Hello Ola ! Thank you for your work and videos ! Please tell or try to recreate a similar this sound: "Lee Malia - Bring Me The Horizon pedal overview with Boss" (1:58) You will understand what I mean when you hear. I can't paste the link, my messages are then blocked It didn't work for me.... (I used all the equipment from that video and many others over the years) 😔 You, too, have never had anything like this on your channel in terms of the nature and structure of the sound, like many other blogger musicians. If you can get at least 70-80% closer to such a sound, I will be very grateful to you and you will help me (perhaps us) a lot. (sorry for my bad English)
Hi Ola, great review. I see one other use for the 48Volts phantom power, which comes in handy. I bought a Radial J48 box, that allows sending the DI signal in parallel to my tube amp and the audio interface or allow ground lifting. The DI Box is connected via XLR and phantom powered. So it's a good thing to have it.
This reminded me of a old style ola gear video but now ola is super comfortable infront of the camera. This was super helpful just for interface 's in general. Love this shit 🤘🖤
Heyy man!what a great tutorial. I see u havent replied to anyone but i hope u see it. I am really glad i watched this review of urs as i am wanting to buy this interface. U cleared all my doubts when others left few topics like latency. I am keyboard player yet this video helped in everything. Thank you!great work!👍🏻
Hi Ola, thanks for the review 🤘 Could you please do a nerdy review like you did in the past comparing the noise level and frequency response of that thing compared to your more expensive interfaces?
I got the 2 input volt interface three weeks ago and I love it, the plug-ins you get with it are great, especially the Marshall Plexi. You should have tried it in the video
@@StevenPhillips so Im having trouble trying to get set up and ready to play uads and plugins , do you have any contact information that I could reach out to you with ?
Looking at one of these to go with....my new TREMOVERB! I am equally excited and terrified for this amp to arrive. Mesas are notoriously difficult to work on, but man....that tone you got 3 years ago I've never been able to shake. Brutal as fuck! Had to find one....Pray with me metal community.
Ola, I just saw a video where you said you like the SLL2 for travelling. Do you think the Volt series are better for guitarist? Finally did you substitute the SLL2 interface for this Volt? I would really appreciate to know what are your thoughts. I remember the noise test you made for the SLL2 and was awful. Hopefully you had made a noise test on this one. Thanks a lot man. Saludos!!!
Very nice video, and one possible correction? Volt does not include their DSP hardware as it's intended to work with UAD Spark. UA is converting all of their plugins into a native format that will run off of your computer (no more UAD hardware needed). It's a subscription based model, but I believe any plugins that you've already purchased will be yours without needing the subscription. Exciting times in UA land! :D
Hello I am a beginner not an audio engineer, nor familiar with the fts on this interface but I know the vintage button cannot be undone in the recording, so would that effect the mixing process later on?. What would that do to the vocals aswell. Also so I could just leave the interface plugged in my pc and power it off by the on and off switch in the back and it wouldn't damage it?. I currently have a umc 204 HD but it gives a static buzzing sound although I changed the bit rate,cables,mics, got a ground loop so I'm thinking of switching to this one also I heard it gives mics like the sm7 and other mics more clean gain without needing cloud lifter.
I had this, sold it to get the Volt 176....gotta be honest, I couldn't tell the difference having the built-in compression. But, the unit is easy-to-use. Like.....SUPER easy-to-use .
Hi there, The reason why a Volt interface do not "unlock" your UAD plugins is because the Volt do not have the processing chips that the Apollo comes with to run the UAD Plugins. So it's not going to happen unless Universal Audio release a "standard" version of their plugins that runs on your computer and not directly on their hardware. Which is not likely to happen as they have done that to reduce latency as much as possible and maybe also to keep their customers buying their stuff over other brands so they don't have to buy another library of plugins if they leave UAD. I think they make some of the best interfaces and plugins but they also kind of want to "trap" you in their eco-system.
Thanks for the videos. I’m currently building a simple home setup to record dry (signal) guitar tracks to be reamped in a real studio. I’m looking for a simple interface with studio quality. Do you think this could be it? Thanks!
hey! i'm to new to audio interfaces and such, but could i ask why your plugins won't work with the volt 1? is there something i need to check beforehand? i'm thinking of getting bias fx 2 and was wondering what interface i should get. all recommendations would be appreciated. thank you!
Hi there i really like thise channel. ...are there eny info about how to connect di -> apollo/volt to record ? do you use just clean canal and Reamp ? is it possible to record full overdriven signal eg. with power soak ?
Hello Ola. Quick question concerning this very product ( amateurish I know): will it work all right with Bias FX2 and what type of cable do I plug it in to my Gibson Les Paul? Thanks for reply - I’ll appreciate it
How does this compare to the Scarlett, a Behringer or a Focusrite? Sorry if I'm too vague or I've spelled those wrong, I have no knowledge in audio interfaces. But one day, you know, I'd like to try one out and mess around with IRs.
I was trying to decide between this or focusrite Scarlett solo. I heard that when you plug headphones into the "solo" it doesn't mute the speaker outputs. Is this the case with this unit?
@@OlaEnglund I just bought Motu M4 because of it's features and and really low latency. How do I know if the input/preamp is clean enough or comparable with the unit you have tested right here?
@@OlaEnglundFAQ: I'm curious how to reamp with an interface with only a left and right stereo output. I always assumed I couldn't do it with Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 because of this. Master Ola, please give us your knowledge.
I’m using nearly an identical rig here, for my traveling setup (travel for work). Strandberg 7 with Fishman Moderns -> Volt 1 -> brand new 16” MacBook Pro -> Logic Pro -> Neural DSP SLO. Aside from the huge disappointment of not being able to use my UAD plugins, I can’t seem to get a decent tone out of any Neural plug-in with the Volt. I’ve tried tons of googling and adjustments without any luck. I’ll be returning the Volt next week and have already ordered an Audient mkII interface, which are supposed to have top notch JFET hi Z inputs for instruments. The default input of the Audient is -10dB, while the Apollos (not sure about the Volt) are +10 on the Hi Z (not pad-able). So a 20dB difference. I have a hunch this could be the issue with the active pickups. Hoping it does the trick so I can just go back to jamming and recording without it sounding like a fizzy mess. If you have any advice for a rig like this I’m all ears, thanks Ola.
@@JackManDemand it was pretty good, but after a few more interfaces I settled on an Apollo Mk 2 Quad. I like their integrated software (console) more than the Audient, and I also already had a number of plug ins. I’m happy for now.
@@666meatballs they are definitely too hot for most recording interfaces, without some kind of pad. One thing that didn't help was that mine was a 7 string, so the extra low end makes the signal even hotter. I ended up moving away from active pickups and it's been fine with my UAD Arrow (same as Solo, which does have input pads if you need them).
Have you tried Audient ID Ola? Because the preamps are not bad on the UAD, but not great either. I had compared it with the Audient ID and so I preferred the Audient to the UAD!
The UAD plug-ins currently can't work with the volt, it's not just a hardware licensing barrier. As you mentioned early on in the video, the UAD interfaces all include DSP hardware, which is what the plug-ins are written for. It looks like they're beginning to roll the plug-ins out to run natively (i.e. without hardware) on a subscription plan, so it hopefully won't be long until you can, but subscriptions are pants! Running the plug-ins on DSP hardware has it's benefits - primarily the ability to use them during tracking with low latency within the UA Console application. It's UA's main selling point, so I can understand why they have held off porting them to run natively until now. Also, UA don't include Thunderbolt cables with their Apollos, it's really irritating!
Cool demonstration of this AI, although I don’t play the guitar. I purchased it today and it costs me € 115.-. Much cheaper than a year before. Thank you for your review.
Thanks for the review! Just wondering about the UAD plugins. I don't know this for sure as I don't have any of their stuff but I thought I remember hearing that they are only designed to run on the DSP of the higher model interfaces. If that is the case, that would explain why you can't use them with the Volt as there is no DSP. Could be wrong, though.
There’s no good reason other than to trap people into buying their DSP based interfaces. The M1 chip in Ola’s MacBook Air is many many times more powerful than the outdated SHARC processors in the Apollo units.
No it doesn't.... Preamps exist for a reason, the lower your gain the higher your noise (when leveled again). You always want to set your gain as high as possible in relation to the source. If that wasn't the case then preamps would be totally useless ;)
I feel like it's up to the laptop/desktop manufacturer to include all necessary I/O to enable most modern devices. The interface manufacturer can send as many cables as they want, and Apple will continue to remove I/O from their laptops and desktops so that they can market unnecessary dongles and adapters to their customers.
The Volt is also very much a value-oriented piece of gear, and it's primary targeted at people looking to get their first interface or who are maybe relatively new to recording in general. USB type-A is still way more ubiquitous than type-C, and with UAD trying to minimize costs where they can to reach their target price, it just doesn't make sense for them to include more than one cable, or only include the one that's less likely to be used by most their target consumer. And honestly most people who are in a USB-C dominate ecosystem still keep an adapter or hub around for type-A needs.
Hey Ola! Were you hoping the volt would replace your arrow? Were there any downsides to the arrow? I figured the arrow would already solve the portability and quality needs. I have an Apogee Duet 3 and always curious about switching to an Apollo Solo or arrow. So I was curious on your experience with the arrow.
I still like my arrow a lot. Would probably still pick that over the Volt. But that's because I own both. If I would buy one again it would probably be the Volt because of it's price.
@@OlaEnglund What do you think about the sound quality between them? I have Volt but I would like to upgrade to Apollo Solo as I find it a bit lacking in clarity compared to ID14 MKII. Not sure if it would be a clever move.
I love the honesty of your reviews!. I also think it's stupid not allowing using the UAD plugins. If I wanted to buy an interface, the fact that I can't use the UAD plugins with this would discard this interface inmediately. They lose two times... they don't sell me an interface and they don't sell any plugin they could have sold me.
This interface seems to be really cool, but for a budget interface for guitarist, I would go with my last acquisition, the Audient Sono, it features two inputs (with expansion up to 10 with ADAT), it has a reamp output (pretty cool) and has a tube preamp on the channel 1, Torpedo Cab and a built-in guitar preamp. I just got one a few months ago and it is awesome!
I have recently switched over from an apollo solo to a volt 476 and its perfect with the captor x to track stereo and DI for reamping. This video inspired me to give the volt 476 a shot since I was looking at going for the apollo x4 for this use case. The volt 476 records about the same as the apollo solo via the inputs 3 and 4 at the back and it tracks the DI about the same as well via the Hi-Z input at the front of the volt. I cant hear a difference in the reamped signal from the Hi-Z inputs on both devices. The one negative about the volt is the headphone reamp isn't as good as the apollo, but its not exactly a deal breaker since the volt is like 15% of the price of an apollo x4. I am not using the 76 compressor nor the vintage modes, but they may be useful for vocals or some other applications. The reamped signal is awesome via a reamp box and its a total game changer for recording and tracking guitar. Thanks for this video as it was what inspired me to give the volt 476 a try!
That's a review I was looking for. I have Volt and I wanted to upgrade to Solo if it's any better but you made me change my mind. Now I wonder if there's any difference between Volt 1 and Volt 476 soundwise.
This may be a dumb question, but I’m switching from traditional amps to software soon and was wondering, will the left/right outputs output the audio from Bias FX 2 through the speakers or just the interface itself?
I don't think that you'll have to use a DI. You can Open 2 track in your DAW , one track with the BIAS FX VST ON et the other one without any pluggin and you can record both at the same time if you want to have a track with DI only . There are different ways. It is not that complicated if you are recording your guitar using your audio interface only.
Hey Ola! I was surprised to hear that you record your guitar with the input gain at zero on your interface. I always heard that it was recommended to record with the highest possible volume before clipping. Can you tell me more? Thanks
I have the Volt 2 and was surprised by how good the headphone amp is in it. Compared to Focusrite and some other, cheaper ones, it's definitely a step up. I think it's the same one as in the arrow but I may be wrong.
Hi, does it work well with humbuckers? My Steinberg ur22c is clipping when I play my Seymour Duncan JB equipped guitar, directly to an instrument input of the interface, even while an input knob is set to 0.
@@rassimkr9441 Good suggestion but that's not an option since I've got it optimal so it sounds good with my real amp. I've had already tried Volt 2, it's a bit better than UR22C but still sometimes clips when chugging palm mutes. Then I got Motu M2 and it's finally ok. I think the relevant parameter here is "maximum input level" which is +9 dBu (Steinberg)/ +12,5 dBu (Volt)/ +16 dBu (Motu).
I couldn't find any information on what is inside. What DAC, components... I assume it uses the same Cirrus Logic DAC as the Behringer UMC 202HD which costs half the price of UAD VOLT1
Why adjust the project sample rate instead of the buffer?? In Reaper the lowest buffer (48 smples) my roundtrip latency is 3.0ms. Can't feel or hear 3ms. Granted I use an old RME FF400 not UA and their s/w has always been the best.
As far as really super budget interfaces go (I live in Brazil and music related things and electronics are overpriced here), I went with the M-Audio M-Track Duo. The construction is cheap, it's plastic, the electrical insulation is sketchy to say the least (basically no rf shielding on the thing due to it being plastic), and I get a ground loop when plugging my guitar straight on the instrument input so I'm using a DI box with ground lift, but hey, for the price, it does an okay job. Two channels as well, which is pretty cool, as well as separate monitor and headphone volume controls (I use it with a hi-fi amplifier I have here, the headphone preamp is too weak in my opinion). Is it studio quality? Probably not. But for home recordings, or just playing guitar with low latency and decent quality, it does the job well. Also great for live streaming since it does have phantom power on the mic inputs.
My Focusrite Scarlett doesn't have the USB C to USB C either. Had to buy a switch with the appropriate adapters built into it. Definitely a "behind the times" feature.
I am newbie for guitar recording / interface. if I want to record directly from my amp and pedals, which interface should I get and is that I need a mic to record the sound from the cab, many thanks!!
if you want to record directly from amp and pedals, you get an interface, and instead of plugging your guitar directly in to the input, you plug a microphone to the input, and put the microphone to a speaker on your cabinet
Although you can't use your bought plugins the new SPARK system allows many plugins for a monthly fee useable with VST AU and DAW so moldy true but able to use some for a 15$ fee I think
Ola, you should look into the Audient id4 MKII interface. I have it and it is excellent. Really clean sounding preamps, JFET instrument input, and a really powerful headphone amp. I got it for 85 GBP without VAT
Gotta be able to use USB-C on your computer to get all you can out of the headphone amp. My old ASRock B350 board cannot do audio over USB-C for whatever reason.
@@soundstorm9508 I have an ID44 and have no complaints about the hi-z input. Would definitely use something better if I ever planned on re-amping, though.
@@amirtak9886 that's the one. I also bought a Countryman 85 DI just to compare. Many people rave about using those into the preamp for amp sims like Neural.
Besides audio interface, input latency really depends on CPU performance. I checked it myself by upgrading my Windows rig from old Intel i5 2500 to modern AMD Ryzen. I use Focusrite 1st gen 2i4. So with the latest Mac Pro input latency shouldn't be a big problem.
Yet somehow I get less input latency on a 2012 macmini i7 than i do with a 2021 ryzen5 Windows machine. Maybe it's a USB driver issue or something. I love windows but mac's are just better for recording.
@@Jeffero28 Depends on what type of drivers you are using in windows. You want to use ASIO as it replaces the slow parts of the built in Windows sound system.
Hey Ola!! My kid wants to start recording using his computer and I have no idea where to start. Would this be good for him to get up and running? Also a recommendation on what plug ins and other software I should get him. Thanks dood!! \m/
This would do the job more then fine, you could even go with a cheaper brand like focisrite. For software I would suggest using Reaper to record, it's very cheap, easy on the processor and it comes with lots of stock plugins for free.
Apogee Jam+ (if you don't need a condenser mic input with phantom power) and any NeuralDSP plug-in of your choice. As DAW, you can start with Reaper for example. The Jam can be used with any IOS device as well.
I use a focusrite scarlett solo which works great and you can use reaper as a DAW, the free trial (with all features) never expires and if you decide to buy it it's not very expensive. As for the plugins you can't go wrong with any of the Neural DSP stuff, they're a bit expensive but very very good
For context the round trip on an X32 digital console from remote AES50 stage box through the consoles and back out into analogue is 8ms ( 2.74 m of distance). More or less you are in un-notable territory. When it comes to the in-room phase alignment of the source & playback at that soft of offset you re no where near nulling territory.
The new UAD Spark subscription lets you run their VSTs natively, without UAD hardware DSP. Although you can get many of the same plugins from the companies that did the programming for UAD (SPL and Brainworx) that have been running native forever. I think hardware DSP is an anachronism that is finally going away; it doesn't make sense anymore in the era of many-core consumer/workstation CPUs.
