Universal Audio VOLT 276 - Review (Compressor and Vintage Mode Audio Samples)
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- čas přidán 21. 07. 2024
- In this video I test the Volt 276 from Universal Audio and check out the built-in Compressor and Vintage Mode.
Sweetwater US | Universal Audio Volt 276: sweetwater.sjv.io/bavWxk *
Thomann EU | Universal Audio Volt 276: www.thomann.de/intl/universal... *
Support the channel on Patreon: / juliankrause **
Follow me on Twitter: / thejuliankrause
00:00 Intro
00:27 Hardware Overview
02:37 Internals
03:21 Mic Input Performance
04:42 Mic Preamp Performance
05:48 Vintage Mode
06:14 Compressor Audio Samples
07:09 Compressor Explained
09:42 Line Input Performance
10:13 Main Output Performance
10:42 HP Output Performance
11:33 Software
11:51 Round Trip Latency
12:36 Verdict
* Affiliate links from which I receive a commission for sales. This doesn't generate any additional cost for you. As an Amazon and Thomann Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
** Patreon is a platform where you can support the channel by purchasing a monthly subscription. - Jak na to + styl
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.
@@lisan_al-ghaib Just using that way now....Testing without registering and downloading the software...just monitoring...
Please review Apollo Twin X
Can you pls review some mic s (100 to 300 dollar range) ?
@@Jghosn13 ... and what have you learned?
@@willgo7898 It runs all my headphones….
“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!
Or you could just start making music and try them out yourself, and do something, lol!!!
Big thanks, glad you all enjoy the videos!
The most trusted source!
True German precision here!
Wow, this must have been one of the best audio related tech reviews I’ve ever seen. Big respect and thank you!
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.
Fantastic video! It's great to see everything expressed in such an objective and clear way. Thank you and congratulations!
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 :))
You do the best reviews. Great video and extremely informative!
Great review as always. I personally like the simplicity of the compressor having three settings. Fewer things to tweak and fiddle with.
So clear and to the point, after watching over a dozen reviews on this product yours is the gold standard. Thank you!
Thumbs up for the great review, as always, AND for the Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy reference!
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
Incredible tech review! Clear and deep. Thank you!
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...
Between this and the Ssl2+ and audient mkii who do you think comes out top
Thank you, Julian, for another excellent review! Free of hype, and filled with facts. Your reviews are the most useful I’ve found!
Brilliant. Your work is impeccable as always.
your reviews are just amazing! thanks!
How have I never seen your channel!? Love it!
The wooden side panels reminds me 1980/90s high end /ES series consumer hifi products.
Thank you for the very informative review.
UA desperate to impress the street and home beat makers lol. Let's slap some wood on ....for a dollar each , hehe
@@levondarratt787
Yeah. Japanese loves to make their products sound good and looks good too, which raised it's value. IMHO.
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!
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!
perfect review thanks julian
Fantastic review as always - I love this channel. Thanks for the video.
Nice review. It would be nice to hear a/b test audio samples as with noise floor comparison on different units 👍
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?
Great video! I'd like to learn more about some of the Instruments you use to take measurements. Perhaps a future lab tour video.
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!
Hey dude, you're much more advanced then what I require, but I still really enjoy your videos.
Dude! Epic text during the test!
Finally 😭 Julian you are the man!
Good stuff as always.
You got my follow sir. thanks for actually useful information and analytical approach. reminds me of reading Paul White in SOS in my youth.
awesome review!!!
Thank you so much for your great work 🙃🤟❤️
Great review. Unfortunately we in Australia are still waiting for our orders made in Oct to be fulfilled. Can’t wait to get one.
@6:13 I've been trying to find these comparisons, so definitely keeping an eye out for the vid
Thanks for another great review, Julian. Are you planning to do a review of the RME Babyface Pro FS in the near future?
excellent review!!!
Omfg waited sooooo long for this!
amazing review, very detailed and end user driven. Thanks for your time mate! Ok, one question, does they work well as a live session performance?
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!
Great review, very pro, thanks!
The compressor and limiter features are very useful to get 'consistant audio level during live' streaming.
Awesome review as always Julian. Can you please do a Apollo Solo review???
Amazing video👏👏👏
explaining done right ! thank U!
My favourite tech vlogger!
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.
this is why this channel is so important
Great and valuable review.., thank you!!👍👌
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.
Not enough connectivity for me.
But... another excellent tech overview from Julian. And the freakin' elephant in the room made me chuckle.
Julian. My go to guy. Thank you.
As always, great benchmark review. Thanks for your work. Danke!
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!
Great review Julian. Quick question though. When I am recording my vocals / guitar DI i have a separate channel in my DAW which i use for monitoring fx - compression / delay / reverb / amp sims etc. Would having a "pre-print" compressor have any potential benefit in my case? Personally i think it would be rather limiting (no pun intended). Thoughts?
Hey Julian- amazing video. One other video mentioned noise via the headphone amp, did you notice that?
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
Thank you for this super informative video as always Julian! Can you please review the Focusrite Clarett+ line next?? :)))))
Great, pragmatic video - thank you 🙏 I was wondering who you reminded me of. Answer: Paul Muad'dib as played by Kyle MacLachlan
Hey Julian ! First of all I really appreciate your reviews and can't believe how in depth they are.
My question is how compatible are the MiniFuse1 with pair of Sennheiser HD 280 Pro (64 Ω). If not what would you recommend around same price ($100).
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.
That was a really great review and input! Do you think the recording quality is better than komplete audio? Also, do you think the inbuilt compressor could be used for mastering or is it better just to get a cheap behringer one for that purpose?
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'd be curious to see how the new Focusrite Clarett PLUS 2Pre performs. It has new ADC/DAC chips, so it is a slightly different design.
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.
If you buy any software you will be forced to do that anyway, and all you get is a free trial so I didn't even bother.
Thanks for the great review! Would you recommend this over the Audient EVO4? The primary use would be mobile recording of vocals with an iPad Pro.
Amazing review as always Julian.
Any chance you can review the Roland Rubix24? That one also has a built-in compressor/limiter.
Would be interested in this as well.
Hey Julian, sehr informative Videos zu den Audiointerfaces! Stehe gerade vor der Entscheidung das Volt 276 oder Motu M2 zu nehmen. Einsatz: Podcast/Streaming mit Presonus PD70 (mit Fetamp), Gitarrenamp Abnahme (SM57) und Direct Instrument Input für Neural DSP Software. Headphones sollen ebenfalls Standardmäßig (auch mal für Spotify etc) ohne zusätzlichen Headphone Amp betrieben werden. Welches Interface eignet sich deiner Meinung nach besser?
Vielen Dank im Voraus, würde mir sehr helfen!
Great video
Great review. What do you think about the volt 4? Does this review apply also to that and the 476 audio interfaces?
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!
ID14 software is a pain to use, and interface causes popping upon starting and shutting down. I'd go for the Volt.
I got this one, because the compression is great! Going to save me time in post production. Even if they are fixed, it's still very convenient
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? 🤔
As always, Julian - I really appreciate you video - the depth of knowledge and insight and clarity you provide is amazing. I've got an Motu M2 and am very happy happy with it. but I get very animated and can have wild volume bursts. I'm a solo streamer and run a daily zoom call with live audinece streamed out to YT and FB. The only thing the M2 is lacking is Compressor. I tried the Tascam Mixcast but too much feedback off my speaker and I wont go to Headphones. So that leaves me with a DBX 286 into the M2 or perhaps this 276. What do you think? Volt or DBX or ????
I'd really appreciate your insight Vilen Dank
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!
Is there a place we can download all the charts and graphs comparing the various interfaces you've reviewed?
Please review the Mackie Big Knob Studio+. It is an 18v unit with a 15v/5v digital board. I would like to know if this makes a significant difference with the noise floor and available headroom.
Hi, how are you? I hope everything goes well. Your tutorial on this interface has helped me a lot. My question is, I am looking for a card to record trap / rap voices with a very good quality and that has a low latency. Which one would you recommend me? So I also mix and produce instrumentals. Thanks a greeting.
Happy to be subscribed, Julian. Hope you'll be able to look at the PreSonus Revelator soon.
I'm currently testing it :)
I noticed the sharp increase in signal when the compressor was engaged as well.
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!
When should we expect the video comparing the “vintage mode” with focusrite’s “air mode”?
Great in depth coverage!
Planned for next week 😊
Hello Julian. I am currently recording with a 10y old Scarlet 2i2 1Gen and want to upgrade to something more professional (had a few songs on the radio and my interface is really lacking). I now have the chance to buy a used (1y old) UAD Apollo Solo Interface (with classic collection plugins) from a local recording studio and was wondering if it is worth the higher price point when compared to other (cheaper) interfaces (eg. Audient iD 14, SSL2/2+ or even UADs own VOlt 276). To be clear - i am looking to buy something that will serve me well for another 8-10 years of my musical journey. Thank you very much in advance and all the best!
Danke für den Einblick in das UA interface! Sehr geil gemacht! Welche Lautsprecher stehen da hinter dir :-D ?
Hey, das sind KEF iQ1.
@@JulianKrause Danke dir !
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 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.
I hope you would do a comparison between the best ad converters because I am a bit confused wich one is the best ?
I hope you will answer my question. I have just bought the volt 176 and I use samson q2u mic with senstivity of -54 dbv but it has so much noise so you susgest I get a fethead or ART Tube MP/C or dbx 286s microphone preamp & channel strip processor or a fethead with one of those two preamps into the volt 176??? I just want athe best quality possible and by the way your videos are so great and have so much information keep up
13:31, I don't think I've ever seen that much expression on your face. Your comedy is getting better every video!
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.
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
That's a really nice sweater
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
Hi, would be nice to see Universal Audio Apollo in your rewiev, if you'd like to of course. Thanks for quality content! Hope I finally chose something :)
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??
Absolutely, will do so, once I get my hands on the new Clarett+ series :)
Looking forward to this!
Julian, it would be nice to get a review on the latest rme babyface. Is it really a class better than the interface class that you reviewed? Is RME the next level? Thank you Julian. I appreciate your honest and reliable work!
I'm currently testing it 😊
hi Julian, is there any affordable UAD interface with send return inserts for external preamps? thanks
Can you also review the SoundDevices MixPre II series?
Thanks.