Usually known for their high-end audio interface, MOTU has pulled some of the key features and their expertise across to a pair of budget audio interfaces that raise the bar on what home studios should expect from their gear.

They are a good size, made of metal with the usual ins and outs you find on a 2 in/out and 4 in/out budget interface. But there are a few added features that make all the difference.

First of all, that display is gorgeous. On most interfaces, you’re lucky to get a clip light, whereas here you can actually see the level coming in and going out and use it to properly adjust the gain. Both mic preamps have individual +48v phantom power switches which are unusual on interfaces at this level. So you can power a condenser mic on one input and use an unpowered dynamic on the other.

They also have individual monitoring buttons so you can mix and match between direct and software monitoring — direct on your voice while your guitar goes through a software amplifier.

The sound quality, headroom, and dynamic range are excellent up to 192kHz. The latency is also very low and performs brilliantly. There’s an extra feature in the driver which creates a virtual loopback function where you can record the output of your software straight back in again. This is perfect for podcasters and video streaming. And to round it all off the outputs are DC coupled so you can route CV out to modular synthesizers.

The M2 and M4 are very capable interfaces with a great feature set that beats most other interfaces on the market. The M6 adds to the M-Series range by offering 4 solid mic preamps plus some line level action which gives you the room to record more voices, more instruments and be more versatile. Also, with all the connections on the back you suffer less from that annoying cable-drag on the front. The M6 enjoys a second headphone output and the ability to monitor inputs while the computer’s off.

Street Prices:
MOTU M2 – $199
MOTU M4 – $269
MOTU M6 – $399
motu.com

The EVO 4 is an unusual looking audio interface and probably the easiest one I’ve ever used. It has a big knob with a halo of LEDs, a couple of buttons and a handful of connections. What’s brilliant about it is that you can plug it in, plug in your mic and start recording in seconds with hardly any setup or messing about.

It has 2 in and 2 out. You can plug two microphones in the back and swap out one of those for a guitar input on the front where you’ll also find the headphone output. +48v phantom power is available for both inputs via a button on the top. The big knob provides level control over the output and monitors the inputs. It’s all very straightforward.

The secret weapon of the AVO 4 is the big green button. Pressing it activates “Smartgain” which is the most useful feature ever invented on an audio interface. With Smartgain activated you sing into your mic or play your guitar and over a period of about 10 seconds it analyses the audio and sets the perfect recording level. It’s like doing a tiny sound-check. You are then ready to record confident that you are not going to be too loud to cause distortion or too soft so you can’t be heard. Smartgain gets it right every time – it really does.

The EVO 4 also comes with some really good monitoring and mixing software which gives you full control over all the levels in and out plus the ability to loopback so you can combine the playback of software with your input for live streaming or recording into something else.

It’s an impressive and remarkably priced little plastic box. If you need a few more inputs there’s the larger EVO 8 that does everything the EVO 4 does just with more connections.

Street Prices:
EVO 4 – $129
EVO 8 – $199
audient.com

The M-Track Duo is undoubtedly the cheapest audio interface I’ve come across that’s actually good enough to hold its own in this list of “Best audio interfaces”. There’s also a Solo which is even cheaper but for this sort of money it’s worth getting the slightly bigger Duo.

The M-Track Duo has very familiar features with a pair of mic preamps on the front that can also handle guitar or line level. There’s phantom power for the mics, a headphone socket and a direct monitoring option. On the top you get level control on the inputs and outputs. The knobs are slightly sunken into the box which offers them some protection from accidental knocking.

It’s a simple, straightforward audio interface with no hidden powers or special features but it works brilliantly. Usually interfaces around this price have poor drivers and poor audio performance with software but these are great. Good low latency, low CPU, decent quality sound. Bear in mind that the recording quality is only 16-bit and up to 48kHz but that’s good enough for a home studio.

The price does bring some compromises; it’s lightweight and made of plastic, the headphone output is a little weak and it doesn’t sound quite as good as the other interfaces on this list but for the price it’s awesome. Comes with a decent bundle of software including Pro Tools First so it’s all you need to start making music.

Street Prices:
M-Track Duo – $69
M-Track Solo – $49
m-audio.com

Following in the footsteps of the overhauled ID4 and ID14 comes the bigger and more versatile ID44 MKII. These iD interfaces are superb and try as I might to want to fit my musical world in the iD14 it’s the iD44 that really fulfils all my needs and gives me options and future proofing for those occasions when you need a bigger boat.

The specs that tell you it’s a 20in/24out audio interface are a little misleading because you imagine that this thing has to be huge. But a lot of that is down to the twin digital ADAT ports that add another 16 channels of audio when connected to an ADAT preamp or mixer. The ADAT gives it this brilliant ability to become an interface for recording whole bands or racks of synthesizers while still being compact, desktop based and perfect for a smaller setup the rest of the time.

The rest of the specs add up to a really great audio interface. You have 4 mic preamps and 2 JFET powered guitar inputs. You’ve got inserts for running out to external processing hardware. There are twin headphone outputs which are great for when you’re not alone. The iD knob on the front defaults as the very handy volume control but with a button press it can become a virtual scroll wheel to take control of all sorts of onscreen parameters.

The iD44 has a great selection of features, a serious range of inputs and then once you’re inside the box there’s tight integration with a software mixer and Loopback function to give you control of how you monitor and route audio signals.

Street Price: $699
audient.com

This is quite a strange-looking box but the design is a well thought out response to the fiddliness of many of the traditionally shaped audio interfaces. The front panel of the Revelator angles up to give better access to the two mic sockets, display and controls when it’s sitting on your desktop.

The Revelator io24 is designed with both studio recording and live streaming in mind and so it has some extra features that are going to make streaming a breeze. On the front, there are a pair of inputs with digitally controlled, low noise XMAX-L mic preamps that can also double as instrument inputs. On the back are a pair of outputs, a headphone output and a very useful MIDI In and Out port. The inputs are controlled and monitored on the interface using the rather nice color display and illuminated encoder.

Behind the scenes is some DSP processing that’s going to make the Revelator stand out. For each input you have StudioLive Fat Channel Processing that is going to infuse your sound with classic audio treatments including compression, expanders, limiting, EQ, high pass filtering and a noise gate. Add to that a range of vocal effects including reverb, delay, detuning, doubling, vocoder and comb filter. It comes with plenty of presets tailor-made to give great results. Some are just for fun but the Fat Channel and reverb are really going to up your game when recording, performing and live streaming.

On the streaming side, Revelator has 2 stereo loopback channels for pulling different bits of audio software into the Digital Loopback Mixer. So you could have the output of your DAW and playback from videos running into the mixer and out to your live streaming software. But that’s not all, with a click of a button anything going through the mixer can be sent direct to your streaming software without having to worry about routing or configuration.

Revelator io24 comes with Studio One Artist for a complete professional recording package in the one box. It’ll work with macOS, Windows and iOS and can even run the PreSonus UC Surface remote control software to control it from an iPad, Android if Windows device on the same network.

Street Price: $199
presonus.com

Universal Audio has released a range of Volt audio interfaces to match every budget and application. The Volt 276 looks like the sweet spot to me with enough inputs for collaboration, the form factor that sits pretty on your desk and the quality that’s going to give you stunningly authentic professional sound.

With the wooden ends and stylings of the Volt 276 give it a deliciously vintage vibe and that’s definitely the intention. It has a very familiar set of connections with twin mic preamps on the front that also take instruments and a pair of monitoring outputs on the back. The MIDI In/Out ports are very welcome and so is having the headphone output on the front with its own volume control. All the important controls are on the top which is always my favourite way of doing things with a desktop audio interface. A nice big monitor control knob, individual gain knobs for the inputs and very clear input and output monitoring.

The special sauce of the Volt 276 can be found in the Vintage Mic Preamp Mode and onboard 76 Compressor. These are not software plugins, they are analog circuits built into the interface to offer a rich, full sound of high-end hardware right inside your home studio. The Vintage Mic Preamp mode uses innovative solid state electronics to emulate the tube sound of the Universal Audio 610 tube preamp. The compressor is inspired by the UA 1176 Limiting Amplifier and is perfect for keeping voices under control and adding punch to synths, guitars and drum machines.

Volt 276 comes with a large suite of software including Ableton Live Lite and some really nice plugins but with the Volt you come for the sound, not the bundle.

Street Price: $299
uaudio.com

Solid State Logic is generally known for its professional consoles and audio processors. So if they are going to start making audio interfaces, then you know the quality is going to be excellent. However, makers of high-end gear can sometimes fail to understand the needs of the home or project studio, but thankfully, that’s not the case here. The SSL 12 and the smaller SSL 2 and SSL 2+ are superb.

First of all, you’ve got the quality of the internal technology. The preamps are class-leading and you’ve got 4 built-in with a whole load of gain, LED metering, phantom power and a high pass filter. The layout on the desktop-style interface feels luxuriously spacious and confident. The design and choice of colour reeks of professional style. You also have a pair of headphone outputs, two instrument inputs and a very useful ADAT input for further expansion.

One interesting button enables a “Legacy 4K” 4000-series console emulation. It brings in some nice analog colouration and enhancement to your recordings which is unique to this interface. And then inside the computer, you can run a virtual SSL 12 mixer environment and dial in different monitor mixes. Other things worth noting are that the recording quality can run at up to 32bit and 192kHz, all the outputs are DC coupled for controlling modular circuits, it has MIDI In/Out and a software Loopback function.

All in all, Solid State Logic nailed the small studio interface and raised the bar on quality and features at this price point.

Street Price: $499
SolidStateLogic.com

Focusrite make a lot of audio interfaces but the Clarett range brings their A-Game to the table and the 4Pre offers their best combination of connections, price, quality and expandability. Initially only available on Thunderbolt the 4Pre USB opens it up to a wider range of systems.

You’ve got 4 professional quality mic preamps right on the front with hardware gain controls, halo LED monitoring and phantom power per pair. With Focusrite’s Air technology and impedance switching your mics will sound better than they ever have with breath-taking colour and high-end detail. On the back there are a further 4 line inputs which are perfect for bringing in hardware synthesizers and keys. There’s full control on the front with the nice big monitoring knob and two independent headphone outputs for when you’re working with someone.

The Clarett 4Pre USB is also expandable via optical ADAT connection to any ADAT preamp to give it a total of 18 inputs should you ever need it. You’ve also got a useful MIDI In and MIDI Out which should never be undervalued.

It comes with some useful monitoring and mixing software and a bundle of plugins, instruments and Ableton Live Lite to get you started.

The 4Pre is a fantastic sounding interface and would look magnificent in any home studio.

Street Prices: $699
focusrite.com