considering Bitwig Studio's modular-centric philosophy, the ability to connect physical instruments, gear and modular synths makes a lot of sense. It's a clear, open handed invitation for those hardware tinkerers who might not be familiar with Bitwig's software to delve into the company's ever-expanding eco-system.

The Connect will have two DC-coupled inputs and four outputs which are accessible via 3.5mm minijacks on its front panel. This smooth integration will let users program and direct their instruments from Bitwig Studio, or let external sequencers, instruments and synths input data into Bitwig Studio. Fluid dialogue between hardware and software is guaranteed.

As this is Bitwig's first hardware release, the build quality is suitably high-quality, with the Connect's sturdy steel exterior housing balanced connections, a premium mic preamp and reliable instrument/line inputs which channel themselves through AKM converters which can export up to 192kHz, 24 bit-res audio.

Also, the unit is entirely USB powered (via its USB-2/USB-C connector), meaning the interface will be useful for those who need to keep their gear close when on the move.

We're really looking forward to getting our hands on this first venture into the hardware world from Bitwig.

The company hinted towards wider product ranges in a roundtable we conducted last year, and with the reveal of Connect it certainly feels like we can expect even more tactile wares to start coming out of its Berlin HQ soon. In the meantime. we'll leave you with Bitwig's own blurb, which stated "With hardware this tough, you have a companion for life."

The Bitwig Connect 4/12 will be available in spring 2025, and will cost $549/€499. Pre-ordering will be available soon through Bitwig's website and selected retailers worldwide. For more info, head over to Bitwig's website.

Apple devices are everywhere, and have been for a long while. In fact, I’m willing to bet that almost everyone reading this is in possession of an iPhone, iPad or laptop of some description. Granted, Android users aren’t chomping at the bit to learn about mating audio interfaces with Apple tech, but if you;’ve got an Apple device you’re in the right place.

Today’s topic is that of union. The union of contemporary recording equipment with contemporary portable smart-things named for a popular fruit. iPads and iPhones are exceedingly powerful little things, and that presents incredible opportunities for mobile, versatile creativity by virtue of both their power and their form factor. But to make the most of this potential, you need to be able to connect your gear to them. Read on to find out how.

1. What’s your Apple device?

First, let’s address the elephant in the room. Historically, it’s been quite difficult to pair audio equipment and iOS devices, even if just for the persnickety nature of Apple’s older-school proprietary connectors. Some devices were designed specifically with the iPad in mind – remember the Focusrite iTrack? But in order to connect anything not designed as such, you needed to invest in some adaptive gubbins and perhaps a little patience.

Even with all the right connectors, there was no guarantee that any two devices would play ball; this rang true even for some specifically designed products, which became unsupported as new Apple devices and new iterations of iOS were released.

This sorry state of affairs is, prospectively, a thing of the past. EU regulation required Apple to ditch the proprietary plugs, and all new Apple devices now boast USB-C connectivity – hence, a less problematic route to connectivity for many different devices.

The following steps will first assume that you have a new iPhone or iPad, with USB-C connectivity and a much friendlier approach to device recognition. If your device is old enough to have a Lightning port, do not fear. Things might be a little stickier with respect to compliance and backwards compatibility, but you’ll find some more targeted advice a little later on in step 4.

2. What’s your interface?

The other side of this audio-gear coin is, of course, your interface. As mentioned earlier, there’s a whole host of Apple-specific interfaces and audio tools on the market, one of which you may well have in your possession – including the aforementioned iTrack, and Line 6’s Sonic Port interface.

With the new capabilities of USB-C, as well as the advanced nature of smartphones and tablets, there are fewer choke points between standard audio interface technology and these portable powerhouses. As a result, most modern bus-powered interfaces (i.e. smaller interfaces that do not require a separate power plug to operate) will be just as happy seeing an iPhone as they will a laptop or PC.

Just as Lightning-equipped Apple devices pose some issues with connectivity, so too do older interfaces that might not be as easily plugged in – but don’t worry, we’ll get to this too. In the meantime, and for the rest of you…

3. Plug it in

If you have a newer iPhone or iPad with a USB-C port, and a newer audio interface with straight USB-C connectivity – like Universal Audio’s Volt 1 or a Focusrite Scarlett 4th Gen, then your journey begins and ends here; just plug one into the other via a USB-C cable, and you’re likely to be done.

4. Use an adapter

There’s an ancillary consideration here, though, in the form of power. Your Apple device will be powering your interface from its battery, which may not be ideal if you’re planning a long recording session, like a lengthy crime podcast or a live band. As such, you might benefit from using a USB hub that can route power through as well as data.

An adapter could be a good shout anyway if you're doing something beyond basic recording. You may want to use a larger audio interface that requires mains power, an older interface that doesn’t come with the right USB-C cable, or an older Lightning-port Apple device with your interface, so an adapter that goes in between all of these could prove to be an invaluable part of your set up.

Apple has its own branded adapters, but most third-party adapters will do the trick (and some will offer more functionality, too). In the above picture you can see the USB-C hub I used to connect a 2nd generation Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 to my long-suffering partner’s workhorse iPad Pro.

5. Set up your audio interface on a computer

Some interfaces are happier talking to Apple devices than others – and some interfaces have some internal workings that you can’t quite access on an Apple device, which could frustrate your usage of them when it comes time to record.

For instance, Focusrite’s 4i4 interface uses Focusrite Control software to manage routing and settings – meaning you’ll need to make adjustments on a computer before you can use this interface the way you want to on an iPad or iPhone.

6. Device settings

With your audio interface plugged into your device – and once you’ve verified that it powers on – you should now be able to see it in your device’s apps. In most instances, setup is instantaneous; if you see a pop-up that asks if your new device is headphones, just select ‘Other Device’.

There’s no need to go into your Apple device’s settings, like you might have to with a Mac or a PC. Just go into your DAW of choice and use the device settings therein. In GarageBand, my Focusrite was automatically detected; going to the input settings of a given track, you should see the channels of your device ready to pick from.

Conclusion

That’s all there is to it, for most of you at least! My Focusrite 2i2 is an older-gen model and has absolutely no trouble mating with a recent iPad Pro, which is great news for many of the older interface havers amongst you.

However, there will be certain brands that have more trouble than others, particularly with legacy interfaces that may no longer be class-compliant with iOS’ core audio driver. If your interface is a little long in the tooth, you may need to be prepared to invest a little in order to fully realise your Apple-brained music-making setup.

NAMM 2025: Universal Audio has just announced Luna v1.8, with some big updates to a DAW that was already free. So how much more of a bargain do you want? There's got to be a catch, right?

Luna is Universal Audio's free DAW, although UA doesn't really like us using the term 'DAW'. That's because Luna offers a near latency-free recording environment, very much based on hardware studios of old, with a slick vintage feel and one of the most seamless recording experiences yet.

Yes, it is pushing the UA ecosphere and plugins, but the base version is free, no longer requires you to partner with UA hardware, runs third-party plugins and records unlimited tracks. To our feeble brains, then, Luna has enough qualities to call it… a DAW. An attractive and slick one at that.

There is, of course, a more fully-endowed, paid-for version of Luna should you wish to part with some cash, but the v1.8 updates apply to the free version as well so all the new goodies are yours for nowt, and these include some worthy additions.

Yes, many of these you might already find in your (very likely) much older and mature DAW, but Luna is very much the new kid on the block - a mere five years old, compared to some DAWs which have been around for decades - so we can forgive these features not arriving until now.

First up there's Bounce in Place, allowing you to render your tracks to audio at the touch of a button. A once essential practice in the old days of slow processor speeds, this enables you to free up CPU headroom by losing active plugins.

Track presets, meanwhile, enable you to save plugin chain setups and routing configurations for easy recall and time saving. An enhanced browser - very much 'the thing' of many recent DAW updates - is also present and correct, with Browser Tabs enabling you to home in on sounds and plugins.

Various bug fixes and workflow enhancements have also been included in the 1.8 update, so should you be heading over to the UA website for the freebie version?

Well, that free version gets you unlimited tracks (OK, limited by your processor grunt), full analogue summing, Tape Machines recording, plus channel strips, bus and parallel compression built into the Luna mixer. Needless to say, it's very easy to buy UA plugins to fit into the Luna environment - which UA would obviously love you to do – but the free Luna option does deliver a very pleasing and slick recording environment.

The Pro version (above) adds a bundle of over a dozen classic UA plugins to effectively recreate a vintage studio in your DAW. Think Pultec, API, Ampex… you can almost smell the reel-to-reel tape. The Pro Luna bundle usually retails for $399, but as part of the 1.8 Luna launch, you can currently get it for just $99.

Which only leaves us to insert some puns featuring the words 'sheer lunacy!', which thankfully we've resisted. Head on over to the UA website for more (information that is, not lunacy).

NAMM 2025: Audient has announced the release of iD48, a flagship 8-channel USB-C audio interface the well-regarded British brand is calling the "ultimate Audient interface". Designed for producers, engineers and musicians alike, iD48 is said to be versatile enough for both home studios and professional set-ups. 

Audient says iD48 builds on the core features that distinguish the iD range - "astonishing" audio performance and an intuitive user experience - while delivering enough I/O to "handle any session". iD48 is an 8-channel interface with the option to utilize a total of 24 ins and 32 outs digitally via ADAT or S/PDIF.

The 24-bit/96kHz rackmount interface is equipped with eight of the same low-noise, low-distortion Audient Console Mic preamps found across the iD range, featuring the very same circuitry as Audient's high-end ASP8024-HE recording console and delivering 68dB gain. 32-bit ESS DAC converters offer an ample 126.5dB of dynamic range for impressive detail and clarity, while two discrete JFET instrument inputs will make guitarists' lives easier.

Newly introduced with the iD48, Audient's Switchable Analogue Insert technology is another convenient addition. This allows you to route audio from either the mic preamps or DAW outputs to outboard gear via the iD48's eight balanced inserts - accessible via a Dsub connection - letting you track and mix using external hardware without physically re-patching cables.

In addition to its capabilities as an interface, the iD48 doubles as a monitor controller thanks to main and alt speaker outputs, dual headphone outputs with independent volume control, and dedicated talkback functionality. The iD Mixer software allows users to configure low-latency monitoring setups, create stereo cue mixes, and save custom layout presets.

Available from 3 March 2025, Audient iD48 is priced at $999/€899/£799.

Find out more on Audient's website.

What is it?

It’s been just shy of five years since the launch of the first foray into home recording for studio legends SSL, with the very well-received SSL 2 and 2+ audio interfaces. The idea, to bring that mythical 4000 series console sound into the hands of us lowly home studio engineers who have neither the space, nor funds for the real deal.

SSL was playing catch-up at the time, with other studio stalwarts like Focusrite, Universal Audio, and Audient well ahead of the game in terms of their own interface releases. With the SSL 2+ MKII launch coming hot on the heels of Focusrite’s 4th Gen interfaces and the Gen 2 Apollo units, competition for space on home studio desks is similarly heated, so it will be interesting to see how it stacks up.

The SSL 2+ MKII features several improvements over the original unit, but at first glance, you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s the same but with a fresh paint job. The layout is nearly identical, with the individual channel layout staying the same, the same large monitor knob, dual headphone outputs, and a mix knob. The use of colour is slightly less judicious than the original, which gives it more of a modern flavour versus the decidedly vintage stylings of the MKI.

One addition to the channel selection is a high-pass filter button which allows you to cut the lows from your inputs straight at the source, handy if you’re using condenser microphones to record vocals. The front edge has also changed, with two instrument inputs and two separate headphone outs for easy access whilst it’s sat on your desktop. It’s very similarly laid out to the Apollo X4 Gen 2 I recently reviewed and have found to be very ergonomic sitting on my desktop.

The internals are different too, and it now features 32-bit/192kHz converters for supreme recording quality. The RCA outputs are gone, replaced by two extra 1/4-inch outputs that are now DC-coupled, a bonus for synth users who want to control their analogue machines digitally. It also now features USB-C connectivity, making connecting to the latest laptops for music production much easier than the previous.

Finally, there are some updates to the specification, with a much higher dynamic range of 120dB on the outputs versus the 112dB of the original. This has been similarly improved on the headphones outs, with the MKII hitting 119.5dB over the original’s 111dB, as well as an increase on the microphone inputs, with the new measure delivering 116.5dB where it was previously 110.5dB.

Build quality

I’ve got to admit to feeling a little bit disappointed with the general feel of the SSL 2+ MKII. When I opened the box I cooed at its new aesthetic, it’s a stunning-looking bit of kit with those iconic SSL knobs feeling very 'pro studio'. The new blacked-out colour scheme feels like a marked improvement over the original in my opinion, but when I actually took it out of the recyclable packaging it left me feeling a little flat.

Versus the all-metal chassis of the aforementioned Focusrite 4th Gen and Apollo Gen 2 interfaces, it feels quite cheap and plasticky in your hands. It’s very lightweight, which might be a bonus if you’re travelling, but I couldn’t help feeling slightly let down by the feel, especially as it looks so ‘pro’.

Now that’s not to say it isn’t well put together. It does feel very robust in terms of the knobs, and I certainly wouldn’t worry about it getting broken taking it on the go, there’s just a bit of a disconnect between the look and the actual feel of it. Similar to the original, where you’d expect a satisfying and tactile click, pressing the buttons instead ends up feeling a little lackluster. There doesn’t seem to be any improvement on the 4K button either, which is a complaint our reviewer had about the MKI too.

Software & installation

Getting the SSL 2+ MKII set up with my new MacBook Pro M3, I proceeded to the SSL website to register the product and check out the additional software. The registration process requires you to create an account and use the serial from the bottom of the unit to register, giving you access to a whole host of software to add to your arsenal.

The first offer was a discount on the SSL 4K E plug-in which is a nice touch, and you also get a 3-month free SSL Complete Access Subscription. This auto-renews onto a $34.99 monthly subscription, so be sure to make a note to cancel if you don’t want to continue with it. You get DAW access via Harrison’s Mixbus 10 and Ableton Live Lite, perpetual licenses for SSL Native Vocalstrip 2 and Drumstrip plugins, 3-months access to Arcade by Output soft synth, Auto-Tune Unlimited, and Sonarworks SoundID Reference, as well as Melodyne 5 essential, BFD Player and Pop Essentials, and Amplitube 5 SE to cover your guitar tone needs.

It’s a plentiful bundle that will get any beginner musicians started, but probably won’t excite those with already existing plugin collections, although if you want to try out SSL Complete Access it’s a good way to do so. There weren’t any further steps required to get it working with my laptop, and loading up Pro Tools to begin recording a demo for my band I found it recognized the interface straight away, although I did have to set the inputs on my tracks which is usual when swapping an interface in Pro Tools.

Usability

Using the SSL 2+ MKII is a breeze thanks to the positioning of the controls. I never felt like it was a hassle having to make tweaks and unlike a lot of other modern interfaces, it doesn’t demand you use a control app for the vast majority of features. Getting hands-on with the knobs works great for my workflow and I liked the fact the large monitor button is easy to manipulate, giving you plenty of fine control over your volume levels.

The placement of the instrument inputs on the front is great for guitar players like myself, as is the 5 LED metering system for monitoring your input signal without having to resort to using software to gain a good view of where your gain staging is at. I was able to quickly and easily record some bass and guitar for my latest tune, adding them to a pre-recorded drum track and pulling together a rough mix within two hours of unboxing it.

The mix knob seems to have been forgotten about on a lot of modern interfaces but I did end up finding it useful to be able to balance some of the direct input signal with the mix to keep my guitar tracking bang on time. It allowed me to get the right blend of direct tone and the synth pedal I’m currently using before hitting my amp simulator too, once again its easy, physical accessibility proving useful.

Overall, the fact that everything is so easily within reach of your hands made using the SSL 2+ MKII a real pleasure. I’m definitely the sort of person who prefers using physical controls over an extra software window on the computer, so it really suited my particular workflow and no doubt will suit those who prefer tactile controls over clicking a mouse button.

Sounds

As I’ve stated many times previously, when dealing with the sound of an audio interface you’re entering very subjective territory. That said, I’ve tested around 15 interfaces in the past 12 months, and the SSL 2+ MKII definitely holds its own against the likes of Focusrite and Universal Audio.

The preamps delivered a super crisp sound that worked great with the DI guitar and bass I tested it on, giving a great base upon which to build my mix. With any recording project ultimately you’ll get what you put in, but the honesty of the preamps here is certainly a great springboard to bounce your latest project off. And what of the lauded 4K button? Well if you take a listen below you can hear it in action.

Using my Telecaster plugged straight into the instrument input of the SSL I played a chord progression for the DI sound. The second time around the 4K button is engaged which to my ear adds some gain, harmonics, and a little high-frequency EQ content. It sounds more ‘forward’ with the switch engaged which can be a great way to liven up a source before you commit to recording, particularly with vocals or an acoustic guitar.

Verdict

It’s honestly hard to find fault with the SSL 2+ MKII. It’s perfectly suited to the vast majority of home recording tasks, very usable thanks to the plethora of knobs and buttons, and delivers superb sound quality. Its real strength for me is the second in that list though, with all the controls in reach and not hidden behind menus or companion apps, it’s super easy to get up and recording quickly.

I was slightly disappointed with the physical feel of the unit, especially as it looks so premium at first glance, but I don’t have any qualms about the actual build quality of it. It’ll suit beginner and veteran engineers alike, and it is nice and lightweight which might make it a great option for the travelling engineer. Overall, a superb bit of kit that’s well worth your consideration if you’re looking for a new audio interface in 2025.

Specs

• Price: $299.99/£278/€298
• Simultaneous I/O: 2 x 4
• A/D Resolution: Up to 32-bit/192kHz
• Built In DSP/FX: N/A
• Number of Preamps: 2 x mic/instrument
• Phantom Power: Yes
• Analog Inputs: 2 x XLR-1/4" combo, 2 x 1/8"
• Analog Outputs: 4 x 1/4"
• Digital Inputs: N/A
• Headphones: 2 x 1/4" TRS
• Power Supply: USB-C
• Contact: SSL

Hands-on videos

In a first-ever discount in the Cyber Monday music deals, you can bag yourself a cheeky $20 off the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 4th Gen over at Guitar Center. Okay so it’s not the biggest monetary amount, but it is a relatively new product and more importantly, it’s the top-rated product in our best audio interfaces guide.

Over the past year, I’ve reviewed over 15 interfaces, so it’s fair to say I’ve got a pretty good handle on what’s good and what isn’t. In my experience with modern interfaces at the consumer level there’s also not all that much difference in the quality, rather it’s the features that make things truly stand out. That’s why I put the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 4th Gen at the top of the pile because it crams in more features than you’ll know what to do with.

The amount of features packed into the Scarlett 2i2 4th Gen is second to none for an interface at this price point. I particularly like the auto-gain function which detects the level of your input signal and adjusts the gain automatically. It’s great for swapping between guitars with different pickup types and something you’ll actually find this the far more expensive Universal Audio Apollo Twin Gen 2.

The clip-safe mode is a little less helpful for experienced engineers, but if you’re new to the recording game it could quite literally save your mix, so it’s well worth engaging. Pushing this button makes sure that automatically turns down the gain if it detects a signal that’s going to clip the input. If you’re recording loud, dynamic sources like drums then it’ll end up being really useful.

The Focusrite Scarlett 4th Gen series also comes with a really useful software companion app that makes it a lot easier to manage your interface when you have a permanent setup. No longer do you have to constantly reach for the physical controls of the interface, just control everything from the comfort of your mouse and keyboard whether it’s your input levels, loopback channels, or you can even use your phone to remotely control the interface from anywhere in your home studio.

Korg has released PianoRec, a dinky new product that’s designed to make it easy for you to record your digital piano performances to your phone.

Now, you might be doing this already - either by using your phone’s built-in mic or via an audio interface of some sort - but PianoRec both simplifies the process and promises better quality than you might be used to.

It works by taking a direct audio output from your piano - the default connector is a 3.5mm one, but you also get a 1/4-inch adapter in the box - and placing a USB connector on the other end. This is USB-A, but a USB-C connector adapter comes supplied.

For monitoring purposes, there’s also a built-in set of earphones, complete with microphone that enables you to capture the sound of your voice as you play (the mic has a mute switch if you don’t want it on).

The whole setup promises to be totally plug ‘n’ play, and if you own an iOS device you can also make use of the Korg EZ Rec app. This offers both stereo recording and video capture, but you can also use the device with any other recording app, or for streaming purposes.

The PianoRec costs £59/€70. Find out more on the Korg website.

Universal Audio are one of those brands that don’t ever really seem to put a foot wrong. From their industry-defining studio hardware tools to their expansive range of pro-level and beginner-friendly audio interfaces, UAD has changed the game via innovative and well-executed design. This Black Friday at Guitar Center, you can grab a slice of that industry-defining pie for a song – with up to $800 off some of the best recording gear on the market.

Universal Audio’s presence in the audio interface niche is, in a word, considerable. They have a device for practically every price point, every use case and every studio set-up; when a significant handful of your favourite creatives are happily using Universal Audio at the centre of their own rigs, you know you’re barking up the right tree.

Guitar Center is discounting a veritable smorgasbord of Universal Audio products, from their incomparable software plugins to their shiny new range of guitar effects pedals – but for audio engineers, the real gold is found in these crucial hardware discounts.

The biggest of the bunch is the whopping $800 discount on the UA Apollo X8 Heritage Edition, an audio interface with a frankly ridiculous number of ins and outs. It’s an 18x24 device, four inputs of which benefit from UA’s world-class preamp emulation via its proprietary Unison preamp tech. This rack-friendly audio-interfacing powerhouse is the best recording-rig brain you could ever ask for, with quality conversion and a high-quality build - better yet, you can score 25% off this Black Friday.

On the entry-level end of the spectrum, UA’s Volt series is also getting some serious Black Friday treatment - a standout deal of which relates to the Volt 476P. This is a 4-input interface with some killer analogue and digital architecture; each input served by hardware circuitry designed after the illustrious 1176 compressor. Along with the easy color and punch this 76 mode adds, each input also has a fun Vintage setting – more specifically, a digital emulation of the characterful 610 tube preamp.

This is a hell of a lot of mojo for a portable interface – to say nothing of the studio-quality conversion hiding behind those studio-quality signal chains! And that mojo can be yours at an 11% discounted price of $419. There’s also 10% off the more austere little-sibling desktop interface, the Volt 276.

If you’re looking for Apollo-level conversion quality with a desktop-friendly form factor, the iconic Apollo Twin MKII – the favoured at-home interface of countless musicians and engineers – is discounted by 22%, bringing it down $200 from $899 to $699.

Whichever level you’re buying at this Black Friday, you’re still buying Universal Audio. Every one of these products is an impressive example of its type, lauded by at-home producers and pro engineers alike for the simple reason that they’re damn good. And for a limited time, they’re a steal!

Heritage Audio i73 Pro 2: What is it?

Heritage Audio has a solid reputation for delivering high-performance but affordable retro-inspired analogue hardware. Its latest project couples an analogue preamp with USB-C-based audio interfacing and onboard DSP to deliver three desktop-style interfaces.

It’s the middle-of-the-range i73 Pro 2 that we have for review and this is a 2-in / 4-out 32-bit 192kHz capable device. This features two transformer-coupled 1073 style mic/line input channels with rear-mounted XLR/jack combi connectors. Channel 1 also doubles as a high-impedance JFET instrument input with front-mounted jack.

Outputs comprise a pair of rear-mounted TRS jacks and a front-mounted headphone output. All further connectivity is on the back and includes a mini-DIN connector for MIDI I/O (cable not included), USB-C socket and external PSU input.

Note, that the i73 Pro 2 is USB 2.0 compatible (both USB-A and USB-C cables are included) and it is not USB bus-powered.

The interface is supported by Heritage Audio’s i73 Mixer software (Windows and OS X), which handles minimum latency monitoring, access to the unit’s settings and access to Heritage Audio’s real-time DSP plugins, which you can also record. The recordable DSP plugin aspect will no doubt draw comparisons with other units such as Universal Audio’s Apollo and Apogee’s Symphony.

Heritage Audio i73 Pro 2: Performance and verdict

The i73 Pro 2 top panel is a design of two halves. The left-hand side has traditional knobs and switches for the analogue input stages. Meanwhile the right-hand side houses soft buttons and encoders, including the dual concentric DAW monitor knob for main outputs (centre) and headphones (outer ring).

The mic/line stage includes a 25dB gain range in 5dB steps coupled with a finely notched Output trim (0dB to -infinity). You also get individual Phase invert, plus level Pad and 48V phantom for the mic inputs. Meanwhile, the rather striking dark green squares at the top of the unit aren’t just for show as they are the input transformer casings. Nice touch.

The original 1073 design is renowned for its rich sound and gentle harmonics. The i73 Pro 2 mic input exhibits some very low level odd harmonic distortions but overall is pretty clean. In contrast, the JFET instrument input exhibits a more complex blend of odd and even harmonic distortions. Either way, the i73 Pro 2 is not strikingly coloured.

The i73 Mixer software provides discreet monitor and headphone cue mixes. It also includes two VST3 plugin-capable auxiliary buses for easy addition of cue mix reverb and delay. Heritage Audio has been finessing the software features, and the i73 Pro 2 can now retain its cue mix settings and DSP processing when you close the mixer software, which is good to know. Also, with six channels of USB I/O you can access the loopback routing and target the headphone output directly from your DAW, and simultaneously record both the dry and DSP-effected input signals, which is extremely handy.

The i73 Pro 2 package includes six plugins, all of which are available as AU, AAX and VST3. However, four of these are also DSP capable (channel strip, guitar amp sim, bass amp sim and tape sim). DSP plugins are selected via the i73 Mixer using the four slots for each input channel. All four DSP plugins are very good, and although the amp sims deliver quite specific tones, they are very usable. We understand further plugins are in development, though pricing is yet to be finalised.

Verdict

The i73 Pro 2 delivers an interesting mix of retro flavour, and contemporary functionality, which is a refreshing change from the many neutral and digitally controlled interfaces out there. Meanwhile, recordable DSP plugins and VST3 plugin monitoring are both valuable inclusions. Overall this is a well-conceived unit that should find its user niche.

MusicRadar verdict: The i73 Pro 2 won’t appeal to everyone, but if you have a hankering for a traditional transformer coupled preamp integrated into a desktop audio interface, this is a mighty fine solution.

Heritage Audio i73 Pro 2: The web says

"Working with the i73 Pro is enormously satisfying. The DSP plugins are well chosen to give your rig a flexible front-end, and we love how the preamp gain staging delivers genuine, authentic transformer overdrive."
MusicTech

Heritage Audio i73 Pro 2: Hands-on demos

Heritage Audio

Podcastage

Edward Smith

Harv Video/Audio Stuff

Heritage Audio i73 Pro 2: Specifications

• Inputs: 1 mic/line/instrument, 1 mic/line.
• Input options: 48V phantom, phase, level pad.
• Outputs: 2 TRS jack, 1 headphone.
• Gain range: Up to 70dB of gain.
• Audio Interface: 2-in, 4-out, 32-bit up to 192kHz.
• Mic input dynamic range: 116dB A weighted.
• Line/Instrument dynamic range: 116dB A weighted.
• MIDI I/O: mini DIN connector.
• Interfacing: USB 2.0, USB-C connector.
• Size: 185 x 205 x 92mm.
• Weight: 1.55kg.
• CONTACT: Heritage Audio i73 Pro 2

It might have a retro look, but Tascam says that its new Studio Bridge is designed to solve a thoroughly modern problem: to connect the analogue and digital recording worlds.

What we have here is a 24-in/24-out multitrack recorder and audio interface that’s designed to sit between a mixing console and computer. Or, if you don’t want to use a computer, you can just use it to record the outputs from your mixing console (via 25-pin D-sub connectors) to an SD card at up to 24-bit/48kHz quality.

Unlike standard multitrack recorders, the Studio Bridge doesn’t have a bank of knobs and faders. Instead, each track gets its own Input, Monitor and Record Arm buttons. There are DAW transport controls, too, and the device can be rack-mounted if you wish.

Other features include punch in/out and MIDI I/O ports that can be used to sync your drum machines, synths and other gear. A built-in metronome, meanwhile, is on hand to help players stay in time.

“The Studio Bridge enables a wide range of existing 8-bus or more analogue mixing consoles to make the transition to a 24-track digital multitrack recording studio,” says Tascam product specialist Sean Daily. “Now, with a computer, DAW software, the Studio Bridge, and an external mic preamp, users can have a compact and very capable recording setup.”

A price and release date for the Studio Bridge are still to be confirmed, but you can find out more on the Tascam website.

Universal Audio Apollo x8 Gen 2 review: What is it?

Universal Audio’s Apollo interfaces have proved to be massively successful, and it’s not hard to see why. They offer a market-leading combination of audio interfacing, onboard DSP for UAD plugins (VST, AU and AAX), and DSP-supported Unison preamps. When you factor in UAD’s over 200 plugin library, and the broad choice of interfaces, it’s hard to think of another manufacturer that offers this range of options, or combination of features.

The whole range has now received a refresh and up for review we have the Apollo x8 Gen 2. This sits towards the upper end of the range and is a traditional 1U rack mount unit, offering 18-in / 24-out at up to 24-bit / 192kHz resolution, and HEXA core (6-chip) DSP.

On the input side, you get 8 analogue ins and 4 of these are mic inputs with independent XLR connectors. The first 2 mic inputs also have front-mounted Hi-Z instrument jacks. On the output side, you get stereo monitor outputs, 8 further analogue outs and a pair of front-mounted headphone outputs. ADAT and S/PDIF digital connections complete the I/O.

For both monitor and headphone outputs, the Apollo x8 Gen 2 includes improved D/A conversion with increased dynamic range (DNR) and lower distortion (THD). In our opinion, both sound excellent. The unit uses Thunderbolt 3, but is also Thunderbolt 4 compatible and for Mac users backwards compatibility with TB2 and TB1 using the Apple converter cable.

Two Thunderbolt 3 ports allow for chaining of additional Apollo devices (4 total) and UAD DSP units. On the plugin side Apollo x8 Gen 2 is available in the Essentials+ and Studio+ versions, offering a selection of over 20 and over 50 DSP plugins respectively.

Universal Audio Apollo x8 Gen 2 review: Performance

Apollo rack mount interfaces are extremely well made, and the weighty full-depth form factor is a bit of a rarity these days. The x8 Gen 2 moves away from the black finish of its predecessor, with a new thick metal face plate and slicker push button encoder knobs and soft buttons, and this offers a more modern look. Meanwhile, sticking with the existing panel layout keeps things familiar. As before the front panel offers direct control of input settings, monitoring levels and metering, and this is mirrored in the UAD Console desktop software. Here you can also access input and Unison plugins, monitoring plugins and cue mixes, amongst other interface settings and options.

Despite the familiarity, the Gen 2 release brings with it some significant extras. First up, auto gain. For Apollo x8 Gen 2, this is accessed via UAD Console, and not via the interface as we have seen from some manufacturers. That said, the implementation is more nuanced, with adjustable target and threshold levels, signal monitoring duration, and multiple preamp selection.

Bass management is an important aspect of multichannel monitoring and is now integrated into the UAD Console for both Gen 2 and Gen 1 Apollo X users. The bass management section of the Monitor Controller window allows for a separate LFE source or for a sub-split from a regular stereo output (Satellite Crossover). In both cases, you have a choice of LPF settings and thankfully these are to hand and not buried in the Settings page. Coupled with the Speaker Utilities tab, which includes speaker trims, muting and solo of individual speaker feeds, it’s all incredibly easy to use and suits both stereo and multichannel applications.

Finally, Apollo X Gen 1 and Gen 2 users now have integrated monitor and headphone room calibration courtesy of Sonarworks, and for Apollo x8 Gen 2 units upwards you can load up to 3 different profiles simultaneously (1 monitor and 2 headphone). This requires you to purchase the Apollo Monitor Correction add-on ($79) and also to have the Sonarworks SoundID Reference system.

Nevertheless, once you have this in place, SoundID Reference links with Console, so your SoundID settings (loaded profile, target and dry/wet blend) are applied to your Apollo and visible in the dedicated Monitor Controller panels. It’s planned for release in November, but we’ve tried it already and have to say it works well and is excellently integrated.

Universal Audio Apollo x8 Gen 2 review: Final verdict

The Apollo x8 interface already ticks a lot of boxes, and the Apollo x8 Gen 2 builds on this. The familiarity will be welcomed by many existing users looking to upgrade, as will the improved monitoring sonics. Meanwhile, the Sonarworks integration coupled with other UAD Console improvements bring some welcome new functionality. All round this is a very solid upgrade.

The Apollo x8 Gen 2 is slicker than ever and although some of the improvements are quite nuanced, the incoming Sonarworks SoundID integration and monitoring extras will no doubt be suitably welcomed by the unit’s target audience.

Universal Audio Apollo x8 Gen 2 review: Specs

• I/O: 18-in, 24-out at 24-bit up to 192kHz
• DSP: HEXA Core 6-chip
• Mic Inputs: 4 Unison with integrated DSP emulation
• Analogue Outputs: stereo monitor, 8 line, 2 stereo headphone
• Digital: S/PDIF, ADAT S-MUX 8 I/O up to 96kHz, 4 I/O up to 192kHz
• Mic input: DNR 123dB(A), THD -114dB (0.00020%)
• Monitor output: DNR 130 dB(A), THD -127dB (0.00005%)
• Headphone output: DNR 126 dB(A), THD -117dB (0.00014%)
• Software features: DSP UAD plugins, minimal latency monitoring, bass management, preamp auto gain
• Size: 483(w) x 44.5(h) x 346(d) mm
• Contact: Universal Audio

Universal Audio Apollo x4 Gen 2 review: What is it?

Universal Audio’s Apollo series has been amongst the most highly rated audio interfaces for some time. I’ve seen many professional engineers use the smaller variants in their travel or home setups, but for some, they’ve been lagging behind other manufacturers in the more premium audio interface space. Having been initially released in 2012, it’s not unkind to say the Apollo series is getting a little long in the tooth.

Enter the Universal Audio Apollo x4 Gen 2, which aims to redress the balance back into UA's favour, putting them back at the top spot of the interface league table, at both the hobbyist end and the professional engineer part of the scale. Boasting a look reminiscent of the original units, improved D/A converters, and some brand-new usability features, I got hands-on before launch to put it through its paces.

Universal Audio Apollo x4 Gen 2 review: Features

The new Apollo desktop interfaces are now available with two tiers of plugin bundles, with a third for x16 variants. The first level is called Essentials+ and features 32 plugins covering everything from preamps and compressors to reverb and delay, as well as a single instrument in the PolyMAX Polyphonic Synth. You also get Auto-Tune Realtime Access for perfecting your vocal takes and UA’s Luna DAW.

Upgrade to the Studio+ Edition and you’ll get 50 plugins to choose from as well as 6 software instruments. Auto-Tune Realtime X is included alongside Luna, and it’ll cost you around $300 RRP to make the jump from the Essentials version. Tiered plugin bundles with audio interfaces aren’t something I’ve really encountered before as typically you’ll get the same bundle with each interface, but it could be useful for those who already have a stacked plugin collection to cut back here.

One of the headline features is the inclusion of Apollo Monitor Correction, which allows you to import Sonarworks profiles to run on the interfaces DSP in real-time. Unfortunately, this wasn’t available for me to test at the time of writing, but as soon as it launches around November time, I’ll update this review accordingly. It’s an additional purchase with various tiers for new and existing SoundID users, and you’ll need to buy a Sonarworks licence, measurement mic, and Apollo Monitor Correction Add-on to get up and running.

UA took us through a demonstration of it, and the gist is that you can easily open Sonarworks profiles within the interface to monitor stereo or multi-channel speaker arrays including a subwoofer-specific management system. It supports Calibration Target Modes so you can tune your own room or emulate other studio monitors to quickly check your mix will translate elsewhere. The process is deceptively simple, and this processing is always applied last in your signal chain to reduce latency.

Finally, there’s a brand new auto-gain feature which I’ve seen before on the Scarlett 4th Gen interfaces, allowing you to play your instrument during a brief ‘training’ window and automatically set a level. You can do this across all four input channels, making it great for getting perfect levels when using a multi-microphone setup.

Universal Audio Apollo x4 Gen 2 review: Hardware

As you might guess from the name, the Apollo x4 has four combi inputs, each of which is sporting UA’s famed Unison preamps. Next on the back panel are two monitor outs, and four line outs, all sporting 1/4-inch inputs. For additional connectivity you’ve got a Thunderbolt port, and an Optical in and out that allows you to connect up to four additional UA interfaces should you wish to keep the desktop functionality when expanding to a rack mount setup.

On the front panel, you’ve got two Hi-Z inputs which replace channels 1 and 2 on the back when plugged in and two headphone outputs make it great for collaborating with other musicians and clients. You can also bypass the preamps on the desktop versions, allowing you to utilise the mastering grade line-ins straight into the upgraded converters.

Apollo’s converters have had an upgrade to reduce their noise and distortion levels, abbreviated as THN+D, and enhance their dynamic range, referred to as DNR. We’re talking very small numbers here with increases in the single digits as we near the theoretical limit of what digital audio is capable of, but if you’ve heard of the 90/10 rule you’ll know that it takes a lot of effort to get push those last few points of performance.

Universal Audio Apollo x4 Gen 2 review: Software

Getting the interface is handled via UA Connect nowadays, which offers a centre point for all your UA plugins, hardware, and the Luna DAW if you decide to use it. If you’ve already had a UA device installed on your machine then with a quick update of the UA console software and quicker firmware installation you’ll be up and running in no time. If you’re new to the UA ecosystem then the installation process is quite convoluted, so just be sure to read all the dialogue boxes that appear properly and you’ll save yourself quite a few headaches.

The UAD Console looks remarkably like the original, but there are some subtle changes afoot. First up is the new Auto-Gain function which sits just below the input gain in your chain. Clicking it brings up a dialogue box that asks you how long you want to play for, your listening threshold in dBFS, and your peak target in dBFS. Once you’ve played for the duration required it’ll suggest the correct level for your instrument and you can click done to proceed. It’s very similar to the feature I tested on the Scarlett 4th Gen interfaces, and although I’d imagine most engineers and producers will like control of setting their own levels, it’s a viable option if you’re in a hurry.

The workflow is exactly as I remember it from previous UA devices. Much like you would work at a desk you go from the top of the channel strip to the bottom, adding preamps, EQs, compressors, and anything else you like before you start recording into your DAW. There’s a lot of flexibility within the software, and the Console is really the heart of the Apollo x4, or any previous Apollo device for that matter.

There's another new feature you'll notice in the bottom right of the UAD Console, which is integrated monitor and headphones correction. It requires a Sonarworks SoundID license and the accompanying measurement microphone to profile your room and studio monitors, as well as an additional Apollo Monitor Correction Add-on, so you'll need to spend more to gain access to it.

Measuring your room takes around 20 minutes, requiring you to first set up the measurement microphone in your listening position, then set it up close to each of your monitors, before finally placing it in different spots around your listening position in order for the software to learn your room. Whilst you're doing it your monitors play a clicking sound to determine the position before a sine sweep measures that particular point in your room.

With this built into the UAD Console software, you don't need to waste any processing power from your laptop or computer by running the plugin in your DAW session either. Instead, you can now run it straight from the Console, which gave me a very 'set and forget' kind of experience as once applied in the Console I didn't have to think about loading a plugin or applying it again afterward.

This is stuff that's done all the time in professional studios, and being able to do it for your own home studio is potentially a game changer. Listening to the differences between my HS5s pre-calibration versus afterward was an eye-opening experience for me, as was comparing them to the other references available in the software.

Universal Audio Apollo x4 Gen 2 review: Performance

I began my testing by plugging my Telecaster into the Hi-Z output on the front of the unit, and recording some basic DI guitar takes to see how it performed. Warming up the tone with a Neve 1084 preamp emulation and evening my playing out with the 1176 compressor plugin, the interface performed as expected, giving me a perfectly usable take to apply some HX Native amp simulation to.

With the sound of preamps being so subjective, I’m not going to say that the Universal Audio ones are better than anything else available at this price point. For me, it’s the ability to swap in and out various sounds for varying instruments that really takes the Apollo X4 above and beyond. Whether you’re going for a super simple Neve Preamp to just lightly boost and colour your tone, or you want to do full channel strip processing with the API Vision and compress, EQ, and gate your signal before it arrives into your DAW, the flexibility of the workflow makes it super engrossing process recording.

I found having a good selection of physical buttons on the front of the unit really useful, and as more music gear manufacturers start heading down the app-only route I’m glad that these have stayed from the previous iteration. Sometimes clicking away on your computer to bring up menus just isn’t as satisfying as turning a knob or pressing a button to perform an action, and the placement of these on the angled top of the x4 is super ergonomic.

Next up I tried stereo outs via a dual amp setup from the Neural DSP Quad Cortex I’m currently testing, applying separate processing to each channel and panning them hard left and right to create some humongous-sounding guitar takes. Even with separate preamps, compressors, and EQs doing some heavy lifting on the input, I didn’t come close to hitting the DSP limit of my unit, and the low latency performance was fantastic on my MacBook Air M1.

With a condenser microphone plugged in and my best impression of a topline again I found it similarly brilliant in its workflow approach. The huge array of presets built-in made it a breeze to dial in a great sound, applying preamps, compressors, and EQs to the chain that give you an excellent starting point to tweak from. Some even add reverbs and delays to the chain, although for me I’d rather use those just to help the performance and add my own later in the DAW.

Universal Audio Apollo x4 Gen 2 review: Final verdict

The performance upgrades with the Universal Audio Apollo x4 Gen 2 are evolutionary rather than revolutionary, but UA is building on a brilliant piece of kit that’s more than a match for the demands of the modern producer/engineer. The analogue style workflow of the UAD Console is still its best feature, and UA hasn’t done much to change this other than add a few usability features.

In my opinion, a four-input interface is a much better option for the producer/engineer who has experience already under their belt, allowing you to do more whilst still remaining relatively compact. So if you’re ready to make a step up from your beginner audio interface, the Apollo X4 might be pricey, but it’s totally worth the entry cost.

Universal Audio Apollo x4 Gen 2 review: Specs

• Price: $1999 with Essentials+, $2299 with Studio+
• Simultaneous I/O: 12 x 18
• A/D Resolution: 24-bit/192kHz
• Built In DSP/FX: UAD-2 Quad Core Processing, Realtime UAD Powered Plug-ins
• Number of Preamps: 4 x mic, 2 x instrument
• Phantom Power: Yes
• Analog Inputs: 4 x XLR-1/4" combo (mic/line), 2 x 1/4" (Hi-Z)
• Analog Outputs: 2 x 1/4" (monitor), 4 x 1/4" (line out)
• Digital Inputs: 1 x Optical Toslink (ADAT,S/PDIF)
• Headphones: 2 x 1/4" TRS
• Power Supply: 12V DC power supply (included)
• Contact: Universal Audio

It’s a big day over at Universal Audio HQ today, as the brand unveils a raft of new products in its Constellations launch event, both hardware and software. 

For many, the biggest announcement will be the second generation of UA’s Apollo X line of Thunderbolt audio interfaces, which have received a healthy upgrade and a host of new features such as auto-gain, bass management and onboard monitor correction. 

The new line of Apollo X interfaces benefits from a trio of new tools that’ll help you both streamline the recording process and set up a reliable system for accurate monitoring. Accessible through UA’s Console software, the newly-developed Auto-Gain system will automatically adjust input gain across multiple channels before you record, making it easy to quickly set your levels when recording a band or a podcast with multiple speakers, for example. 

UA has partnered with Sonarworks to introduce monitor and headphone correction to the Apollo line, helping you achieve consistent mixes while working across multiple systems or studio spaces. UA has integrated the brand’s SoundID software - which would typically run on your machine as a standalone app or plugin - into the Apollos, meaning that calibration for both monitors and headphones can be applied in real-time at the final stage of your signal chain, using UA’s proprietary EQ algorithms. As it’s still in development, this feature won’t be available until later in the year, and requires a measurement mic that’s sold separately. 

Like Apollo Monitor Correction, UA’s Bass Management tool helps you handle an aspect of studio set-up that’s essential for reliable monitoring: subwoofer integration. Bass Management can be used to integrate a subwoofer into anything from a standard stereo 2.1 set-up all the way up to an immersive 9.1.6 Atmos system, letting you adjust filter frequency and slope from within Console. 

The improvements to Apollo X aren’t only on the software side, of course: the interfaces’ aesthetic has been refreshed, while their 24-bit/192 kHz converters have been upgraded across the entire range, with a particular focus on the D/A converters, which UA says – along with redesigned monitor and headphone outputs – deliver "class-leading" monitoring, with lower noise and distortion than Apollo X’s first generation. 

As ever, the Apollo X interfaces ship with a bundle of plugins from UAD’s much-loved suite of analogue emulations, mixing tools and effects processors, which can be applied in real-time using the Apollos' onboard DSP. The plugin bundles are split into three tiers, but the Essentials+ Edition, included with all core Apollo models, comprises more than 20 plugins and instruments, along with Antares Auto-Tune RealTime Access.

In our review of the Universal Audio Apollo x8 Gen 2, we described the interface as a "solid upgrade", observing that "the Apollo x8 Gen 2 is slicker than ever and although some of the improvements are quite nuanced, the incoming Sonarworks SoundID integration and monitoring extras will no doubt be suitably welcomed by the unit’s target audience."

"We believe that the very best audio tools can 'disappear,' and feel like they are simply a part of the creative process," said UA‘s founder and CEO Bill Putnam Jr. in a statement. "The new Apollo X interfaces are about pushing that concept further - bringing the best of analog and digital sounds together in a way that's both inspiring and seamless, to let your music take center stage."

Find out more on Universal Audio's website.

Universal Audio Apollo X Gen 2

• Apollo Twin X DUO / 10-in/6-out desktop interface, 2 Unison mic preamps, DUO Core DSP / $1199 with Essentials+ Edition
• Apollo Twin X QUAD / 10-in/6-out desktop interface, 2 Unison mic preamps, QUAD Core DSP / $1499 with Essentials+ Edition
• Apollo x4 QUAD / 12-in/18-out desktop interface, 4 Unison mic preamps, QUAD Core DSP / $1999 with Essentials+ Edition
• Apollo x6 HEXA / 16-in/22-out rackmount interface, 2 Unison mic preamps, HEXA Core DSP / $2499 with Essentials+ Edition
• Apollo x8 HEXA / 18-in/24-out rackmount interface, 4 Unison mic preamps, HEXA Core DSP / $2899 with Essentials+ Edition
• Apollo x8p HEXA / 16-in/22-out rackmount interface, 8 Unison mic preamps, HEXA Core DSP / $3499 with Essentials+ Edition
• Apollo x16 HEXA / 18-in/20-out rackmount interface, 16x16 analogue I/O, HEXA Core DSP / $3999 with Essentials+ Edition
• Apollo x16D HEXA / 18-in/20-out rackmount interface, 16x16 Dante network audio I/O, HEXA Core DSP / $2999 with Essentials+ Edition

Your audio interface is a crucial element of your home studio setup – and for some minimalist producer-types, one of the only elements. It’s a catalytic brain that performs a number of different duties, and proves indispensable in a great variety of different setups and use cases. And, like all artefacts of modern technology, it can be prone to causing headaches.

Everyone encounters issues with their audio tech at some point. Whether you’re creating your first-ever home studio setup, or you’ve just upgraded your interface to something a little beefier, you might be experiencing gremlins of your own. Let the following words serve as your core guide to troubleshooting all the most common audio interface issues.

1. No sound from your audio interface

Soundlessness is one of the most common, and most infuriating, issues with which new audio interface owners are likely to find themselves acquainted. After all, they’ve got one job! Thankfully, it’s often an extremely simple issue to resolve. Firstly, is it powered on? If the answer is “no, but it should be”, then mosey on over to the next section for guidance. If “yes”, then let’s start testing! And the best place to start, even if it feels a little silly, is with the silly stuff.

Are you using monitor speakers, and if so, are they both powered on and plugged in to your interface? Are the monitor volume knob or headphone volume knobs on your interface turned up? If you’re monitoring recordings: are your DAW tracks record-armed? …Is anything actually plugged in? The ‘idiot check’ is a highly valuable ritual to internalise, whatever your station as a home producer or recording engineer.

Sometimes, though, things are a bit more complicated. If your interface has signs of life but no audio output from your computer whatsoever, this could point to software being the root of the issue. First, check in your computer’s sound settings that you’ve selected your interface as a primary sound source and destination; if it doesn’t show up, leapfrog the next section and read on.

Some audio interfaces, like Focusrite’s Scarlett series, have a hardware toggle switch for direct monitoring, which enables you to hear incoming audio from the outputs without it being routed through the computer. If there’s power and direct monitoring doesn’t work, this could be a sign of a faulty unit.

2. Your audio interface is not powered on

Smaller audio interfaces are often fed power over USB, which is a handy way to keep things neat and portable – but it can introduce problems of its own. If your USB interface doesn’t have a separate power supply, and isn’t turning on when plugged in to a USB port, this could indicate that your interface isn’t receiving enough power from the port it’s plugged into.

If you’ve plugged it into a USB hub, there’s a chance that other devices plugged into that hub are drawing too much power from your computer’s USB port – meaning the interface can’t draw enough. You might benefit from giving your audio interface its own USB port on the computer, to reduce the risk of other peripherals getting in the way of its power needs.

3. Your audio interface is not connecting, or disconnecting

If, even with its own USB port, your USB-powered interface isn’t working, it may not be properly connecting on a software level. Interfaces will often use their own software interface drivers in order to work well with your computer; in many cases, updating your interface’s driver can result in your interface showing up in your computer’s system settings.

If your interface is randomly connecting and disconnecting, there could be myriad tech-y gremlins at play, with solutions ranging from hard-resetting your computer to a complete OS re-install. Occam’s razor very much applies in audio-issue situations like these, though; before you go scorched-earth on your software, could it simply be a faulty USB cable?

4. Your audio interface is buzzing

Buzzing sounds are part and parcel of any audio set-up, but certainly aren’t welcome when they persist. There’s a high chance that the buzz you’re hearing is either the result of a faulty cable, a loose cable touching something, or of a ground loop in something you’ve plugged in (i.e. a pedalboard). You can confirm this by unplugging inputs one by one and seeing if the buzz disappears, or by looking at level meters either in your DAW or on your interface.

If the inputs aren’t the source of your phantom sound, your next stop could be power. If your interface is mains-powered, you could try plugging it into a different outlet to other audio equipment in your space. If it’s USB-powered, try the same with your PC’s power plug.

If it isn’t power, move on to your outputs. Can you hear the buzz in both monitor speakers and headphones, or just one of them? If you can hear it in both, it could just be a software gremlin, solved by unplugging and re-plugging the interface into your computer. If you can only hear the buzz from one output stage, you could be looking at faulty speakers or studio headphones.

5. Sound from your audio interface is distorted

If you’ve got signal coming into your computer, but it sounds distorted, this could well be a software gremlin or a weird power issue. More likely, though, it’s a problem relating to volume.

Gain-staging is the practice of properly setting signal levels at various stages of your input chain, from sound source to DAW channel. Careful, thought about gain-staging means you both preserve the fidelity and character of incoming audio, and ensure each stage in your chain is seeing the right signal level for its specs. You may be overloading your interface inputs and exceeding their headroom which results in clipping. Try turning the gain of each channel down, or the volume of the sound source.

6. Sound from your audio interface is delayed in your computer

If you’re noticing the audio going into your interface is delayed in your DAW, you are experiencing latency – a delay caused by the time it takes your analogue audio to be converted to digital information, received and understood by your computer. Latency isn’t something that ever goes away, but it is something that can be managed in your software.

You’re looking for the ‘buffer size’ setting in your DAW’s preferences window. Higher buffer size settings are great for the mix process, giving your CPU space to properly handle your tracks and plugins. For recording, though, setting the buffer size lower reduces latency, making it easier to track effectively.

7. Incoming audio sounds glitchy

Audio artefacts and weird glitches in your incoming audio could also be a result of the buffer size setting in your DAW. Low buffer sizes grant lower latency by reducing the time your computer has to process packages of digital information. As such, setting it too low can cause hiccups in your audio. Increase your buffer size to reduce the strain on your computer – and increase it as the size of your DAW session increases, too.

Focusrite has added three new models to its 4th Gen Scarlett range of audio interfaces. The Scarlett 16i16, 18i16, and 18i20 sit at the top end of the range, adding additional analogue and digital ins and outs while retaining updated features previously added to the 4th gen Solo, 2i2 and 4i4 devices.

Feature highlights include a promised 122dB dynamic range courtesy of Focusrite’s RedNet converters, an Air function with both Presence and vintage-inspired Harmonic Drive modes, and newly remote-controlled preamps with 69db of gain.

Auto Gain and Clip Safe functions are designed to simplify setup by analysing incoming audio and setting levels accordingly. All three interfaces are also compatible with Focusrite’s Control 2 app, for desktop or mobile, which allows users to control the inputs and monitoring. 

The 16i16 has a total of 16 inputs with two preamps and the 18i16 has 18 ins, four of which are equipped with preamps. Both have 16 outputs. The rack mountable 18i20, meanwhile, ups the outputs to 20 and adds a talkback mic and A/B speaker switching.

Focusrite describes its 4th Gen upgrades as “a giant leap for the world's most popular audio interface range.” We reviewed the previous 4th Gen updates last year and concluded: “Although they look similar, the new Scarletts are slicker audio interfaces with better specs and more options. All three are worthy upgrades and highly recommended.”

All Scarlett interfaces come with Ableton Live Lite, three months of Pro Tools Artist subscription, and six months of FL Studio Producer Edition, as well as a selection of software from Focusrite, Softube, Native Instruments, Antares, and others. Users also get five free masters from AI-based service Landr, plus a two-month subscription to Landr Studio, offering music distribution on streaming platforms including Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube Music.

All three interfaces will be available from mid-October. The Scarlett 16i16 is priced at £349/$369/€336, the 18i16 is £489/$499/€470 and the 18i20 is £629/$649/€613. Find out more at the Focusrite site.

PreSonus Quantum HD 8: What is it?

Presonus’ latest updated Quantum series offers both rackmount (Quantum HD) and desktop (Quantum ES) designs to meet a broad range of users. On the bench, we have the top-of-the-range Quantum HD 8.

Conceptually, the Quantum HD 8 is not unlike the original Quantum interface, and you get soft knob control of the inputs, outputs and headphone levels, with switchable input and output metering. 

In terms of physical layout, all eight mic inputs are on the back, so sadly there’s no front-mounted mic input. That said, inputs 1 & 2 also double as instrument inputs and these do have front panel jacks. 

For outputs there are 10 rear-mounted TRS jacks and a pair of front-mounted headphone outputs. Below the instrument inputs you also get a pair of re-amp outputs. These are available as specific outputs in your DAW, and provide the correct impedance output for plugging directly into a guitar amp or pedal, so you can re-amp your DI recording. This is a great idea and worked really well in practice.

Interfacing is via USB-C, and the new Quantum devices support Windows, Mac OS X, Android, ChromeOS and Apple iOS/iPad OS. PreSonus’ USB drivers deliver very impressive round trip latency, and in Logic Pro we got a round-trip latency of 4.1ms with buffer size 32 at sample rate 44.1kHz.

PreSonus Quantum HD 8: Performance and verdict

The Quantum HD 8 features PreSonus’ new MAX-HD digitally controlled analogue mic preamps, which offer a whopping 75dB of gain and include auto gain. We found these to be very quiet at high gain settings, although as is often the case with digital control, there is slight stepping noise when changing gain. Using the HD 8 from the front panel provides easy access to key features, including auto gain and 48V phantom, while further features such as -20dB input pad and low-cut filter are accessed via the main knob and screen. 

PreSonus’ Universal Control software replicates all of these options and adds management of minimal latency cue mixes. Settings can be saved as recallable Scenes. Further options include alternate speaker switching, output mono/stereo, and the main encoder output behaviour. This can be set to control multiple outputs, ideal for a multi-channel speaker system. Universal Control has one further trick up its sleeve as the portable device app allows remote control of the Universal Control desktop app. 

Rounding off the package, Quantum HD 8 comes with a 12-month subscription to PreSonus’ Studio One+ service. This includes loads of exclusive content, add-ons and tools such as creator presets, Notion notation software and expert livestreams. You will also get the benefit of a perpetual licence for Studio One Professional (normally $400), which includes an impressive selection of core plugins, instruments and content.

All told, Quantum HD 8 is a well designed and well spec’ed unit that builds considerably on the previous top-end Quantums. 

MusicRadar verdict: A solid upgrade from PreSonus that couples audio fidelity and stylish visuals with ease of use and good software.

PreSonus Quantum HD 8: Hands-on demos

PreSonus Audio Electronics

Bolo Da Producer

Riffs, Beards & Gear

Marcus Huyskens Music

PreSonus Quantum HD 8: Specifications

• KEY FEATURES: i/0: Analogue: 8 mic/line inputs, 10 line outs, 2 re-amp outs, 2 headphone outs, Digital: ADAT 16 I/O at 44.1/48kHz, 8 I/O at 88.2/96kHz, S/PDIF 2 I/O  Mic/Instrument Gain: 75dB Line Gain: +/-10dB Mic Input Dynamic Range: 116dB (A-Weighted, minimum gain). 
• CONTACT: PreSonus

The humble patch bay is easily one of the most-used, and least-loved, pieces of equipment in the world of music-making. This is true, at least, on one side of the recording-studio glass. On the other, recording engineers feel a pleasant little flutter in their belly every time they patch a signal from somewhere to somewhere else. Oh, quelle convenience!

And there’s no reason you can’t benefit from that same convenience, too. As your own set-up continues to take shape (read: accumulates gear), so too do its possibilities expand. A patch bay is the key to unlocking them, whether you want to craft different signal chains for recording with or use your extensive collection of pedal effects and outboard gear to mix with.

In this article I'm going to go into detail on patch bays and how to set one up for your own studio.

Magnets Patch bays… how do they work?

In patching something to somewhere else, you’re just dealing with ins and outs – exactly the same as with any other piece of audio equipment, only there’s an abstract slab of sockets between you and your stuff. Let’s use a guitar pedal to visualise things.

A signal is plugged into the bottom front socket, and the corresponding rear socket is connected to the input of this Line6 DL4 pedal. The DL4’s output is routed to the top rear socket of the same column, and accessed from the top front socket. From here, it can go wherever you’d like – including the bottom-front input of the next effect.

Some describe the flow of audio through a patch bay as being like a waterfall, but I like to start with stitching as an analogy. The needle and thread go in the bottom, back out through the top and then in through the bottom again.

How normal(led) is your patch bay?

Some patch bays stop here; each column is a new effect, and you effectively choose the order of effects with your patch cables at the front. These patch bays are called ‘un-normalled’ patch bays – which begs the question, ‘what is normal?’

Normalling refers to the internal connectivity of jacks in each column of a patch bay. In a normalled patch bay, the top-rear and bottom-rear jacks are internally connected, meaning signal automatically flows between them.

For normalled patch bays, this is always happening until you plug something in the front – at which point that internal connection is broken, and the signal diverted. This is useful where you have the output from a pre-amp coming in the top-rear jack, and the bottom-rear jack connected to the input of your audio interface; now you can patch in to that signal and send it elsewhere first, without unplugging a bunch of stuff.

Half-normalled patch bays also exist, wherein patching in at the top splits the signal instead of diverting it. However, plugging into the bottom front jack does break the connection, meaning whatever you’ve patched in will always take precedence (hence, half-normalled).

Now that you’ve got the skinny on patch bays, you’ve probably got some keen ideas on how to integrate one into your own rig. Let’s methodologise!

Step 1: draw up a plan

Every good setup starts with a plan. This isn’t just a way to feel productive before you start plugging stuff in; it’s a way to foolproof your patching ideas, finalise your set-up’s signal chain and give you a clear idea of what exactly you’ll need to realise your vision.

My plan involves a normalled patch bay; four channels of incoming audio are received from an analogue mixing desk, and normalled to the four rear inputs of a Focusrite Clarett 4Pre audio interface. The 4Pre’s line outs are also received in the patch bay, and normalled to the line inputs of the mixing desk.

This set-up enables the patching of audio to rack compression while recording, and the easy patching of outboard gear right back into the interface for re-recording. A stereo reamp box at the end of the bay enables the stepping-down of interface-borne audio to pedal-friendly levels, for even more versatility.

Step 2: get everything you need

For the most part, it’s cables. You need cables. And lots of them. Try cable looms for the rear of the patch bay, to make physically routing cables (and tracing signals) easier; for the front, you’ll want smaller 12” patch cables. For a TRS patch bay, make sure to buy TRS cables as opposed to TS for lower-noise audio!

Whether or not you have other rack effects to plug in, you should also buy a rack unit to house your patch bay. Patch bays are short and sometimes unhoused, so a rack can both protect your circuitry and make it easier to access.

Step 3: populate your rack

Using the four holes at the front of each rack effect panel, affix your rack equipment to the rails of your rack. The patch bay doesn’t go in yet, though, as you’ll want the space to make wiring easier. Speaking of which…

Step 4: wires, wires, wires

It’s wiring time! Start with the gear, as opposed to the patch bay, and start with anything multi-channel so as to keep your channels in the right order.

Labelling your cables, or noting their colour codes, is crucial to keeping track of cable runs. I've lost hours to forgetfulness in this regard; learn from my pain.

Here, all the cables are pulled through the gap where the patch bay will go. They are colour-coded and labelled for inputs and outputs, making plugging them in a simple matter of following the plan. Go methodically, left to right, and you won’t get lost (often).

Step 5: program your interface outputs

In order to use your audio interface outputs properly, you need to make sure they are routed correctly. Chances are they are routed as monitor outs, and so receive the same master-track info your speakers do. Fix this before you lose some hearing to a deafening feedback loop!

This step is actually sort of two steps, as you may have to work with both your interface’s proprietary software and your DAW. Whatever software it is, you should be able stop your line outs from automatically receiving stereo master information.

In your DAW, you can send audio out and back again any number of ways, including simply setting a send from a channel to the line out, and creating a new channel to receive the effected signal from an input elsewhere. You might benefit from creating a mix template in your DAW, with aux channels that automatically send to your line outs. This way, you can use your DAW’s send function, and buss whatever you like out to your patch bay. You could also create a virtual send and return path in your FX chain using an I/O plugin.

Step 6: profit

And that’s it! You’ve successfully installed a patch bay into your audio interface rig, and hopefully haven’t split any ears in the process. All that remains is to enjoy the near-endless possibilities your ins and outs afford you.

Lewitt Connect 2: What is it?

Once upon a time, choosing an audio interface was easy: you had little choice in resolution and sample rate and little need to decide what application you wanted one for. The landscape has certainly changed. With the onset of podcasting, gaming and streaming content, a new slew of interfaces began to appear. Traditional specs were no longer sufficient. We’ve entered a new world where there seems to be a distinction between music production, podcasting and gaming. But surely there can be one that can do all three? 

Enter Connect 2, the second interface to come from Austrian brand Lewitt, a low-profile, two-in/two-out audio interface with touch-capacitive control. But does it tick all the music production, podcasting, and gaming boxes? 

Lewitt Connect 2: Performance and verdict

The approach to hardware design from Lewitt is a unique take on the desktop form factor. It’s relatively flat and the touch controls centre around a main dial with options to adjust levels for monitors, headphones, the mic and instrument inputs, direct or playback mixes and a customisable control. 

The texture has an almost rubbery polycarbonate feel, which will attract greasy fingerprints. The buttons themselves are surrounded by a slightly raised protrusion as a guide and the touch is responsive, so the experience is both tactile and easy-to-use. This is made even easier by the addition of the Control Center software. While plenty of controls are at your fingertips, the Control Center is home to a more advanced feature set. Here, channels one and two have the option of three different preamp types; warm, clean and vivid. There’s also the option to add compression and noise suppression. Both options can be configured within the customisable control button, alongside a variety of set monitoring options. 

Also lurking within the settings window is customisation for LED colour and brightness, which should please the image-conscious. Perhaps the most important ‘hidden’ feature is the Loopback, where we’re afforded two more (virtual) inputs for recording and streaming a video call or game audio. 

Another standout feature is the Autosetup which guides you through a short process of optimising settings for either recording vocals, guitars or both. If you don’t require so much hand-holding, just use the autogain feature for each input. 

As it stands, Connect 2 has all the bells and whistles to make a good all-rounder, though it’s not perfect. There are two things missing here: firstly, a combi XLR/jack input on channel one. Currently, this channel is only available as a mic input, so we’ve no chance of connecting a stereo line source. 

The second missing feature for us is MIDI. In this day and age of 3.5mm jack to 5-pin MIDI dongles, surely there’s space for such an integral feature in music production? The Autosetup, Loopback and small footprint make this an ideal interface for podcasters, gamers and streamers. The addition of multiple preamps, plus denoise and compression add enough versatility to sate modest music production tasks such as recording vocals and guitar. The lack of combi port and MIDI, though limiting, don’t rule this out for music production. Just know that if you’re starting out, you might need to upgrade in the future.

MusicRadar verdict: A handy, rugged form-factor for an interface that can turn its hand to different types of content creation. If only it had MIDI.

Lewitt Connect 2: The web says

"If you have no interest in the technicalities of audio engineering and just want to get on with creating – whether that be music, videos, YouTube shows, or whatever – then Connect 2 is sure to appeal."
MusicTech

Lewitt Connect 2: Hands-on demos

LEWITT

Tom Buck

Julian Krause

Bolo Da Producer

Lewitt Connect 2: Specifications

• KEY FEATURES: Sample rate: 44.1, 48, 96kHz. Bit rate: 24-bit. I/0: 1x XLR (balanced), 1x Hi-Z 6.3mm jack, 2x Speaker: 6.3mm balanced jack, 1x Headphone: 6.3mm jack, 1x Headphone: 3.5mm jack, USB-C (bus powered). Dimensions: 151 x 110 x 41mm Weight: 394g.
• CONTACT: Lewitt

In the world of audio interfaces, the Audient iD4 MKII and Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 are two respected models that have received significant praise from home studio producers. Despite their similar capabilities and specifications on paper, deciding between the two can be challenging. This article aims to provide a comprehensive comparison of these popular interfaces, examining their build quality, hardware, usability, and features to help you determine which one best suits your needs.

By exploring the details of their design and functionality, we will assess their suitability for various recording applications and determine which offers the best value. Both the iD4 MKII and the Scarlett 2i2 feature robust construction and intuitive interfaces, but how do they perform in real-world use?

Whether you are an aspiring musician or an experienced producer, our detailed analysis will help you make an informed decision, ensuring your investment enhances your creative process.

Audient iD4 MKII vs Focusrite Scarlett 2i2: At a glance

The Audient iD4 MKII and Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 are both high-quality audio interfaces designed to facilitate professional-grade recording and playback in home studio setups. These devices serve as the crucial link between your musical instruments or microphones and your computer, converting analogue signals to digital audio and vice versa.

The Audient iD4 MKII's standout feature is the Class-A Audient console mic preamp, along with its unique ScrollControl function, allowing the large volume knob to function as a virtual scroll wheel for DAW control. The interface connects via USB-C, ensuring fast and reliable performance, and includes a software bundle with Cubase LE and various high-quality plugins.

The Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 is the larger of the two and includes two Scarlett mic preamps with Air mode, which enhances the brightness of recordings. It offers two versatile XLR/TRS inputs for mic, line, or instrument levels, and two balanced outputs. The neat gain halo indicators provide visual feedback for optimising input levels - no more nasty clipping or distortion in your recordings. The Scarlett 2i2 connects via USB-C and comes with an extensive software package, including Ableton Live Lite, Pro Tools First, and several renowned plugins.

Audient iD4 MKII vs Focusrite Scarlett 2i2: Hardware & Features

Both the Audient iD4 MKII and Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 offer robust and user-friendly designs, though they cater to slightly different needs.

The Audient iD4 MKII is constructed with a sleek, all-metal chassis, exuding durability and a premium feel. It features one Class-A Audient console mic preamp, one JFET instrument input, and a pair of line outputs. Additionally, it offers dual headphone outputs, making it convenient for collaborative sessions. 

The Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, also built with a sturdy metal housing, includes two Scarlett mic preamps with switchable Air mode, which adds brightness to your recordings. It provides two combined XLR/TRS inputs, each capable of handling mic, line, or instrument levels, and two balanced outputs. The Scarlett 2i2 also offers a single headphone output. It connects to the computer via USB-C, supporting low-latency performance and high-quality audio transmission.

Winner: While both devices are impressive, the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 edges out slightly as the winner in this category. Its two versatile inputs with Air mode and balanced outputs provide greater flexibility for various recording scenarios, making it a more comprehensive solution for most users.

Audient iD4 MKII vs Focusrite Scarlett 2i2: Build Quality & Design

When evaluating the design and build quality of the Audient iD4 MKII and Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, both models demonstrate a commitment to durability and user-friendly design, though they each have unique attributes that may appeal to different users.

The Audient iD4 MKII features a compact and solid all-metal chassis that feels substantial and well-built. Its sleek design, measuring approximately 5.2 x 3.8 x 1.6 inches, makes it an excellent choice for portable setups. The tactile knobs are well-spaced and offer a smooth, precise control experience. The large volume knob, centrally placed, doubles as the ScrollControl, and feels pretty responsive. 

How much you’ll use it is down to you - my muscle memory meant I found it easier to stick to my usual techniques but you may welcome it into your process more easily than I did. The overall layout is intuitive, with all inputs and outputs easily accessible, contributing to an overall ergonomic user experience. I particularly liked the headphone outputs being on the front of the device - I will never understand why some brands put them on the back... 

In contrast, the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 also boasts a robust metal enclosure, ensuring durability for both studio and mobile use. Slightly larger than the iD4 MKII, its dimensions are around 7.28 x 4.72 x 1.87 inches. The Scarlett 2i2’s design is equally thoughtful, with well-placed controls and indicators. The gain knobs are particularly notable for their precision and the halo indicators that provide a visual representation of input levels, making it easier to avoid clipping. The overall layout is user-friendly, with clear labels and a logical arrangement of inputs and outputs.

Winner: While both interfaces are built to last and offer ergonomic designs, the Audient iD4 MKII takes the lead in this category. Its compact size, combined with the innovative ScrollControl feature and intuitive layout, make it a slightly more refined option for users who prioritize a sleek and highly functional design in their audio interface.

Audient iD4 MKII vs Focusrite Scarlett 2i2: Usability

In terms of usability, both the Audient iD4 MKII and Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 are designed with user-friendliness in mind, making them accessible to both beginners and experienced users. However, there are distinctions that may make one more appealing than the other depending on the user's needs and preferences.

The Audient iD4 MKII is straightforward to set up and use, thanks to its plug-and-play functionality. The device is compatible with both macOS and Windows, requiring no additional drivers for basic operation. The interface is intuitive, with clear labelling and tactile controls that are easy to understand. Audient includes a software bundle with the iD4 MKII, featuring Cubase LE and various plugins from manufacturers like Steinberg and Two Notes. This software suite provides users with a solid starting point for recording, mixing, and mastering, though it may require some time to fully explore and utilise.

Similarly, the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 is known for its ease of use. The setup process is quick, and the interface works seamlessly with macOS and Windows systems, also not requiring additional drivers for basic functionality. You can even hook it up to newer USB-C-powered iPads, which is nice.

The Scarlett 2i2 comes with a comprehensive software bundle, including Ableton Live Lite, Pro Tools First Focusrite Creative Pack, and a selection of Focusrite’s Red Plug-in Suite and Softube’s Time and Tone Bundle. These tools offer extensive creative potential and are well-regarded in the industry. The Scarlett 2i2’s user-friendly design, coupled with the visual feedback from the gain halo indicators, makes it particularly easy for beginners to set input levels correctly.

Winner: When comparing the two, the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 slightly edges out as the winner for me. The gain halo indicators provide immediate visual feedback, which is particularly beneficial for new users to avoid clipping. Plus it looks cool. Additionally, the bundled software suite is more extensive and widely recognized, offering a comprehensive starting point for those new to recording. This combination of user-friendly design and a robust software package makes the Scarlett 2i2 a more accessible and versatile option for most users.

Audient iD4 MKII vs Focusrite Scarlett 2i2: Conclusion

In conclusion, both the Audient iD4 MKII and Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 are exceptional audio interfaces, each with unique strengths. The iD4 MKII excels in design and build quality with its compact, sturdy construction and innovative ScrollControl feature, making it ideal for users seeking portability and an intuitive layout. 

On the other hand, the Scarlett 2i2 stands out in hardware and usability, offering versatile inputs, Air mode for enhanced audio, and user-friendly gain halo indicators. Its comprehensive software bundle makes it particularly appealing for beginners.

Ultimately, the choice between the two depends on your priorities. If you value a compact design and premium build quality, the Audient iD4 MKII is the better choice. However, if you seek greater versatility, ease of use, and a robust software suite, the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 is the superior option. Both interfaces provide excellent value, ensuring a solid investment for any home studio producer.

Prime Day is finally here, and there’s already a huge deal on our favourite audio interface. The Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 4th Gen is available at Amazon for just $169.99, which is a healthy $80 off of its usual price. 

This Prime Day music deal is available on the 2-in, 2-out Scarlett, which comes with instrument inputs on the front and XLR connectivity on the back. Two line outputs connect you to your studio monitors, all of which is fairly standard for an interface. The real kicker I’ve found with the Scarlett 2i2 4th Gen is the wealth of additional features it has that make tracking and mixing easier.

In our Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 review, we were full of praise for features like clip safe which prevents your input from clipping no matter how dynamic your signal. We also loved the auto gain function which takes a reading of your signal and then automatically adjusts the input gain to the perfect level. The ability to add a touch of high-end via the air function is also incredibly useful, giving you a bit of analogue warmth to go with those super clean-sounding preamps.

If you fancy something a little different, the 2i2 isn’t the only interface with a discount for the Prime Day sales. I also spied the Mackie Onyx Producer 2-2 interface with a huge 46% discount, bringing it down to just $64.95. The PreSonus AudioBox 96 25th Anniversary also has a cool 20% off the regular price and comes with Studio One 6 Artist Edition. Finally, if you’re a guitar player who likes to record, IK Multimedia’s guitar audio interface the Axe I/O One has a tempting $50 price reduction, a great way to get rock-solid recorded guitar tones at home.

Audient ORIA: What is it?

As immersive audio production has become more widespread, it’s become clear there is a growing demand to integrate audio interfacing and multichannel monitoring into a single, task-specific, Dolby-certified unit. 

ORIA from Audient meets this need head on, but it can also be used alongside your existing interface as a dedicated multichannel monitor controller or simply as a regular USB interface.

Audient ORIA: Performance and verdict

Oria is a 18-in/24-out 24-bit/96kHz USB-C unit with an optional internal Dante expansion for an extra 16 inputs. It’s digitally controlled, software-driven and combines Audient’s motion UI display, a large rotary push button encoder and various dedicated soft buttons. 

Its quality feel and slick look is complemented by premium AD/DA conversion and digitally controlled versions of Audient’s classic desk preamps. However, what makes it multichannel-focused is a unique balance of physical connectivity and onboard features. Specifically, analogue ins are limited to a pair of front-mounted mic/line/instrument inputs. 

Meanwhile analogue TRS outputs include two stereo outs, two headphone outs, and 16 surround-specific outs. This means Oria can directly feed up to 9.1.6 speaker setups alongside two sets of dedicated stereo monitors. 

That’s a lot of speakers, and management of these speakers is handled by Oria’s onboard DSP and controlled via the Oria desktop app (an iPad version will be available soon). The use of onboard DSP not only relieves the load on your computer CPU, but also allows Oria to run in standalone mode with settings saved to easily switchable onboard Profiles.

Within the app, regular options (main output level, mute, dim and mono) are joined by more niche settings such as global delay (0 to 100ms) and polarity, which flips the phase of the left channel and sums the left and right outputs to mono. Some of these options are replicated on the front panel, while the preamp settings are only available from the front panel. 

Nevertheless, where the app really shines is with the speaker calibration, and this takes two forms. For manual alignment each speaker has individual trim (+/-12dB), delay (0 to 75ms), bass management (high pass cutoff 30 to 500Hz) and 8-band EQ alongside mute and solo. 

Alternatively, Oria integrates with Sonarworks SoundID Reference for Multichannel (the box includes the SoundID calibration mic and a 60-day software licence). When we ran this, it created speaker-specific EQ curves with associated trim and delay settings. 

Further handy app features include speaker groupings (fronts, subs, stereo, heights and sides) with mute and solo, multichannel metering, and the colour-coded speaker layout graphic with real time signal indicators. For Dolby Atmos, you can use Oria with DAW-integrated Dolby renderers. However, part of its Dolby Atmos certification is integration via the Dolby Audio Bridge with the Dolby Atmos Renderer. 

Linking things up is easily achieved via Oria’s System settings, and once hooked up you’ll find you can switch down mix modes directly from one of Oria’s soft keys. 

Finally a word on headphones: Oria’s outputs can be switched from the default left/right feed to USB streams 17/18 or 19/20. Specify these same streams in your renderer headphone settings to allow easy access to a simultaneous binaural headphone mix.     

All told, Oria is a well conceived interface that’s pitched at serious multichannel and immersive users looking for a neat all-in fix. 

MusicRadar verdict: Audient has listened to users and delivered an immersive targeted device suitable for a broad range of multichannel applications.

Audient Oria: Hands-on demos

Audient

Produce Like A Pro

PresentDayProduction

Audient Oria: Specifications

• KEY FEATURES: Analogue Inputs: 2 mic/line/instrument (up to 60dB gain) Analogue Outputs: 16 surround and 2 stereo (TRS jack), 2 headphone Digital Inputs: 2 ADAT (16 channels at 44.1/48kHz, 8 channels at 88.2/96kHz) Digital Outputs: AES (25 pin D-Type) not simultaneous with the analogue outputs Interface: USB 2.0, USB Type-C connector Sync: Word Clock in and out.
• CONTACT: Audient

The audio interface has become an indispensable staple in modern music and audio. Whether you’re talking about top-flight LA super-studios or your old university friend’s bedroom-cupboard producing cave, you’ll inevitably uncover an interface as the technological brains of a given audio-related operation.

And now, it’s your turn! Choosing a new audio interface is difficult enough, especially if its your first, but setting a new interface up for the first time can be even more daunting. Whatever your purposes for your interface, though, this will serve as a handy, loose guide to getting everything where it needs to be.

Here, we’ll be treating your new audio interface as your first audio interface - and assuming very little with regard to your prior knowledge of interfaces or recording. The examples given will be for a Reaper user on Windows 10 and a Logic user on Mac OS Ventura, but the principles remain essentially the same whatever your own setup. So, without further ado: here’s how to set up a new audio interface (with pictures!).

Step 1 - Unboxing

Naturally, you’ll need to get your lovely shiny new audio interface out of the box before you can do anything with it. In the box, you’ll find your interface, a power adaptor if it is powered independently, and the right cables for you to get started. Different interfaces may use different connection formats, but USB-C and its speedier Apple-borne twin Thunderbolt are currently the formats de rigeur - and USB-A the industry standard for older models. Find out more about the benefits of Thunderbolt vs USB audio interfaces with our guide.

Step 2 - Connecting to your computer

Some entry-level interfaces are practically plug-and-play, wherein they will upload their own drivers upon being plugged-in; most require a little software hand-holding first, though. But before you get to that, your computer will need to see your interface - so plug it in (while your computer is on).

Step 3 - Downloading drivers and software

In order for your interface to work properly with your computer, your computer needs to be in possession of the right device drivers. These small items of software are interfaces for your interface, and will be found on your interface’s brand website.

If you’re using Windows and can’t find a driver for your interface - an unlikely eventuality today - there is a third-party freeware alternative called ASIO4ALL which you can use instead. Macs have their own sound driver protocol in Core Audio, so this won’t be necessary if you’re Apple-folk.

There are sometimes additional pieces of software you may need to install to access your interface’s features. For example, some Focusrite interfaces require you to use the Focusrite Control app to control input and output routing (as well as the ‘Air’ voicings for Clarett preamps).

Step 4 - Setting computer and DAW preferences

Given that your computer likely already has its own mic in/headphone out sockets and/or integrated speakers, you may need to tell your computer and audio software to use your interface instead. On Windows, you can do this by accessing System Settings, choosing Sound and selecting your interface in the drop-down boxes under Output and Input respectively.

On a Mac, you can go to System Settings, navigate to ‘Sound’ and select your interface from the lists given.

Each DAW is designed differently, but all will have some form of Preferences window where you can select the interface. In Reaper, for example, you can either navigate to Options>Preferences, press Ctrl+P or click the sample rate/bit depth information in the top-right. Here, make sure ASIO is selected from the ‘Audio system’ drop-down, then select your interface (or ASIO4ALL) from the ‘ASIO Driver’ drop-down.

Meanwhile, in Logic, you can navigate to Logic Pro > Settings… > Audio… in order to be presented with a Preferences window, where you’ll see similar drop-downs.

Step 5 - Making connections

Next, it’s time to interface your interface with your speakers - if you have them, that is. Some interfaces are designed specifically for studio headphone monitoring, but most will have RCA or 6.35mm jack outputs on the back for sending audio out. Read more detail on how to connect your interface to studio monitors here.

The audio that leaves your interface via these outputs will be ‘line level’ - much louder than the volume of signals from a microphone or guitar, but much quieter than signals which would drive speakers. As such, your signal will need to be amplified in order to be heard!

Most studio set-ups will use active monitor speakers to receive such signals, but you can also use a power amplifier with passive speakers. Whatever you have, make sure they are turned off until you’re all plugged-in, otherwise things could get noisy.

Your audio interface might have several outputs on the back, which can be used for multiple speaker setups or surround-sound. Commonly, these additional outputs are used for outboard processing - that is, to send signals out and through external rack equipment, before receiving and re-recording the altered signals back in.

This requires some clever and careful routing in your DAW, to make sure you aren’t sending an entire ‘monitor out’ or ‘master channel’ signal through these ancillary outputs. If you’re not careful, you could create an ear-splitting feedback loop; others have made this mistake so you don’t have to…

Step 6 - Recording something!

With that, your new interface is all plugged-in, set-up and ready to go! All that remains is for you to use it. In your DAW of choice, create a track and assign it an input from your interface. Once you’ve plugged a studio microphone or instrument into your interface, record-arm your track and you should be able to see some signal coming in via the track’s level meter. Now, you’re ready to record!

A word about this author's setup

This writer’s Logic setup utilises a Focusrite Clarett 4Pre as its interface-brains, and makes judicious use the additional two outputs on the rear for funky audio processing. Besides the four pre-amped inputs on the front, the 4Pre’s extra ins and outs are all plugged into a patch bay. This patch bay is ‘normalled’, meaning signal will flow top-to-bottom if nothing is plugged in.

The four inputs are routed to automatically receive audio from an analogue mixing desk elsewhere in the room; if you want to put something between the mixing desk and interface, you need only patch it in! The outputs are left floating, but can be sent to whatever you’d like – including pedals and amps (using a re-amp box), the seen-better-days rack compressors below the patch bay, or even the aforementioned mixing desk’s line inputs for more colour.

Blackstar consistently impresses us with its willingness to diversify outside of traditional guitar amp expectations – recent years have seen plugins and fully-featured amp pedals entering the roster. Now it wants to change the USB audio interface game for guitarists, and we're all ears. 

"Polar will never digitally clip, it reacts like a guitar amp, has high headroom FET inputs, and comes with a complete software bundle," says Blackstar. Bring it on, we say!

Ok, spoiler alert – we've already tested it for our Blackstar Polar 2 review and we are really impressed with its ability to bring amp-like qualities to the USB interface experience. Because we've all had those 'why does my guitar sound like a chainsaw going through a beehive?' moments when recording our guitar into a DAW. 

Polar 2's FET (Field Effect Transistor) instrument inputs help to deliver the high headroom needed for electric guitar signals, with low noise. Blackstar's Enhance switch for the Polar 2 instrument input aims to go a step further for guitar players – it engages a circuit that's designed to mimic the input stage and character of a valve amp. 

In his review for MusicRadar, my colleague Matt McCraken felt it was a subtle but effective tool resulting in a "definite increase in the fullness and ‘bloom’ of the signal".

In addition, players get all the bundled software they'll need to record with the company's St James amp modeller plugin, Ableton Live Lite, Melodyne Essentials, and Relab lx480 Essentials reverb plugin. The addition St James plugin alone makes this a compelling deal for players who want to get into recording at $199/£179.

Find out more in our Blackstar Polar 2 review, Reverb and  Sweetwater. 

There aren’t millions of guitar-focused recording tools out there, which makes the brand-new Blackstar Polar 2 audio interface a rather unique prospect. Aiming to make recording guitar a smoother and better-sounding experience, this latest addition to the world of modern audio interfaces is designed to simulate the input of a tube amp.

The only other guitar-specific interface I’ve come across is the IK Multimedia Axe I/O, and the Blackstar Polar 2 is half the cost. Granted it doesn’t have some of the advanced features of the Axe I/O but it’s great value for money if you want a guitarist-friendly interface. As we’ll find out, it’s not just for recording guitars either…

Blackstar Polar 2 review: Features

As with so many audio interfaces available today, the Blackstar Polar 2 is a 2-in, 2-out configuration. Taking out of the box I can’t help but remark at how good-looking it is. The slick black and white design is reminiscent of another Blackstar product I’ve reviewed in the Amped 1. It’s without a doubt one of the best-looking audio interfaces I’ve ever laid eyes on.

It's extremely well put together and very solid feeling, with a nice wedge shape that means you can still see the controls and LEDs when sitting down at a desk. On the front, you’ve got two combi-inputs alongside a +48V switch for phantom power, a headphone volume, and a 1/4-inch input for your cans.

The top panel features the controls for individual channels, with each having a dedicated gain knob, a line/instrument switch, and an ‘enhance’ button - more on which later. The large monitor volume knob is flanked by input and output LEDs, with two columns for each to give you a visual cue of how each input is sounding, as well as the stereo out.

On the back panel, it’s a relatively low-key affair, with two 1/4-inch outputs, a DC 5V power out, and USB-C. The Polar 2 is bus-powered, but the manual advises you may need the additional power out when using it with certain devices. In the box, you’ve got a DC power to USB-A converter, as well as a USB-C to USB-A cable to get you up and running from the moment you get it.

Blackstar Polar 2 review: Installation

Installing the Polar 2 is a breeze on my MacBook Air. I just had to plug in, click okay to allow access and I was ready to rock with my DAW. On Windows, you’ll require the driver to get it to run in Pro Tools, but it’ll function as an audio device automatically without any further installation. 

The included software bundle is decent too. Alongside Ableton Live Lite, Melodyne Essentials, and Relab lx480 Essentials reverb plugin, you also get Blackstar’s St James amp modeler completely free. Not bad as it’s going for $129 at full price online. It’s not the most full-blooded of offerings compared to some others, but it’s enough to get you up and running if you don’t already have a preferred software. There are also two virtual outputs available via the control software.

Blackstar Polar 2 review: Performance

I’m a guitarist, so naturally the first thing I tried out the Polar 2 with was plugging in direct with my Telecaster. Loading up my copy of Helix Native I began on a Fender clean patch, with the channel set to instrument mode. With the gain at its lowest level, the plugin reacted really well to my playing dynamics, with a nice clear, clean tone that behaved exactly how I expected it to. It definitely feels like you’re playing through an amp, with excellent low-latency performance. 

Switching to some higher gain tones I was again impressed with the touch sensitivity and feel of the Polar 2. It had me noodling for a long time without having to reach for the interface to make adjustments, which is always a good characteristic.

Trying that tempting ‘enhance’ button, I detected a difference in the signal but I wouldn’t say it completely blew me away. There’s a definite increase in the fullness and ‘bloom’ of the signal, and what sounds to my ear like a little extra saturation, but it’s overall a pretty subtle effect. On some of my Helix presets I liked the sound of it, whereas others I felt sounded better with it off.

One thing I do really like is the LEDs on the front of the interface itself. They’re bright white, and the way the peak reading LED hangs around for a bit even after you’ve stopped playing is super useful, similar to what you’d get when using DAW monitoring. It gives you a great reference if you need to monitor via the interface itself and don’t have the screen space for the dedicated monitoring software.

The Polar 2 may be aimed at guitarists, but it still functions as a regular audio interface too. Plugging in my Rode NT1 condenser mic, I quickly miked up a Taylor GS-Mini to see how it behaved as a more traditional recording device. With an XLR plugged in, it emulates a Neve preamp, with the enhance switch adding a touch of high end to the EQ curve. It operates much like the ‘air’ features you find on regular audio interfaces.

It sounds lovely and open, just as good as any of your more well-known Universal Audio or Focusrite audio interfaces in this mode. It accurately conveyed the warmth of my acoustic guitar’s unplugged tone, as well as a nice ambiance from the hard surfaces of the room it was in. It elevates the Polar 2 to something much more than just a guitar-focused interface, should you want to add vocals to your productions, or start miking guitar amps and acoustic guitars for your home recording.

Blackstar Polar 2 review: Verdict

One of few guitar-focused interfaces out there, the Blackstar Polar 2 is an excellent option for the guitarist recording at home. The preamps sound great whether using a guitar or a microphone, and the overall build quality and looks of the unit are second to none. If you’re looking for a guitar-specific audio interface and the IK Multimedia Axe I/O is a bit too pricey for you, the Blackstar Polar 2 is the natural choice. 

Blackstar Polar 2 review: Specs

•  Price: £199/$199 
•  Simultaneous I/O: 2x4 
•  Number of Preamps: 2 
•  Instrument inputs: 2 
•  Phantom Power: Yes, 48V 
•  Analog Inputs: 2 x XLR-1/4" combo (mic/line) 
•  Analog Outputs: 2 x 1/4" 
•  Headphones: 1 x 1/4" 
•  USB: 1 x USB-C 
•  Contact: Blackstar 

Of the great many thrilling pieces of hardware you can buy for recording, audio interfaces rarely rank high on the excitement scale. Their job is a relatively unglamorous one, being more a catalyst for creativity than an instrument of it. They are, nonetheless, an essential tool for modern recording purposes.

It’s only natural, then, that in service of choosing your first or next interface, you’d want to look to the professionals for inspiration. After all, if it’s good enough for a ‘real’ musician or producer, it’s surely good enough for you too? 

Of course, we’re all real musicians and producers here – and the truth is that the playing field for good interfaces is more level than it might initially seem. As you’ll discover, even the highly successful amongst us are content with some surprisingly accessible interfaces. 

There’s still a lot to learn from the chosen recording environments of the pros. With this in mind, we’ve selected from a wide range of lauded professionals, from songwriters to producers, and sniffed out their audio interfaces of choice.

1. Finneas

Known for: producing/songwriting with/performing with/being the brother of Billie Eilish; solo singer-songwriting

Their sound: Finneas is the producer powerhouse behind Billie Eilish’s incomparable rise to the upper echelons of pop, whose sonic fingerprint is unmistakable. Finneas’ productions are at once whisper-quiet and bodaciously loud, embracing dynamics and contrast by way of some supremely smart mix decision-making.

Interface of choice: Universal Audio Apollo x8p, Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 

In a YouTube mini-doc from distribution company AWAL, Finneas’s home studio (where Billie Eilish’s debut album was largely tracked) is shown to have a Universal Audio Apollo 8p (more on which shortly), but also a Focusrite Scarlett 18i20.

The 18i20 is a decidedly lower-budget interface, but one which earned its place thanks to its quiet, clean and plentiful mic preamps. The low noise-floor of the Scarlett series’ preamps makes it possible to capture the sotto-voce-ness of someone like Eilish without losing sonic ground to hiss or hum.

2. Claire Boucher (a.k.a Grimes)

Known for: producing forward-looking techno-pop as Grimes; ill-fatedly marrying Elon Musk

Their sound: Claire Boucher’s production output as Grimes runs the gamut, from the sweetvoiced synthy-indie of 2011 album Oblivion to the tech-hellscape industrialism of 2021’s We Appreciate Power. The common thread is daring electronica.

Interface of choice: Universal Audio Apollo Solo

In a recent Instagram post, Boucher shared that she was cutting vocals for some new material. The picture shows what seems to be a mobile studio set-up in a Paris hotel, Boucher having furnished herself with some monitor speakers, a Shure SM57 and what appears to be a Universal Audio Apollo Solo interface. 

This portable interface is the ideal option for tracking individual sources like vocals on the move; its small form factor and tactile control surface also make it hugely useful for production and arrangement. 

3. Andrew Scheps

Known for: seminal rock production for Red Hot Chili Peppers/Audioslave/The Mars Volta/many more besides

Their sound: Andrew Scheps is a rightfully venerated engineer and producer, whose expert ear has guided some of the best rock albums of the last fifty years. Scheps’ mastery of parallel compression techniques has gifted him with a punchy, full-bodied aural fingerprint of which most producers can only dream; listen to Intertiatic ESP by The Mars Volta, and see.

Interface of choice: Avid HD I/O, Universal Audio Apollo x8p, Universal Audio Apollo Twin 

Scheps is a famed advocate of mixing ‘in the box’, having divided fans and the wider audio engineering industry with his playful, no-nonsense opinions on the analogue-vs-digital ‘debate’. His Pro Tools rig is centred around Avid HD I/O units, which provide a humongous array of ins and outs for big tracking sessions.

In a 2021 Q&A on music and audio forum Gearspace, Scheps also revealed that he uses Universal Audio interfaces for his D/A conversion – more accurately, an Apollo x8p for his monitors and an Apollo Twin for his headphones. Universal Audio’s top-flight converters and quiet, expressive amplifiers put them in high esteem for producers like Scheps, and are worth the investment even without considering their powerful onboard preamps and seamless in-line plugin processing capabilities.

4. Emily Hopkins 

Known for: Harp-centred pedal reviews on YouTube; composing film scores and video-game soundtracks

Their sound: Emily Hopkins is a classically-trained harpist with an ear for contemporary soundscaping. Her early experiments with combining harp and guitar effects pedals led her to an acclaimed career composing for video games, soundtracking for Dreamworks films and otherwise goofing around with pedal reviews on YouTube.

Interface of choice: Universal Audio Apollo x8p

Hopkins’ own YouTube videos reveal a kitted-out desk, with a Universal Audio Apollo 8p at the centre of her rig. This Apollo 8 is an older model in UAD’s lineage, but still possesses eight powerful channels capable of receiving line-level signal – a god-send for recording instruments DI, and for using external preamps to colour said instruments, as Hopkins does with an array of API preamps.

5. Annie Clark

Known for: St. Vincent/The Polyphonic Spree/collaborations with David Byrne 

Their sound: Annie Clark is one of few people to genuinely earn the honorific ‘guitar god’, with her unique and learned approach to shredding that colours her music with chaotic maximalism. She’s no stranger to weirdness, whether via an enviable Eventide-heavy pedalboard or her off-kilter collabs with the likes of David Byrne. 

Interface of choice: AVID HD I/O 16x16 (x3), Universal Audio Apollo Twin

In the background of a May 2024 interview with Tom Power, part of Clark’s home studio is visible – including a rack containing three AVID HD I/O units. Each HD I/O unit represents 16 channels of audio in and out; by Clark’s own admission, her home and studio are one and the same, which goes some way to explaining the outrageous number of inputs and outputs this rack represents.

On the smaller end of the interface spectrum, Clark also has some familiarity with Universal Audio’s Apollo Twin. The Twin is featured prominently in her Masterclass course on composition, Clark having used the interface to demonstrate at-home writing and development.

6. Will Putney

Known for: pre-eminent production of heavy and hardcore artists, including Knocked Loose, Stray From The Path and Every Time I Die

Their sound: Though hardcore music never really went away, there’s no doubting that it’s having its moment right now – and that Will Putney is one of the major catalysts for this moment. Putney’s raw, unpretentious approach to capturing heaviness has made him the producer du jour for hardcore’s most exciting bands.

Interface of choice: Motu 2408, 24I/0, Universal Audio Apollo Interfaces

In a 2015 interview, Putney shared that his studio set-up utilised a combination of well-heeled Motu 2408s and Motu 24I/Os, which together gave him dozens of ins and outs for tracking and outboard processing. However, since this interview, Putney moved studios – and, per a press release from SSL, upgraded his setup with Universal Audio Apollo interfaces. Apollo’s Thunderbolt connectivity makes harnessing I/O a cinch, allowing Putney to more easily access his mojo-imparting outboard equipment.

7. Jacob Collier

Known for: viral a cappella arrangements/breathless multi-instrumentalism/writing maximalist fusion-musik that pushes the boundaries of music theory

Their sound: Jacob Collier is an irrepressible force of musical nature, whose prodigy presents in harmonically-rich arrangements and an appetite for oddity. Collier’s musical output ranges from lush, choral a cappella to mangled orchestral hugeness, all in service of an experimental jazz-fusion result.

Interface of choice: Focusrite Red 8Line, Grace Audio M905 Monitor Controller

Collier is a huge self-producer, recording and mixing most all of his releases from his home studio. He gave a tour of said studio to Caleb Simpson in April 2024, where – amongst his characteristically esoteric collection of instruments and object d’art – you can spy a rack-mounted Focusrite Red 8Line. The Red 8Line features a truly stunning amount of ins and outs, with Dante capabilities that open up 32 channels alone. 

The Red 8Line feeds XLR snakes and junction boxes around Collier’s room, enabling him to hop from instrument to instrument with minimal set-up or delay. Additionally, Collier has a Grace Audio M905 – a deeply-featured standalone monitor system, with a first-class DAC and overkill connectivity. This is a favoured system for many studios – including Rick Rubin’s Shangri-LA.

8. Mac DeMarco

Known for: breezy avant-slacker hits as Mac DeMarco; bizarre Vaseline-soaked studio-recording instructionals

Their sound: Mac DeMarco is the producer many of us yearn to become, having successfully built a career on exactly the DIY experimentation that attracts the average home producer to buying broken things off eBay. DeMarco’s woozy, irreverent indie hip-shakery is as infectious as it is idiosyncratic, and was largely achieved via an impressive collection of old and colourful studio hardware.

Interface of choice: Lynx Studio Aurora(n) 8

Mac Demarco’s 2023 instrumental album Five Easy Hot Dogs was recorded while travelling the US – and, according to a recent interview, recorded via a Lynx Studio Aurora interface. Given DeMarco also brought eight API preamps along with him, we can assume it was an eight-channel AD-DA converter like the Lynx Studio Aurora(n) 8.

The Aurora interfaces do not have their own preamps built in, making them lean converters ideal for interfacing analogue outboard with your digital session. The converters you get are top-notch, and the units are blissfully free of blips or artefacts when recording too.

9. Yvette Young

Known for: heavy math-rock riffing with Covet; pop-tinged solo heartbreakers 

Their sound: Yvette Young is truly a guitarist’s guitarist, having shredded ears and minds with her technically-adept brand of loose math-y riffery in her band Covet. She’s also a prolific songwriter outside of math-rock, with an immaculately-produced pop-songwriter streak as evidenced by recent sessions with sad-folkster-supreme Novo Amor.

Interface of choice: Universal Audio Apollo Twin/Quad/8p/x8p

Pinning down Young’s home setup past pedals and amps is tough, but Young has spent a great deal of time realising her recent songwriting through collaboration with Novo Amor at his studio – where a number of Universal Apollo interfaces can be seen. A desktop-borne Apollo Twin handles monitor and headphone control, while there’s also an array of rack-mount Apollos – including a silver Apollo Quad, an Apollo 8p and a newer Apollo x8p.

In the world of modern recording, you’ll often see debate over the preference between USB and Thunderbolt audio interfaces. Within home and pro recording scenarios, you’ll regularly see both types being used, so what are the true differences?

Fundamentally, when shopping for a new interface, you’ll be faced with the option of choosing a unit with either a USB or Thunderbolt connection. At a basic level, which one is best for you will depend on the computer or device that you’re using it with, but there are other factors and features of both types that can make one more suitable than the other for your needs. In this guide we'll unpick everything you need to know. 

For the purposes of this piece, we're covering the differences between the latest Thunderbolt 3 and 4 and USB-C interfaces.

1. Appearance

To look at they are very similar – USB C and Thunderbolt 3 and 4 share the same physical connector and the ports are the same size. However, USB and Thunderbolt are different. So, be sure to double-check the specifics of the ports on your device or computer that you plan on using the interface with, as to the naked eye they look the same.

2. Data transfer speed

Firstly, Thunderbolt is faster – it can transfer more data at higher speeds than USB. Faster transfer speeds can mean less latency. Connecting your Thunderbolt-equipped interface to your computer is almost like connecting it directly to the motherboard, whereas with USB there are a few more steps before that.

Thunderbolt 3 and 4 (common on most later Macs) have data transfer speeds of up to 40GB/s, compared to USB-C’s speed of 10GB/s. So what does this mean when it comes to your audio interface? In most scenarios, not a great deal. If you’ve got a good quality interface and you’re tracking a couple of sound sources without loads of plugins, then USB is going to be fine. You’re not likely to notice much latency.

Problems may arise if you’re using plugins whilst tracking, or if you’re recording a lot of tracks. If you’re tracking guitar using amp and pedal sims on your computer, plus maybe an EQ or compressor plugin, then you might start to notice some latency. This is incredibly off-putting and, depending on how bad it is, can be impossible to work with. The extra speed Thunderbolt gives you can help with this. 

Likewise, if you’re a vocalist and you want to use a lot of plugins while you track to get a better performance, then latency is something you absolutely want to avoid, so Thunderbolt would be a worthwhile investment. 

Technically, Thunderbolt has more bandwidth than USB too and it’s able to transfer more data at once. So, if you’re tracking multiple sound sources at the same time, the signal is moving more freely than with USB where it might get bottlenecked, resulting in latency. 

Another thing to consider when talking about latency is your rig as a whole. Your computer, DAW and buffer size all play a part in how well everything runs. 

3. Power

Thunderbolt offers more power which can help provide more reliable juice for your mic preamps. Additionally, if you’re using up all your ports on a laptop and don’t have space for your charger, your interface (plugged in at the mains) will act as a charger. That said, USB-C can also charge in a very similar manner in this scenario. 

4. Price

The downside to Thunderbolt interfaces is that it is more expensive technology. When comparing like for like models, you’ll usually find that the Thunderbolt version will be more expensive. 

Additionally, you don’t see many Thunderbolt ports on affordable PCs; they’re more geared towards the Apple market. If you’re using a Mac for music production, then a Thunderbolt interface could well be the way to go – however, if you’re looking to spend good money, you can get a PC with Thunderbolt ports. 

One of the first things you need to do when choosing between a Thunderbolt and USB interface is check what ports your computer has (remember, they look the same; a Thunderbolt port is usually identified by the logo). If you’re having to upgrade your computer for the sake of it, then you’ll really have to consider whether it’s worth it!

5. Sound quality

What’s worth noting is that there is no difference in sound quality between USB and Thunderbolt. While some might perceive a difference in sound quality, there is a reason for that.

Thunderbolt interfaces tend to be equipped with better preamps. As they’re often more expensive, manufacturers might assume that the buyer is seeking quality and will equip them with better features that have no relation to the Thunderbolt vs USB debate, such as high quality preamps for your microphones. 

Final thoughts

When looking at Thunderbolt vs USB interfaces, what’s right for you depends on a few things. Firstly, your computer. Look at what ports yours has; if there are no Thunderbolt ports on there, then upgrading your whole rig just to get a Thunderbolt interface is a much bigger financial consideration.

It also depends what you’re recording and how. If you like to use a lot of plugins whilst tracking, then the faster speed at which Thunderbolt can do things might help prevent latency. Stacking up lots of heavy-lifting plugins or virtual emulators might start to weigh too much on your USB interface. 

It’s probably also worth mentioning here that Universal Audio interfaces work slightly differently in that the unit itself does a lot of the processing when tracking with plugins, not the computer. 

Additionally if you’re recording a bunch of different instruments at once, then the additional bandwidth that Thunderbolt provides could also help ensure that all your signals are moving quickly and efficiently. 

That said, many producers – both amateur and pro – do use USB interfaces and get incredible results. The quality of the interface, your computer and every other part of your rig plays a part in the results you hear. So, whilst there are differences between USB and Thunderbolt interfaces, it’s arguably more important to get a quality piece of kit than to buy something just for its connection, unless you have a specific reason to do so.