In the event you’re a musician, a podcaster, or anybody else who must report high-quality audio to a pc, cellphone, or pill, you want a USB audio interface that lets you join any microphone or electrical instrument.
The Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 4th Gen affords an impressive mixture of options, construct high quality, and user-friendliness for musicians. Starting and skilled podcasters ought to take a look at the Focusrite Vocaster Two.
Our choose
This USB interface affords a pleasant design that’s full of helpful options. However we don’t love the rear-panel placement of the microphone inputs.
The Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 4th Gen is a redesigned, enhanced model of the interface that has lengthy been our prime choose for musicians, due to its logically laid-out controls.
The most recent, 4th Gen model provides an auto-gain characteristic that mechanically units the recording stage; a Clip Save characteristic that ensures undistorted recordings; and a brand new, dual-mode Air tonal enhancement button. As with the earlier model, with this model the LED acquire indicators’ design makes it simple to set recording ranges manually, for those who resolve to not use the auto-gain operate.
To accommodate the brand new controls, Focusrite has moved the microphone inputs to the rear panel. We discover this much less handy, however for many customers the advantages of the brand new options will outweigh this drawback.
Our choose
The management structure on this interface is designed for podcasting moderately than music recording, and it contains options that add an expert polish.
For many who create podcasts, a couple of minutes spent with the Focusrite Vocaster Two will reveal the large benefits it affords for podcasting. It’s arrange for a host-and-guest scenario, with massive headphone-level knobs which might be simple to regulate. It features a mute button for every mic, plus a voice-enhancement button that you may set for one in every of 4 modes. You’ll be able to simply usher in callers or background music from a cellphone via the Bluetooth interface or cable.
Runner-up
This interface is just like our prime choose, nevertheless it provides a MIDI connection and a more-powerful headphone amp. Nevertheless, it has a barely less-user-friendly design.
The Common Audio Volt 2 has a couple of options that sure folks might discover interesting, together with a MIDI interface and compatibility with iPhones. It additionally has a more-powerful headphone amplifier than most USB interfaces supply—which might be useful in case your monitoring headphones require lots of energy to drive to satisfying quantity ranges.
The Volt 2’s stage meters are small, although, and we choose the structure of inputs and indicator lights on our prime choose.
Improve choose
This bigger, pricier interface has a sturdy, intuitive, knobs-on-top design, in addition to a built-in compressor that makes it simpler to get pro-quality sound.
The Common Audio Volt 276 is a superb step-up mannequin for musicians who’re extra severe about recording. It has all the options and advantages of the UA Volt 2, in addition to an onboard compressor that may shortly and safely easy out the highs and lows of a recording and make it just a little simpler so that you can set recording ranges.
The Volt 276’s bigger chassis takes up further area on a desktop, nevertheless it offers a sturdier management floor, in addition to a handy knobs-on-top design and huge enter and output stage meters.
It’s over 50% pricier than the Volt 2 and the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 4th Gen, however recording fans will possible discover it price the additional funding.
Finances choose
This inexpensive mannequin makes setting enter ranges simple, which is very useful for newcomers. However the management configuration is uncommon.
The Audient Evo 4 is a perfect alternative for starting music producers and podcasters, due to its inexpensive value and automated gain-setting characteristic. Setting enter ranges accurately is probably the most tough a part of utilizing a USB audio interface, however the Evo 4’s auto-gain characteristic makes the duty simple and produces good-sounding outcomes.
The field has a compact, light-weight design with a plastic chassis, so it might transfer round a bit on a desktop. It additionally has an uncommon, single-knob management configuration, however we received used to it.
