MusicRadar Verdict
Slimmed down and focused on us guitarists, the Link I/O is a handy interface to have around in its own right. Combine it with the free Fender Studio software, and you have yourself a powerful means of recording and practising.
Pros
- +
Very portable.
- +
Slimmed down and easy to use.
- +
Affordable interface and free software.
Cons
- -
Not exactly versatile.
- -
Studio One can be a little clunky to use at first.
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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.
An introduction to the world of recording music for guitar players taking their first steps within it
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
Price | $95 / £79 / €79 |
Key features | 24-bit/96khz 1 Channel Phantom Power: No 1x1/4-inch, high impedance input 1x 1/8 headphone output No speaker output |
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