I spent SO much time looking at AIs in the budget price range. For anyone here in the same position (looking for budget gear) almost any of the interfaces out there will most likely do the trick when you start out. Don't stress to much on the variations in sound, as when you are starting out you probably won't notice the difference anyway! Don't spend weeks reviewing the minutiae, just pick one and start making music!
What a really well-produced video. No terrible 'quirky personality', just a simple, well-explained review, which is really just what I was after. I was initially wondering what a big difference the SOLO and DUO had between them, and you showed it easily. I'm now happier in my decision and will purchase the DUO thanks to your delightful manner. Thank you Sanjay :)
Had the m track solo for ages ,now I've ordered a m track duo , love these interfaces , from what I've felt from using both m-track and focousrite I think the difference in audio quality is very small
hello colleague sorry which is better.? M.audio solo М.audio duo ?? which one do you think I should take as a professional, which one will you recommend to me ??
@@ivangeorgiev6446 It depends on how you need to record, if you need to record with wit just one input at a time the solo will do fine. for example your going to record just a vocal and then just a guitar and so on you don't need the duo. If however you want to record your guitar and voice with separate mics for each, you will need the duo. If you have some stereo effects or amps you want to use while you record, you would ned the duo. hope that helps
@@howardanderson3061 thank you very much for the information I will record vocals and I have a keyboard board but when you say jokes I write separately thank you
@@ivangeorgiev6446 Hey Ivan, I was not trying to funny but if it was that's OK I guess. Lol I was really just trying to be helpful because your question was very sincere. Good luck with all of your recordings!
I learned the hard way. Would suggest searching if the audio interface has any common driver issues. The device can be great and ruined by driver issues, so check first before buying.
Just bought and installed the M-track Solo, the result is night and day compared to the cheap XLR to 1/8 cable I was using before. It got rid of my volume problem (it was way too low) and got rid of 99.9% of the noise I was getting. Definitely recommended!
Excellent review Sanjay! The exact one I wanted. I loved the audio quality on the Focusrite and M Audio. The guitar samples sounded much better on the Focusrite. The build quality seems to be better on the M Audio when compared to the Behringer interface. Overall, the M Audio is the best interface at this price range.
They all sound similar with the vocals, but the focus focusrite sounded the best. The m audio interface wasn't that far behind. If I was in the market for a budget audio interface I would get the m track duo since because it has the trs outputs and a separate knob for the headphone volume.
Great video. I immediately bought M-Audio Duo after watching this. Guess what, it only cost USD$81 which includes shipping to Singapore. Definitely a great buy.👍🏻😄
Hi Sanjay, thank you for this short, precise and honest review. Your work is highly appreciated. A friend of mine is playing in a band and wanted to use his equipment for some small hobby voice over projects. So he asked me about a low price audio interface. I recommended the Behringer and it is doing...OKish. Good to know that there are some alternatives and competition.
Really appreciate this! Getting my first electric guitar in a few days and wanted something cheap and simple, but not too cheap or simple. I figured rightly or wrongly that I could provide effects with a PC, initially, rather than an effects pedal. So, yeah, M-Track Solo it is. :)
@@coltons_corner Thanks for asking! Long story short, I bought a Vox StompLab 1G multi-effects pedal instead. By the time the guitar arrived, I'd decided portability was more important than recordability to me. FWIW, the 1G has been great. I doubt I'll ever need another pedal.
@SanjayC inspirata lite is a free convolution reverb plugin available for free till 28th of Feb they are giving away the lite version it wont be available after 28th Feb it is a really versatile reverb you should check that plugin . It emulates real life location. There are tons of spaces including some famous studios .
Even SSL has gotten into the “low budget” audio interface game. Granted the SSL 2 is $289.99 and the SSL 2+ is $349.99 (both MSRP) but compared to their in-line consoles (which gets into home mortgage territory) and if what you get is from SSL, it’s a bargain.
@@Ndlanding Edited it for clarification (missed a key word when writing it). I was alluding both to their historical high prices (because of quality and they make everything in house) and to their brand quality (they don't give away their name to just anything).
OMG luckily I watch this video before buying AI, I suppose to buy a Behringer but I also like the M-track but the most I like is scarlet (I need less budget) now I will choose the M-track because has more recommendation or positive comment. Thanks, Sanjay C.
I loved your reviews of the models, it is just what I need now as I'm looking for budget gear. Thank you for taking the time Sanjay for putting up the tracks to compare and for your comments.
This the exact compact video with all the required infos and comparison.. I'm a professional guitarist and I'm getting to learn more from your videos to have a detailing on sound... You are awesome😊👏
the Duo is so much more flexible for PC gamers/streamers, having two inputs (input #1 for mic and #2 as an aux input for your phone) with zero/low latency mono monitoring is huge IMO.
Good comparison video. No mention of it here, which surprised me, but the thing that’s swayed it for me is the M-Audio also works with the newer iPads as well as Mac and Windows. I’m constantly amazed what my iPad can enable me to do so for streamlining I’m just using the iPad now.
Nice, will saving for the M-Track Duo! Well, even though I admit the Focusrite solo is better, but the price gap quite large in my country, and since the M-Track Duo can do pretty good job on the thing I do, then why not? and with it I can divide the budget for studio monitor. lol
Great - thanks, and subscribed. Just picked up an M-Audio Duo although initially I am going to try it as a two inputs into one out so that my son can do some light street gigs with a Roland Cube - the cube is flexible with a range of amp models and essential effects including reverb but doesn't include a dedicated microphone input so this is a cheap way to find out if I can set that up for him, using the monitor out from the Duo into the Cube. The sensitivity inputs available for microphone and guitar sort that aspect out (both different obviously) and the separate gain controls should allow me to balance the two volumes before they reach the Cube which will essentially act as a master volume / reverb / speaker. The point is this will all be portable and potentially run with no AC - the Roland can run off batteries. We shall see. If not it's back to lugging the Marshall AS50D about - a great two channel amp for acoustic and vocal but heavy :) and needs a power socket from a friendly store. In that case we will use the M-Audio Duo as a portable DAW for recording his own songs and demos into a laptop. We have a Focusrite Saffire Pro 14 currently for the desktop DAW running FW into a refurb MacPro 8 core tower - huge power, more than needed. New SSD for the OS and new fast HDDs for data. Optical Audio. It's audio engineering on a budget but not so long back this was a tidy set up. If it works out we will likely migrate at some point to higher quality desk gear, monitors and software with one of the Apple M1 Max chips on a new Mac Mini at the core - due out this year (2022). Again, huge power beyond the needs of audio editing and the DAW hardware should take the strain of latency for playback to headphones for multichannel recordings - we will be building the tracks up one (real) instrument at a time. I am looking forwards to working through your videos and insight. Thanks again for the information on M-Audio Duo features.
Thanks for the review Sanjay. Just looking for a budget interface when travelling. I think it would be more useful if you were to review these budget interfaces with lower impedance headphones - 250ohm cans are pretty hard to drive, even with a dedicated amp or headphone amp. If you were to review them using the Audio Technica ATH-M50x for example, or something similar people would be able to get a better idea of how they're going to sound.
Hey Sanjay! So I recently purchased this interface and I think their WINDOWS 10 driver has a HUGE problem. So for this interface, on the driver control panel, you only have two choices of sample rate which are 44100 and 48000. The driver initially set my sample rate at 48000 and I left it at that. On my first days of purchase, these problems did not show, but later on, after some prolonged use, I noticed that my voice got deeper, and it made some of my recordings sound as if it has the "slow-motion" effect. I changed my settings(sample rate, buffer size, etc.) and specifically put my sample rate to 44100 and the deep+slow motion effect was removed. Later on, I noticed that my voice got lighter and higher-pitched, and made my recordings sound too fast. I already emailed their *terrible* customer support about this and I'm still waiting for a decent reply from them. edit: I'm still not sure if I got a dud, but when I'm listening to direct monitoring, I noticed that there's nothing wrong with anything that's coming in the interface.
Hey Sanjay, can you please do a review of the Midiplus Studio-M series interfaces? They're around the same pricing as these M-Audio ones, so a comparison video of the two would be really helpful!
i put headphones on to listen to the vocals of all 3 of these and you can here so much noise underneath it all. i had this same issue and it seems it was which usb input i used. if it was not a powered usb input, i got heavy noise/interference on recordings and made it all borderline unusable. there may not be an actual issue with the devices themselves, but rather with the usb input you're using. if all fails and you can't seem to get rid of this noise, buy a powered usb hub that plugs into a wall, and use the ports from that. worked like a charm for me in providing a much cleaner sound.
Thanks for all your videos, I really enjoy each video, and I have learn new things about recording equipment and other things. My question is: In this video, the three interfaces have a level of noise when put to the test... is that something normal with interfaces???
Excellent review and info for these! I’m always making instrumentals, but this year I’m looking to do some vocals with some of my tracks and M-Audio is affordable and gives the best features for under $100. I’m a Native Instruments guy mostly so if possible in the future could you make a video on how to add vocals into Maschine software using a audio interface? As always keep doing what you do and I’ll be purchasing the M-Audio Duo through your Sweetwater link below. Thanks & God bless you! 🙏
Hi Sanjay! I loved the way you explain things! I bought my first mixer/interface. It is a Yamaha AG06 and I having a little kind of robotic sound (due to a small latency) monitoring through Ableton. With 96 of buffer i got 10,1ms of general latency. Sound through direct monitoring is great thought. I dont know if it normal a minimum minimum latency using a buffer 96 using for example a Focuriste or other interface. Have you try the Yamaha AG's series?? I wanted something to play live at home using the incorporated effects, but also as an interface for dry recording. Thanks bro!
I bought this because of this video, I bought it with the mind "I'm doing this as a hobby" but now I want to kinda sink my feet into the ground and kind of take things more seriously audio wise, anything would be helpful if anyone would offer their opinions on interfaces, features will be a major factor in purchases, but I want something to where I can plug multiple instruments in, preferably 2+ inputs, with (if possible) to separate audio signals for easier recording and production, price doesn't really matter, but it shouldn't cost me a years worth of car payments, but something more than a hobbyist would spend. Thanks to anyone who comments.
Reply to Sanjay M Audio Solo I've just got AKG P120 + M-Audio Solo + XLR Male to Female. I've kept the gain knob at 12 clock. Got pretty close to the mic and recorded a LOT of vocals for testing, and ALL of them are sounding EXTREMELY low. Installed the latest driver for M-Audio. Direct headphone check's working properly, but recording my voice is not. Just extremely low audio which I then have to gain +15db in Ableton Live. You didn't gain anything when you were showing the samples. You were farther away from the mic than I was. Yet the samples were adequately loud. How is this possible?I'm beyond confused right now. Didn't sleep the whole night.
I thought about getting one of these interfaces, but wasn't sure what the online consensus was yet bc they're so new. Shelled out for a Motu M2 which seemed like one of the best bang for the buck interfaces at the moment.
These videos have been quite interesting to watch. I've been using a Behringer Xenyx Q802USB mixer for a few years, and have been thinking about getting my hands on a nicer audio interface for my desktop computer for a while now, and then I can relegate the mixer to use with my laptop for times when I have more use for the hardware knobs etc... but at the same time, I wouldn't be surprised if I could find a better audio interface for about as much or even less money than the $70 the Behringer mixer costs since it's been on the market for close to 9 years now.
I recently received my M-Track Duo, but unfortunately there are no Avid Pro Tools on the bundle. I tested the interface with Audacity and it seems to work but there's a problem. The playback of the recorded audio is in different tune or key compare to my guitar. My guitar is tuned in E Standard but the playback of the audio recorded is 2 steps lower. I know that it can be fixed on the audacity but there's a way to solve this problem probably that I won't keep adjusting the pitch every time I record an audio to correct the pitch or tune. I'm suspecting that the problem is in the interface because I also tried to record with bandlab and the results are the same.
Great video as usual Sanjay!! Just curious about one thing though. I guess you were using your strat for the guitar tone test thru the interfaces. I felt the M-Audio and Focusrite interfaces were receiving the guitar signal with an out of phase pickup position (pos 2 or 4) and the Behringer one was receiving the signal with the guitar set at the bridge pickup which aided to the drastic difference in the tone which I felt was there between the Behringer and the other 2 interfaces! Please correct me if I'm mistaken! Thanks for the awesome content, as always!! :)
Thanks for wearing the same headphones, as me. i bought the M-Track Duo before you upload this video and was wondering about the headphone power. Im going back to use my PC Xblaster soundcard for them again. 250 Ohm are to much for closely everything ... even for a the Pioneer Machine :D... attention with high Ohm Headphones. Thanks for the Vid. Keep on going!
So I'm planning to get an interface purely for commentary vocals. I didn't plan on actually using these for singing because I can't (I'm working on it though). I'm really considering this one, for some reason I have more trust in this than the behringers...
Hey Sanjay C. Great video. They’re very affordable. Seem like a great value for money. I think better than anything Behringer offers. Question: can you hook up an external hardware synthesizer with the Hi-Z input on an audio interface. Also, where can you get the vocal shield seen in the video? Keep up making these awesome videos and stay safe!! Cheers.
Thanks for the in-depth review. Two things I'm still wondering after watching are: 1) Does each input record onto separate tracks within a DAW? 2) Is it possible with either of these to simultaneously have one stereo input and one mono input? Really difficult to find these answers on the product site, too. I know with the Focusrite that the answer to 1 is yes, at least. Cheers
I want $49 M-Audio to record stereo synth into iPhone and iPad into iOS apps and DAWs. And/or jam with guitar. My decade (decades?) old M-Audio mBox2 died just last year :) Its perfect it is light and plastic to drop into bag and have for laptop on a go as well. Its a blessing is can intake stereo synth in. No need speaker out, just phones. Does M-Audio powers good cans right? less loudness is fine, but does it sound proper when gain is equal to output of good UAD or Audiofuse?
I'm only see the Focusrite Solo for 170$ this year. The M-Treck Solo/Duo are 80-100$, and I think the Duo is a bteeter deal, due to it having 2 Inputs. Just my take on it though!
Excellent look at these budget friendly audio interfaces. Very professionally done with crystal clear audio and video! All of these interfaces do a pretty decent job considering the very reasonable price tag. I like this option because not everyone is wanting to compete with a major record label and needs hi-dollar gear just to make satisfactory home recordings. Sorry to say, but I'd have to pass on the Behringer. The recorded guitar sound was terrible. Thanks for the review!
Let's not forget about another low priced line of audio interfaces from Presonus. I have gotten many miles of recording and PA preamps from the original AudioBox USB interface at $100. I own the Focusrite 2i2, which I use the most and the M-track Duo which produces lower output levels, but otherwise very convenient with its contols on top feature.
the m-audio sounds less bright/clarity than the focusrite to my ears, but i guess could be easily tweaked within the daw (if i want more bright sound)🤣, i guess I'll choose the m-audio for my setup then
I spent SO much time looking at AIs in the budget price range. For anyone here in the same position (looking for budget gear) almost any of the interfaces out there will most likely do the trick when you start out. Don't stress to much on the variations in sound, as when you are starting out you probably won't notice the difference anyway! Don't spend weeks reviewing the minutiae, just pick one and start making music!
Best advice!! Start making music now!
And btw, Sanjay's videos helped my pick! So thanks, man!
true! thanks
@@brandonk.3155 Thank you Sir, this is Best Advice right here!
@@BobbyOrding for sure! It’s tough to focus sometimes and get started, but the faster you make stuff the better you get.
What a really well-produced video. No terrible 'quirky personality', just a simple, well-explained review, which is really just what I was after.
I was initially wondering what a big difference the SOLO and DUO had between them, and you showed it easily. I'm now happier in my decision and will purchase the DUO thanks to your delightful manner.
Thank you Sanjay :)
Had the m track solo for ages ,now I've ordered a m track duo , love these interfaces , from what I've felt from using both m-track and focousrite I think the difference in audio quality is very small
Thanks Sanjay, I'm helping a student get started in home recording and this really helped.
M-audio solo is the call. Thanks!
Glad to help. :-)
hello colleague sorry which is better.? M.audio solo М.audio duo ?? which one do you think I should take as a professional, which one will you recommend to me ??
@@ivangeorgiev6446 It depends on how you need to record, if you need to record with wit just one input at a time the solo will do fine.
for example your going to record just a vocal and then just a guitar and so on you don't need the duo. If however you want to record your guitar and voice with separate mics for each, you will need the duo. If you have some stereo effects or amps you want to use while you record, you would ned the duo.
hope that helps
@@howardanderson3061 thank you very much for the information I will record vocals and I have a keyboard board but when you say jokes I write separately thank you
@@ivangeorgiev6446 Hey Ivan, I was not trying to funny but if it was that's OK I guess. Lol
I was really just trying to be helpful because your question was very sincere. Good luck with all of your recordings!
I learned the hard way. Would suggest searching if the audio interface has any common driver issues. The device can be great and ruined by driver issues, so check first before buying.
so in other words the drivers/software are lousy for this aud. interf. product?
which interfaces?
I have a 2I2 3rd generation you're the reason I brought a focusrite interface mate, your the reason half the gear in my studio is in my studio Sanjay
I had the Amazon page open already, but your review was so good that I closed it and opened again using your affiliate link. Good job and thanks!
As Julian Krause pointed in his review of these interfaces, they are marketed as 24 bit, but have 16 bit converters.
This is legal? Products and false information? Can I sell my own brand of these products and put “192khz” on the box?
I feel the Scarlet Solo sounded the best to me. It had more range, and I think it would give more to work with.
It's kind of common sense. It's a top brand and more expensive.
Where i live its more than twice the price
with the right ears and knowledge, those issues could be fix easily with EQ and other FX.
Just bought and installed the M-track Solo, the result is night and day compared to the cheap XLR to 1/8 cable I was using before. It got rid of my volume problem (it was way too low) and got rid of 99.9% of the noise I was getting. Definitely recommended!
Any issues? Someone commented that the recording quality goes down fast .. you still finding it usable?
Thanks for the review Sanjay, I'm gearing towards the M-Audio M-Track Duo since I'm a beginner to music prod.
Good choice!
Excellent review Sanjay! The exact one I wanted. I loved the audio quality on the Focusrite and M Audio. The guitar samples sounded much better on the Focusrite. The build quality seems to be better on the M Audio when compared to the Behringer interface. Overall, the M Audio is the best interface at this price range.
They all sound similar with the vocals, but the focus focusrite sounded the best. The m audio interface wasn't that far behind. If I was in the market for a budget audio interface I would get the m track duo since because it has the trs outputs and a separate knob for the headphone volume.
I felt the same way.
@@SanjayC you should make a video on peripherals like USB hubs and power strips and conditioners.
Focuseite designs the sound. ID 4 MKii is even more better.
sanjay, your singing is excellent. everything. the phrasing, in particular. I'll look out for your music.
Thanks so much
concise and clear, great review, thanks Sanjay!
Great video. I immediately bought M-Audio Duo after watching this. Guess what, it only cost USD$81 which includes shipping to Singapore. Definitely a great buy.👍🏻😄
Your voice is so calm!
Hi Sanjay, thank you for this short, precise and honest review. Your work is highly appreciated. A friend of mine is playing in a band and wanted to use his equipment for some small hobby voice over projects. So he asked me about a low price audio interface. I recommended the Behringer and it is doing...OKish. Good to know that there are some alternatives and competition.
Really appreciate this! Getting my first electric guitar in a few days and wanted something cheap and simple, but not too cheap or simple. I figured rightly or wrongly that I could provide effects with a PC, initially, rather than an effects pedal. So, yeah, M-Track Solo it is. :)
Im about to do the same. How has the M-Track worked out?
@@coltons_corner Thanks for asking! Long story short, I bought a Vox StompLab 1G multi-effects pedal instead. By the time the guitar arrived, I'd decided portability was more important than recordability to me. FWIW, the 1G has been great. I doubt I'll ever need another pedal.
@SanjayC inspirata lite is a free convolution reverb plugin available for free till 28th of Feb they are giving away the lite version it wont be available after 28th Feb it is a really versatile reverb you should check that plugin . It emulates real life location. There are tons of spaces including some famous studios .
Not that interested in Audio interfaces while I wait for my studio to get set up. But I watch it just for the music that you make:)
Thanks Andrew! I know I can always get your support
Hieeee Sanjay, I am getting the m-audio interface right now. Thanks for the content.
God bless the work of your hands
Even SSL has gotten into the “low budget” audio interface game. Granted the SSL 2 is $289.99 and the SSL 2+ is $349.99 (both MSRP) but compared to their in-line consoles (which gets into home mortgage territory) and if what you get is from SSL, it’s a bargain.
Eh? "and if what you get from SSL" makes no sense, to me at least.
@@Ndlanding Edited it for clarification (missed a key word when writing it). I was alluding both to their historical high prices (because of quality and they make everything in house) and to their brand quality (they don't give away their name to just anything).
@@DerekPower Cheers!
Audio comparison
M-Audio : 4:41
Behringer : 4:56
Focusrite : 5:11
OMG luckily I watch this video before buying AI, I suppose to buy a Behringer but I also like the M-track but the most I like is scarlet (I need less budget) now I will choose the M-track because has more recommendation or positive comment. Thanks, Sanjay C.
Just got a M-Audio Duo and I'm very satisfied with the performance. It sounds very good with my microphones
This is the exact video I needed with the m-audio and focusrite comparison. Thanks :)
This foam shell around your vocal mic might be the best idea I have seen in years!
I loved your reviews of the models, it is just what I need now as I'm looking for budget gear. Thank you for taking the time Sanjay for putting up the tracks to compare and for your comments.
I use the Duo for my output ONLY, and a Focusrite solo for my mic input. Works great.
What a great review, Sanjay C. I love your voice. Waiting for your next song.
I use some cheap JBL lsr305 and still can perfectly manage to listen how focusrite sounds just better on the pre-amp job
Exactly The video i was looking for ! Thank you so much!
6:37 - 6:42 M-AUDIO
6:43 - 6:46 BEHRINGER
6:47 - SCARLETT
This the exact compact video with all the required infos and comparison.. I'm a professional guitarist and I'm getting to learn more from your videos to have a detailing on sound... You are awesome😊👏
So glad you found the video useful. Thanks, Desh!
the Duo is so much more flexible for PC gamers/streamers, having two inputs (input #1 for mic and #2 as an aux input for your phone) with zero/low latency mono monitoring is huge IMO.
And stereo USB return. It's perfect for streaming and radio works
Thanks from a raw beginner. Although the song I want to record I wrote 50 years ago. It's a bucket list kinda thing.
I've recently considered the Presonus Audiobox 25th anniversary edition.
That’s a good interface. And excellent software included.
Of the ~$100 interfaces it definitely has the best included software.
Good comparison video. No mention of it here, which surprised me, but the thing that’s swayed it for me is the M-Audio also works with the newer iPads as well as Mac and Windows. I’m constantly amazed what my iPad can enable me to do so for streamlining I’m just using the iPad now.
I was planning to buy m audio solo but still wondering if it work with an ipad 9th. Any ideas?
@@vicenteortiz8521 I think I had the 8th gen back then (I’m on the Pro gen 4 now) and it worked on that just fine.
Nice, will saving for the M-Track Duo! Well, even though I admit the Focusrite solo is better, but the price gap quite large in my country, and since the M-Track Duo can do pretty good job on the thing I do, then why not? and with it I can divide the budget for studio monitor. lol
Thank you Sanjay. Great review. You made my mind up. Just ordered the M-Track. 👍
Love your content so good and clear informative ❤😊. Thank you
Great - thanks, and subscribed. Just picked up an M-Audio Duo although initially I am going to try it as a two inputs into one out so that my son can do some light street gigs with a Roland Cube - the cube is flexible with a range of amp models and essential effects including reverb but doesn't include a dedicated microphone input so this is a cheap way to find out if I can set that up for him, using the monitor out from the Duo into the Cube.
The sensitivity inputs available for microphone and guitar sort that aspect out (both different obviously) and the separate gain controls should allow me to balance the two volumes before they reach the Cube which will essentially act as a master volume / reverb / speaker. The point is this will all be portable and potentially run with no AC - the Roland can run off batteries.
We shall see. If not it's back to lugging the Marshall AS50D about - a great two channel amp for acoustic and vocal but heavy :) and needs a power socket from a friendly store. In that case we will use the M-Audio Duo as a portable DAW for recording his own songs and demos into a laptop.
We have a Focusrite Saffire Pro 14 currently for the desktop DAW running FW into a refurb MacPro 8 core tower - huge power, more than needed. New SSD for the OS and new fast HDDs for data. Optical Audio. It's audio engineering on a budget but not so long back this was a tidy set up. If it works out we will likely migrate at some point to higher quality desk gear, monitors and software with one of the Apple M1 Max chips on a new Mac Mini at the core - due out this year (2022). Again, huge power beyond the needs of audio editing and the DAW hardware should take the strain of latency for playback to headphones for multichannel recordings - we will be building the tracks up one (real) instrument at a time.
I am looking forwards to working through your videos and insight. Thanks again for the information on M-Audio Duo features.
Thanks for the review Sanjay. Just looking for a budget interface when travelling. I think it would be more useful if you were to review these budget interfaces with lower impedance headphones - 250ohm cans are pretty hard to drive, even with a dedicated amp or headphone amp. If you were to review them using the Audio Technica ATH-M50x for example, or something similar people would be able to get a better idea of how they're going to sound.
Hey Sanjay! So I recently purchased this interface and I think their WINDOWS 10 driver has a HUGE problem. So for this interface, on the driver control panel, you only have two choices of sample rate which are 44100 and 48000. The driver initially set my sample rate at 48000 and I left it at that. On my first days of purchase, these problems did not show, but later on, after some prolonged use, I noticed that my voice got deeper, and it made some of my recordings sound as if it has the "slow-motion" effect. I changed my settings(sample rate, buffer size, etc.) and specifically put my sample rate to 44100 and the deep+slow motion effect was removed. Later on, I noticed that my voice got lighter and higher-pitched, and made my recordings sound too fast. I already emailed their *terrible* customer support about this and I'm still waiting for a decent reply from them.
edit: I'm still not sure if I got a dud, but when I'm listening to direct monitoring, I noticed that there's nothing wrong with anything that's coming in the interface.
Have you solve that problem? what did the customer told you?
I was about to buy this. what's your thought on that? Thank you.
@@Ben-ll3iy just don't download the drivers
I never had this problem here. I think they fixed it
which interface are you talking about?
Great video, to help those who are on a budget, for I’m sold on the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2! Thanks Sanjay!
I'm glad they placed the knobs at the top. Makes it easier to adjust.
Also, great review Sanjay.
Yeah I always like that too. Thanks Seonn
Very useful information in 2024. Thanks for sharing
Hey Sanjay, can you please do a review of the Midiplus Studio-M series interfaces? They're around the same pricing as these M-Audio ones, so a comparison video of the two would be really helpful!
Sure I'll look into it
I appreciate the pointedness of your video. Your comparrison was nice.
This video helped me to choose a good audio interface sir, and I choose the focusrite and m-audio m-track duo sir.🎙😌😊☺🙂😀
Nice choices! The duo is a great interface for the price!!
@@SanjayC yes sir I wish universal audio makes one like this sir.🙂☺
This is perfect I'm looking for a cheap interface for streaming when gaming just bought one 👍
i put headphones on to listen to the vocals of all 3 of these and you can here so much noise underneath it all. i had this same issue and it seems it was which usb input i used. if it was not a powered usb input, i got heavy noise/interference on recordings and made it all borderline unusable.
there may not be an actual issue with the devices themselves, but rather with the usb input you're using. if all fails and you can't seem to get rid of this noise, buy a powered usb hub that plugs into a wall, and use the ports from that. worked like a charm for me in providing a much cleaner sound.
Thanks for all your videos, I really enjoy each video, and I have learn new things about recording equipment and other things. My question is: In this video, the three interfaces have a level of noise when put to the test... is that something normal with interfaces???
This guy should date this other review guy I just watched, Terren Rule! A match made in heaven? Good luck guy´s!
Excellent review and info for these! I’m always making instrumentals, but this year I’m looking to do some vocals with some of my tracks and M-Audio is affordable and gives the best features for under $100. I’m a Native Instruments guy mostly so if possible in the future could you make a video on how to add vocals into Maschine software using a audio interface? As always keep doing what you do and I’ll be purchasing the M-Audio Duo through your Sweetwater link below. Thanks & God bless you! 🙏
This is a very helpful review! Thanks so much. I just bought my very won m audio duo and Im about to try it out.
Hi Sanjay! I loved the way you explain things! I bought my first mixer/interface. It is a Yamaha AG06 and I having a little kind of robotic sound (due to a small latency) monitoring through Ableton. With 96 of buffer i got 10,1ms of general latency. Sound through direct monitoring is great thought. I dont know if it normal a minimum minimum latency using a buffer 96 using for example a Focuriste or other interface. Have you try the Yamaha AG's series?? I wanted something to play live at home using the incorporated effects, but also as an interface for dry recording. Thanks bro!
I bought this because of this video, I bought it with the mind "I'm doing this as a hobby" but now I want to kinda sink my feet into the ground and kind of take things more seriously audio wise, anything would be helpful if anyone would offer their opinions on interfaces, features will be a major factor in purchases, but I want something to where I can plug multiple instruments in, preferably 2+ inputs, with (if possible) to separate audio signals for easier recording and production, price doesn't really matter, but it shouldn't cost me a years worth of car payments, but something more than a hobbyist would spend. Thanks to anyone who comments.
Reply to Sanjay M Audio Solo
I've just got AKG P120 + M-Audio Solo + XLR Male to Female. I've kept the gain knob at 12 clock. Got pretty close to the mic and recorded a LOT of vocals for testing, and ALL of them are sounding EXTREMELY low. Installed the latest driver for M-Audio. Direct headphone check's working properly, but recording my voice is not. Just extremely low audio which I then have to gain +15db in Ableton Live.
You didn't gain anything when you were showing the samples. You were farther away from the mic than I was. Yet the samples were adequately loud. How is this possible?I'm beyond confused right now. Didn't sleep the whole night.
I thought about getting one of these interfaces, but wasn't sure what the online consensus was yet bc they're so new. Shelled out for a Motu M2 which seemed like one of the best bang for the buck interfaces at the moment.
MOTU M2 is solid...you'll use that for a long time
These videos have been quite interesting to watch. I've been using a Behringer Xenyx Q802USB mixer for a few years, and have been thinking about getting my hands on a nicer audio interface for my desktop computer for a while now, and then I can relegate the mixer to use with my laptop for times when I have more use for the hardware knobs etc... but at the same time, I wouldn't be surprised if I could find a better audio interface for about as much or even less money than the $70 the Behringer mixer costs since it's been on the market for close to 9 years now.
I recently received my M-Track Duo, but unfortunately there are no Avid Pro Tools on the bundle.
I tested the interface with Audacity and it seems to work but there's a problem. The playback of the recorded audio is in different tune or key compare to my guitar. My guitar is tuned in E Standard but the playback of the audio recorded is 2 steps lower. I know that it can be fixed on the audacity but there's a way to solve this problem probably that I won't keep adjusting the pitch every time I record an audio to correct the pitch or tune. I'm suspecting that the problem is in the interface because I also tried to record with bandlab and the results are the same.
Great video as usual Sanjay!! Just curious about one thing though. I guess you were using your strat for the guitar tone test thru the interfaces. I felt the M-Audio and Focusrite interfaces were receiving the guitar signal with an out of phase pickup position (pos 2 or 4) and the Behringer one was receiving the signal with the guitar set at the bridge pickup which aided to the drastic difference in the tone which I felt was there between the Behringer and the other 2 interfaces! Please correct me if I'm mistaken! Thanks for the awesome content, as always!! :)
In something if we agree, it is the best review of audio interfaces
Thanks for wearing the same headphones, as me. i bought the M-Track Duo before you upload this video and was wondering about the headphone power. Im going back to use my PC Xblaster soundcard for them again. 250 Ohm are to much for closely everything ... even for a the Pioneer Machine :D... attention with high Ohm Headphones. Thanks for the Vid. Keep on going!
Glad I could help!
So I'm planning to get an interface purely for commentary vocals. I didn't plan on actually using these for singing because I can't (I'm working on it though).
I'm really considering this one, for some reason I have more trust in this than the behringers...
It is clear that M-Audio's is best around $50 , great for those who want to kickstart their business.
Yes for sure. Can’t beat this price
Hey Sanjay C. Great video. They’re very affordable. Seem like a great value for money. I think better than anything Behringer offers. Question: can you hook up an external hardware synthesizer with the Hi-Z input on an audio interface. Also, where can you get the vocal shield seen in the video? Keep up making these awesome videos and stay safe!! Cheers.
Thanks for the in-depth review. Two things I'm still wondering after watching are:
1) Does each input record onto separate tracks within a DAW?
2) Is it possible with either of these to simultaneously have one stereo input and one mono input?
Really difficult to find these answers on the product site, too.
I know with the Focusrite that the answer to 1 is yes, at least.
Cheers
Great video as always, Sanjay! However, why did I hear so much static noise during all the sample recordings? Just curious.
I was wondering the same too.... 3 years later :)
I want $49 M-Audio to record stereo synth into iPhone and iPad into iOS apps and DAWs. And/or jam with guitar. My decade (decades?) old M-Audio mBox2 died just last year :) Its perfect it is light and plastic to drop into bag and have for laptop on a go as well. Its a blessing is can intake stereo synth in. No need speaker out, just phones. Does M-Audio powers good cans right? less loudness is fine, but does it sound proper when gain is equal to output of good UAD or Audiofuse?
Im probably getting the m audio interface and a LD microphone to start with vocals, hope this will be enough for the beginning
Great videos Sanjay, keep it up! Are the M-Tracks 16- or 24-bit?
16
Thanks, I waited for this video since they were announced! You are really helping me out
Man you are so underrated! Great content!
Thanks Sanjay - really helpful.... M-Audio it is for me!!
Awsome review good job, thanks
I'm only see the Focusrite Solo for 170$ this year. The M-Treck Solo/Duo are 80-100$, and I think the Duo is a bteeter deal, due to it having 2 Inputs. Just my take on it though!
Thank you for another great review. May I ask what that foam mic accessory is? It's not listed in your gear list.
Perfect!! Thank you, what is the next price? After the Focusrite? Is there a 140?
M-Audio M-Track Solo or Behringer UMC22??
M-Track Solo
M-Audio
M-track of course! UMC22 didn't update their drivers
Can i connect my yamaha hs5 with 6.3mm on the m track solo, or are the outputs on the backsite 3.5mm?
Looking for exactly this comparison, thanks for the answers!
Excellent look at these budget friendly audio interfaces. Very professionally done with crystal clear audio and video! All of these interfaces do a pretty decent job considering the very reasonable price tag. I like this option because not everyone is wanting to compete with a major record label and needs hi-dollar gear just to make satisfactory home recordings. Sorry to say, but I'd have to pass on the Behringer. The recorded guitar sound was terrible. Thanks for the review!
I also liked the scarlet one
Why does all the records have noise?
your studio looks so great, were can i hear your music?
I added some links to the description of my videos or you can visit my soundcloud soundcloud.com/sanjayc
Let's not forget about another low priced line of audio interfaces from Presonus. I have gotten many miles of recording and PA preamps from the original AudioBox USB interface at $100. I own the Focusrite 2i2, which I use the most and the M-track Duo which produces lower output levels, but otherwise very convenient with its contols on top feature.
This was great Sanjay.
Very Informative
Thanks
Thank you i got what i needed.
Glad I could help
For guitar definitely better than behringer. For microphone - also good. If I`m on budget I think M-Audio solo will be my option.
the m-audio sounds less bright/clarity than the focusrite to my ears, but i guess could be easily tweaked within the daw (if i want more bright sound)🤣, i guess I'll choose the m-audio for my setup then
MACKIE ONYX PRICE DECREASED.
Excellent review on audio interfaces!
First!! Awesome review, do you have any idea when or even if these interfaces will be available in India? Thanks!
I’m first bro
It will be available soon , Tbh India is great market place for budget gears
Should be soon but not sure exactly when. India usually get MAudio gear pretty consistently.
Update !. It is available in india, check M Audio website to find a dealer ❤️
@@premixmpk7070 thank you so much!
Focusrite is great. I bought Focusrite scarlett solo studio and it's worth it.
Yeah I love Scarlett interfaces.
Very good presentation, already subscribed.
Thanks for the review. Cheers!
Wow I love your voice Sanjay.
Please tell me if the 16 bit audio of M-track is different from the standard 24 bit and is it really necessary?
Not necessary
Thinking about buying this. I need a new interface and it is in my budget.
You forgot the MOTU M2....the best in my opinion in this price range...
Nice comparison video and very helpful. However, please tune that guitar!
Much love and success. 😁💚