Universal AudioVolt 176 USB Recording Studio Audio Interface

Using this is a dream. One button press and I'm ready to record.Compressor:The compressor is killer! - It not only makes the vocals sound fuller and easier to understand, but it effectively works as a limiter too. So this means I can get extra loud or extra quite with my voice, or move closer and further from the mic - and not have to waste time in editing fixing the volume levels. Amazing for my uses and works far better than Elgato's attempt at this.None of the reviews I saw mentioned this but it's in the manual - you can adjust the compressor via the gain knob. - Basically the compressor sets the top limit and the harder you push your gain the more you push your quite stuff into the loud stuff.In other words, this thing is freakin fantastic. I can get compression that's extremely mild - all the way to pretty insane compression - depending on use/preference.Note:(Please note that while I'm very knowledgeable in audio and I've been working in audio/video for over a decade, I'm still not an expert audio engineer and I have not used a professional standalone compressor unit (other than software plugins, but there too I am not an expert). So I can't say for sure exactly how this stacks up to the big boy stuff and I have not compared them side by side.)Price:Price feels a little steep especially if you want multiple channels. But for a professional device this is worth every single penny. All my issues from my four previous interfaces have gone away. And this kicks the back side of any USB mic that I know of (except *maaaaaaaybe* the Rode NT1 5th gen but that doesn't fit my uses and of course it's limited to one built-in mic)Phantom power:Small complaint is that for my main mic (the insanely good Earthworks SR117) I have to switch on phantom power each time I use this interface. For example if the computer goes to sleep then the Volt might turn off for a few seconds and the phantom power resets to the off position.This IS good for safety with some rare mics that can be damaged by phantom power. On most modern mics this isn't an issue but it's a nice safety feature to have anyways. When it's on there's a pretty red light which is nice.But since the default is phantom power off every time, it's happened a couple times where I started troubleshooting my mic and cables etc before realizing this was the issue. But it's a single button press to turn on so as long as you're aware of this and you or someone else is monitoring with headphones then it's hardly a problem. And anyways this only applies to mics that need the phantom power.There's other quality of life things like that when enabling phantom power it goes silent for a few seconds so your mic doesn't cause a pop. Very nice!If I'm not mistaken all the other settings are remembered after power off. Most importantly all the gain and volume etc since those are physical knobs.I have the single input version of this Volt as that's all that was in stock at the time.Meters:The audio meters on this are better than all my previous interfaces but still not enough different levels for what most pros would want. But with the awesome compressor it's really not an issue because I can't peak anyways. - so for my uses I'm anyways adjusting based on how the compressor sounds and not based on any visual indication.If you don't need fancy effects running on your interface (other than the awesome compressor) then I don't know of anything better. Stunningly well made device.Alternatives:I was considering the Rode interface since it has a ton of effects and adjustments but looking at Amazon reviews there seems to be issues with the device failing so for now that's a no-go for me. And it's not exactly cheap (500 ish). Same for Lewitt's interface. Looks like they need to work on reliability.Conclusion:In conclusion. I love it. 100% recommended. And it's pretty too. Nice eye candy for the desk. The lights and buttons on it look exceptionally good! Not just cheap LEDs.Photo:Photographed in my desk drawer where it lives. This keeps my desk surface clean for whatever project I'm working on and it keeps my devices and cables away from my cats.Compatibility notes:Mac:Works great on my Mac. Plug and play. I assume Windows as well.Camera:For use with a camera (which I do often) I can output from the headphones output of the Volt into the mic input of my camera, then plug in my headphones into the camera's own headphone output. This works great because the headphone volume knob on there volt works as an additional amplifier to adjust the output volume *after* the compression. This would have been nice to have for the USB output too but as it is at the moment you only have the main knob (which is limited in volume if you're using the compressor and then digital adjustments on the recording device (computer etc) for any further amplification.The headphone out has lots of volume so I can set the camera's built-in gain to the lowest setting and then overpower the camera's noisy preamps to keep noise low.Playstation compatibility:***(most people can ignore this)***This interface is *not* compatible with the Playstation 5 in case anyone is trying to record videos on that. But even with interfaces that ended up being compatible (elgato Wave XLR, Shure X2U), the PS5 seems to record audio in a super low bitrate and it's totally unusable if you want something that sounds nice. So I've switched to just recording my screen with a camera - worse image but audio is x10 better which for me is much more important. Plus manually coping recordings off the PS5 is a huge pain if you need to do it often. I could do screen recording with a second computer but I don't want a second monitor on my desk. Another option might be some professional recorders like the Atomos ones but I don't want to spend money on that right now.

Does what it says, looks good on a desk, sounds good to me, seems worth the price, tough and portable, PC powered, easy to operate.

Bought this to replace the Maschine MK3 I was using as an audio interface. In short, I wanted to free up the desk real estate and the footprint of the Volt 176 is a fraction of the size of what I had been using. Build quality is great. Sound quality is great too, with my headphones and monitors reaching levels they hadn't reached before. The unit is aesthetically pleasing and easy to use. Highly recommended.

I love the output, and settings on this device. You can really tune the way you want your vocals- making it easier to work with in the DAW. In my experience, this device allows me to use less plug-ins for mixing the raw vocals (that’s because this interface is equipped with a built-in compressor, and preamplifier. However, with the multiple settings on the compressor, I like to have the compressor setting on the “fast” setting. Just cause I like the output of how that particular compression has on my vocal. With the built in features on this interface, I only use 3 plug-ins to mix the raw vocals, after recording w this device. It’s pretty awesome.

Overall I am satisfied with this product- my only complaint is the software, lots of making accounts and troubleshooting and I still haven't gotten it to work properly. Support is not very good.On the hardware side of things though this is an excellent device (though you should probably spring for the next step up and get an extra XLR input but that's my opinion) I like the built in compressors and vintage that you can add to your microphones. It also has an instrument option. Most USB interfaces do not have nay of these things. Quality feels good. No complaints- excellent device.

I bought this for my father in-law doing voice overs for videos that he makes on youtube. My goal with the interface was that I wanted him to be able to avoid any post processing since he has no experience using DAW's, plugins, or external hardware. This interface delivers that. Crystal clear sound, a built in compressor, and even a built in vintage effect. Also has all the standard zero latency monitoring, in

A beautiful and easy to use interface with a 76 compressor and vintage settings for clear instruments and vocals! A great add on to your home studio

Better than Focusrite I had a Focusrite 4th gen and the drivers made the audio cut out glad to see this has no issues!