Interesting side note: You can use the Volt 276 as a standalone unit. With the provided 5V DC to USB cable you can power the interface from a USB power source without the need to connect it to PC. The direct monitoring works just fine and you can also apply the vintage and compression effect.
“We all know why you’re here!” No, you don’t. I am here because you inspire me. Because you are not just some vlogger that reads out loud some text found in the user manual. Because… I stop here. The other regulars know why we’re here. Cheers Herr Krause!
Absolutely the BEST tech review in the Tube. So many facts and figures that let you understand what's in the box and precious suggestions about how to spend money (is worth or not?) on these lovely equipments. Tanx so much Julian, you are a Pro!
audio interfaces used to be such a niche and unnecessary hard topic to understand.... until i discovered Julian. then all the numbers and specs that companies don't bother to explain in a friendly manner, opting for more complex terms and a purely aesthetic video presentations, started to make sense. i can def say that in my +15 years buying and using interfaces now i can absolutely chose my next product with ease! thanks for that Julian !
Man, your videos are helping a LOT, there are just so many reviews out there, but didn't find any that gave that much OBJETIVE DATA. So grateful to be able to watch you, keep the good work, you are top notch :))
Julian, I have come to your channel for audio interface reviews for several years now. One of the things I focus on are those pesky noise floors. You nail it by going in to the weeds on details. Based on you reviews, a while ago I bought the SSL 2. It has certainly met my needs. So, it was time for me to say "thanks" by becoming a patron. Keep up the great work, because I'm sure I'll want to move on to a new interface at some point. It's the nature of working with audio.
The trouble with these reviews is that they’re so detailed and helpful that it becomes impossible to purchase an interface without knowing what Julian thinks about it first! ;) I’m torn between the Arturia Audiofuse Rev 2 and the Focusrite Clarett+...I live in a constant state of paralysis until he tells me what to buy!
Easy! Go for Clarett. It's dynamic range is best.Audiofuse however has a built-in hub which is useful to connect your USB devices, say a Pen drive or USB MIDI devices, makes it convenient for live scenario.I'd personally go for clarett
Julian, thank you for the review. I've just bought the UA Volt 267 from a local shop and I was surprised to see that I know more about the interfaces he sold than he did because I watched your reviews :-) You're doing an awesome job, keep going! There are two things I'd like to add to the hardware overview part: 1. The top part is not flat and the area with the levels is slightly angled so you can easily see the levels even if you're not looking at the interface from the top. 2. If the interface is slightly in front, the gain knobs cover completely the "vintage" button, so you can't see if the "vintage" mode was activated or not Otherwise, this interface ticks all the boxes for me: very good headphone amp, great design (it's going to be on my desk all day long so I'd rather have something pretty) and microphone amps way better than what I'd normally need (video calls, maybe a podcast). I only wish the inputs were in the back instead of the MIDI connectors, but...
I loved your explanation on how the compression worked, so easy to follow! I would love if you could do something similar to the Roland Rubix line with its compressor and limiter, as Its interesting how it can be adjusted but there is nothing about exactly what it does :c. Great Video by the way, you are my one trusted source of audio information!
I watched a few of your videos about sound cards and it made my decision easier. Unfortunately, most of the videos either excessively praise or criticize the product, but you can be said to work completely objectively and with realistic arguments. Thanks and keep up the good work.
absolutely fantastic job as always! Thank you for putting these video together. an an engineer who plays with music production at home I really like getting the specs like this with a deeper understanding of how things work! and this is great, well done. I bought one of these that I use mainly for my acoustic guitar that I mic. sometimes I will also use the line in. I like the comp and coloration there for that purpose. It makes the act of recording while monitoring in real time a little bit better for me. I know there are more capable comps in my DAW but I like this for the playability and ease of recording. Its a little more musical to work with that way. Thanks again, fantastic job! I took screen shots of all the graphs and will reference them from time to time!
Thank you so much! I am torn between the Audient ID14 MkII and the Volt 4. I can get them for around the same price. Sounds like the ID14 is slightly higher performace so I'm leaning that way. I understand you may not want to comment but if you did, that'd be great! Thanks for all the great in depth reviews over the years!
Is it just me or was it a nail biter to see the charts which compare the pre amp noise and dynamic range and see the ID4 mk 2 win in both categories :D
Really nice post. For many potential users, it might also be important to know that you have to store your personal data with UA for commissioning on the computer. The Volt 276 can only be commissioned online (analogue use is of course possible). Simply downloading and installing Asio drivers is not possible without UA Connect and offline. An important decision-making aid for many users.
Thanks Julian. I am a newb, so I purchased the Native Instruments Komplete Audio 1 for use at Apple Music playing & for Garage Band lessons as I attempt to learn acoustic guitar. It's working well for both, and as you said it's plastic but very well built. I'm totally satisfied and 'enjoy it's desktop presence next to the Mac Mini. All of your reviews have been fascinating, and your bits of humor are always fun, thanks again...j
You are by far the best audio interface reviewer in the world for my money. To be fair though 6:39 distorted guitar is already compressed so demo'ing a compressor using this instrument choice isn't an accurate barometer of its capabilities. Clean guitar played with varying dynamics would have been preferable.
I bought Volt 276.. my experience with this audio interface is very good. There's no latency when playing vst plug-ins through ipad pro connected to a midi keyboard. Audio quality is excellent 👌 .I had a focusrite 2i2 2nd generation. I cannot compare. Because the difference is too big. UA has launched a very good product.
Basically just get the Arturia minifuse 1 or 2 , it has the same chip and costs a lot less, the vintage thing can be done with EQ and the compression creates noise! I would use the money I save buying an arturia to put it toward an actual compressor that might do a better job. I am pretty disappointed.
This was really informative. I was looking at this as a secondary mobile interface to my Apollo. I think I may just go with the 176/276. The plug-in bundle is not impressive but I can just use my UAD plugs in post. But the info on dynamic range being dropped while the 76 comp is engaged was key. Thanks!
Great review as always! Could you review the new Focusrite Clarett+ line? Apparently they've upgraded the headphone output and I'd love to see your tests run on their new hardware!
Most audio gear reviews on RU-vid are highly subjective and often don't really show anything.. You are the only one who do this right! Thanks for your hard work with all measurements, not just blah blah blah into a random mic with random settings) Happy new year!
Thanks Julian for doing this! Not gonna lie, the "compressor" seems more gimmicky than useful, looking forward to your comparison of the 3 interfaces! Sometimes I do wonder if a mixer is better at this point since the lines seem to be blurring especially with products like the RME Fireface UCX II
It’s a gimmick, thats true, most users already own extra plugins but how many of them know exactly how to use it ? I simply assume it’s an interface made for beginners or advanced amateurs, and it does the job pretty well ! My music level is high enough to qualify for an Apollo Twin or higher (without being presumptuous ofc!!) but to make music for me, family or friends, this interface has nothing to envy to its competitors of the same value. That’s why I ordered one after many years using an Apogee Jam+ (nice tiny gimmick-ish interface btw!) 🙂 Now if they communicate that a guitar/vocal duo can use a 276 stand alone on stage, they'll sell full containers !
@@baptistec.4546 Also I see useful the compressor for better audio for streamers/video calls for example, people who doesn't know about audio, it should be an upgrade for them.
i realize this video is two years old now , but i'm just now delving into the world of home recording and wonder, couldn't i save $100 and just use a software compressor in my DAW and get the same/similar results as well as keeping control over the other aspects such as ratio, attack and release? i have definitely decided on purchasing the Volt 2 or Volt 276 just wondering how crucial the compressor is or isn't or if it is indeed just a convenience
I got it last week, and while I really love it I am going to have to get a fethead to fully drive the audio on my mv7 unless I eat the mic (which for me sounds awful). The compressor only kicks in as you drive up towards the top so that is an extra 7db you need to drive it to make full use of it. The preamp does great but when I have it fully engaged it starts to get some unpleasant character to the sound. That said, this is the closest I've come to being able to just record and done, no processing needed. And that is nice because I usually have to spend hours messing around with the audio to get a good result. I also like the vintage mode a lot. Similar features on other cheap interfaces sound like absolute garbage to me, and presence boost and similar features on microphones make my voice sound stupid. But this vintage mode is really magical stuff. Like having just a touch of Mel Torme in my voice. Subtle though, maybe 2-3% Mel Torme that livens up my voice just enough to make it sound interesting! So I am very happy with it, but I am getting a fethead, and I think this is really necessary if you want to make proper use of the compressor feature. And if you don't, you probably didn't buy this is the first place.
I have seen several reviewers say that the single USB-C cable is sufficient to power the device. It does seem to work without the additional 5V connector, but I discovered that using the 5V connector seems to reduce the channel imbalance. I don't have any gear to measure the amount of imbalance, but the left channel is very noticeably louder than the right channel when not using the 5V connector. The left channel is only slightly louder than the right when I use the 5V.
Great video overall. You stuff so much information into it, that I need to focus on your videos really hard, to not miss any details. I love it! One little thing challenged me this time: I noticed, you said, it has a dynamic range of 118.8db(A). With that kind of dynamic range, it should be sitting within the top 3 of the chart, challenging the Clarret 2PRE and Ultralite Mk5. But on the chart the VOLT 2 and 276 sit at the same spot, well below 115. Is the chart faulty, or is it more like 111.8dB(A) of dynamic range?
Hi Julian, I bought a VOLT 476 last week and I loved how clean the audio output was until I noticed the left channel had a hum and the left-right balance was off until the monitor level was higher than 10%. The headphone output had none of these problems. Fortunately, Long and McQuade exchanged the unit right away for a new one. What is unfortunate is that the new one has the same balance problem as the original but this time, the headphone output is the faulty one. I am now on the fence about what to do. I really like to monitor at low levels, which I could do with my lowly Focusrite Audiobox iTwo without any noise and perfect balance. Do you recommend another interface or should I bite the bullet and just use the Focusrite for monitoring. thanks!
Lieber Julian, vielen dank für diese tolle reviews. Ganz grosse klasse. Ich bin seit länger eine treue RME nutzer, wäre toll zu sehen wie du die aktuelle generation von Soundkarten findest.
Hi Julian - I enjoy your reveiws. Can you please review the new Focusrite Clarret+ interface and maybe compare it to the old Clarret model ?? Is the Clarret+ a significant upgrade in quality??
After watching a few of these JK reviews on interfaces. It seems like Motu M2 is the king in the budget range and also is able to challenge expensive ones like clarett audient etc.
Thanks for the video. As usual, great review. Hey Julian. I had a thought. It would be interesting if you could gather up some old studio grade Audio interfaces of 10 to 13 years old. To see how they differ compared to today's standards? 🤔
Hi Julian. What do you think about the Volt 476 compared to other 4 input interfaces such as Motu M4 or Focusrite Scarlet 18i8? Thanks for your answer!
Thank you, so looks like general performance is average (on your chart) but the 76 did make a noticeable difference. I've been wanting to get an Audient id44 mk2 and a separate 1176 clone, but then saw the 476P which has the 76 built in (without transformers). so it could hit the spot, plus having 76 on multi channels is a win and save me £500 for one mono 1176 clone. that said, I want my next interface to last another 10+ years, and sounds like this is a bit dated, where as id44 mk2 is top of your charts. very tough. but thank you.
Hello Jullian, I like your work. Especially collecting the data regarding dynamic range + noise flor for preamps. I wonder though why there is no yet one of the famous ZOOMs tools (h6/h8/p4/p8) - which can serve as audio interface. How are they comparable to the others regarding dynamic ranges and preamps. Are they so weak you are not taking them into account or just they are not falling into that standard Audio Interface category? Thanks in advance for answering :) My congratulations on such a detailed work on audio and sharing it online!
Dear Julian, I am an avid viewer of your channel as I find your reviews trustworthy. I was searching around but saw you have no videos of RME products. I am planning to buy a babyface pro fs soon and your thoughts on this would mean a lot since it's a big purchase for me. Even if you don't make a video a simple comment on what you think about it would help me a lot. Much Love, Internet Guy Who Loves Your Reviews.
This is true. I use an hd600 and he 560v4. On the hd600 it isn't as noticable, but as the he560 was planar, the headphone imbalance was very pronounced. My left earcup was louder than my right earcup
As I stated in the other video, I appreciate my Motu M4 more and more, sorry but I knew those interfaces from UA were nothing special and time gives me reason.
And now, the big question! Should I as a new recording singer setting up my first home studio choose this Volt 276 or go with the Audient id 14 mkll?! 😀😅😲😉
Hey my friend Julian! What a great channel you got in here! You mentioned that this ad/da converter is little bit old... What would you say compared to the Audient id14 MK2 's converter? It would have a better converter? And for in line guitar plugged in which one would have the best pre amp? Thanks for all you work! ❤
I’ve been doing extensive research on this item and been looking for some answers. Someone made a video comparing the Apollo, Focusrite, SSL and another interface, they did a good job and I heard the difference between them. The Apollo sounded really good, making the others having lesser quality of sound. So I got my answer from there. The SSL was not so bad, just not as good. Now my question is, how will the Volt sound compared to the Apollo? I have an Apogee right now that sounds amazing, but won’t be compatible with my newer MacBook Pro Max. I’m not concerned with Apollo DSP, I’m more concerned about the quality of sound. So I want to know what the Volt sounds like next to the Apollo and will it be good as the X4.
@@kerosenefilms Yeah I have the Volt. It sounds really good, but I haven’t really had a chance to really test it out yet. But so far, it sounds about good as my Apogee. I’m trying to figure out what to buy next. Maybe I’ll get the SSL Big Six. But I’m thinking I can get what I want with this Volt.
So strange that they put the vu meters off to the side. You would think they would look pretty good aligned more like a channel strip right above the inputs
