Universal Audio Volt 2 USB Audio Interface

This Universal Audio Volt 1 USB recording interface is absolutely killer for anyone wanting pro-level sound without turning their desk into a cable nightmare—just plug it into your Mac/PC/iPad, and boom, you’re rocking classic UA mic preamp tone with its vintage 610 tube emulation and crystal-clear 24‑bit/192 kHz converters with built in gain and volume control. It’s built like a brick—solid knobs, sturdy chassis, zero wiggle in the connections—and even throws in MIDI I/O, phantom power, zero-latency monitoring and direct-drive headphone output . Plus you get a sweet CargoCult of software—LUNA, Ableton Live Lite, Melodyne, Marshall/Ampeg amps, and more—so you can start recording legendary-sounding vocals, guitars, or podcast episodes right out of the box . For under $150, it’s the gold standard for solo creators—no bull, just massive studio tone in a sleek little package. Easy to use and setup, practically plug and play.

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.

Feels super solid, sound is great, simple inputs, great for a new person like me. I have nothing to compare it to and I’m not an audiophile or engineer, but if you care about quality items and you don’t know where to turn, I can assure you that this is a good choice.

I got the Volt 1 (no comp), and I’m very satisfied with it so far! It pairs perfectly with my DT 770’s and sounds great! It’s nice and compact in one unit so it doesn’t take up too much space either. The knobs are feel great, and recording quality is definitely up there. The vintage mode is a nice touch too! Definitely worth the price range for this product!

This is all you need if you are new to Voice Acting. If you want to use it with Avid Pro Tools, you need to make sure that you install UA connect and the driver. Works seamlessly for me now. Have gotten 15 shortlists in just over 2 months as a starting VO artist. I don't create music and don't create Podcasts that need more than one mic, so this is a perfect starting interface.

I use this to record voice over work. It does a great job. The compressor is nice. I would like a separate control outside of the gain to control the compression about, but so far it hasn't been an issue. Overall a great sounding, low noise, easy to use interface for recording.

First, the packaging is as fine as it gets - a beautiful gift box inside with excellent product protection. It was a joy to unpack. More importantly, the audio interface works instantly - plug and play. I have not recorded through it yet, but based on other reviews I have high hopes. I HAVE been mixing down with the interface and I find the signal to be very clear and revealing. For whatever reason the stereo perception seems excellent, which to me is critical for pristine mixes. I'm going to hazard that it's the best interface in the price range and by far when factoring the included free software. I need to update my computer and DAW to take advantage of the software, but if you are wondering if this interface will work with an older system: I have a Late 2012 Mac Mini running Catalina. The interface was recognized upon plugging in and works great! I highly recommend and I an sure if/when I upgrade again it will be to another UA interface. (I'ma submit some product ideas to the company too because I have no intention of getting into the manufacturing business and their are some deficits in clever, affordable out gear these days.)

Got it as an alternative to an amp since I live in a big apartment complex and play mainly during the night since I get off work around midnight normally, and it does the job well. The DAW that you can get from UA is also really good for recording instruments and vocals and they give you a good amount of free plug-ins that you can use with it, including effects pedals as well. Definitely worth the price if you're looking for something that wont annoy your neighbors or want to start recording yourself

Complète et efficace pour un budget rapport qualité prix excellent.

I purchased this based on the "analog" circuits in this digital interface. First, I really like the aesthetics. The wood is real and the metal is solid and excellent. LEDs are very cool on it as well. USB C to USB C is nice too, latency is almost undetectable. I use this for guitar, recording on a DAW, and also Rocksmith using the ASIO driver. The analog compressor circuit is really cool too. Sure you can't dial it in like a real 1176, but the presets are extremely usable and doesn't cost thousands of dollars. Very usable for a microphone and not having to go through a DAW to have some compression on vocals. Also really liked the free plugins, there were a ton of free programs and plugins that I felt were really worth it. Overall would 100% recommend to anyone looking for more of a midrange solution.

Ótima central, vale a pena demais , bem superior a focuswrhite

Fonctionne parfaitement sur macOS (MacBook Pro M1 Pro). Pas de drivers à installer, plug and play et le truc sympa c'est le bouton on/off qui permet de le laisser toujours connecter à l'ordinateur sans qu'il consomme pour rien du courant. En terme de fonctionnement, je l'utilise pour écouter de la musique sur des enceintes de monitoring ou au casque : aucun craquement, son propre et chaleureux. Utilisé sur Ableton Live et Logic Pro ainsi que via VLC, Foobar pour l'écoute de musiques et de films.

Lo tengo desde hace dos meses y es perfecto para home studio y te sobra, trae el ableton live 11 lite que no uso porq utilizo fl studio pero ahi esta, y varios plugins top mas. Para mi es mejor que la scarlett aunque ya depende de cada uno