Universal Audio Volt 1 USB Recording Studio Audio Interface

Using this is a dream. One button press and I'm ready to record.Compressor:The compressor is killer! - It not only makes the vocals sound fuller and easier to understand, but it effectively works as a limiter too. So this means I can get extra loud or extra quite with my voice, or move closer and further from the mic - and not have to waste time in editing fixing the volume levels. Amazing for my uses and works far better than Elgato's attempt at this.None of the reviews I saw mentioned this but it's in the manual - you can adjust the compressor via the gain knob. - Basically the compressor sets the top limit and the harder you push your gain the more you push your quite stuff into the loud stuff.In other words, this thing is freakin fantastic. I can get compression that's extremely mild - all the way to pretty insane compression - depending on use/preference.Note:(Please note that while I'm very knowledgeable in audio and I've been working in audio/video for over a decade, I'm still not an expert audio engineer and I have not used a professional standalone compressor unit (other than software plugins, but there too I am not an expert). So I can't say for sure exactly how this stacks up to the big boy stuff and I have not compared them side by side.)Price:Price feels a little steep especially if you want multiple channels. But for a professional device this is worth every single penny. All my issues from my four previous interfaces have gone away. And this kicks the back side of any USB mic that I know of (except *maaaaaaaybe* the Rode NT1 5th gen but that doesn't fit my uses and of course it's limited to one built-in mic)Phantom power:Small complaint is that for my main mic (the insanely good Earthworks SR117) I have to switch on phantom power each time I use this interface. For example if the computer goes to sleep then the Volt might turn off for a few seconds and the phantom power resets to the off position.This IS good for safety with some rare mics that can be damaged by phantom power. On most modern mics this isn't an issue but it's a nice safety feature to have anyways. When it's on there's a pretty red light which is nice.But since the default is phantom power off every time, it's happened a couple times where I started troubleshooting my mic and cables etc before realizing this was the issue. But it's a single button press to turn on so as long as you're aware of this and you or someone else is monitoring with headphones then it's hardly a problem. And anyways this only applies to mics that need the phantom power.There's other quality of life things like that when enabling phantom power it goes silent for a few seconds so your mic doesn't cause a pop. Very nice!If I'm not mistaken all the other settings are remembered after power off. Most importantly all the gain and volume etc since those are physical knobs.I have the single input version of this Volt as that's all that was in stock at the time.Meters:The audio meters on this are better than all my previous interfaces but still not enough different levels for what most pros would want. But with the awesome compressor it's really not an issue because I can't peak anyways. - so for my uses I'm anyways adjusting based on how the compressor sounds and not based on any visual indication.If you don't need fancy effects running on your interface (other than the awesome compressor) then I don't know of anything better. Stunningly well made device.Alternatives:I was considering the Rode interface since it has a ton of effects and adjustments but looking at Amazon reviews there seems to be issues with the device failing so for now that's a no-go for me. And it's not exactly cheap (500 ish). Same for Lewitt's interface. Looks like they need to work on reliability.Conclusion:In conclusion. I love it. 100% recommended. And it's pretty too. Nice eye candy for the desk. The lights and buttons on it look exceptionally good! Not just cheap LEDs.Photo:Photographed in my desk drawer where it lives. This keeps my desk surface clean for whatever project I'm working on and it keeps my devices and cables away from my cats.Compatibility notes:Mac:Works great on my Mac. Plug and play. I assume Windows as well.Camera:For use with a camera (which I do often) I can output from the headphones output of the Volt into the mic input of my camera, then plug in my headphones into the camera's own headphone output. This works great because the headphone volume knob on there volt works as an additional amplifier to adjust the output volume *after* the compression. This would have been nice to have for the USB output too but as it is at the moment you only have the main knob (which is limited in volume if you're using the compressor and then digital adjustments on the recording device (computer etc) for any further amplification.The headphone out has lots of volume so I can set the camera's built-in gain to the lowest setting and then overpower the camera's noisy preamps to keep noise low.Playstation compatibility:***(most people can ignore this)***This interface is *not* compatible with the Playstation 5 in case anyone is trying to record videos on that. But even with interfaces that ended up being compatible (elgato Wave XLR, Shure X2U), the PS5 seems to record audio in a super low bitrate and it's totally unusable if you want something that sounds nice. So I've switched to just recording my screen with a camera - worse image but audio is x10 better which for me is much more important. Plus manually coping recordings off the PS5 is a huge pain if you need to do it often. I could do screen recording with a second computer but I don't want a second monitor on my desk. Another option might be some professional recorders like the Atomos ones but I don't want to spend money on that right now.

This Universal Audio Volt 1 USB recording interface is absolutely killer for anyone wanting pro-level sound without turning their desk into a cable nightmare—just plug it into your Mac/PC/iPad, and boom, you’re rocking classic UA mic preamp tone with its vintage 610 tube emulation and crystal-clear 24‑bit/192 kHz converters with built in gain and volume control. It’s built like a brick—solid knobs, sturdy chassis, zero wiggle in the connections—and even throws in MIDI I/O, phantom power, zero-latency monitoring and direct-drive headphone output . Plus you get a sweet CargoCult of software—LUNA, Ableton Live Lite, Melodyne, Marshall/Ampeg amps, and more—so you can start recording legendary-sounding vocals, guitars, or podcast episodes right out of the box . For under $150, it’s the gold standard for solo creators—no bull, just massive studio tone in a sleek little package. Easy to use and setup, practically plug and play.

First interface I have gotten. I am old and like tracking on physical media. This is a great unit. Works with Logic Pro on a Mac M2 really well. My friend has the apollo 2 channel and he said these preamps sound as good as the more expensive unit. Love the design, ease of setup and use, and features. Really functional and reasonable price.

Super simple and great sounding. I use this for a professional radio show. It’s the in between for my mic & computer. I was considering going for something a lot more expensive but so glad I didn’t because this sounds awesome and was very affordable compared to other options. I was using a Shure MVi interface previous to this and the difference in sound quality is a lot. So glad I upgraded. Highly recommended.

So.... I have yet to see (hear) what this thing can do. I spent a few days figuring out why my MacBook Pro and Logic Pro would not recognize the unit. I tried everything. A bunch of different cables, resetting everything, restarting everything... I purchased new high end usb cables and that didn't work. I unplugged all accessories including my mouse, keyboard, midi controller... Nothing worked. I was getting a blinking blue host light and googled that. Read online that the Volt may act weird if there power isn't right. So... I unplugged the power supply that comes with the unit, causing it to be powered by the MacBook via the USB,. Suddenly everything was working fine. I can't believe this thing won't work properly with the manufacture supplied power supply. Anyone else have this issue?

Love the product works very good and great clarity and volume

This is an excellent interface. Totally worth the money. I feel that this interface works with a lot of laptops and computers.

So, be warned, it's very basic. It comes with a few knobs, but it doesn't have a ton of control ability from what I've seen. It does have phantom power for even the heaviest duty mic.