M-Audio M-Track Solo and Duo USB Interface- REVIEW (compared to Behringer)
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- Опубликовано: 17 июл 2024
- In this video we'll find out if M-Audio has created two new budget kings.
Amazon | M-Audio M-Track Solo: amzn.to/3p4BzED *
Amazon | M-Audio M-Track Duo: amzn.to/3DI9ib6 *
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00:00 - Intro
00:46 - Hardware Overview
03:11 - First Look Inside
03:35 - Interference Test
04:23 - Internals
05:12 - Driver Experience
06:16 - Mic Input Performance
09:52 - Mic Preamp Performance
11:35 - Line Input Performance
13:31 - Main Output Performance
14:50 - HP Output Performance
17:45 - Round Trip Latency
18:19 - Verdict and Comparison
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Хобби
Important note: The "Not recommended for New Designs" @ 4:50 only applies to the original TI PCM2900. The M-Track Solo and Duo and Solo use the TI PCM2900C which is an active product of the TI product range as of Jan 10, 2021. The 16-Bit specification still applies.
so interesting. thanks for catching this.
Your Informative Speeches are Game man!
@Julian Krause Do you have any plans of reviewing Antelope Zen Go Synergy Core
does it fix with Ableton?
i really enjoy ur reviews bro
Best interface reviews ANYWHERE. Thank you for this. It's too quirky for me, but having your tests and numbers to compare are gold.
Thank you Bark!
yes I join in on your comments. This is the 2nd time that you opened up my eyes on gear which I would have bought "because everybody says it is good" but technically it is not suitable for real home-studio work. THANK YOU!!!!!
Hey Julian. Just saw you have 44.1k subscribers. Hope you reach 48k, 96k and beyond soon! :)
There is no benefits after 96k Subscribers.
I just got an idea that should be picked up by one of the brands. An interface by Julian Krause. I would order the Behringer JK 1 or the Komplete Audio JK 4 without blinking.
"without blinking" I see what you did there 😂
you are like one of the best audio youtubers man, i already got what i needed but i still find myself wanting to watch your content cause its just that good!! please do more mic reviews too, theyd really benefit from that julian krause quality
Julian covers every aspect I'd like to know about. Reliable as always!
I really like the way that you do reviews bro, very technical. Love it.
You have the BEST content ever for home musicians and above. THANKS !!!
As a composer this is an excellent interface for a travel setup and for a home studio environment, I believe that if you can't do your best work with the basic tools you won't do much with expensive ones, these are much better than the pro equipment we had 10, 20 years ago, excellent for the price
Good spot for the 16-bit. You are a hero. Thanx man for such accurate tutorials!
Hey Julian, first review i have read from you and I think its absolutely perfect for what i needed to know. The limitations of the product will also help me to better understand where it can be used and identify defects/subtleties that may arise during live performances. Your name is reminiscent of one of the great audio reviewers of all time, I'm sure you know Julian Hirsch. Wonderful job.
really helpful bro you covered basically each and every detail. Thanks!
Your content is awesome man. Great information! Keep up the great work
This is the first video I watched on this channel.... What a detailed review 👏👏
I am a fan and suscriber of this channel now 😊 !!!!
Awesome detailed review Julian!
Thanks. I needed a nap.
Very thorough and enlightening
....you do BEST rewievs ...thanks a lot ...no one get into this detailes ...very important ones ...glad i found this channel 👍
Thank you so much Julian!! Love your engineering stand point of view! And at that, we now officially have a new budget interface :P
Fantastic review. Hope to see more!
At 4:30 - glad I wasn't crazy. I did a first impressions video and said it was 16-bit and someone in the comments said it was 24-bit. Glad you confirmed why I was getting 16 bit only.
It was me, but only because that’s what’s stated on M audio web page, glad Julian cleared that out for us!
best review work !!! kudos !!! go on !!! you deserve it !!! You are an example for all other testing people
I admire your review style, nothing by facts and required information. Thank you very much for helping me to choose the interface.
I really like your reviews bro, good to se that other viewers think the same, you earned a new follower, thanks for clarifying things in such an easy way for normal people like me.
Another great video, Julian, thank you!
hands down the best technical review of this thing. Thank you so much. here take my money.
Great upload. Very thorough, as always.
Excellent review with tons of info
Very professional comparision and review.
Very very detailed and informative! It would be a blast if you could do such a video about Latency and also Real Life Performance Latency, such as testing how many plugins can you load on your PC with the specs shared of course.
Best regards and Danke schoen!
Hi Julian, I'm currently looking for a budget interface for home use (unfortunately, being a Pole, I simply cannot afford anything better at the moment) and I stumbled upon your review while looking for test/opinins/comparisons. I need a simple device to record bass and some voiceovers for my yt videos. Is the M-Track Solo worth the price difference between the Behringer U-Phoria UM2, and is there anything you'd recommend more in this price range? As I've said, I simply cannot afford anything more expensive and the Fender Slide I've been using to record the bass is dying on me, so I need a decent budget solution. Thank you in advance for your reply!
Danke schon Julian, habe viel gelernt von dir 👍🏼
awesome review! liked and subscribed!
Amazingly thorough. Thanks.
This review deserves subscribing to this channel. Well done Julian!
Thanks for a top-notch review. Well done!
Julian, I really enjoy your very detailed technical reviews. It really helps those of us who might be blinded by the PR machines of these various companies. I would love you to consider doing actual breakdowns of the units, to see how well they are constructed internally. A lot of people have issues with interfaces failing due to sloppy soldering, or component failure due to heat build up etc. Not sure if you would have the expertise to give opinions on this aspect, but it would certainly add to the decision making process. Thanks.
great product review, thank you
Nice videos, man!!!! Thank you so much!!!!!!!!
Very good review ✌🏻
I appreciate the time stamps.
now this is how you do a proper review. earned a sub
Nice and comprehensive series of tests. How well do the interfaces perform with guitar inputs?
I love your channel and have been hoping that you might consider looking at the Arturia Audiofuse range of interfaces. They seem to have have received almost no coverage anywhere, especially regarding the technical aspects. Is this on your schedule to review at all?
the best review ever. keep it up! thanks 😊
.. now i just got my Duo delivered here in my home. so excited to test it and write/record songs. for now, this is enough. soon, ill watch your reviews if i need to upgrade. thanks to your review!
I enjoy hearing your organization of information and presentation. Thanks. You may not be quite ready for a move to stand-up comedy. ;)
I just bought one of these interfaces, although I am new to audio interfaces. Thanks for talking about the driver quirks, because I was about to return this thing for not being able to change settings to the marketing claims.
They are on V1.0.3 now and it seems to behave the same as V1.0.2 with no apparent new features.
Another thing I noticed, when the interface was set to 32 bit (seemed to be default) the sound output from the microphone would be weird and bassy, with random little "pops" or crackles. Setting this back down to 16 bit fixed it.
This seems to be related to TI's PCM290x Eratta section 2.2 "Exceeding Max Packet Size", which says TI was planning a fix in a new hardware revision, circa 2008.
M-Audio is using some bargain-basement old-stock USB1.1 chips in these Audio interfaces.
As far as I can tell the most recent revision is the PCM2900E, which is the fixed version from March 2008 (still not recommended for new designs).
I got mine used for $37 so its not a big deal to somebody like me who is just trying to learn more about audio, but I think M-Audio is just clearing out old chips. Nobody should go into this purchase expecting long term software/driver support from the company, because there's a good chance the M-track Solo/Duo gets discontinued when they run out of old-stock ICs.
Also, I was unable to find a listing for an updated drop-in replacement with a better ADC/DAC, but maybe one exists from another company.
Update: I should have returned it, because the interface constantly resets itself to that unusable "32-bit default" setting. I've lost way too much work when I realized that the interface randomly decided to reset itself to broken settings between takes.
Really important thing to say! Thanks for this too!
best thing is just to uninstall the drivers, it works fine without it for everything but musician usecases
Once again, a very insightful test report, thank you! What do you use for your measurements of the interfaces?
Thanks this is very helpful. Considering M track duo with an AT2035 for my first XLR setup. Hopefully the product has improved a bit since this review but seems plenty good for my purposes which is home podcast spoken word and guitar instrumental recordings.
That 16-bit trick is really sneaky. Thanks for helping me not waste my money on this, I was seconds away from pulling the trigger on it.
Best home studio gear reviewer ever! Cheers mate!
very informative, thanx.
Julian, Nice work catching M-Audio’s misleading claims. Equipment tear-downs should be a basic feature of any good review. I always enjoy yours. And that German accent is FANTASTIC! CIao!
This guy even opens the equipment. You're the best bro
Great videos and reviews you do @Julian Krause congratulations, I have a question: 1.4 kilo ohms is still good for the mic output on the interface? is the microphone still heard well? and I would like to ask you if you could analyze the presonus 24c interface beforehand thanks.
Do you plan to review the Audient iD4 MkII?
Yes please
Very nice research you have made...
Joy frm Kolkata
Why would M audio advertise these interfaces as 24 bit if they are only using a 16 bit converter? that would be the only thing that keeps me from purchasing. I hope they see your video and offer an explanation. Thank you very much for your review.
You gave the exact reason! Many people would rather buy an interface with a 24-bit converter, which means that this interface would automatically be disqualified for many people. So how to circumvent that? By faking bit-depth. Essentially, by lying, misleading. They are very sneaky about that, though - on their page it says "The M-Track Solo incorporates pristine A/D converters for 24-bit resolution digital audio with explosive dynamic range that captures every nuance and subtlety of the performance." So, they don't say that A/D converters are 24-bit (which they are not), rather that "digital audio" (of the interface?) is 24-bit (which is technically true, if they are talking about digital audio that comes out of the interface). In the end - this kind of marketing practice should be against the law.
44.1k subscribers is lying, misleading. the real is 192k. keep calm
Why would you even consider this? its the worst performing i know of and its not even cheap.
I'm guessing they had proposed a model that used a 24bit chip but somehow production skipped that for supply reasons and the drivers and documents were left unchanged. Deliberate misleading can be legally expensive, so I think this was incompetence. Course it was still be expensive as all the buyers who expected 24bit ask for their money back.
16 bit has 96 dB of headroom. 120 dB for 24 bit and 150 for 32. If they're not using good preamps, having a larger dynamic range could introduce more noise into the signal. 16 bit converters can record at 24 bit though. What happens is you get a 16 bit integer with the extra 8 bits filled with zeros.
Been using one of these for a year or so, and think I'm probably ready for a bit of an upgrade.
It's definitely great for the price, but it took some getting used to. Had quite a bit of trouble trying to get the drivers to play nice, but once I got that sorted out I've been able to use it mostly fine ever since. No hardware issues to speak of, and I do like the stark design, but the flimsy plastics don't exactly inspire confidence in the long term. Still, if you need an interface and really can't afford to spend more than $50 or so, it does a really impressive job for the price.
Really happy I found your channel, as after checking a few of your videos I'll definitely be using these reviews to decide what I'll actually upgrade to. Thanks for all your hard work!
loving the graphs to compare interfaces
Finally! Thanks!
Thank you for this valuable review. I'd love to see you reviewing the new (released in december) Swissonic Audio 2 from Thomann. About the same price of the M track duo BUT 24 bit 192 khz and looks very sturdy.
just ordered one of them!
Cool ! I learn a lot in this channel ! What do you think about the mixer yamaha ag03? Want to upgrade but dont know if focusrite would be an upgrade...
Another great in-depth video. Thanks! But do I get it right - these interfaces can only record in 16 bit depth? No 24?
Which interface would you recommend for practicing/playing guitar with ampsims in the pricerange to about 80,- ?
Great Video, very good research, thanks a lot!
" Excellent Julian : I hope your doing Fantastically Well ! "
Thanks for pointing out that 16 bit spec...interesting.
Quality review.
Hi Julian, great content! Love your precision. I was wondering what would be your choice for one audio interface in the range of 500-900€ . I would like to record a few analogue synth plus voice, not required for live only studio work. I’ m trying to decide and gather as much information as possible but i can’t make up my mind, maybe you can help. Thanks in advance.
Very detailed review. Please do a zoom u22 review
For direct monitoring a microphone on a Behringer UMC202HD, I added a Y cable to my mic so that I can plug it into both sockets. That way I get the feed from both left and right. It's a compromise, but it works.
Will you be reviewing the mackie onyx series or the tascam hr series anytime soon? I'm in the market for a new 2x2 and your channel has really helped me narrow my options towards the best possible in my budget range.
As someone with no experience in audio interfaces who is looking for something to experiment with at a low budget I saw many reviews, and yours are hands down the best one. Objective and with data. Thank you.
Ps. What do you think of chinese mixer with interfaces like ammoon agm02?
Very well done and well documented. However, i am very surprised about the mentioned delay as i just recently got the solo and i have a tremendous delay which makes it impossible to play guitar or sing using either of the two input sockets, with the sound going to computer and then to a speaker. Maybe i am doing something wrong and must use the main out for the speaker but still why would there be such big delay to the computer speaker? Any ideas?
Thank you in advance
Hey Julian, audient just released the evo recording bundle, ik you reviewed the interface already but would love to know your thoughts on the microphone and headphones.
Thanks
Maybe a good idea to review the Arturia Audiofuse, all three models (rev2, 8pre and Studio) have comparable audio quality in inputs and outputs so a review of one of those units would be very efficient and helpful.
Thank you for another great review, I love watching these. As a complete amateur that is considering getting an audio interface for podcasting (I have been using an USB-mic for now), I have been very close to pulling the trigger on a Behringer UMC202 or UMC204. I've been hesitant because I keep reading that people have driver problems with the Behringer interfaces. From this vid it seems like the 202/204 has a decent driver? Could you say something about that? Thanks in advance.
Those don't have loopback if that matters to you. I'd recommend MOTU M4.
I have a Behringer UMC404HD on windows10 and have had no problems with the driver
Thank you!
Can you test what happens if you feed it signal where only the last 6 or 7 lest significant bits oft the 24Bit signal change?
With a real 24Bit DAC you should defiantly see the signal in the FFT even if its behind the noise floor.
Very nice, comprehensive review! While I got it regardless due to curiosity I do agree with your findings here that it's a shame for a budget audio interface to not improve much on previous ones from Behringer, and I would honestly follow what my former schoolmate recommended to get, the Focusrite Scarlett Solo.
To add, that change in line 1 from knob 9 to 10 where a millimeter of change is enough to raise volume of mic input very high is even more annoying in use than on the videos that review this interface. Not only that, but aside from being unable to change sample rate on the fly while programs like Audacity or OBS are running, there's a weird quirk where in Windows 10 sometimes the Sound properties settings for Line 1 input reverts to 2 ch 16 bits 44100Hz anyway after closing all programs that use the mic, even if M-Audio's own driver program shows 48000Hz, which causes recording in Audacity or OBS to change pitch to be lower and throwed me off for a bit until realizing what was going on. Third is with the latest drivers from M-Audio's site for the record.
Also, compared to just using my AT2005USB's built in USB connection for headphone monitoring, it seems that this interface, when I use the USB mode rather than direct monitoring causes both input mic and output headphones to have a warmer tone, more bass and lower mids. Using the direct monitoring meanwhile, aside from the expected lower volume for headphone output, also seems to have a tad less detail (and it's not just because of the higher bass and lower mids when using USB mode, I can't pinpoint exactly what is lost though).
Love your reviews! Would you consider looking at the Tascam US-2x2/1x2 interfaces? The specs look great on their website, but I only really trust your measurements now!
I'm currently working on a review of the US-2x2HR ;)
❤️
The more I learn, the more I'm unsure what to buy. Any plans on budget DAC reviews?
Amazing review Julian. This kind of reviews are absolutely priceless on RUclips; technical and straightforward. One question, can I monitor myself while recording using a condenser mic on Audition? Thanks
Thanks for your excellent reviews.
I am looking for an audio interface for recording only vocals into GarageBand on i-Pad via the Apple camera connection kit.
My microphone is a Shure SM58 and I use AKG 32 ohm headphones for monitoring.
I want accurate, strong and clean recordings with a loud, clear headphone output.
I am considering the M-Audio M-Track Solo or the M-AUDIO AIR 192|4 - do you consider these good options or would you recommend something else?
Thank you very much for your time and please keep up the good work.
Are you thinking of reviewing the Audient id14 mk2 and Focusrite 4i4 3rd gen?
Thanks for the channel. Very helpful.
So a couple of questions personally for the solo. Does the headphone output have the ability to monitor pc audio playback and your mic at the same time, if so how? Is there latency? Which do I put to listen to pc audio playback, direct or USB? Thanks!
It's fairly similar to the Miditech Audiolink III. 2 main differences I see are the preamps and the case. The Miditech uses NE5532s and has a metal case.
you saved me, thanks bro
Thanks for the great review. I have a question: when I turn on phantom power it will be provided to both the input interface? Is it possible to connect simultaneously a conderser mic and a guitar?
Yes, there won't be any phantom power present on the instrument I put. Only the XLR connection has phantom power applied.
Holly carp that is a comprehensive review, and doing chip level checking is very good - I dabble in electronics -.
I don't know if you do low end stuff, but the TU04 mixer is cheaper than the UM2 but has way way more features.
9:29 in you behringer review of um2 and umc22 you measured a diferent dinamic range, (85dba and 87.5dba respectively) but here they are shown with lower values, did you measured them again?
Hi Julian, i commonly hear that the instrument inputs for the Behringer interfaces are pretty muffled. For electric guitar, would you recommend the M-Track Duo or the UMC202HD? Thanks!
Helpful👍
Hi Julian! Here in the Philippines the price difference between the two is about only 15 dollars so I was wondering, would you say it would be worth it to go the extra 15 dollars and get the duo or just go with the Solo? I will mostly be using this just for Voice Work. Thanks! :)
Beginner question. I'm using a multiFX unit with ASIO4ALL drivers to play through VST amp in my DAW. But ASIO4ALL drivers lock audio to DAW only. If you want to play along with a song from RUclips, you simply can't.
Do the drivers for these interfaces allow audio to work from two programs at the same time? Thanks!
Thank you very much for your video!
I´m thinking about buying this interace, but there are 2 questions...perhaps you can help me out with them?
First: Is it possible to plug my mic (a SM58) to Line 2 with an XLR to jack cable, or can I only use XLR to XLR cable?
And second: Will this audio interface work with audacity?
I wish you a great day!
Hi. This may be a silly newbie question but wanted to check before purchasing. When recording via USB do the 2 channels record as seperate tracks? Can you add channels individually to something like OBS or does it just show up as 1 device? Thanks!
Would love to see your review of the new Black Lion Audio Revolution 2x2 ai. I'm leaning towards the MOTU M4 though for more IO and after watching your favorable review of that unit. Price is nice at $210 for 4x4 too. Also considering the M-Audio Air 192 14, which seems like great value for 8x4 unit (~$250 used/refurbished; no loopback though).
Thanks a lot
Slate audio came out with their audio interfaces a couple years ago (I think) and they promised the highest quality interface you can get for a relatively high (but not super high end) price. I think you should definitely request a sample and put it through your tests! I am very curious to see what happens there! If a $1500 interface is as good or better than a $3000 interface, that's a lot of money that we consumers can save!