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MOTU has amazing customer service! After almost 4 years, the USB-C port of my M2 began acting up. I went online with MOTU support to find a way to fix it. They asked for my invoice and told me they'd replace the unit, even if it's that old! I'm totally blown away. They earned a loyal customer for life!
I bought the Motu M4 and I'm really happy with it. I play and record a lot of jazz inspired electronic music and being able to play VST instruments with very low latency is a game changer for me.
do you know if the m4 has better RTL (latency) than what was described here with the m2? Or if they only differ in inputs/features outside of that ? What computer and what latency are you getting that are usable without cutouts? anything 10ms or below with a few synths in a daw?
@@gomi_cat I believe the motu m2 has the same DAC as the m4 in the current version. Not sure about the drivers. They should be pretty similar. Tables I have seen show the RTL of a motu m2 when 44.1khz to be around 7ms at 128 samples. So its capable of live performance unless there is a driver issue.
I have both the MOTU and the SSL 2+. Cannot be happier. The MOTU has a smaller footprint, and with front dials it might be useful to some users. The SSL is slightly larger, but you did not mention if you buy the SSL, they will give you two very usable SSL plugins: Vocalstrip 2 and Drumstrip. Both are very nice and not cheap to buy if you purchase them separately. That alone makes the SSL a great buy, for me.
@@ACES-BRAZIL They are both good and you'll be happy with both. To my ears the SSL does have the edge on sound. It's a little more "solid" sounding with better mid range. Just my opinion.
i was leaning to id14 but i read many comments about audient interfaces getting out of service after a year ..and that it had issues with windows ? so for a voice over what is the best option until 350 $ considering the cleanest voice and reliabilty for profesaional work ?
Upgrading from a Steinberg 22 but considering an UA Apollo interface a friend let me borrow a MOTU M4 fir a month and was blown away with the clarity and moreso the warmth of the M4. Highly recommended!
i was leaning to id14 but i read many comments about audient interfaces getting out of service after a year ..and that it had issues with windows ? so for a voice over what is the best option until 350 $ considering the cleanest voice and reliabilty for profesaional work ?
Motu M4 here, clean pre-amps, low EIN, high dynamic range, MIDI ports, solid construction, excellent converters, beautiful LCD display and On/Off switch. Very hard to compete with that!
I'll agree. Maybe at the 2x2 level, the Motu falls short, but the 4x4 level brings a whole different discussion. That blend knob that the M2 is missing? It's there on the M4. As is channel bonding for stereo recording, individual channel monitoring for 1 and 2 (with an option to monitor 3/4). Plus the loopback channels!
@@SinSchism Plus don't forget the individual phantom power, means that you can use a combination of a condenser and a ribbon microphone at the same time, RCA outputs great for DJ's too.
@@carlosserrano3985 you can use ribbons with the 48 engaged because the DC voltage does not pass through the transformer stage. as long as you don't plug-in or plug-out the microphone while 48 is engaged, it will be ok.
Hola Carlos! a mi también me gusta la M4, pero soy usuario de windows y escuché que no siempre trabajan bien juntos, me podrías decir si la usas con pc o Mac o si tenés datos sobre cual anda mejor en Windows? Muchas gracias!
EDIT: Came back after about a year of learning audio production. I have to say, while thinking about which one would stand better in a mix. I'd have to choose the Audient overall. And it has the A/D converters? Win/win. Guitar - VOLT+Vintage+Comp Voice-VOLT Bass - M2 Audient seems the most balanced...
i was leaning to id14 but i read many comments about audient interfaces getting out of service after a year ..and that it had issues with windows ? so for a voice over what is the best option until 350 $ considering the cleanest voice and reliabilty for profesaional work ?
Ended up buying ID22, works awesome despite being an older model. The drivers run well on Windows 11 PRO for myself. Intel Chip. Dell PC. Using Reaper at the moment.
I own both an SSL2+ and a brand new Motu M6. As an engineer for over 25 years I can tell you the Motu has the flattest more neutral sound which is ideal for mastering. The SSL2 has more of a coloured tone to it. Adding low end. Sounds great but not so neutral. Both are great at this price range. My choice is the Motu for quality and low latency.
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How are the drivers and Mixer functions on the Motu ?
That would be from the ESS sabre32 Ultra converter. Which as of 2023 is the highest spec single 32bit integer converter on the market. Apogee use them as well. The only Converter tech that beats the Sabre32 is the stacked R-2R Ladder 32-bit floating point AD/DA converters, but those are so rare in 2023 that only 2 pro audio devices have them. The Sounddevices Mix Pre 2 series and a field recorder from Zoom. But in a few short years we will finally have converters that can handle the actual output of a recording console or a very heavy handed drummer without worries of clipping the converter. Cheers!!
For me the Volt 276 is the right choice for recording guitars, voices and monitoring with headphones. The plugins included are a big plus, like the legendary Teletronix LA-2A.
picked up the Volt 476p couple days ago, very happy with it, vintage mode + 76 compressor helps a lot if you want to record/print thick warm vocals without doing much work in the box, very easy Beyonce/Adele type vocals
Cost is important to a lot of musicians/content creators starting out, so the M2 is certainly a contender being 2/3 the cost yet being close in performance
With my headphones sitting at 48 ohms, I was unable to replicate that “weak” sound you said the M2 had. And the main output for my sweep test did send a perfectly flat signal, which was in tune with what I hear as well. Granted, I use the M4, based on the insides it’s safe to say: it’s basically the same hardware, just more inputs and outputs. I don’t know what made your M2 behave the way it did.
Bought M4 and returned it. Worst sound I ever heard from monitor output. Saffire Pro 40 I am replacing sounded like million dollar SSL console. MOTU quality control is crap. This is why. Clicks and pops. Weak monitor output, at 30% less gain output compared to Saffire. I don't think I will buy MOTU ever again.
@@righteousone8454 i was leaning to id14 but i read many comments about audient interfaces getting out of service after a year ..and that it had issues with windows ? so for a voice over what is the best option until 350 $ considering the cleanest voice and reliabilty for profesaional work ?
@@karimsaleh4659 Getting out of service? Where can I find that? I got iD14 a few days ago and not satisfied with its headphone sound, and now seeing this makes me more sure to return it.
I guess you probably have DT 900 Pro X headphones, same as I do. I got it with the iD14 Mk2 and the headphone of it makes the sound on my DT 900 dull and sot full, compared to when connecting them directly to my MBP. Was considering switching to the M4. Are you satisfied with the headphone sound on your MOTU quality/frequency-richness wise?
Honestly, you'll be happy with any of these. I have the Volt, and its lovely sounding, but they are all impressive devices. That said, the Audient device's ADAT lets you plug in one of those cheap and cheerful behringer adat units with the surprisingly decent midas preamps for that big keyboard rack
I went with the Motu M2 around 3 months ago. As a guitarist using amp sims the round trip latency was my number one priority closely followed by solid performance on Mac silicon and lastly a good performing headphone amp. Motu delivers on all three of those for my needs. If I was a musician requiring more than the above I may have gone elsewhere or to be honest I may have still been looking, as interfaces in this price range are a little over saturated and it can be a minefield sorting between them.
@@pramesh.gurung I've owned the M4 for almost 2 years now, which is basically just an M2 but with more inputs/monitoring knob, and I haven't had any issues with it on windows.
I am going to be the odd man out here and I own an Audient this one.ID14 I have owned and I can verify yes it colors a slight bit adding low end to your mix such as it sounds great to you in headphones and monitors but through monitors it will sound flat when in fact when you.play it back on anything else car stereo etc it sounds bass heavy but once you are used to this it is an easy to solve as dropping the bass just a bit. Now I will give my total thoughts. I would keep using and buying Audient interfaces BUT I have found they have a tendency to start having issues after owning/using for a length of over 6-12 months I've had 3 so far all did the same thing in time. It will drop it's connection to the computer and DAW unexpectedly when DAW has been stale not recording playing or doing anything in the DAW like to take a coffee break. Requires pullimg the.cord and rehooking it up and this wears out the plug, making it loose and even had to prop one up to connect anymore. Next issue it somehow causes other devices in my case my.Line 6 Pod Go, to lose it's connection as well. I don't understand how, but with only Pod.Go connected, it never happens but with the Audient hooked up as well it's over half of the time it knocks the Pod Go out of connection which is a big nuisance when I need to use the Pod Go edit to change anything preset etc I pull up Pod Go Edit it's not connected any more. I've told Audient they have yet to give me a solution I am happy with. 4I can ship the units back etc but this leaves me getting a new one to keep working so I figured got to be without it?.Replace it and keep working trash or donate the fickle one to comeone.needimg one until they can a better not somewhat broken unit it's usable just a hassle to use after awhile. two broken interfaces got stolen thanks and I feel bad for you when it acts up the other one I threw away. Again these are issues but I still have yet to want another brand even with this issue but I deserve some compensation I will not get but that's a business for you as I told them they aren't in business to give away free gear without getting the broke unit back I am left to accept the breaks and go on and get a new every 6 months or so
I rented the Focusrite Scarlett, the Motu M2, and a UA Volt2. I bought the M2 because it had the most nuetral sound. If I want coloration I will add it before the interface, or in the DAW. I don't want the interface coloring everything the same. If a person is just recording their own voice or want a unique sound then a colored interface will suite them fine. Different tools for diffent tastes.
I went for the Motu. Preamps are amazing and latency unbeatable. Also 48V for both inputs is a huge bonus. I use the inpits a lot and i am so happy that they do not color the signals, i want my input signals without distortion added, that comes later in the daw with far more advanced plugins. Midi in and out was also a must have. I am sure i will stay as with the M2 until i upgrade to Ultralite Mk5
You won't regret the Ultralite MK5 I'm going to tell you that...the only thing I would like to add is buy a better USB type C cable because the stock cable breaks easily and its not that good of a quality tbh
I have the Motu M4 and my next move is the Ultralite mk5, that interface is incredible for the price, not only rivals some expensive ones, it destroyed those too.
@@carlosserrano3985 And what is a big reason for me on top is: Its a completeb usefull midi / cv converter to communicate between DAW and Eurorack. With that in mind is the it with that price point a totally no brainer.
@@drfluffy3983 Yes, I forgot that one, the DC coupled outputs. I do have synthesizers but not eurorack but I was successful at triggering my Simmons SDSV with the M4.
I have been using an ID14 mkii in tandem with a FocusRite ISA One and I don’t see myself upgrading my setup for YEARS. The sound quality I’ve been able to achieve in the past month I’ve had them is amazing
@@EdThorne From worst to best: Behringer UM2 (a toy, really), M-Audio M-Track Duo (cheap, but functional), Sterling Audio H224 (solid, extra outputs, pad and low-cut buttons), Motu M2, PreSonus StudioLive III 24r and 32sc mixers. The 32sc and M2 get used the most, 24r is in my drum room serving as a stagebox/snake to the 32sc when I have bands in my studio. I loan the M-Track Duo and Sterling H224 out to people who want to practice recording/mixing (until they're ready to buy something decent, like the 4 in your video). :)
The motu m2 headphone output is near zero impedance, meaning any headphone you connect to it will sound exactly as it is supposed to sound. Unless of course something is broken.
How's your experience with it so far? I am considering buying one but I have heard issues like failing unit after a year or having to turn up the volume everytime you boot your PC
We live in amazing times for audio production. All four of these units are great, and absolutely smoke the digital audio interfaces of the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s for pennies on the dollar for what interfaces from those first few decades of digital audio i/o tech used to cost. FWIW I use an SSL 2+.
Cracking stuff Ed! I bought the Volt and the SSL, ended up sending the Volt back and keeping the SSL. Maybe it's my hearing but I can't hear any differences between them, they're all decent I think. At least for what I do, which isn't a lot, ha! :)
I've had the m2, the ssl2+ and the id14mkii. Audient was it for me as i like the features and the overall sound best. And i think it's value is outstanding in this price range.
Same here. When I got the ssl2+ and audient id4, I was routing for the ssl2+ but the id4 just performed better esp with round trip latency and sound quality
@@kenzorwings i wouldn't say it's so. The ssl2+ has a more analog robust/fat sound which gives you that old school feel and also sounds great. The id4 (I have the mki) sounds good as well albeit a little more digital. I prefer the id4 because of it's cheaper and form factor.
Right now I think the volt series like the 1, 2 or 276 is a great deal Bacause before the 31st theyre giving away the UAD essential VST pack along with the free plugins originally coming with it like that drum machine. Thats why I ended up picking this over the connect 6 or the motu m2. This will definitely give me the motivation to start making music after being stuck with a scarlett solo and free plugins for the past year lol
Excellent video as usual Ed. I ended with a M4 from MOTU, rock solid performance, on\off switch, fab build quality, superb headphone out. I am considering getting an Id14mk II as well to compliment my set up, I dunno yet. Will you keep all three in your studio?
@@jamesbraban2631 well focusrite, presonus, arturia, behringer, ssl audio interfaces also do not have on/off switches. so it is not that much important.
@@zaporoshti3392 It is absolutely important to me, no way would I buy any audio interface that doesn't have an on/off switch. The Claretts have them as do Motu but I am going for a mains powered unit now anyway. After trying the weak USB powered interfaces....no thanks!
Did you buy the iD14 as well? I got it but considering switching to the M4, because the iD sounds dull on low impedance headphones (mine are 48Ohms which sound great connected directly to my MBP).
We bought the SSL - and it had issues with the plastic push buttons, and after 6 months both pre's crapped out. Replaced with an Motu M4. Thank you SSL for a good refund to purchase the M4. And now an M6 is here. Finally.
Very well done! As a gearhead who owns 3 of these interfaces and would put the Audient, Volt and SSL2+ in the same order. Let me add this to the mix- Audient customer support is amazing with any issue being resolved right away. SSL basically told me to piss off when I had an issue. UA falls somewhere in the middle- They can make it quite hard to find the right department. Another observation is the difference between the Audient 1st gen and 2nd gen is amazing! It seems like they really learned quite a bit on the first and made a much better product on the second-gen. Thanks a bunch!!
I got the Audient as well. I love how it just gets out of the way. My only regret is that I should have got the 4 channel instead of the 2 channel....Now I'm in the market for a 4 or more channel, unless I can find a way to pipe two 2 channel audio interfaces into my DAW.
I think M2 will remain the king for 2 in 4 out style interfaces (with midi i/o) Least amount of issues of any interfaces for me personally. Never got to try UMC204HD.
I think I'll go with Volt 276, I don't do any live band recordings so monitoring and expandibility isn't needed. I just need an interface which I can set up once and the most I'll be doing is changing gain levels. So features like the vintage mode or built in compressor seem the most suited towards my usecase.
I got the volt 476 and I am very happy with it. added bonus is that it runs on iOS so I can stream band gigs using pair of cardioid condensers and/or bus mix out of board, into iPad. Only slight drawback is iOS only sees channel 1/2 mic pres, not line inputs. Was surprised to find as an interface showed up right away in my 2012 MacBook. Can’t use the free plugs but oh well
Hi, first of all I wanted to congratulate you on your videos.... Really interesting, well done and educational. My need is for live use with my band. 20 years ago I was using a pc with a m audio firewire 410 with which I used to manage stereo backing tracks, drummer clicks + vst instruments played live, all driven by cubase. Now it's been 20 years (in which I've been away from gigs) and I'm undecided on what to buy. I have 3 macbook pro's at home so I could use one of them for audio. I don't need to record: I just want to be able to manage backing tracks and simultaneously play vst instruments live (using main stage or gig performer or something... I'll have to look into that too). So I'll need at least 4 outputs (using the backing tracks in mono on one channel and the click on another channel + 2 stereo channels for vst). The idea is to get a soundcard that I can then also use in the future if I decide to switch to ipad (to lighten up the equipment). I also need to connect at least two keyboards via midi, and this I could do by adding a usb hub. I also need traditional midi inputs because I have an old keyboard that doesn't send control changes via USB but only via the midi outputs (although I could probably use a midi to USB cable). Currently what sound cards do you feel like recommending for the use I need? Thanks in advance!
@@EdThorne too expensive! Regarding only the quality of outputs (I don't need inputs, preamps...) which are the best audio interfaces, in your opinion, to handle vst and backing tracks in live performances? I was looking to Volt 4 and Audient id14 mkII... (It would be nice to have some audio interfaces with only outputs... )
I'd agree , except for one factor, audients break easy , especially after travel. my outputs started cutting out on 2 different units. I'd go volt... or find a used apollo twin!!!
I appreciate your point!! I travel internationally quite a bit and this is important for me also. I guess I don't have the "luxury" to stay at home and baby my equipment either lmfao. Thanks.
00:00 🎧 *Comparación de interfaces de audio en el rango de $200-$300.* 00:40 📊 *La interfaz M2 destaca por su rápida latencia, superando a las demás.* 01:51 🏠 *La decisión entre accesibilidad y orden en el escritorio es crucial en la elección de interfaces.* 03:06 🎵 *Las diferencias de sonido entre las interfaces son sutiles; el modo 4K del SSL y el modo Vintage del Volt son destacables.* 05:12 🎤 *Al grabar con un SM7B, el SSL destaca por su amplio margen de ganancia, mientras que el M2 carece de personalidad.* 08:41 🎧 *La calidad de salida para auriculares varía; la ID14 lidera con su amplificador más potente.* 09:40 🎚️ *La flexibilidad en el monitoreo directo coloca a la ID14 en la cima, seguida por el SSL con su dial de mezcla incorporado.* 11:56 🎚️ *La ID14 destaca en funcionalidades adicionales, como la expansión mediante ADAT, mientras que el M2 se queda rezagado.* 13:36 🏆 *La Audient ID14 Mark II se posiciona como la mejor opción, ofreciendo características avanzadas a un precio asequible.* 15:25 🥇 *En conclusión, la ID14 Mark II se destaca como la ganadora, equilibrando precio y funcionalidad.*
In Canada: SSL2 = $240, iD14mkii (gen2 reviewed) =$420, Volt 2/76 = $409, Motu M2 = $270 Therefore the price comparison is a whole other factor than in UK. Volt 2 (sans 76) is $250 and the SSL2+ would be coser to the Motu M2 w/ MIDI Other reviewers tend to classify best to worst: Motu M2, iD14 Mkii & SSL2 all quite close, with perhaps Volt 2 slightly lagging though I like the 5VDC power option. The iD4 mkii is also only 1 channel at this price range. Quality / $ is Volt,2 at $260 (not 276) then SSL2.
Thanks Ed for this awaited review. I would always prioritise sound quality over features; after listening to the guitar and (especially) bass recordings carefully a few times, the winner for me was the M2, as it had a better low end and was more dynamic to my ears, second place is the Audient which was slightly bumped in the mid frequency at about 800Hz, the SSL sounded quite flat but uninspiring to me and the volt seemed to distort in places towards the end of Ac Guitar demo (I wonder if you engaged vintage mode?). Here in Brazil, the Volt and SSL are more expensive with the M2 and ID being more or less the same price. Since I no longer have a drum kit but have an excellent TSR-8 8 track Tascam tape deck, the Audients ADAT input wouldn't be much use, I don't think I would use a second monitor output either or the routing software, as my DAW can do that stuff. The really important thing is driver stability in Windows 10 for me, and from what I've gleaned from the Web, the Motu just pips the Audient to the post for me.
One that might deserve to be here depending on use case, is the Tascam US 2x2 hr. It's around $150 and shares most of the same features of the ones covered in this video.
First I used the id 14 MK2 and now I use the SSL 2+... till the end I did choice the ssl 2+ only because it has dedicated volume knobs for headphones, main volume(it has level indicator). The ID 14 MK2 is amazing, simply I love it but the main volume is infinite, it has only LED volume indicator, and sometimes when I run Ableton and forget a higher leve I get scared.... + the ID 14 MK2 gets warm sometimes too warm...
i was leaning to id14 but i read many comments about audient interfaces getting out of service after a year ..and that it had issues with windows ? so for a voice over what is the best option until 350 $ considering the cleanest voice and reliabilty for profesaional work ?
Personally, I think the Volt 276 with Vintage Mode and compression but the iD14mkii has better monitoring so it’s a tough call. Try both and send one back maybe?
Maybe just a superficial observation regarding the sound quality of these interfaces demonstrated by recording the acoustic guitar, but I will say it: 1.Motu - OK, but nothing special, a bit muffled. 2. Audient - Much better, but slightly metallic in the high end which kind of floats on the lower sound spectrum 3. SSL - OK, but nothing special, although better than Motu. 4. UAD - IMHO the best of them all, at least regarding this particular test. I hear more of the guitar's wood, strings and less mud. Maybe it's just my fantasy, but I think the mike inherent quality can be heard more easily.
10:27 affecting both the monitor and headphone outputs is perfect for people like me who have high impedance headphones and use the monitor out as essentially a DAC and run it to a separate headphone amplifier
is it Universal Audio Volt 1 better than M-Audio air 192|4 ?? is it close enough to Apollo solo ?? is it worth it to upgrade from M AUDIO interface to Universal Audio Volt 1 ???
I gladly chose the audient. I bought one used for about 130€ (with about 2 months of barely any use and still with warranty) it was a steal. I'm super happy with it. The expandibility for me is a big selling point since I want to buy my own place to build my studio and have a drum room so more mics will be needed. This will mean that I won't be needing to change my audio interface to have more channels
i was leaning to id14 but i read many comments about audient interfaces getting out of service after a year ..and that it had issues with windows ? so for a voice over what is the best option until 350 $ considering the cleanest voice and reliabilty for profesaional work ?
I've used a MOTU Audio Express heavily since 2012 without any problems until I recently fried it. (Don't ask). I'm sticking with MOTU and buying a M4. Quality products, great company name.
I love my MOTU M4 interface. yeah... Not sure how you came to that conclusion.... Maybe a defective unit? Looking at independent scientific measuring, testing and comparisom of the actual DAC, ADC and even the preamps. The MOTU is a top notch interface in this price range.... Needing well advice the SSL, and coming in closer the UA Apollo...... There are lots of UA-cam videos that also back this up in user experience... So. I have no idea what happened in your particular case!
The vast majority of these music channels woefully lack technical knowledge, and their "tests" are neither scientific nor truly apples-to-apples. if you're looking for audio interface tests from someone who actually knows what he's talking about, check out the channel of a fine chap called Julian Krause. Spoiler alert: The MOTUs perform quite well.
@@the80386 Technical data means very little in real world listening, because technical data alone will not determine how a device will sound. Real world sound tests are far more useful in determining which sound is 'better' While Julian's reviews are very useful, they simply do not tell the whole story in terms of how a device will sound. Now, if Julian were to also post sound demos combined with his excellent technical data, then we wouldn't have to look any further.
i like all of your vids 🔥 help me a lot to choose any items there. thanks dude! and what do you think better between focusrite 3rd gen vs komplete vs evo? based on their preamps, i need for my podcast setup by the way 😇. thanks for advice and answering
The headphones on the back of the SSL is the exact reason I went for it. Always connected and I pick them when I need them. No cables on the desk. Not sutpid design.
@@EdThorne just switched to IK AXE I/O from SSL2 and kinda miss the phones jack in back. But if I made a rack mount for it I bet I would hate it in the back so maybe use case specific. Love the channel
I chose the Volt 176 (because I only need 1 mic input). I've been told that my audio (mic) "sounds amazing" ~ (was using the RØDE Broadcaster microphone at the time with the Volt. Compressor ON, Vintage mode ON).
i was leaning to id14 but i read many comments about audient interfaces getting out of service after a year ..and that it had issues with windows ? so for a voice over what is the best option until 350 $ considering the cleanest voice and reliabilty for profesaional work ?
@@karimsaleh4659 Hi. I think it all depends on what's suitable for your voice, so it can be difficult to recommend a single device. All I know is that the Volt 176 worked well for me, but I think I may have used audio filters in OBS Studio if I remember correctly.
SSL2 vs Id4 mk2. For Podcasting/Gaming alone which was my Use Case on a Windows 10 PC the Audient suffered from mismatched sample rates every time I turned on my PC and casued OBS and Discord to not work unless I changed it from Task manager all the time. I went back and forth with Audient for a week and believe me I troubleshooted everything, even went into the Music store where I purchased the device from and their machine did the same thing but Audient were unwilling to help and were blaming me, so I returned it. Whilst the both SSL2 and id4 are closely matched and the Audient is probably better because of Loop back and provides more current for high impedance headphones (10ohm vs 30 ohm) using 8:1 ratio thats (80 ohms vs 240 ohm headphone). However the SSL2 has not given any trouble so far and I can forgive it's poor buttons because it's something I will set and forget and it provides enough volume for my HD700, AKG K7xxx and ATH 900x air without being fully maxd out on the Phones dial. Both the SSL and Audient have their pros and cons but if the drivers for the Audient worked I would have stuck with that unit or probably have gone with the EVO4 which is better for gamers with features, however based on the id4 drivers the EVO4 would have probably been the same. The 4K definitely works and provides good vocal clarity but I'm guessing that would be microphone dependant or even possibly the user's voice. I use the AKG C214. Also I find with the SSL2, Audacity DAW gives me a -6db peak reading for excited voice but the SSL2's db meter goes into the red even when my voice doesn't clip. Maybe a firmware update will rectify that or they can improve on their db range and provide a clipping button instead of -10db to 0db range from orange to red. However this could be possibly user error also as I have the SSL connected to the DBX286S. Both the id4 mk2 and ssl2 were £120 and offer good value nevertheless. The headphone output being at the back of the SSL2 is much better for my needs as it keeps my desk tidy but as mentioned earlier my use case is from a gamer that use Headphones. Gamers who use IEMs which generally come with short 1-1.5m cables will more than likely need a headphone port from the front.
Damn, that's a hard one to choose, I love 2 audio inputs in front of id4, I wanned to use tlm 102 and beyer 770 ohm for either of those. But this comments about audient reseting each time are quite common which scares me a bit.
Was going for an ID14 but due to reported problems with Windows 10, bought a Motu M2 instead. This box is well constructed and works really well with windows, but I have to agree with Ed, it lacks low end and the sound stage is very small! It sounds like a piece of junk sound quality wise compared to my Digidesign M Box 1 which cost me a fiver in a boot sale and is 20 years old! I hope to try an ID4 Mk2 next week but don't hold out much hope. The moral of this story is, modern DACs look great on paper but don't always deliver on sound quality. I am NOT saying to avoid these interfaces with modern DACs, but when you are coming from a decent interface using well implemented Burr Brown or Crystal DACs, you may too be disappointed with the sound. I am a senior electronics engineer in the MI industry working for Roland, Yamaha, Korg, Fender, Sennheiser Tascam....I have even modified DAC systems to my own aclaimed design (só I do know a bit about this subject).
Just fyi, you get what you pay for. Imagine having a real recording studio in LA, New York, Nashville, etc., what interface would you buy if money wasn't an object? Well, every single thing that goes into a recording dictates how that recording will sound! Including the all the cables used, and the power going into all that sweet gear!!! However, if you build a home on a bad foundation....it'll fail! Not only do the AD/DA conversion matter with interfaces but so does everything else that goes into it! Including the wiring used in connecting everything inside, the power sections, opamps, transistors, etc. ....every little piece adds up to a whole and affects your sound! So compared to a $20,000 AD/DA interface, a $200-$300 interface can't hold a candle! In fact, nothing I've seen or heard under the $800 price point would do for a single track really. And that's for 2 channels of recording! So unless you've got the change to spare....don't bother unless it's for practice! As you always get what you pay for in this game! You can produce an entire album with a $200 interface....but you'll NEVER be able to have it sound good no matter how much time and money you put into it! Now don't get me wrong, what you can do today compared to 20 years ago is fucking crazy awesome! And you can make some good sound shit! But it will never be top tier shit until you spend that money! I can't say that enough as I had to learn the hard way, even though I grew up in studios in the tape days, and worked on amazing shit that the plugins are made out of.... I thought that my knowledge would be the win. Not so without a good foundation. However....nowadays you can get there with only that foundation, decent preamps(not even the real ones matter anymore), and software without the whole room filled with $$$$$ worth of analog gear. But without at least that foundation....(the good interface), you cannot! So you don't have to spend a million bucks on outfitting your own studio with an SSL9000k, a Neve 5088 or an EMI TG12345 MK IV console to do a great record.... All you need is great mics, cables, room with excellent treatment/sound, and a good interface and that's it. The rest can be done with software now, including all the harmonic saturation a console and tape used to give you! Especially with Acustica's stuff. But you had better have a beast of a computer as well to run em, and they don't like AMD so good luck there!
It works fine with w10 and 11 but you get a weird v1.1.1 firmware pop up when you start up your computer. There is no v1.1.1 legacy update. It seems to work just fine though.
@@assshakerstudios549 actually, I was pretty satisfied with the recorded audio quality of a RME Babyface Pro and an Apogee Quartet. However, I am no pro. I am looking for a new Interface, but I want peace of mind regarding drivers and audio quality. Both Apogee and RME delivered that imo. What do you think about Sonosax m2D2, Apogee Symphony Desktop or Sound Devices Mix Pre 6 II for recording Stereo audio?
I'm actually looking for an interface with backside only ports, so that it can sit on my keyboard without wires dangling over the keys. The SSL is ideal for me.
I have a motu m2 and I'm gonna sell it to get the id4 mkII. The audient has better string separation on the DI tracks and a really powerful headphone amp.
@@ctrlaltcreate3827 Thats what I thought to. The audient ID preamps sound so pristine. The motu is good, but audient has caught up and done a better job. I think its the best budget interface next to the SSL2.
i was leaning to id14 but i read many comments about audient interfaces getting out of service after a year ..and that it had issues with windows ? so for a voice over what is the best option until 350 $ considering the cleanest voice and reliabilty for profesaional work ?
I think my hearing must be different; the DI bass demo to me shows a great performance from the M2 in all frequencies (maybe cause I'm a bass player), the moment the ID14 starts, it's like a blanket over the speakers, same for the SSL and worse for the volt which seems to then come alive half way through. I am listening through good headphones - Can anyone else validate this? Or has my hearing finally gone bad? P.S. As an ex Roland UK Senior electronics engineer, former contractor with Yamaha UK. I have been in Pro audio for 33 years and I design mods for DACs in high end audio HiFi (not trying to blow my own trumpet, but audio sound quality is my business and I'm only really hearing it with the M2 and maybe the SSL2).
The bass part going from finger picking to a brighter slap sound and then back to the duller finger sound for the next interface may be confusing your ears. I should have placed the finger sections together and then the slapped sections together (that’s why it ‘appears’ to get brighter half way through the Volt).
@@EdThorne Yes, you are right; the tone will change depending on playing style but the Volt changed enormously and un naturally to my ears and also not so much on the other interfaces. The bass picking before the brighter slap part was much more transparent on the M2 than any of the others which sound muffled (this was a surprise to me, as I would not have expected that from the ID). A better test for the DAC output would have been to play some music from the computer (UA-cam royalty free library), this way you are eliminating any colouration from the mic or Mike preamps and focusing on the DAC output.
It's strange because in some videos the SSL 2+ seems to have the best sound quality and in other videos the Audient ID14mkII does, I think it definitely does make a difference whwta microphones and guitars you use (obviously) and so depending on what instruments or mics you use ither of the SSL 2+ and Audient ID14mkII can sound better. Many reviewers who do say the ID14mkII is the best sounding audio interface under £300.
I'm really torn between the Motu M2 and the Audient iD14 MKII, they both seem great. I want to be able to record guitar and use 300ohm Sennheiser HD6xx headphones for monitoring. Any thoughts?
I bought the M2 when it was 1st introduced and have loves it ever since... I'm using DT 770 Pro 250 ohms headphones and it sounds great. I love the flat vocals without a lot of coloration when using my NT1 mic.
Loved this video and this has 3pf the interfaces I’m choosing between right now. I think the monitor mix on the SSL is great with monitors, not just headphones. If you want a little volume to get in the mood for a guitar solo it’s nice to blend it together without wearing headphones
Which sound card would be better for recording vocals? I only have a se electronicsse2200 condenser microphone, I won’t connect a guitar. I only care about sound quality
They all sound great. I've narrowed down to ssl2 + and motu m4. I mainly going to be using the AI for tracking guitar and guitar practice as well. So latency is probably the most important feature to me. Which of these should I go with?
Thank you for doing the detailed review. I went with the Audient ID14 MK II simply because of the monitor mix controls and the ADAT option, but I did not go with the ASP 800 (800 usd) because it had features I did not need such as 2 channels of coloring preamps. I went with the Behringer 8200 channel ADAT expansion (200 usd). This was an absolute great bang for the buck for my projects studio. I think that universal audio has done well with their first NON-DSP USB I/O’s by bringing in their signature hardware features in a simplistic Prosumer friendly package. Also with universal audio obtaining Boch microphones and releasing a price competitive SD1 Dynamic microphone aimed directly at Shure brothers SM7B buyers (299 usd). I think we’re going to see many changes and Innovative non dsp effects plug-ins combined with UA’s future microphone offerings possibly packaged with hardware interfaces and plug-ins. In all, I’m super happy with my Audient ID14 Mark II, But it’s really hard to go wrong with any of these affordable interfaces as long as you pick them up at the right price. They should all produce quality recordings. Thanks again for the detailed video. I found it very helpful.
ID 14 Mkii is industrial recommended AI. It sounds better to than Appolo twins too. It is neat and clean sounding audio interface. Second comes Motu mkii. Volta is good for vintage sound.
How's your experience with it so far? I am considering buying one but I have heard issues like failing unit after a year or having to turn up the volume everytime you boot your PC
@@elieh.studio actually, I’ve heard about the same thing using with PC. I am using the audient ID 14 MKII under Mac Catalina, and so far it’s great, super clean, and. really easy to work with as of this reply, Audient has now released the ID 24 MkII which allows greater controls via BNC time clock and a few other features. I am not aware of any consistent failures with the ID MKII’s after one years use. I have both the ID4 MKII and ID14 MKII. The only PC sound devices I use are the presonus 24C, and the Zoom UMC - 2 and I would not recommend either one of those for Mac or a PC. The audient equipment has definitely been set and forget. Thank you.
i was leaning to id14 but i read many comments about audient interfaces getting out of service after a year ..and that it had issues with windows ? so for a voice over what is the best option until 350 $ considering the cleanest voice and reliabilty for profesaional work ?
Thanks for the insight.. I am trying to mic an acoustic piano for NON professional use and I have been looking at the interfaces that I can connect to IPhone or IPad, so your comparison help. Have a great day.
Actually, the power needed is more based on the headphone used. The m2 has near zero impedance and its usb powered, so its enough power for pretty much all headphones unless that headphone has very high resistance. This is typical of older style headphones, many planar headphones, and some very expensive ones. The reason for this is either inherent to the design like planar headphones, or intentionally engineered as such to produce the most consistent frequency response amongst even the worst audio interface. Fortunately, audio interfaces are getting better and ones like the motu m2 have perfect headphone outputs. My suggestion is get an interface with a perfect headphone output and try to get a modern low impedance headphone. But, if you cant find anything you like that is lower impedance, get a headphone amp.
Excellent review, Ed. I love your channel. I've heard that the Volt compressor gets a lot of noise. It's true? Did you notice anything in your tests regarding this?
Compressors always get the noise that comes on their inputs, from microfons mostly, to higher levels. It would be a very poor electronics if it was the compressor itself that were so noisy that it could be heard beside the michrophoes. The compressor makes the loudest part weaker and therefore it can be gained more and it equals the louder noise floor! That give us, you should always strive to put a compressor as early as possible in the signal path! It could also be a reason to do eq that gets its frequencies higher early in the signal, depending on wich frequensies it is. Higher frequensies are more noise sensitive!
hello thank you very much for this quality test. Can you help me ? I'm looking for a sound card just for electric guitar with plugins like neural etc. I'm looking to have the best sound possible to play live at home. I only need one instrument input. Which sound card do you recommend: Universal Audio Volt 1 MOTU M2 Focusrite Scarlett Solo 3rd Gen Audient iD4 MKII I know that the Motu 2 has two instrument inputs but everyone says good things about it only it is more expensive what do you recommend?
Assuming that most of people (specially pop, electronic, rap/trap) will work at 44.100/24bit or 48.000/24bit, between 128/512 buffer size, "producing/mixing on the flow". What are the best options of audio interfaces in terms of RTL (round trip latency) on those values?
@@EdThorne Seems to be Motu the right one, Im only concern about some driver issues on Mac that I´ve heard people complaining on internet. PS: Here in Brazil we dont have 14days returno politcs and we need to import those kind of products. So, I will probably need to buy it on my next trip to U.S.
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MOTU has amazing customer service! After almost 4 years, the USB-C port of my M2 began acting up. I went online with MOTU support to find a way to fix it. They asked for my invoice and told me they'd replace the unit, even if it's that old! I'm totally blown away. They earned a loyal customer for life!
I bought the Motu M4 and I'm really happy with it. I play and record a lot of jazz inspired electronic music and being able to play VST instruments with very low latency is a game changer for me.
do you know if the m4 has better RTL (latency) than what was described here with the m2? Or if they only differ in inputs/features outside of that ? What computer and what latency are you getting that are usable without cutouts? anything 10ms or below with a few synths in a daw?
@@gomi_cat I believe the motu m2 has the same DAC as the m4 in the current version. Not sure about the drivers. They should be pretty similar. Tables I have seen show the RTL of a motu m2 when 44.1khz to be around 7ms at 128 samples. So its capable of live performance unless there is a driver issue.
I am super happy with my MOTU M4. Low latency is the most important, I don't need any features built in.
For many the low latency will be key.
I have both the MOTU and the SSL 2+. Cannot be happier. The MOTU has a smaller footprint, and with front dials it might be useful to some users. The SSL is slightly larger, but you did not mention if you buy the SSL, they will give you two very usable SSL plugins: Vocalstrip 2 and Drumstrip. Both are very nice and not cheap to buy if you purchase them separately. That alone makes the SSL a great buy, for me.
You get a bunch of free software with all of them
motu or ssl2+ for record bass and vocal?? tanks
@@ACES-BRAZIL They are both good and you'll be happy with both. To my ears the SSL does have the edge on sound. It's a little more "solid" sounding with better mid range. Just my opinion.
@@richardyuen5786 ok bro
i was leaning to id14 but i read many comments about audient interfaces getting out of service after a year ..and that it had issues with windows ? so for a voice over what is the best option until 350 $ considering the cleanest voice and reliabilty for profesaional work ?
Upgrading from a Steinberg 22 but considering an UA Apollo interface a friend let me borrow a MOTU M4 fir a month and was blown away with the clarity and moreso the warmth of the M4. Highly recommended!
i was leaning to id14 but i read many comments about audient interfaces getting out of service after a year ..and that it had issues with windows ? so for a voice over what is the best option until 350 $ considering the cleanest voice and reliabilty for profesaional work ?
Motu M4 here, clean pre-amps, low EIN, high dynamic range, MIDI ports, solid construction, excellent converters, beautiful LCD display and On/Off switch.
Very hard to compete with that!
I'll agree. Maybe at the 2x2 level, the Motu falls short, but the 4x4 level brings a whole different discussion. That blend knob that the M2 is missing? It's there on the M4. As is channel bonding for stereo recording, individual channel monitoring for 1 and 2 (with an option to monitor 3/4). Plus the loopback channels!
@@SinSchism Plus don't forget the individual phantom power, means that you can use a combination of a condenser and a ribbon microphone at the same time, RCA outputs great for DJ's too.
@@carlosserrano3985 you can use ribbons with the 48 engaged because the DC voltage does not pass through the transformer stage. as long as you don't plug-in or plug-out the microphone while 48 is engaged, it will be ok.
Hola Carlos! a mi también me gusta la M4, pero soy usuario de windows y escuché que no siempre trabajan bien juntos, me podrías decir si la usas con pc o Mac o si tenés datos sobre cual anda mejor en Windows? Muchas gracias!
@@martintabuyo4763 Yo tengo la M4 con Windows 10 Pro, es importante instalar el último driver disponible, hasta ahora no he tenido problemas.
Saludos!
Your voice, pitch and articulation is very catchy. It gets one going from the first second. Great energy!
EDIT: Came back after about a year of learning audio production. I have to say, while thinking about which one would stand better in a mix. I'd have to choose the Audient overall. And it has the A/D converters? Win/win.
Guitar - VOLT+Vintage+Comp
Voice-VOLT
Bass - M2
Audient seems the most balanced...
i was leaning to id14 but i read many comments about audient interfaces getting out of service after a year ..and that it had issues with windows ? so for a voice over what is the best option until 350 $ considering the cleanest voice and reliabilty for profesaional work ?
@@karimsaleh4659 Bought the ID 22. No issues on Windows 10. I use Reaper and Studio One 5
Ye audient wins. Throne also says so.
@@karimsaleh4659only ID 14. Alternative Tascan 2 I 2.
Ended up buying ID22, works awesome despite being an older model. The drivers run well on Windows 11 PRO for myself. Intel Chip. Dell PC. Using Reaper at the moment.
I own both an SSL2+ and a brand new Motu M6. As an engineer for over 25 years I can tell you the Motu has the flattest more neutral sound which is ideal for mastering. The SSL2 has more of a coloured tone to it. Adding low end. Sounds great but not so neutral. Both are great at this price range. My choice is the Motu for quality and low latency.
How are the drivers and Mixer functions on the Motu ?
@James Chancé I've found the Motu drivers to be fine working on my Asus AMD Laptop.
I find the signal going in so clean
That would be from the ESS sabre32 Ultra converter. Which as of 2023 is the highest spec single 32bit integer converter on the market. Apogee use them as well. The only Converter tech that beats the Sabre32 is the stacked R-2R Ladder 32-bit floating point AD/DA converters, but those are so rare in 2023 that only 2 pro audio devices have them. The Sounddevices Mix Pre 2 series and a field recorder from Zoom. But in a few short years we will finally have converters that can handle the actual output of a recording console or a very heavy handed drummer without worries of clipping the converter. Cheers!!
Afterall.. this is what Motu does. It's their turf.
I am in total agreement. After much searching and researching I will be buying a MOTU interface. The only question for me is the M4 or the M6???....
For me the Volt 276 is the right choice for recording guitars, voices and monitoring with headphones. The plugins included are a big plus, like the legendary Teletronix LA-2A.
It’s a great interface for exactly those three things. And Spark is looking really good!
@@salahibozkurt UADx Native plugins!
@@salahibozkurt You're wrong
picked up the Volt 476p couple days ago, very happy with it, vintage mode + 76 compressor helps a lot if you want to record/print thick warm vocals without doing much work in the box, very easy Beyonce/Adele type vocals
THAT's the video I was looking for, as I am debating between those exact 4 models!
Thanks Ed!!!!!
I thought a few people might be 🙂👌🤘
Cost is important to a lot of musicians/content creators starting out, so the M2 is certainly a contender being 2/3 the cost yet being close in performance
MOTU M2
not to mention their loopback mix feature for live streaming and other cool stuff to do to use for it
enough said
With my headphones sitting at 48 ohms, I was unable to replicate that “weak” sound you said the M2 had. And the main output for my sweep test did send a perfectly flat signal, which was in tune with what I hear as well. Granted, I use the M4, based on the insides it’s safe to say: it’s basically the same hardware, just more inputs and outputs. I don’t know what made your M2 behave the way it did.
Bought M4 and returned it. Worst sound I ever heard from monitor output. Saffire Pro 40 I am replacing sounded like million dollar SSL console.
MOTU quality control is crap. This is why.
Clicks and pops. Weak monitor output, at 30% less gain output compared to Saffire.
I don't think I will buy MOTU ever again.
@@righteousone8454 i was leaning to id14 but i read many comments about audient interfaces getting out of service after a year ..and that it had issues with windows ? so for a voice over what is the best option until 350 $ considering the cleanest voice and reliabilty for profesaional work ?
@@karimsaleh4659 Getting out of service? Where can I find that? I got iD14 a few days ago and not satisfied with its headphone sound, and now seeing this makes me more sure to return it.
I guess you probably have DT 900 Pro X headphones, same as I do. I got it with the iD14 Mk2 and the headphone of it makes the sound on my DT 900 dull and sot full, compared to when connecting them directly to my MBP. Was considering switching to the M4. Are you satisfied with the headphone sound on your MOTU quality/frequency-richness wise?
Honestly, you'll be happy with any of these. I have the Volt, and its lovely sounding, but they are all impressive devices. That said, the Audient device's ADAT lets you plug in one of those cheap and cheerful behringer adat units with the surprisingly decent midas preamps for that big keyboard rack
I went with the Motu M2 around 3 months ago. As a guitarist using amp sims the round trip latency was my number one priority closely followed by solid performance on Mac silicon and lastly a good performing headphone amp. Motu delivers on all three of those for my needs. If I was a musician requiring more than the above I may have gone elsewhere or to be honest I may have still been looking, as interfaces in this price range are a little over saturated and it can be a minefield sorting between them.
Yeh the Motu is popular amongst guitarists for this reason, which it totally get!
Yup! This is exactly what sold me on the MOTU. DI sounds good enough and the rt latency is fantastic
@@prodsystematik any problem with using with windows???
@@pramesh.gurung I've owned the M4 for almost 2 years now, which is basically just an M2 but with more inputs/monitoring knob, and I haven't had any issues with it on windows.
I am going to be the odd man out here and I own an Audient this one.ID14 I have owned and I can verify yes it colors a slight bit adding low end to your mix such as it sounds great to you in headphones and monitors but through monitors it will sound flat when in fact when you.play it back on anything else car stereo etc it sounds bass heavy but once you are used to this it is an easy to solve as dropping the bass just a bit. Now I will give my total thoughts. I would keep using and buying Audient interfaces BUT I have found they have a tendency to start having issues after owning/using for a length of over 6-12 months I've had 3 so far all did the same thing in time. It will drop it's connection to the computer and DAW unexpectedly when DAW has been stale not recording playing or doing anything in the DAW like to take a coffee break. Requires pullimg the.cord and rehooking it up and this wears out the plug, making it loose and even had to prop one up to connect anymore. Next issue it somehow causes other devices in my case my.Line 6 Pod Go, to lose it's connection as well. I don't understand how, but with only Pod.Go connected, it never happens but with the Audient hooked up as well it's over half of the time it knocks the Pod Go out of connection which is a big nuisance when I need to use the Pod Go edit to change anything preset etc I pull up Pod Go Edit it's not connected any more. I've told Audient they have yet to give me a solution I am happy with. 4I can ship the units back etc but this leaves me getting a new one to keep working so I figured got to be without it?.Replace it and keep working trash or donate the fickle one to comeone.needimg one until they can a better not somewhat broken unit it's usable just a hassle to use after awhile. two broken interfaces got stolen thanks and I feel bad for you when it acts up the other one I threw away. Again these are issues but I still have yet to want another brand even with this issue but I deserve some compensation I will not get but that's a business for you as I told them they aren't in business to give away free gear without getting the broke unit back I am left to accept the breaks and go on and get a new every 6 months or so
I rented the Focusrite Scarlett, the Motu M2, and a UA Volt2. I bought the M2 because it had the most nuetral sound. If I want coloration I will add it before the interface, or in the DAW. I don't want the interface coloring everything the same. If a person is just recording their own voice or want a unique sound then a colored interface will suite them fine. Different tools for diffent tastes.
I went for the Motu. Preamps are amazing and latency unbeatable. Also 48V for both inputs is a huge bonus. I use the inpits a lot and i am so happy that they do not color the signals, i want my input signals without distortion added, that comes later in the daw with far more advanced plugins. Midi in and out was also a must have. I am sure i will stay as with the M2 until i upgrade to Ultralite Mk5
You won't regret the Ultralite MK5 I'm going to tell you that...the only thing I would like to add is buy a better USB type C cable because the stock cable breaks easily and its not that good of a quality tbh
@@tuneunleashed Thx that is good to know,
I have the Motu M4 and my next move is the Ultralite mk5, that interface is incredible for the price, not only rivals some expensive ones, it destroyed those too.
@@carlosserrano3985 And what is a big reason for me on top is: Its a completeb usefull midi / cv converter to communicate between DAW and Eurorack. With that in mind is the it with that price point a totally no brainer.
@@drfluffy3983 Yes, I forgot that one, the DC coupled outputs. I do have synthesizers but not eurorack but I was successful at triggering my Simmons SDSV with the M4.
I have been using an ID14 mkii in tandem with a FocusRite ISA One and I don’t see myself upgrading my setup for YEARS. The sound quality I’ve been able to achieve in the past month I’ve had them is amazing
That’s a very strong combination!
Love my Motu M2! I have 6 interfaces, and the M2 gets used a LOT. :)
Awesome. What are the six?
@@EdThorne From worst to best: Behringer UM2 (a toy, really), M-Audio M-Track Duo (cheap, but functional), Sterling Audio H224 (solid, extra outputs, pad and low-cut buttons), Motu M2, PreSonus StudioLive III 24r and 32sc mixers. The 32sc and M2 get used the most, 24r is in my drum room serving as a stagebox/snake to the 32sc when I have bands in my studio. I loan the M-Track Duo and Sterling H224 out to people who want to practice recording/mixing (until they're ready to buy something decent, like the 4 in your video). :)
Bass -
6:46 Motu
7:05 Audient
7:24 SSL
7:43 Volt
motu bass more clear for my
I feel audient more natural & open than 3 others
I love the SSL because of how "uncolored" it sounds, and it is very stable. I've been using it for a couple years now but never had a problem with it.
It is coloured
@@RaghuRoxx compared to what? your comment is utterly useless.
The motu m2 headphone output is near zero impedance, meaning any headphone you connect to it will sound exactly as it is supposed to sound. Unless of course something is broken.
@@RaghuRoxx4K button colors the sound
Bought the ID14 Mk II few months ago and I couldn't be happier. Such an amazing product
Awesome. Glad you’re liking it!
Is there a way to control the volume on the headphones on them? am thinking of buying it
@@StomerMadGermzOfficial there's a software mixer in your system tray that has individual channels, including one for each headphone
@@derekeleduc ok thanks
How's your experience with it so far? I am considering buying one but I have heard issues like failing unit after a year or having to turn up the volume everytime you boot your PC
This is exactly how interface comparisons should go. Great work.
Thanks Kyle😊🙏
Agreed, TYVM for an actual review
We live in amazing times for audio production. All four of these units are great, and absolutely smoke the digital audio interfaces of the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s for pennies on the dollar for what interfaces from those first few decades of digital audio i/o tech used to cost.
FWIW I use an SSL 2+.
Cracking stuff Ed! I bought the Volt and the SSL, ended up sending the Volt back and keeping the SSL. Maybe it's my hearing but I can't hear any differences between them, they're all decent I think. At least for what I do, which isn't a lot, ha! :)
The best interface is the one you have when inspiration strikes 🤘
@@EdThorne True that!
I've had the m2, the ssl2+ and the id14mkii. Audient was it for me as i like the features and the overall sound best. And i think it's value is outstanding in this price range.
Exactly this!
Same here. When I got the ssl2+ and audient id4, I was routing for the ssl2+ but the id4 just performed better esp with round trip latency and sound quality
@@joshmcdzz6925 So in your opinion the audient id4 mk1 is better than ssl2+?
@@kenzorwings i wouldn't say it's so. The ssl2+ has a more analog robust/fat sound which gives you that old school feel and also sounds great. The id4 (I have the mki) sounds good as well albeit a little more digital. I prefer the id4 because of it's cheaper and form factor.
@@joshmcdzz6925 Thanks a lot! I still use it the id4 mk1 and it's good interface with ad/da like u said more digital sound. :D
Right now I think the volt series like the 1, 2 or 276 is a great deal Bacause before the 31st theyre giving away the UAD essential VST pack along with the free plugins originally coming with it like that drum machine. Thats why I ended up picking this over the connect 6 or the motu m2. This will definitely give me the motivation to start making music after being stuck with a scarlett solo and free plugins for the past year lol
Excellent video as usual Ed.
I ended with a M4 from MOTU, rock solid performance, on\off switch, fab build quality, superb headphone out. I am considering getting an Id14mk II as well to compliment my set up, I dunno yet.
Will you keep all three in your studio?
Thanks, David. I have to send most of them back.
Yep, the lack of an on/off switch is a deal breaker for me
@@jamesbraban2631 well focusrite, presonus, arturia, behringer, ssl audio interfaces also do not have on/off switches. so it is not that much important.
@@zaporoshti3392 It is absolutely important to me, no way would I buy any audio interface that doesn't have an on/off switch. The Claretts have them as do Motu but I am going for a mains powered unit now anyway. After trying the weak USB powered interfaces....no thanks!
Did you buy the iD14 as well? I got it but considering switching to the M4, because the iD sounds dull on low impedance headphones (mine are 48Ohms which sound great connected directly to my MBP).
We bought the SSL - and it had issues with the plastic push buttons, and after 6 months both pre's crapped out. Replaced with an Motu M4. Thank you SSL for a good refund to purchase the M4. And now an M6 is here. Finally.
Very well done! As a gearhead who owns 3 of these interfaces and would put the Audient, Volt and SSL2+ in the same order.
Let me add this to the mix- Audient customer support is amazing with any issue being resolved right away.
SSL basically told me to piss off when I had an issue.
UA falls somewhere in the middle- They can make it quite hard to find the right department.
Another observation is the difference between the Audient 1st gen and 2nd gen is amazing! It seems like they really learned quite a bit on the first and made a much better product on the second-gen.
Thanks a bunch!!
I got the Audient as well. I love how it just gets out of the way. My only regret is that I should have got the 4 channel instead of the 2 channel....Now I'm in the market for a 4 or more channel, unless I can find a way to pipe two 2 channel audio interfaces into my DAW.
I think M2 will remain the king for 2 in 4 out style interfaces (with midi i/o)
Least amount of issues of any interfaces for me personally. Never got to try UMC204HD.
Well I plan since a long time to change my old Focusrite 2i2 for Audient ID14, and your video still confirm me the good choice :D Thank you ! :)
You’re welcome. Enjoy the iD14
Audient is cristiline
I think I'll go with Volt 276, I don't do any live band recordings so monitoring and expandibility isn't needed. I just need an interface which I can set up once and the most I'll be doing is changing gain levels. So features like the vintage mode or built in compressor seem the most suited towards my usecase.
I got the volt 476 and I am very happy with it. added bonus is that it runs on iOS so I can stream band gigs using pair of cardioid condensers and/or bus mix out of board, into iPad.
Only slight drawback is iOS only sees channel 1/2 mic pres, not line inputs. Was surprised to find as an interface showed up right away in my 2012 MacBook. Can’t use the free plugs but oh well
Volt's preamp is really very good.
Hi, first of all I wanted to congratulate you on your videos.... Really interesting, well done and educational.
My need is for live use with my band. 20 years ago I was using a pc with a m audio firewire 410 with which I used to manage stereo backing tracks, drummer clicks + vst instruments played live, all driven by cubase.
Now it's been 20 years (in which I've been away from gigs) and I'm undecided on what to buy.
I have 3 macbook pro's at home so I could use one of them for audio.
I don't need to record: I just want to be able to manage backing tracks and simultaneously play vst instruments live (using main stage or gig performer or something... I'll have to look into that too).
So I'll need at least 4 outputs (using the backing tracks in mono on one channel and the click on another channel + 2 stereo channels for vst).
The idea is to get a soundcard that I can then also use in the future if I decide to switch to ipad (to lighten up the equipment).
I also need to connect at least two keyboards via midi, and this I could do by adding a usb hub.
I also need traditional midi inputs because I have an old keyboard that doesn't send control changes via USB but only via the midi outputs (although I could probably use a midi to USB cable).
Currently what sound cards do you feel like recommending for the use I need?
Thanks in advance!
Hi Giacomo, thank you for the kind words. For full band situations check out the Evo 16 and SP8 audio interfaces! Unreal versatility.
@@EdThorne too expensive! Regarding only the quality of outputs (I don't need inputs, preamps...) which are the best audio interfaces, in your opinion, to handle vst and backing tracks in live performances? I was looking to Volt 4 and Audient id14 mkII... (It would be nice to have some audio interfaces with only outputs... )
This was actually pretty fair. I use Motu M2 and it does great work, but is lacking in (what I feel) are necessary features.
I'd agree , except for one factor, audients break easy , especially after travel. my outputs started cutting out on 2 different units. I'd go volt... or find a used apollo twin!!!
My interfaces stay put in my studio so I haven’t experienced this but I’m sorry to hear you’ve had problems. Anything UA is solid!
This is kind of a copout. If you’re beating the shit out of your electronics, they are liable to break.
look after it better then
@@Vespa123 or just get a uad..and not stick up for cheap components..
I appreciate your point!! I travel internationally quite a bit and this is important for me also. I guess I don't have the "luxury" to stay at home and baby my equipment either lmfao. Thanks.
00:00 🎧 *Comparación de interfaces de audio en el rango de $200-$300.*
00:40 📊 *La interfaz M2 destaca por su rápida latencia, superando a las demás.*
01:51 🏠 *La decisión entre accesibilidad y orden en el escritorio es crucial en la elección de interfaces.*
03:06 🎵 *Las diferencias de sonido entre las interfaces son sutiles; el modo 4K del SSL y el modo Vintage del Volt son destacables.*
05:12 🎤 *Al grabar con un SM7B, el SSL destaca por su amplio margen de ganancia, mientras que el M2 carece de personalidad.*
08:41 🎧 *La calidad de salida para auriculares varía; la ID14 lidera con su amplificador más potente.*
09:40 🎚️ *La flexibilidad en el monitoreo directo coloca a la ID14 en la cima, seguida por el SSL con su dial de mezcla incorporado.*
11:56 🎚️ *La ID14 destaca en funcionalidades adicionales, como la expansión mediante ADAT, mientras que el M2 se queda rezagado.*
13:36 🏆 *La Audient ID14 Mark II se posiciona como la mejor opción, ofreciendo características avanzadas a un precio asequible.*
15:25 🥇 *En conclusión, la ID14 Mark II se destaca como la ganadora, equilibrando precio y funcionalidad.*
Muchas gracias
"The SSL is arguably the most neutral." Wow, exactly what I was thinking listening to the clips.
Sim, mas Audient soa mais claro, vívido.
In Canada: SSL2 = $240, iD14mkii (gen2 reviewed) =$420, Volt 2/76 = $409, Motu M2 = $270
Therefore the price comparison is a whole other factor than in UK. Volt 2 (sans 76) is $250
and the SSL2+ would be coser to the Motu M2 w/ MIDI
Other reviewers tend to classify best to worst: Motu M2, iD14 Mkii & SSL2 all quite close, with perhaps Volt 2 slightly lagging though I like the 5VDC power option. The iD4 mkii is also only 1 channel at this price range. Quality / $ is Volt,2 at $260 (not 276) then SSL2.
Volt was my top pick at first, but I ended up getting an SSL 2 because I wanted to be able to control phantom power on each input individually.
Volt is terrible
@@sikwitit773 why bro? I was going to buy it
Thanks Ed for this awaited review. I would always prioritise sound quality over features; after listening to the guitar and (especially) bass recordings carefully a few times, the winner for me was the M2, as it had a better low end and was more dynamic to my ears, second place is the Audient which was slightly bumped in the mid frequency at about 800Hz, the SSL sounded quite flat but uninspiring to me and the volt seemed to distort in places towards the end of Ac Guitar demo (I wonder if you engaged vintage mode?). Here in Brazil, the Volt and SSL are more expensive with the M2 and ID being more or less the same price. Since I no longer have a drum kit but have an excellent TSR-8 8 track Tascam tape deck, the Audients ADAT input wouldn't be much use, I don't think I would use a second monitor output either or the routing software, as my DAW can do that stuff. The really important thing is driver stability in Windows 10 for me, and from what I've gleaned from the Web, the Motu just pips the Audient to the post for me.
It seems to be a similar price everywhere. Personally, I’d suggest the Audient, unless you need super fast RTLs.
One that might deserve to be here depending on use case, is the Tascam US 2x2 hr. It's around $150 and shares most of the same features of the ones covered in this video.
First I used the id 14 MK2 and now I use the SSL 2+... till the end I did choice the ssl 2+ only because it has dedicated volume knobs for headphones, main volume(it has level indicator). The ID 14 MK2 is amazing, simply I love it but the main volume is infinite, it has only LED volume indicator, and sometimes when I run Ableton and forget a higher leve I get scared.... + the ID 14 MK2 gets warm sometimes too warm...
i was leaning to id14 but i read many comments about audient interfaces getting out of service after a year ..and that it had issues with windows ? so for a voice over what is the best option until 350 $ considering the cleanest voice and reliabilty for profesaional work ?
MOTU M2 on that bass seems like best choice. Sounds so natural, other interfaces seems like midfreq cutted ;(
Very nice mate. Thanks for the shout out
Thanks again for playing man!
Which one is the best for recording vocals?
Personally, I think the Volt 276 with Vintage Mode and compression but the iD14mkii has better monitoring so it’s a tough call. Try both and send one back maybe?
@@EdThorne like pre amps wise which one has better pre amps?
@@devsadana Listen for yourself in the video at 5:31 for a speech comparison. I think the Volt, but if you need more gain the SSL may be better.
Maybe just a superficial observation regarding the sound quality of these interfaces demonstrated by recording the acoustic guitar, but I will say it:
1.Motu - OK, but nothing special, a bit muffled.
2. Audient - Much better, but slightly metallic in the high end which kind of floats on the lower sound spectrum
3. SSL - OK, but nothing special, although better than Motu.
4. UAD - IMHO the best of them all, at least regarding this particular test. I hear more of the guitar's wood, strings and less mud. Maybe it's just my fantasy, but I think the mike inherent quality can be heard more easily.
Can’t argue with any of that. 🙂👌
10:27 affecting both the monitor and headphone outputs is perfect for people like me who have high impedance headphones and use the monitor out as essentially a DAC and run it to a separate headphone amplifier
is it Universal Audio Volt 1 better than M-Audio air 192|4 ??
is it close enough to Apollo solo ??
is it worth it to upgrade
from M AUDIO interface
to Universal Audio Volt 1 ???
I gladly chose the audient. I bought one used for about 130€ (with about 2 months of barely any use and still with warranty) it was a steal. I'm super happy with it. The expandibility for me is a big selling point since I want to buy my own place to build my studio and have a drum room so more mics will be needed. This will mean that I won't be needing to change my audio interface to have more channels
i was leaning to id14 but i read many comments about audient interfaces getting out of service after a year ..and that it had issues with windows ? so for a voice over what is the best option until 350 $ considering the cleanest voice and reliabilty for profesaional work ?
I've used a MOTU Audio Express heavily since 2012 without any problems until I recently fried it. (Don't ask). I'm sticking with MOTU and buying a M4. Quality products, great company name.
very good review ---- content and production values. I agree about the iD Audient -----
Thank you, Thomas.
I love my MOTU M4 interface. yeah... Not sure how you came to that conclusion.... Maybe a defective unit? Looking at independent scientific measuring, testing and comparisom of the actual DAC, ADC and even the preamps. The MOTU is a top notch interface in this price range.... Needing well advice the SSL, and coming in closer the UA Apollo...... There are lots of UA-cam videos that also back this up in user experience... So. I have no idea what happened in your particular case!
Typos. Sorry..... I prefer outboard preamps though ... The DAC/ADC on this unit is really good for the money. Surprisingly good.
The vast majority of these music channels woefully lack technical knowledge, and their "tests" are neither scientific nor truly apples-to-apples. if you're looking for audio interface tests from someone who actually knows what he's talking about, check out the channel of a fine chap called Julian Krause. Spoiler alert: The MOTUs perform quite well.
@@the80386 Technical data means very little in real world listening, because technical data alone will not determine how a device will sound. Real world sound tests are far more useful in determining which sound is 'better'
While Julian's reviews are very useful, they simply do not tell the whole story in terms of how a device will sound.
Now, if Julian were to also post sound demos combined with his excellent technical data, then we wouldn't have to look any further.
On paper it is excellent but but it doesn't mean its excellent in reality
Is this suitable for an electric guitar plugged into? Thanks 😊
They all are, yes.
@@EdThorne thanks heaps 😀✌️
i like all of your vids 🔥 help me a lot to choose any items there. thanks dude!
and what do you think better between focusrite 3rd gen vs komplete vs evo? based on their preamps, i need for my podcast setup by the way 😇. thanks for advice and answering
Thanks, Dea! I like the Evo. The auto-gain is very useful and works REALLY well!
@@EdThorne very fast answer, will buy it tomorrow, lol thanks 🤙
The headphones on the back of the SSL is the exact reason I went for it. Always connected and I pick them when I need them. No cables on the desk. Not sutpid design.
Fair enough.
@@EdThorne just switched to IK AXE I/O from SSL2 and kinda miss the phones jack in back. But if I made a rack mount for it I bet I would hate it in the back so maybe use case specific.
Love the channel
I chose the Volt 176 (because I only need 1 mic input). I've been told that my audio (mic) "sounds amazing" ~ (was using the RØDE Broadcaster microphone at the time with the Volt. Compressor ON, Vintage mode ON).
i was leaning to id14 but i read many comments about audient interfaces getting out of service after a year ..and that it had issues with windows ? so for a voice over what is the best option until 350 $ considering the cleanest voice and reliabilty for profesaional work ?
@@karimsaleh4659 Hi. I think it all depends on what's suitable for your voice, so it can be difficult to recommend a single device. All I know is that the Volt 176 worked well for me, but I think I may have used audio filters in OBS Studio if I remember correctly.
@@karimsaleh4659 Volt 176
SSL2 vs Id4 mk2. For Podcasting/Gaming alone which was my Use Case on a Windows 10 PC the Audient suffered from mismatched sample rates every time I turned on my PC and casued OBS and Discord to not work unless I changed it from Task manager all the time. I went back and forth with Audient for a week and believe me I troubleshooted everything, even went into the Music store where I purchased the device from and their machine did the same thing but Audient were unwilling to help and were blaming me, so I returned it.
Whilst the both SSL2 and id4 are closely matched and the Audient is probably better because of Loop back and provides more current for high impedance headphones (10ohm vs 30 ohm) using 8:1 ratio thats (80 ohms vs 240 ohm headphone). However the SSL2 has not given any trouble so far and I can forgive it's poor buttons because it's something I will set and forget and it provides enough volume for my HD700, AKG K7xxx and ATH 900x air without being fully maxd out on the Phones dial.
Both the SSL and Audient have their pros and cons but if the drivers for the Audient worked I would have stuck with that unit or probably have gone with the EVO4 which is better for gamers with features, however based on the id4 drivers the EVO4 would have probably been the same.
The 4K definitely works and provides good vocal clarity but I'm guessing that would be microphone dependant or even possibly the user's voice. I use the AKG C214. Also I find with the SSL2, Audacity DAW gives me a -6db peak reading for excited voice but the SSL2's db meter goes into the red even when my voice doesn't clip. Maybe a firmware update will rectify that or they can improve on their db range and provide a clipping button instead of -10db to 0db range from orange to red. However this could be possibly user error also as I have the SSL connected to the DBX286S.
Both the id4 mk2 and ssl2 were £120 and offer good value nevertheless. The headphone output being at the back of the SSL2 is much better for my needs as it keeps my desk tidy but as mentioned earlier my use case is from a gamer that use Headphones. Gamers who use IEMs which generally come with short 1-1.5m cables will more than likely need a headphone port from the front.
Damn, that's a hard one to choose, I love 2 audio inputs in front of id4, I wanned to use tlm 102 and beyer 770 ohm for either of those. But this comments about audient reseting each time are quite common which scares me a bit.
Was going for an ID14 but due to reported problems with Windows 10, bought a Motu M2 instead. This box is well constructed and works really well with windows, but I have to agree with Ed, it lacks low end and the sound stage is very small! It sounds like a piece of junk sound quality wise compared to my Digidesign M Box 1 which cost me a fiver in a boot sale and is 20 years old! I hope to try an ID4 Mk2 next week but don't hold out much hope. The moral of this story is, modern DACs look great on paper but don't always deliver on sound quality. I am NOT saying to avoid these interfaces with modern DACs, but when you are coming from a decent interface using well implemented Burr Brown or Crystal DACs, you may too be disappointed with the sound.
I am a senior electronics engineer in the MI industry working for Roland, Yamaha, Korg, Fender, Sennheiser Tascam....I have even modified DAC systems to my own aclaimed design (só I do know a bit about this subject).
Just fyi, you get what you pay for. Imagine having a real recording studio in LA, New York, Nashville, etc., what interface would you buy if money wasn't an object? Well, every single thing that goes into a recording dictates how that recording will sound! Including the all the cables used, and the power going into all that sweet gear!!! However, if you build a home on a bad foundation....it'll fail! Not only do the AD/DA conversion matter with interfaces but so does everything else that goes into it! Including the wiring used in connecting everything inside, the power sections, opamps, transistors, etc. ....every little piece adds up to a whole and affects your sound! So compared to a $20,000 AD/DA interface, a $200-$300 interface can't hold a candle! In fact, nothing I've seen or heard under the $800 price point would do for a single track really. And that's for 2 channels of recording! So unless you've got the change to spare....don't bother unless it's for practice! As you always get what you pay for in this game! You can produce an entire album with a $200 interface....but you'll NEVER be able to have it sound good no matter how much time and money you put into it! Now don't get me wrong, what you can do today compared to 20 years ago is fucking crazy awesome! And you can make some good sound shit! But it will never be top tier shit until you spend that money! I can't say that enough as I had to learn the hard way, even though I grew up in studios in the tape days, and worked on amazing shit that the plugins are made out of.... I thought that my knowledge would be the win. Not so without a good foundation. However....nowadays you can get there with only that foundation, decent preamps(not even the real ones matter anymore), and software without the whole room filled with $$$$$ worth of analog gear. But without at least that foundation....(the good interface), you cannot! So you don't have to spend a million bucks on outfitting your own studio with an SSL9000k, a Neve 5088 or an EMI TG12345 MK IV console to do a great record.... All you need is great mics, cables, room with excellent treatment/sound, and a good interface and that's it. The rest can be done with software now, including all the harmonic saturation a console and tape used to give you! Especially with Acustica's stuff. But you had better have a beast of a computer as well to run em, and they don't like AMD so good luck there!
It works fine with w10 and 11 but you get a weird v1.1.1 firmware pop up when you start up your computer. There is no v1.1.1 legacy update. It seems to work just fine though.
@@assshakerstudios549 I have AMD and it works very well with plug-ins
@@assshakerstudios549 thanks for all that information so what’s a good interface for recoding vocals that’s under $1500
@@assshakerstudios549 actually, I was pretty satisfied with the recorded audio quality of a RME Babyface Pro and an Apogee Quartet. However, I am no pro. I am looking for a new Interface, but I want peace of mind regarding drivers and audio quality. Both Apogee and RME delivered that imo. What do you think about Sonosax m2D2, Apogee Symphony Desktop or Sound Devices Mix Pre 6 II for recording Stereo audio?
I'm actually looking for an interface with backside only ports, so that it can sit on my keyboard without wires dangling over the keys. The SSL is ideal for me.
Exactelly my situation too.
I agree ...hides it
I have a motu m2 and I'm gonna sell it to get the id4 mkII. The audient has better string separation on the DI tracks and a really powerful headphone amp.
I’ve never owned the motu and I’m sure it’s great, but the id14 mkii is genuinely ridiculous. It sounds like a studio quality interface.
@@ctrlaltcreate3827 Thats what I thought to. The audient ID preamps sound so pristine. The motu is good, but audient has caught up and done a better job. I think its the best budget interface next to the SSL2.
i was leaning to id14 but i read many comments about audient interfaces getting out of service after a year ..and that it had issues with windows ? so for a voice over what is the best option until 350 $ considering the cleanest voice and reliabilty for profesaional work ?
I think my hearing must be different; the DI bass demo to me shows a great performance from the M2 in all frequencies (maybe cause I'm a bass player), the moment the ID14 starts, it's like a blanket over the speakers, same for the SSL and worse for the volt which seems to then come alive half way through. I am listening through good headphones - Can anyone else validate this? Or has my hearing finally gone bad?
P.S. As an ex Roland UK Senior electronics engineer, former contractor with Yamaha UK. I have been in Pro audio for 33 years and I design mods for DACs in high end audio HiFi (not trying to blow my own trumpet, but audio sound quality is my business and I'm only really hearing it with the M2 and maybe the SSL2).
The bass part going from finger picking to a brighter slap sound and then back to the duller finger sound for the next interface may be confusing your ears. I should have placed the finger sections together and then the slapped sections together (that’s why it ‘appears’ to get brighter half way through the Volt).
You absolutely right the bass on Motu is awesome!!
@@EdThorne Yes, you are right; the tone will change depending on playing style but the Volt changed enormously and un naturally to my ears and also not so much on the other interfaces. The bass picking before the brighter slap part was much more transparent on the M2 than any of the others which sound muffled (this was a surprise to me, as I would not have expected that from the ID). A better test for the DAC output would have been to play some music from the computer (UA-cam royalty free library), this way you are eliminating any colouration from the mic or Mike preamps and focusing on the DAC output.
Well you're not wrong, 120dB of dynamic range on the outputs (Including the headphones) of the M2 is the difference.
You have a great channel and great reviews. Your channel deserves far more subs.
Ah, thank you! I appreciate that.🙂
I’ve already just bought a new interface but I’m here anyway because I knew this video was going to be a good one
Haha! Awesome! Thank you for the support!
SSL plus 4K reminds me of Green Day, which makes sense because I believe Chris Lord-Alge used an SSL console for that album
It's strange because in some videos the SSL 2+ seems to have the best sound quality and in other videos the Audient ID14mkII does, I think it definitely does make a difference whwta microphones and guitars you use (obviously) and so depending on what instruments or mics you use ither of the SSL 2+ and Audient ID14mkII can sound better. Many reviewers who do say the ID14mkII is the best sounding audio interface under £300.
to me the SSL sounds warmer and fatter but audient maybe a cleaner top end, although it might be different with the top boost on the SSL 4k button
I don't know. Should I go with the Motu? I planned to use the rode podcaster or the nt1a.
Hey guys, what audio interface would you recommend for producing electronic music? And occasionally maybe some vocals? Thanks in advance
I'm really torn between the Motu M2 and the Audient iD14 MKII, they both seem great. I want to be able to record guitar and use 300ohm Sennheiser HD6xx headphones for monitoring. Any thoughts?
Which of the three do you think is best for listening to music？
If it’s just for music I’d consider a designated DAC/Heaphone amp
@@EdThorne Thank you for your advice, but I also need to connect my microphone
I bought the M2 when it was 1st introduced and have loves it ever since... I'm using DT 770 Pro 250 ohms headphones and it sounds great. I love the flat vocals without a lot of coloration when using my NT1 mic.
They are neutral preamps. And the HP amp is strangely way better with high impedance headphones than low…
None of those comes close to my ssl sorry but ive mixed on a ssl 4000 and i know how it sounds and the 2plus is almost there
Loved this video and this has 3pf the interfaces I’m choosing between right now. I think the monitor mix on the SSL is great with monitors, not just headphones. If you want a little volume to get in the mood for a guitar solo it’s nice to blend it together without wearing headphones
Which sound card would be better for recording vocals? I only have a se electronicsse2200 condenser microphone, I won’t connect a guitar. I only care about sound quality
which one is the best for rap music?
I don’t think interfaces have learnt to discriminate against genres…
@@EdThorne i wouldnt put it past them
The Volt sounds better in the video for me, but I heard it through an M4, haha, MOTU Team!🤘
Nice. Useful guide and happy the Audient got top marks. Solid company. Not to sound jingoistic but can't you put some British reseller links in?
I’d love to but the UK companies (GAK, Gear4Music etc) aren’t set up for affiliate sales, unfortunately. Otherwise I’d be on it.
They all sound great. I've narrowed down to ssl2 + and motu m4. I mainly going to be using the AI for tracking guitar and guitar practice as well. So latency is probably the most important feature to me. Which of these should I go with?
Hmmmm… I would say it comes down to whether you’re using low or high impedance headphones (Motu better for high, SSL better for low IMO).
@@EdThorne ATH-M50x I have these at the moment
hi Ed, which one do you think have most depth sound for the bass? thanks you
I'am choosing between Duet 2 and Volt 276 - what would you recommend?
Thank you
Thanks for also focusing on usability / features instead of only nuances on frequency response! great video.
You’re welcome. Thanks for watching 🙂
Yeah, who needs the objective part!?! We love subjecive personal opinions...
Thank you for doing the detailed review. I went with the Audient ID14 MK II simply because of the monitor mix controls and the ADAT option, but I did not go with the ASP 800 (800 usd) because it had features I did not need such as 2 channels of coloring preamps. I went with the Behringer 8200 channel ADAT expansion (200 usd). This was an absolute great bang for the buck for my projects studio. I think that universal audio has done well with their first NON-DSP USB I/O’s by bringing in their signature hardware features in a simplistic Prosumer friendly package. Also with universal audio obtaining Boch microphones and releasing a price competitive SD1 Dynamic microphone aimed directly at Shure brothers SM7B buyers (299 usd). I think we’re going to see many changes and Innovative non dsp effects plug-ins combined with UA’s future microphone offerings possibly packaged with hardware interfaces and plug-ins. In all, I’m super happy with my Audient ID14 Mark II, But it’s really hard to go wrong with any of these affordable interfaces as long as you pick them up at the right price. They should all produce quality recordings. Thanks again for the detailed video. I found it very helpful.
You’re welcome, thanks for watching. I agree with everything you’ve said.
ID 14 Mkii is industrial recommended AI. It sounds better to than Appolo twins too. It is neat and clean sounding audio interface. Second comes Motu mkii. Volta is good for vintage sound.
How's your experience with it so far? I am considering buying one but I have heard issues like failing unit after a year or having to turn up the volume everytime you boot your PC
@@elieh.studio actually, I’ve heard about the same thing using with PC. I am using the audient ID 14 MKII under Mac Catalina, and so far it’s great, super clean, and. really easy to work with as of this reply, Audient has now released the ID 24 MkII which allows greater controls via BNC time clock and a few other features. I am not aware of any consistent failures with the ID MKII’s after one years use. I have both the ID4 MKII and ID14 MKII. The only PC sound devices I use are the presonus 24C, and the Zoom UMC - 2 and I would not recommend either one of those for Mac or a PC. The audient equipment has definitely been set and forget. Thank you.
i was leaning to id14 but i read many comments about audient interfaces getting out of service after a year ..and that it had issues with windows ? so for a voice over what is the best option until 350 $ considering the cleanest voice and reliabilty for profesaional work ?
How does the MOTU USB latency compare with let's say . . . Apollo Solo Thunderbolt?
Thanks for the insight.. I am trying to mic an acoustic piano for NON professional use and I have been looking at the interfaces that I can connect to IPhone or IPad, so your comparison help.
Have a great day.
The Volt 476 would be ideal for getting four mics on the piano and recording to your iPad👌
I'm currently looking for a new interface in this kinda price range. Top review, thanks!
Thanks, Dom. I hope this was helpful.
What's the best one for transferring audio from analog devices, like a cassette player, to a PC? Doesn't have to be one of these four.
Maybe the SSL2+ which has RCA inputs. Or a Scarlett will suffice.
@@EdThorne Does it work the other way round, too? From PC to cassette.
@@EdThorne no rca inputs
Most interfaces that don't have a separate power supply input don't have enough power to properly drive headphones. Workaround - headphone amp - ?
Actually, the power needed is more based on the headphone used. The m2 has near zero impedance and its usb powered, so its enough power for pretty much all headphones unless that headphone has very high resistance. This is typical of older style headphones, many planar headphones, and some very expensive ones. The reason for this is either inherent to the design like planar headphones, or intentionally engineered as such to produce the most consistent frequency response amongst even the worst audio interface. Fortunately, audio interfaces are getting better and ones like the motu m2 have perfect headphone outputs. My suggestion is get an interface with a perfect headphone output and try to get a modern low impedance headphone. But, if you cant find anything you like that is lower impedance, get a headphone amp.
Going to sell my ur44c and get the ID14. Vid was a huge help !
Excellent review, Ed. I love your channel. I've heard that the Volt compressor gets a lot of noise. It's true? Did you notice anything in your tests regarding this?
Thanks, Sebastian. No noise in my experience.
Compressors always get the noise that comes on their inputs, from microfons mostly, to higher levels. It would be a very poor electronics if it was the compressor itself that were so noisy that it could be heard beside the michrophoes. The compressor makes the loudest part weaker and therefore it can be gained more and it equals the louder noise floor! That give us, you should always strive to put a compressor as early as possible in the signal path!
It could also be a reason to do eq that gets its frequencies higher early in the signal, depending on wich frequensies it is. Higher frequensies are more noise sensitive!
Volt can take its own power supply so you’re not taxing your laptop battery, sounds great.
Volt 276 or Audient ID14 MK2? THNKS!!!
Is the SSL12 out of the requisite price range here, seems quite comparable to your winner?
If you notice, these are all two input devices, and the video was released about a year ago, long before the 12 came out.
@@EdThorne oh lol I thought this was the 2023 video… too many videos watched lol
hello thank you very much for this quality test. Can you help me ? I'm looking for a sound card just for electric guitar with plugins like neural etc. I'm looking to have the best sound possible to play live at home. I only need one instrument input. Which sound card do you recommend:
Universal Audio Volt 1
MOTU M2
Focusrite Scarlett Solo 3rd Gen
Audient iD4 MKII
I know that the Motu 2 has two instrument inputs but everyone says good things about it only it is more expensive what do you recommend?
If you want zero latency through good amp sims get an Apollo Solo/Twin! Big step on the interface you’ve listed. If not, the Audient has a great DI!
Assuming that most of people (specially pop, electronic, rap/trap) will work at 44.100/24bit or 48.000/24bit, between 128/512 buffer size, "producing/mixing on the flow". What are the best options of audio interfaces in terms of RTL (round trip latency) on those values?
Did you watch the part where I discuss RTLs?
@@EdThorne Seems to be Motu the right one, Im only concern about some driver issues on Mac that I´ve heard people complaining on internet. PS: Here in Brazil we dont have 14days returno politcs and we need to import those kind of products. So, I will probably need to buy it on my next trip to U.S.
Id14 or steinberg Ur RT2
For a podcast, which could give me better sound quality ZOOM H6 or a volt 2 interface?