Steinberg UR44 Audio Interface

Brilliant Sound quality!Pre-amps are dead quiet.I run two Pre-sonus valve racks into it as my main pre-amps on first 2 channels and it has no problem handling those hotter signals as well.For practice I take a SM58 straight into it and it sounds beautiful.The DSP control interface is amazing and does what it does brilliantly.I use it with Sonar X2 on a Windows 7 PC and works like a charm.The drivers are rock solid.I used a Roland tri-capture before this but I liked the added inputs and DSP interface (Although the Roland interface is OK)Before this I mainly used a Yamaha MW 10 channel mixer with USB out. The preamps are excellent, Unfortunately it can only record up to 16bit 48KHz so when I heard Yamaha is making the pre's on this one I was already happy with it.I am no engineer so when I bought it without testing, I knew what I wanted but did not know what to expect.Sound quality:Amazing - I mostly record at 24bit 48Khz. This sounds super fine to me.Value:Great, I would say this type of interface should be the first piece of gear of any home studio.Go for the 6 channels rather than buying a bigger unit later (UR44 vs. UR22). This was my main pushover from Focusrite.The cost of their 6 channel unit was slightly higher. I would not say that I made a mistake as the build quality is excellent.I will never say anything bad about the Focusrite as I have not used it. This was cheaper and it sounds amazing.The DSP interface has no glitches at all. It works beautifully to set your mic/input levels before opening up your studio software.As for the software included. I already received a copy of Steinberg Cubase with an earlier purchase of Yamaha gear.You get your Pro tools guys, your Studio 1 and your Sonar guys (umm, sorry or girls). Cubase is a very versatile nice program but the installation is a bit of a drag. I have used Cakewalk and Sonar for more than 16 years and love it.tricky if you use the software version of e-licenser.I immediately did an update via the DSP interface window and everything installed beautifully. It even recognizes all your old e-licenses etc.Can't comment on Windows 8 though.

Steinberg has outdone itself in producing this amazing interface and I'll try to explain why I think so. The ordering of the below points was arbitrarily chosen without sequencing by importance.Pros:1. Build quality: Right away you see the quality of the device, as the device comes in a rugged full metal body which looks like it can stand the test of time. The Neutrik combo jacks are an industry standard. The knobs and buttons feel very very solid. The smooth finish and grey/black color combinations are a touch indeed. It is however more heavy than it would seem, which gives me confidence in quality anyway. Simply a 10/10 for build.2. Mic Pres: One of the most important qualities of an interface. and in this regard the UR44 shines again. The pres are very quiet both at low and high gain settings. I can compare with the Presonus 44VSL which had pres which were far more noisy.3. Good I/O options: 4 mic, 2 line input and Midi I/O. Plenty for my needs. 2 headphone outputs with 2 mixes is again a killer feature. Invaluable while recording music with other people.4 . DSP features: DSP is fast becoming a standard feature in interfaces even at this price range. UR44 kicks the butt of most interfaces in this regard. This interface works in conjunction with the dspMixFX software interface. It offers EQ, compression, high pass filter, phase and guitar amp both while monitoring and recording (You can use these effects as an insert). This software control is even better integrated into Cubase. Reverb you can use only for monitoring, or for recording using the loopback feature.5. Standalone use: This is what simply takes the cake imo. Artists can use the interface standalone on stage. All the levels, effects, compression and other settings can be stored onto the device. So you can even hear reverb without computer processing. To change settings or recall profiles however, you will need to control the dspMixFX software using a computer or iPad. I always add some reverb to my vocal or instrument mic while performing live. Yamaha's reverb FX is surprisingly good.6. Performance: It is simply rock solid while in use. The drivers are well written leading to very low latency performance. The software control never failed on me. The AD/DA conversion is top notch. I use it with the Studio One DAW, and it hasn't caused me problems one single time. Forums are in high praise of this kind of stability.Cons:1. The biggest con is that the pres seem a little under powered. It hasn't been an issue with the mics that I own, but with some mics that require lot off gain, you have to crank it all the way up. With some dynamics or tube mics, I could even see it not being sufficient. Again, it depends on the requirements of your mics. So do some research first. But gain is very clean overall.2. I/O options are plenty enough. But I like RCA line inputs usually. Of course, that problem is easily solved using cables. But I would have still preferred RCA to connect line level devices like mp3 players, etc.3. Headphone outputs are not the loudest: My older interfaces, be it the Presonus 22VSL or the Yamaha Audiogram 3, gave me a louder headphone output. So again look into the specs for your requirements.4. Reverb: I wish reverb could have been recorded as well on each individual channel. It sounds so good. But I am asking for too much at this point. :)Overall, have no doubt about buying this interface. It is a steal at this price!