Hello Ola ! Thank you for your work and videos ! Please tell or try to recreate a similar this sound: "Lee Malia - Bring Me The Horizon pedal overview with Boss" (1:58) You will understand what I mean when you hear. I can't paste the link, my messages are then blocked It didn't work for me.... (I used all the equipment from that video and many others over the years) 😔 You, too, have never had anything like this on your channel in terms of the nature and structure of the sound, like many other blogger musicians. If you can get at least 70-80% closer to such a sound, I will be very grateful to you and you will help me (perhaps us) a lot. (sorry for my bad English)
Hi there, The reason why a Volt interface do not "unlock" your UAD plugins is because the Volt do not have the processing chips that the Apollo comes with to run the UAD Plugins. So it's not going to happen unless Universal Audio release a "standard" version of their plugins that runs on your computer and not directly on their hardware. Which is not likely to happen as they have done that to reduce latency as much as possible and maybe also to keep their customers buying their stuff over other brands so they don't have to buy another library of plugins if they leave UAD. I think they make some of the best interfaces and plugins but they also kind of want to "trap" you in their eco-system.
No it doesn't.... Preamps exist for a reason, the lower your gain the higher your noise (when leveled again). You always want to set your gain as high as possible in relation to the source. If that wasn't the case then preamps would be totally useless ;)
I got the 2 input volt interface three weeks ago and I love it, the plug-ins you get with it are great, especially the Marshall Plexi. You should have tried it in the video
This reminded me of a old style ola gear video but now ola is super comfortable infront of the camera. This was super helpful just for interface 's in general. Love this shit 🤘🖤
Hi Ola, great review. I see one other use for the 48Volts phantom power, which comes in handy. I bought a Radial J48 box, that allows sending the DI signal in parallel to my tube amp and the audio interface or allow ground lifting. The DI Box is connected via XLR and phantom powered. So it's a good thing to have it.
@@StevenPhillips so Im having trouble trying to get set up and ready to play uads and plugins , do you have any contact information that I could reach out to you with ?
Heyy man!what a great tutorial. I see u havent replied to anyone but i hope u see it. I am really glad i watched this review of urs as i am wanting to buy this interface. U cleared all my doubts when others left few topics like latency. I am keyboard player yet this video helped in everything. Thank you!great work!👍🏻
I feel like it's up to the laptop/desktop manufacturer to include all necessary I/O to enable most modern devices. The interface manufacturer can send as many cables as they want, and Apple will continue to remove I/O from their laptops and desktops so that they can market unnecessary dongles and adapters to their customers.
The Volt is also very much a value-oriented piece of gear, and it's primary targeted at people looking to get their first interface or who are maybe relatively new to recording in general. USB type-A is still way more ubiquitous than type-C, and with UAD trying to minimize costs where they can to reach their target price, it just doesn't make sense for them to include more than one cable, or only include the one that's less likely to be used by most their target consumer. And honestly most people who are in a USB-C dominate ecosystem still keep an adapter or hub around for type-A needs.
I’m using nearly an identical rig here, for my traveling setup (travel for work). Strandberg 7 with Fishman Moderns -> Volt 1 -> brand new 16” MacBook Pro -> Logic Pro -> Neural DSP SLO. Aside from the huge disappointment of not being able to use my UAD plugins, I can’t seem to get a decent tone out of any Neural plug-in with the Volt. I’ve tried tons of googling and adjustments without any luck. I’ll be returning the Volt next week and have already ordered an Audient mkII interface, which are supposed to have top notch JFET hi Z inputs for instruments. The default input of the Audient is -10dB, while the Apollos (not sure about the Volt) are +10 on the Hi Z (not pad-able). So a 20dB difference. I have a hunch this could be the issue with the active pickups. Hoping it does the trick so I can just go back to jamming and recording without it sounding like a fizzy mess. If you have any advice for a rig like this I’m all ears, thanks Ola.
@@JackManDemand it was pretty good, but after a few more interfaces I settled on an Apollo Mk 2 Quad. I like their integrated software (console) more than the Audient, and I also already had a number of plug ins. I’m happy for now.
@@666meatballs they are definitely too hot for most recording interfaces, without some kind of pad. One thing that didn't help was that mine was a 7 string, so the extra low end makes the signal even hotter. I ended up moving away from active pickups and it's been fine with my UAD Arrow (same as Solo, which does have input pads if you need them).
Hi Ola, thanks for the review 🤘 Could you please do a nerdy review like you did in the past comparing the noise level and frequency response of that thing compared to your more expensive interfaces?
I have the Volt 2 and was surprised by how good the headphone amp is in it. Compared to Focusrite and some other, cheaper ones, it's definitely a step up. I think it's the same one as in the arrow but I may be wrong.
Hi, does it work well with humbuckers? My Steinberg ur22c is clipping when I play my Seymour Duncan JB equipped guitar, directly to an instrument input of the interface, even while an input knob is set to 0.
@@rassimkr9441 Good suggestion but that's not an option since I've got it optimal so it sounds good with my real amp. I've had already tried Volt 2, it's a bit better than UR22C but still sometimes clips when chugging palm mutes. Then I got Motu M2 and it's finally ok. I think the relevant parameter here is "maximum input level" which is +9 dBu (Steinberg)/ +12,5 dBu (Volt)/ +16 dBu (Motu).
I had this, sold it to get the Volt 176....gotta be honest, I couldn't tell the difference having the built-in compression. But, the unit is easy-to-use. Like.....SUPER easy-to-use .
Been thinking about buying one of these and doing some research. The reason you can't use the uad apollo plugins on this is that it doesn't have the dsp chip in it that the apollo plugins do. The apllo doesn't just "unlock" the hardware specific plugins, they actually run on it. However, there are "Native" versions of the plugins that you can buy now and run on the cpu itself with this interface, or even without any UAD hardware at all.
@@OlaEnglund I just bought Motu M4 because of it's features and and really low latency. How do I know if the input/preamp is clean enough or comparable with the unit you have tested right here?
@@OlaEnglundFAQ: I'm curious how to reamp with an interface with only a left and right stereo output. I always assumed I couldn't do it with Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 because of this. Master Ola, please give us your knowledge.
This range is cheaper than their other interfaces because they don’t have the onboard chips to run the UA plugins. They are targeting a different market with these. They are now offering plugins that don’t need the hardware processors if you wanted to access their plugins with this cheaper line or any non-UA interface for that matter.
He isn't talking about having the interface run the plugins, running the plugins in your DAW requires the UAD hardware but this hardware won't work to allow your use of the plugins you have already purchased and are offloading from the hardware already.
Cool demonstration of this AI, although I don’t play the guitar. I purchased it today and it costs me € 115.-. Much cheaper than a year before. Thank you for your review.
Looking at one of these to go with....my new TREMOVERB! I am equally excited and terrified for this amp to arrive. Mesas are notoriously difficult to work on, but man....that tone you got 3 years ago I've never been able to shake. Brutal as fuck! Had to find one....Pray with me metal community.
I don't know if you realize this but most guitar players plug a mic into the interface and then put the microphone in front of a speaker cabinet lol it would have been great to hear you include that in the demo as opposed to only focusing on di which I've never actually seen anyone ever do to be honest lol
The UAD plug-ins currently can't work with the volt, it's not just a hardware licensing barrier. As you mentioned early on in the video, the UAD interfaces all include DSP hardware, which is what the plug-ins are written for. It looks like they're beginning to roll the plug-ins out to run natively (i.e. without hardware) on a subscription plan, so it hopefully won't be long until you can, but subscriptions are pants! Running the plug-ins on DSP hardware has it's benefits - primarily the ability to use them during tracking with low latency within the UA Console application. It's UA's main selling point, so I can understand why they have held off porting them to run natively until now. Also, UA don't include Thunderbolt cables with their Apollos, it's really irritating!
Very nice video, and one possible correction? Volt does not include their DSP hardware as it's intended to work with UAD Spark. UA is converting all of their plugins into a native format that will run off of your computer (no more UAD hardware needed). It's a subscription based model, but I believe any plugins that you've already purchased will be yours without needing the subscription. Exciting times in UA land! :D
I have had so many interface/DAW combos over the years that I can't list them all. I was using the Focusrite Scarlett Solo into the Reaper DAW. It's a very solid budget rig. The Solo was $100 and the Reaper is like $60. But then I made the switch to the Helix board and that is my current interface. It is like Reaper was MADE for the Helix they work so well together. But for a budget rig the Focusrite Scarlett Solo is hard to beat
@@alecse5478 Doesn't the Beringer interface have like the worst preamp dynamic range out of everything Julian's tested? And i believe it's also capped at 16-bit. Idk, I feel like the Scarlett Solo is already such an excellent value (even cheaper if you get it used) that the Beringer becomes a pretty poor value proposition.
@@ahriik I dunno which Behringer model u are talking about? Maybe the very cheapest ones, which are indeed 16bit and might be dynamically limited somehow. I have the UMC202HD, which is 24bit and 192kHz and it cost only 66 euros! And it has TWO inputs!! Easily the best bang for the buck! And I remember Julian Krause test this one having super low noise at least.
@@MaximusAdonicus I was referring to the UM2, which is usually the one people are referring to because it's so darn cheap. The more expensive models are much more in line with entry-level interfaces from competing brands (it's worth noting that the HD models are different than the non-HD ones with the same model number - can be confusing to some). I've no doubt that pretty much anything above the UM2 is probably great, but I do think the value proposition starts to lose a bit of weight unless all you need is literally just inputs/preamps, and even then at $80-90 it doesn't feel like much of a bargain. The other options that typically have DSP implementation and often other niceties can definitely make for an interface that continues to offer worth even after the user has "outgrown" it.
For context the round trip on an X32 digital console from remote AES50 stage box through the consoles and back out into analogue is 8ms ( 2.74 m of distance). More or less you are in un-notable territory. When it comes to the in-room phase alignment of the source & playback at that soft of offset you re no where near nulling territory.
Ola, you should look into the Audient id4 MKII interface. I have it and it is excellent. Really clean sounding preamps, JFET instrument input, and a really powerful headphone amp. I got it for 85 GBP without VAT
Gotta be able to use USB-C on your computer to get all you can out of the headphone amp. My old ASRock B350 board cannot do audio over USB-C for whatever reason.
@@soundstorm9508 I have an ID44 and have no complaints about the hi-z input. Would definitely use something better if I ever planned on re-amping, though.
@@amirtak9886 that's the one. I also bought a Countryman 85 DI just to compare. Many people rave about using those into the preamp for amp sims like Neural.
I have recently switched over from an apollo solo to a volt 476 and its perfect with the captor x to track stereo and DI for reamping. This video inspired me to give the volt 476 a shot since I was looking at going for the apollo x4 for this use case. The volt 476 records about the same as the apollo solo via the inputs 3 and 4 at the back and it tracks the DI about the same as well via the Hi-Z input at the front of the volt. I cant hear a difference in the reamped signal from the Hi-Z inputs on both devices. The one negative about the volt is the headphone reamp isn't as good as the apollo, but its not exactly a deal breaker since the volt is like 15% of the price of an apollo x4. I am not using the 76 compressor nor the vintage modes, but they may be useful for vocals or some other applications. The reamped signal is awesome via a reamp box and its a total game changer for recording and tracking guitar. Thanks for this video as it was what inspired me to give the volt 476 a try!
That's a review I was looking for. I have Volt and I wanted to upgrade to Solo if it's any better but you made me change my mind. Now I wonder if there's any difference between Volt 1 and Volt 476 soundwise.
I love the honesty of your reviews!. I also think it's stupid not allowing using the UAD plugins. If I wanted to buy an interface, the fact that I can't use the UAD plugins with this would discard this interface inmediately. They lose two times... they don't sell me an interface and they don't sell any plugin they could have sold me.
This interface seems to be really cool, but for a budget interface for guitarist, I would go with my last acquisition, the Audient Sono, it features two inputs (with expansion up to 10 with ADAT), it has a reamp output (pretty cool) and has a tube preamp on the channel 1, Torpedo Cab and a built-in guitar preamp. I just got one a few months ago and it is awesome!
Besides audio interface, input latency really depends on CPU performance. I checked it myself by upgrading my Windows rig from old Intel i5 2500 to modern AMD Ryzen. I use Focusrite 1st gen 2i4. So with the latest Mac Pro input latency shouldn't be a big problem.
Yet somehow I get less input latency on a 2012 macmini i7 than i do with a 2021 ryzen5 Windows machine. Maybe it's a USB driver issue or something. I love windows but mac's are just better for recording.
@@Jeffero28 Depends on what type of drivers you are using in windows. You want to use ASIO as it replaces the slow parts of the built in Windows sound system.
Well they could i include both usb c to usb a and usb c to usb c, but since they included only one of them, its clear to me why they chose c to a. Its a simple interface, so most people will probably use it for home recording, and most people dont have macbooks (if you are not a professional, why would you throw your money away for it) but normal pc, and most of them have ordinary usb a.
Ola, I just saw a video where you said you like the SLL2 for travelling. Do you think the Volt series are better for guitarist? Finally did you substitute the SLL2 interface for this Volt? I would really appreciate to know what are your thoughts. I remember the noise test you made for the SLL2 and was awful. Hopefully you had made a noise test on this one. Thanks a lot man. Saludos!!!
1:30 I don't think that's a weird or "backwards" decision. Most computers still have the regular USB connection. I'd be bummed if there had been only a USB-C to USB-C cable included.
Hey Ola! I was surprised to hear that you record your guitar with the input gain at zero on your interface. I always heard that it was recommended to record with the highest possible volume before clipping. Can you tell me more? Thanks
That’s sort of what the 2 series is, but they are on the higher end of “budget”, maybe a 3 series is needed then? 🤔 Not sure how much further he could cut the price from the 2 series, they’re already very good value for the money, and Solar is still a decently small company
The new UAD Spark subscription lets you run their VSTs natively, without UAD hardware DSP. Although you can get many of the same plugins from the companies that did the programming for UAD (SPL and Brainworx) that have been running native forever. I think hardware DSP is an anachronism that is finally going away; it doesn't make sense anymore in the era of many-core consumer/workstation CPUs.
I feel like UAD once again misses the mark with these units once you go up the range. They just end up having a lot less I/O compared to say Focusrite in the same price range and to me the built in compressor and whatnot don't make up for that. I feel their more pricy interfaces have the exact same issue where things like non-optical SPDIF is just missing and the amount of analog inputs/outputs is quite low compared to other brands. Software support is also not UAD's strong suit.
How does this compare to the Scarlett, a Behringer or a Focusrite? Sorry if I'm too vague or I've spelled those wrong, I have no knowledge in audio interfaces. But one day, you know, I'd like to try one out and mess around with IRs.
My Focusrite Scarlett doesn't have the USB C to USB C either. Had to buy a switch with the appropriate adapters built into it. Definitely a "behind the times" feature.
Bought this unit over 4 months ago, still haven't been able to figure it out, now I know why, the so called free plug ins you get with this unit don't work, I thought I was doing something wrong, now I find out I wasn't, the plug ins themselves don't work! Way to go UA! Thanks for nothing, I want my money back! Thanks Ola!
Hello Ola! Awesome review. Im building a home studio and I need to buy a AI and came across the Universal Ausio Volt 1. I want to be able to plug in a guitar and a microphone and use Neural DSP plugins and record some stuff on Cakewalk. Is Volt1 the interface that covers all these?
hey! i'm to new to audio interfaces and such, but could i ask why your plugins won't work with the volt 1? is there something i need to check beforehand? i'm thinking of getting bias fx 2 and was wondering what interface i should get. all recommendations would be appreciated. thank you!
Have you tried Audient ID Ola? Because the preamps are not bad on the UAD, but not great either. I had compared it with the Audient ID and so I preferred the Audient to the UAD!
The Volt series don't have Sharc DSP processors in them for running the UAD plug-ins on, but now that UAD have released their Spark native solution you could still use UAD plug-ins. It would just be running on your PC/Mac processor instead of the interface/UAD Satellite processor. It's such a shame that they added noise to the "Vintage" setting instead of just the saturation. Noise is what everyone wanted to avoid back when everything was analog so I don't see the point of emulating the main drawback of working with analog gear.
Although you can't use your bought plugins the new SPARK system allows many plugins for a monthly fee useable with VST AU and DAW so moldy true but able to use some for a 15$ fee I think
Pretty sure the plug-ins are designed with the shark (sharc?) chipset that UA designed and they don’t put them in the budget interfaces so you can’t use the plugins on them but i could be wrong.
Compared to the Behringer UMC22, is this one a big jump in quality? I mainly want to reduce noise. The UMC22 is ok but it gets noisy with gain from plugins.
Ola, I hope you''ll READ THIS! I found a way to instanly switch sounds, made from different plugins! In Cubase you can setup any midi-controller with buttons (midi-footswitch for example) to trigger actions you want. For example I put footswich #1 to "Select" specific track: rithm guitar for example, footswich #2 to "Select" track with Clean tone signal chain, etc. Monitoring button engages autimatically, because I set it in preferences ("Devices"=>"Auto-monitoring" => instead of "manual" i choosed "while record enabled").
IM A NOOB, I NEED HELP W/ YOUR REC: 1) I have a guitar, I want to plug it into my pc through an audio interface 2) I want to use my pc as my amp 3) I want to be able to use/download lots of different effects as to not spend on pedals (for now) 4) I want to use it to record/ make my own tracks and play to them (less important than 2) ) 5) I'm cheap What would you recommend?
Hey Ola!! My kid wants to start recording using his computer and I have no idea where to start. Would this be good for him to get up and running? Also a recommendation on what plug ins and other software I should get him. Thanks dood!! \m/
This would do the job more then fine, you could even go with a cheaper brand like focisrite. For software I would suggest using Reaper to record, it's very cheap, easy on the processor and it comes with lots of stock plugins for free.
Apogee Jam+ (if you don't need a condenser mic input with phantom power) and any NeuralDSP plug-in of your choice. As DAW, you can start with Reaper for example. The Jam can be used with any IOS device as well.
I use a focusrite scarlett solo which works great and you can use reaper as a DAW, the free trial (with all features) never expires and if you decide to buy it it's not very expensive. As for the plugins you can't go wrong with any of the Neural DSP stuff, they're a bit expensive but very very good
I couldn't find any information on what is inside. What DAC, components... I assume it uses the same Cirrus Logic DAC as the Behringer UMC 202HD which costs half the price of UAD VOLT1
Thanks for the review! Just wondering about the UAD plugins. I don't know this for sure as I don't have any of their stuff but I thought I remember hearing that they are only designed to run on the DSP of the higher model interfaces. If that is the case, that would explain why you can't use them with the Volt as there is no DSP. Could be wrong, though.
There’s no good reason other than to trap people into buying their DSP based interfaces. The M1 chip in Ola’s MacBook Air is many many times more powerful than the outdated SHARC processors in the Apollo units.
Hello Ola. Quick question concerning this very product ( amateurish I know): will it work all right with Bias FX2 and what type of cable do I plug it in to my Gibson Les Paul? Thanks for reply - I’ll appreciate it
Have a great Thursday everyone! I’m off work today!
I LOVE THIS DUDE !
Enjoy your day off
Hey! Do you use a Hi-Z option when recording guitarswith a UAI or without?
Hello Ola ! Thank you for your work and videos !
Please tell or try to recreate a similar this sound: "Lee Malia - Bring Me The Horizon pedal overview with Boss" (1:58) You will understand what I mean when you hear.
I can't paste the link, my messages are then blocked
It didn't work for me.... (I used all the equipment from that video and many others over the years) 😔
You, too, have never had anything like this on your channel in terms of the nature and structure of the sound, like many other blogger musicians. If you can get at least 70-80% closer to such a sound, I will be very grateful to you and you will help me (perhaps us) a lot.
(sorry for my bad English)
Ola please show us your new ESP RIPPED! We are hyped for it
I know the video is older, hut i just bought this and found the info in your video really helpful. Cant wait for the next SWOLA. 🤘
Thanks a lot Ola for taking the time to do this review. I've been looking forward to it a lot.
Hi there,
The reason why a Volt interface do not "unlock" your UAD plugins is because the Volt do not have the processing chips that the Apollo comes with to run the UAD Plugins. So it's not going to happen unless Universal Audio release a "standard" version of their plugins that runs on your computer and not directly on their hardware.
Which is not likely to happen as they have done that to reduce latency as much as possible and maybe also to keep their customers buying their stuff over other brands so they don't have to buy another library of plugins if they leave UAD.
I think they make some of the best interfaces and plugins but they also kind of want to "trap" you in their eco-system.
UAD now has the spark - like you can have something like a mothly cloud payment and can use the plugins even without any UAD hardware... or the Volt.
@@gradientblue Ha ok I did not know that :) thanks for the info.
I don’t mind being trapped in an ecosystem that sounds better than any other software I’ve used
@@gradientblue I just checked out spark, it looks promising but is still far far away from original UAD plugin collection.
Just get neuraldsp plugins
How the hell did I never think of recording with gain at 0? This really cleans up my DI signal.
No it doesn't.... Preamps exist for a reason, the lower your gain the higher your noise (when leveled again).
You always want to set your gain as high as possible in relation to the source.
If that wasn't the case then preamps would be totally useless ;)
@@wertj3977 well it’s working for me lmao gain at 0 on the instrument setting of my input. Never sounded better.
@@wertj3977 WRONG LMAO. wtf is this misinformation
I recently bought this and I love it. It's better than a scarlett by a mile and I loved my old focusrite.
Hey I'm looking for some help on setting up my volt 176 , would you be willing to help me on this? -Thank you
@@ThmsGlnn hi Friends, which is better between Volt 1 and Arturia Minifuse 1?...
I got the 2 input volt interface three weeks ago and I love it, the plug-ins you get with it are great, especially the Marshall Plexi. You should have tried it in the video
Such a good honest review! This is why you have so many followers Thanks man for all you do!
I love the way this interface looks. Super snazzy!
Looks more like cheap junk to me..
@@ShadovvV It looks better then my behringer um2
This reminded me of a old style ola gear video but now ola is super comfortable infront of the camera. This was super helpful just for interface 's in general. Love this shit 🤘🖤
For the same reason I've sold all of my UA plug-ins and interfaces... Bought Apogee Jam+, it is just awesome :D
Hi Ola, great review. I see one other use for the 48Volts phantom power, which comes in handy. I bought a Radial J48 box, that allows sending the DI signal in parallel to my tube amp and the audio interface or allow ground lifting. The DI Box is connected via XLR and phantom powered. So it's a good thing to have it.
Been using my Volt 2 for quite some time now. Love the simplicity and I have zero complaints.
Hey I'm looking for some help on setting up my volt 176 , would you be willing to help me setup?
@@Jordan-tl9mf what are you having trouble with?
@@StevenPhillips so Im having trouble trying to get set up and ready to play uads and plugins , do you have any contact information that I could reach out to you with ?
Im done with interfaces and subscription based everything. I will own everything and be happy.
Heyy man!what a great tutorial. I see u havent replied to anyone but i hope u see it. I am really glad i watched this review of urs as i am wanting to buy this interface. U cleared all my doubts when others left few topics like latency. I am keyboard player yet this video helped in everything. Thank you!great work!👍🏻
I feel like it's up to the laptop/desktop manufacturer to include all necessary I/O to enable most modern devices. The interface manufacturer can send as many cables as they want, and Apple will continue to remove I/O from their laptops and desktops so that they can market unnecessary dongles and adapters to their customers.
The Volt is also very much a value-oriented piece of gear, and it's primary targeted at people looking to get their first interface or who are maybe relatively new to recording in general. USB type-A is still way more ubiquitous than type-C, and with UAD trying to minimize costs where they can to reach their target price, it just doesn't make sense for them to include more than one cable, or only include the one that's less likely to be used by most their target consumer. And honestly most people who are in a USB-C dominate ecosystem still keep an adapter or hub around for type-A needs.
I recently got the volt 2 interface as my first and I love it.
Great Video Ola 👍🏻👍🏻
Greetings from Australia 🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺
I’m using nearly an identical rig here, for my traveling setup (travel for work). Strandberg 7 with Fishman Moderns -> Volt 1 -> brand new 16” MacBook Pro -> Logic Pro -> Neural DSP SLO.
Aside from the huge disappointment of not being able to use my UAD plugins, I can’t seem to get a decent tone out of any Neural plug-in with the Volt. I’ve tried tons of googling and adjustments without any luck. I’ll be returning the Volt next week and have already ordered an Audient mkII interface, which are supposed to have top notch JFET hi Z inputs for instruments. The default input of the Audient is -10dB, while the Apollos (not sure about the Volt) are +10 on the Hi Z (not pad-able). So a 20dB difference. I have a hunch this could be the issue with the active pickups. Hoping it does the trick so I can just go back to jamming and recording without it sounding like a fizzy mess. If you have any advice for a rig like this I’m all ears, thanks Ola.
How's the Audient mkII interface? Have you been able to test it by now?
@@JackManDemand it was pretty good, but after a few more interfaces I settled on an Apollo Mk 2 Quad. I like their integrated software (console) more than the Audient, and I also already had a number of plug ins. I’m happy for now.
Im about to buy my first audio interface and have fishman moderns are u saying they dont run well with this interface?
@@666meatballs they are definitely too hot for most recording interfaces, without some kind of pad. One thing that didn't help was that mine was a 7 string, so the extra low end makes the signal even hotter. I ended up moving away from active pickups and it's been fine with my UAD Arrow (same as Solo, which does have input pads if you need them).
Hi Ola, thanks for the review 🤘 Could you please do a nerdy review like you did in the past comparing the noise level and frequency response of that thing compared to your more expensive interfaces?
I have the Volt 2 and was surprised by how good the headphone amp is in it. Compared to Focusrite and some other, cheaper ones, it's definitely a step up. I think it's the same one as in the arrow but I may be wrong.
Hi, does it work well with humbuckers? My Steinberg ur22c is clipping when I play my Seymour Duncan JB equipped guitar, directly to an instrument input of the interface, even while an input knob is set to 0.
@@majkon93 Try lowering pick-ups from i mean make them far a little bit from the strings
@@rassimkr9441 Good suggestion but that's not an option since I've got it optimal so it sounds good with my real amp. I've had already tried Volt 2, it's a bit better than UR22C but still sometimes clips when chugging palm mutes. Then I got Motu M2 and it's finally ok. I think the relevant parameter here is "maximum input level" which is +9 dBu (Steinberg)/ +12,5 dBu (Volt)/ +16 dBu (Motu).
Hey I'm looking for some help on setting up my volt 176 , would you be willing to help me on this? -Thank you
Just got one of these... I really like it alot thanks for the review!
I had this, sold it to get the Volt 176....gotta be honest, I couldn't tell the difference having the built-in compression.
But, the unit is easy-to-use. Like.....SUPER easy-to-use .
Been thinking about buying one of these and doing some research. The reason you can't use the uad apollo plugins on this is that it doesn't have the dsp chip in it that the apollo plugins do. The apllo doesn't just "unlock" the hardware specific plugins, they actually run on it. However, there are "Native" versions of the plugins that you can buy now and run on the cpu itself with this interface, or even without any UAD hardware at all.
Great video! Enjoy your time off Ola. You deserve it!
Great review, my friend. Spot on.
Thank you for the Demo!!
It really helped me.
Good information thanks Ola! I've been wanting an Arrow for a long time I like the sleek design.
I might be wrong but how could you tell how clean the preamp is with the noisegate turned on?
I’ve played it for a week and tried reamping with it. It’s usually when you reamp that you hear how much noise it has
@@OlaEnglund I just bought Motu M4 because of it's features and and really low latency. How do I know if the input/preamp is clean enough or comparable with the unit you have tested right here?
would you say imcould use it to direct Monitor a Captor x?
@@OlaEnglundFAQ: I'm curious how to reamp with an interface with only a left and right stereo output. I always assumed I couldn't do it with Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 because of this. Master Ola, please give us your knowledge.
@@OlaEnglund allright Ola proofed 😉 -/,,/
This range is cheaper than their other interfaces because they don’t have the onboard chips to run the UA plugins. They are targeting a different market with these. They are now offering plugins that don’t need the hardware processors if you wanted to access their plugins with this cheaper line or any non-UA interface for that matter.
He isn't talking about having the interface run the plugins, running the plugins in your DAW requires the UAD hardware but this hardware won't work to allow your use of the plugins you have already purchased and are offloading from the hardware already.
I see. Still it’s a product line differentiation.
A good, honest review.
Cool demonstration of this AI, although I don’t play the guitar. I purchased it today and it costs me € 115.-. Much cheaper than a year before. Thank you for your review.
How did you know Ola I am in need of an audio interface. He is all knowing! :D Just playing will def watch soon! :) Tanx
🖤
so true about less pedals or gear in the signal chain less chance of running into noise problems..
I would record di clean, and use the vintage button on the mic for the reamp >:) might get something cool with that!
I think the cable situation is if your buying the cheapest di box you probably dont have a top tier laptop pc imo..
Good point!
I have the Volt 476.. I've been using it for my synthwave project, so I mainly record electronic sounds. Super happy with it!
Looking at one of these to go with....my new TREMOVERB! I am equally excited and terrified for this amp to arrive. Mesas are notoriously difficult to work on, but man....that tone you got 3 years ago I've never been able to shake. Brutal as fuck! Had to find one....Pray with me metal community.
I don't know if you realize this but most guitar players plug a mic into the interface and then put the microphone in front of a speaker cabinet lol it would have been great to hear you include that in the demo as opposed to only focusing on di which I've never actually seen anyone ever do to be honest lol
I ended up getting a Volt 2 based on this review.
The UAD plug-ins currently can't work with the volt, it's not just a hardware licensing barrier. As you mentioned early on in the video, the UAD interfaces all include DSP hardware, which is what the plug-ins are written for. It looks like they're beginning to roll the plug-ins out to run natively (i.e. without hardware) on a subscription plan, so it hopefully won't be long until you can, but subscriptions are pants!
Running the plug-ins on DSP hardware has it's benefits - primarily the ability to use them during tracking with low latency within the UA Console application. It's UA's main selling point, so I can understand why they have held off porting them to run natively until now.
Also, UA don't include Thunderbolt cables with their Apollos, it's really irritating!
Very nice video, and one possible correction? Volt does not include their DSP hardware as it's intended to work with UAD Spark. UA is converting all of their plugins into a native format that will run off of your computer (no more UAD hardware needed). It's a subscription based model, but I believe any plugins that you've already purchased will be yours without needing the subscription. Exciting times in UA land! :D
I have had so many interface/DAW combos over the years that I can't list them all. I was using the Focusrite Scarlett Solo into the Reaper DAW. It's a very solid budget rig. The Solo was $100 and the Reaper is like $60. But then I made the switch to the Helix board and that is my current interface. It is like Reaper was MADE for the Helix they work so well together. But for a budget rig the Focusrite Scarlett Solo is hard to beat
I'm currently running a Focusrite Scarlett 2.2 and Reaper
Scarlet solo, stl amp hub and cakewalk works great for my needs
@@alecse5478 Doesn't the Beringer interface have like the worst preamp dynamic range out of everything Julian's tested? And i believe it's also capped at 16-bit.
Idk, I feel like the Scarlett Solo is already such an excellent value (even cheaper if you get it used) that the Beringer becomes a pretty poor value proposition.
@@ahriik I dunno which Behringer model u are talking about? Maybe the very cheapest ones, which are indeed 16bit and might be dynamically limited somehow. I have the UMC202HD, which is 24bit and 192kHz and it cost only 66 euros! And it has TWO inputs!! Easily the best bang for the buck! And I remember Julian Krause test this one having super low noise at least.
@@MaximusAdonicus I was referring to the UM2, which is usually the one people are referring to because it's so darn cheap. The more expensive models are much more in line with entry-level interfaces from competing brands (it's worth noting that the HD models are different than the non-HD ones with the same model number - can be confusing to some). I've no doubt that pretty much anything above the UM2 is probably great, but I do think the value proposition starts to lose a bit of weight unless all you need is literally just inputs/preamps, and even then at $80-90 it doesn't feel like much of a bargain. The other options that typically have DSP implementation and often other niceties can definitely make for an interface that continues to offer worth even after the user has "outgrown" it.
For context the round trip on an X32 digital console from remote AES50 stage box through the consoles and back out into analogue is 8ms ( 2.74 m of distance). More or less you are in un-notable territory. When it comes to the in-room phase alignment of the source & playback at that soft of offset you re no where near nulling territory.
I would love it if you could do a comparison video of the different AUD preamps.
O modo Vintage começa a aparecer mesmo, quando se dá ganho na entrada, e meio que "perto do fim!" Aí sim os harmônicos lindos começam a vim! 😍
To cogitando comprar pra mim. Na parte de processamento, tu sentiu alguma diferença?
To na dívida entra ela ou a Presonus 24c.
@@002naggib Rapaz... vc tem q ir pelos recursos.. se em termos de recursos, as duas lhe atenderem, eu iria de Volt... é Universal Audio, né pai?!
Great Vid as always Man 👍🏻🙂
My uac-8 usb3.0 interface still works fine for me. When I do upgrade it'll have to have similar features and a thunderbolt 3 connection.
Ola just so you know if you have UAD plug-ins you can get a free Spark version which does not require UAD hardware and uses Your Macs DSP.
Ola, you should look into the Audient id4 MKII interface. I have it and it is excellent. Really clean sounding preamps, JFET instrument input, and a really powerful headphone amp. I got it for 85 GBP without VAT
Gotta be able to use USB-C on your computer to get all you can out of the headphone amp. My old ASRock B350 board cannot do audio over USB-C for whatever reason.
I just ordered the Audient id14 to replace the same interface Ola’s using here. Very high hopes for that JFET instrument input here.
@@soundstorm9508 I have an ID44 and have no complaints about the hi-z input. Would definitely use something better if I ever planned on re-amping, though.
@@soundstorm9508 I'm not sure about the mki, but if it is the mkII than you will love it.
@@amirtak9886 that's the one. I also bought a Countryman 85 DI just to compare. Many people rave about using those into the preamp for amp sims like Neural.
I've been trying to get into this. And I know her and get my stuff to work
I just bought this interface, I am so old school, hopefully I can figure it out, but I have Windows and not a Mac!
Thanks for the video. I’m trying to find a good Audio interface to hook up my guitar. With best quality!
Apparently the VOLT 2 is better than this one.
I have recently switched over from an apollo solo to a volt 476 and its perfect with the captor x to track stereo and DI for reamping. This video inspired me to give the volt 476 a shot since I was looking at going for the apollo x4 for this use case. The volt 476 records about the same as the apollo solo via the inputs 3 and 4 at the back and it tracks the DI about the same as well via the Hi-Z input at the front of the volt. I cant hear a difference in the reamped signal from the Hi-Z inputs on both devices.
The one negative about the volt is the headphone reamp isn't as good as the apollo, but its not exactly a deal breaker since the volt is like 15% of the price of an apollo x4. I am not using the 76 compressor nor the vintage modes, but they may be useful for vocals or some other applications. The reamped signal is awesome via a reamp box and its a total game changer for recording and tracking guitar.
Thanks for this video as it was what inspired me to give the volt 476 a try!
That's a review I was looking for. I have Volt and I wanted to upgrade to Solo if it's any better but you made me change my mind. Now I wonder if there's any difference between Volt 1 and Volt 476 soundwise.
I love the honesty of your reviews!. I also think it's stupid not allowing using the UAD plugins. If I wanted to buy an interface, the fact that I can't use the UAD plugins with this would discard this interface inmediately. They lose two times... they don't sell me an interface and they don't sell any plugin they could have sold me.
Good 👍🏻 Have a good one Ola 😈
This interface seems to be really cool, but for a budget interface for guitarist, I would go with my last acquisition, the Audient Sono, it features two inputs (with expansion up to 10 with ADAT), it has a reamp output (pretty cool) and has a tube preamp on the channel 1, Torpedo Cab and a built-in guitar preamp. I just got one a few months ago and it is awesome!
Uhh, that's double the price of the Volt though, so not budget at all. Not to mention Behringers exist, for sub-100 usd.
@@SamFisher338 Oh, my bad, in Brazil the price is basically the same price, tho! hahaha
Besides audio interface, input latency really depends on CPU performance. I checked it myself by upgrading my Windows rig from old Intel i5 2500 to modern AMD Ryzen. I use Focusrite 1st gen 2i4. So with the latest Mac Pro input latency shouldn't be a big problem.
Yet somehow I get less input latency on a 2012 macmini i7 than i do with a 2021 ryzen5 Windows machine.
Maybe it's a USB driver issue or something. I love windows but mac's are just better for recording.
@@Jeffero28 Yes. You need to set up buffer sizes in your driver.
@@Jeffero28 Depends on what type of drivers you are using in windows. You want to use ASIO as it replaces the slow parts of the built in Windows sound system.
Thanks for the review. I’m only interested in the guitar use of the thing. Not all that vocal stuff.
Well they could i include both usb c to usb a and usb c to usb c, but since they included only one of them, its clear to me why they chose c to a. Its a simple interface, so most people will probably use it for home recording, and most people dont have macbooks (if you are not a professional, why would you throw your money away for it) but normal pc, and most of them have ordinary usb a.
I would have liked to see you compare noise level to the Apogee like you did with the SSL one.
Ola, I just saw a video where you said you like the SLL2 for travelling. Do you think the Volt series are better for guitarist? Finally did you substitute the SLL2 interface for this Volt? I would really appreciate to know what are your thoughts. I remember the noise test you made for the SLL2 and was awful. Hopefully you had made a noise test on this one. Thanks a lot man. Saludos!!!
1:30 I don't think that's a weird or "backwards" decision. Most computers still have the regular USB connection. I'd be bummed if there had been only a USB-C to USB-C cable included.
Hey Ola! I was surprised to hear that you record your guitar with the input gain at zero on your interface. I always heard that it was recommended to record with the highest possible volume before clipping. Can you tell me more? Thanks
maybe because it was near clipping on gain zero
Are you planning to make a budget series of Solar guitars?
You get a hell of a lot of guitar for what Solar is asking at their price point! Currently saving for my first solar artist series!
Man that would he soooooooo great
That’s sort of what the 2 series is, but they are on the higher end of “budget”, maybe a 3 series is needed then? 🤔
Not sure how much further he could cut the price from the 2 series, they’re already very good value for the money, and Solar is still a decently small company
There is already the 2 series?
@@HaydenMcCarry 2.5, 2.7 and 2.8 are all second tier guitars
The new UAD Spark subscription lets you run their VSTs natively, without UAD hardware DSP. Although you can get many of the same plugins from the companies that did the programming for UAD (SPL and Brainworx) that have been running native forever. I think hardware DSP is an anachronism that is finally going away; it doesn't make sense anymore in the era of many-core consumer/workstation CPUs.
I feel like UAD once again misses the mark with these units once you go up the range. They just end up having a lot less I/O compared to say Focusrite in the same price range and to me the built in compressor and whatnot don't make up for that. I feel their more pricy interfaces have the exact same issue where things like non-optical SPDIF is just missing and the amount of analog inputs/outputs is quite low compared to other brands. Software support is also not UAD's strong suit.
How does this compare to the Scarlett, a Behringer or a Focusrite? Sorry if I'm too vague or I've spelled those wrong, I have no knowledge in audio interfaces. But one day, you know, I'd like to try one out and mess around with IRs.
My Focusrite Scarlett doesn't have the USB C to USB C either. Had to buy a switch with the appropriate adapters built into it. Definitely a "behind the times" feature.
What's better this or Focusrite Scarlett?
1:42 ... Nope it's not weird, Ola. Most of the people buying this probably use cheaper laptop/pc...
first thing that came in my mind as well
di Bekasi bilang nya kaum "kere hore" bang wkwk 🤣
Thank you Sir. Very good video. Btw what do you think about Scarlett solo gen 4? For recording podcasts, listening to music and editing short films
Awesome
Bought this unit over 4 months ago, still haven't been able to figure it out, now I know why, the so called free plug ins you get with this unit don't work, I thought I was doing something wrong, now I find out I wasn't, the plug ins themselves don't work! Way to go UA! Thanks for nothing, I want my money back! Thanks Ola!
Long Live Metal!
When he put that guitar cable into the microphone input my mind exploded. 💥
Hello Ola! Awesome review. Im building a home studio and I need to buy a AI and came across the Universal Ausio Volt 1. I want to be able to plug in a guitar and a microphone and use Neural DSP plugins and record some stuff on Cakewalk. Is Volt1 the interface that covers all these?
hey! i'm to new to audio interfaces and such, but could i ask why your plugins won't work with the volt 1? is there something i need to check beforehand?
i'm thinking of getting bias fx 2 and was wondering what interface i should get. all recommendations would be appreciated. thank you!
Afaik the UI interfaces don't unlock the plugins, they offer processors for the plugins to run on them.
Have you tried Audient ID Ola? Because the preamps are not bad on the UAD, but not great either. I had compared it with the Audient ID and so I preferred the Audient to the UAD!
UAD VOLT 1 or Focusrite Scarlett solo?
Exactly, is there any difference in quality of the input to other interfaces in the price range?
The Volt series don't have Sharc DSP processors in them for running the UAD plug-ins on, but now that UAD have released their Spark native solution you could still use UAD plug-ins. It would just be running on your PC/Mac processor instead of the interface/UAD Satellite processor. It's such a shame that they added noise to the "Vintage" setting instead of just the saturation. Noise is what everyone wanted to avoid back when everything was analog so I don't see the point of emulating the main drawback of working with analog gear.
Although you can't use your bought plugins the new SPARK system allows many plugins for a monthly fee useable with VST AU and DAW so moldy true but able to use some for a 15$ fee I think
Thanks for a great review but I just wondering between Volt1 vs SSL2 which one do you prefer for guitar recording ?
Pretty sure the plug-ins are designed with the shark (sharc?) chipset that UA designed and they don’t put them in the budget interfaces so you can’t use the plugins on them but i could be wrong.
For ~150 euros it is really good but it costs more in my place. Btw is it really better than Behringer U-phoria?
Please try behringer umc202HD
Ola, this or the SSL2? What would you say?
Probably this because of the price
Compared to the Behringer UMC22, is this one a big jump in quality? I mainly want to reduce noise. The UMC22 is ok but it gets noisy with gain from plugins.
Ola, I hope you''ll READ THIS! I found a way to instanly switch sounds, made from different plugins! In Cubase you can setup any midi-controller with buttons (midi-footswitch for example) to trigger actions you want. For example I put footswich #1 to "Select" specific track: rithm guitar for example, footswich #2 to "Select" track with Clean tone signal chain, etc. Monitoring button engages autimatically, because I set it in preferences ("Devices"=>"Auto-monitoring" => instead of "manual" i choosed "while record enabled").
in Logic Pro: shift+option+k => Controler Assignments
IM A NOOB, I NEED HELP W/ YOUR REC:
1) I have a guitar, I want to plug it into my pc through an audio interface
2) I want to use my pc as my amp
3) I want to be able to use/download lots of different effects as to not spend on pedals (for now)
4) I want to use it to record/ make my own tracks and play to them (less important than 2) )
5) I'm cheap
What would you recommend?
Do I get you right, the Volt comes with plugins that cannot be used unless you have an additional UAD hardware connected?
Hey Ola!! My kid wants to start recording using his computer and I have no idea where to start. Would this be good for him to get up and running? Also a recommendation on what plug ins and other software I should get him. Thanks dood!! \m/
This would do the job more then fine, you could even go with a cheaper brand like focisrite. For software I would suggest using Reaper to record, it's very cheap, easy on the processor and it comes with lots of stock plugins for free.
I agree, I have this interface and it would be really good but you could even go for something more affordable.
Agreed
Apogee Jam+ (if you don't need a condenser mic input with phantom power) and any NeuralDSP plug-in of your choice. As DAW, you can start with Reaper for example. The Jam can be used with any IOS device as well.
I use a focusrite scarlett solo which works great and you can use reaper as a DAW, the free trial (with all features) never expires and if you decide to buy it it's not very expensive. As for the plugins you can't go wrong with any of the Neural DSP stuff, they're a bit expensive but very very good
I couldn't find any information on what is inside. What DAC, components... I assume it uses the same Cirrus Logic DAC as the Behringer UMC 202HD which costs half the price of UAD VOLT1
Thanks for the review! Just wondering about the UAD plugins. I don't know this for sure as I don't have any of their stuff but I thought I remember hearing that they are only designed to run on the DSP of the higher model interfaces. If that is the case, that would explain why you can't use them with the Volt as there is no DSP. Could be wrong, though.
There’s no good reason other than to trap people into buying their DSP based interfaces. The M1 chip in Ola’s MacBook Air is many many times more powerful than the outdated SHARC processors in the Apollo units.
@@soundstorm9508 yeah I don't doubt it...companies always trying to make their buck...
have a PreSonus 24c seems to work fine
Sweetwater has a bundle as their default package that includes a USB-C-to-USB-A cable.
Does it require cloudlifter with Shure sm7b?
Hello Ola. Quick question concerning this very product ( amateurish I know): will it work all right with Bias FX2 and what type of cable do I plug it in to my Gibson Les Paul? Thanks for reply - I’ll appreciate it