h
Super nice interface with great sound and design
I've been using Audient iD4 since 2015 or so, and the Volt 276 is a step up because it generally feels better to me in every way. The design of the unit, both in terms of functionality and aesthetics is great.
The sound is clear and the funky options you get for the compressor vintage thing on the inputs is a nice touch that shapes the sound in a cool way, and they have guides that explain what it all does, although I honestly am too much of a beginner in sound to really understand what's going on. But I used it in recordings and it's been good so far.
The USB connectivity with the little usb 3 hole is sturdy as opposed to the old interfaces with B where it was always moving around. When you connect/disconnect it, it doesn't make a peep, whereas my old interface would send a signal to the speakers making them go BOOM, surely not a healthy thing to do to a speaker. No such issues with this interface!
Universal Audio always makes great stuff.
The sound is clear and the funky options you get for the compressor vintage thing on the inputs is a nice touch that shapes the sound in a cool way, and they have guides that explain what it all does, although I honestly am too much of a beginner in sound to really understand what's going on. But I used it in recordings and it's been good so far.
The USB connectivity with the little usb 3 hole is sturdy as opposed to the old interfaces with B where it was always moving around. When you connect/disconnect it, it doesn't make a peep, whereas my old interface would send a signal to the speakers making them go BOOM, surely not a healthy thing to do to a speaker. No such issues with this interface!
Universal Audio always makes great stuff.
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D
Great tool for singers
I've got it specifically for practicing vocals and recording it, and I absolutely love it so far. The main selling point for me being the built-in compressor. I prefer to pratice with compression and some reverb most of the time. Previously I've used an Audient ID14MKII and UA Volt 2, along with some more modest interfaces.
If you use an aggressive compressor in the DAW while singing, you constantly hear noise in between singing, even with some nicer interfaces I've mentioned above, and even with decent gain staging skills. It's fine when you're mixing vocals, but when you're just practicing, this noise when you're not singing gives you ear fatigue pretty fast. This one seems to have a compressor between preamp and ADC, which results in a way cleaner sound. I still use a compressor in my DAW on top of built-in one, but a way less aggressive one, while the built-in compressor does most of the job, and I love the results.
Also, with this compressor, you don't have to worry too much about levels when you practice and record some demos - it doesn't let you clip your converters on those louder notes. And for proper recording, I just turn off the compression and use it as a regular interface, so that you have all the dynamic range for editing and mixing. I've also used it to record acoustic guitar (SDC mic and DI at the same time, no compression), it sounds great too. And I like its simple design, where every knob has only one function.
It also has this "Vintage" button, but I don't have much to say about it. It does give some coloration once your signal is hot enough, but you might as well just do it with your plugins.
One more thing to mention - it seems to be quite power hungry, so if you hook up a bunch of USB devices to your laptop, this one might become the proverbial straw that breaks the camel's back, and other devices might power off or start acting weird. So it's a good idea to use an external adapter (a strong one) whenever possible.
So, in conclusion, this compressor thing might seem like a gimmick for some, but in this specific scenario it's exactly what I need. And when you don't need it, it's still a perfectly good audio interface. I've been using for about 6 months now and I don't see a reason to replace it with something else.
If you use an aggressive compressor in the DAW while singing, you constantly hear noise in between singing, even with some nicer interfaces I've mentioned above, and even with decent gain staging skills. It's fine when you're mixing vocals, but when you're just practicing, this noise when you're not singing gives you ear fatigue pretty fast. This one seems to have a compressor between preamp and ADC, which results in a way cleaner sound. I still use a compressor in my DAW on top of built-in one, but a way less aggressive one, while the built-in compressor does most of the job, and I love the results.
Also, with this compressor, you don't have to worry too much about levels when you practice and record some demos - it doesn't let you clip your converters on those louder notes. And for proper recording, I just turn off the compression and use it as a regular interface, so that you have all the dynamic range for editing and mixing. I've also used it to record acoustic guitar (SDC mic and DI at the same time, no compression), it sounds great too. And I like its simple design, where every knob has only one function.
It also has this "Vintage" button, but I don't have much to say about it. It does give some coloration once your signal is hot enough, but you might as well just do it with your plugins.
One more thing to mention - it seems to be quite power hungry, so if you hook up a bunch of USB devices to your laptop, this one might become the proverbial straw that breaks the camel's back, and other devices might power off or start acting weird. So it's a good idea to use an external adapter (a strong one) whenever possible.
So, in conclusion, this compressor thing might seem like a gimmick for some, but in this specific scenario it's exactly what I need. And when you don't need it, it's still a perfectly good audio interface. I've been using for about 6 months now and I don't see a reason to replace it with something else.
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Z
5 stars! Great quality for this price!
Very nice, thanks Thomann!
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AB
The best in its segment
The best sound card in its price range. The sound is great, the outside is very nice.
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B
The output sound is not of the best quality. But the quality of the recording of vocals and instruments is excellent.
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TR
The Volt is a bolt from the blue!
I'd often been envious of people with UAD gear, as it was outside my price range. And I also wondered if they were falling for the magical pixie dust that gear can sprinkle on things....
So I was really – genuinely! – excited to see UAD's offer with the Volt 276. Not only do you get a fab mic pre and 1176 baby circuit, you get some of their uberly lovely plugins.
Since working with the Volt, my production values have really improved. It's really fun tracking and mixing now, and each product in the bundle has made things so much more intuitive and pro-sounding.
It's electrifying! (Metaphorically speaking.)
Highly recommended. The magic is real.
So I was really – genuinely! – excited to see UAD's offer with the Volt 276. Not only do you get a fab mic pre and 1176 baby circuit, you get some of their uberly lovely plugins.
Since working with the Volt, my production values have really improved. It's really fun tracking and mixing now, and each product in the bundle has made things so much more intuitive and pro-sounding.
It's electrifying! (Metaphorically speaking.)
Highly recommended. The magic is real.
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P
The 276 Volt is an interface for 24/7/ 365
The 276 is a wonderful piece of kit converting analog to Digital beautifully and with a vintage integrated compressor included its simply perfect.
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A
Universal audio quality, even on the cheap ones.
Is the best one i could find under its price range. I am really happy to notice the difference when applying the compressor or the Vintage mode (is not for all the uses) but is great to get another option with just one button with many ways to compress, the lights are very exact and useful, and the direct mode with no latency works great.
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T
Just what I needed
Great interface for a home studio.
Built-in compressor and a vintage sound feature is a nice touch for recording
Built-in compressor and a vintage sound feature is a nice touch for recording
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K
This is my first interface, I use it to connect live instruments and synths to daw both for studio and live sessions. As for me it is allright, minimalistic and high quality.
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