Line 6 POD Studio UX2

It's very much "baby's first audio interface" but there's nothing wrong with that. If you just want to sound good fast and aren't really looking to get into production, this will be all you need. It comes with Line 6's proprietary software "Pod farm" which has every bell and whistle you could possibly imagine for audio production in an easy to use standalone program that processes the signal in real time. I still love this thing for streaming and skype calls since it lets me fix up my microphone sound live and do fun things like make my voice echo or sound like a robot.If you WANT to get into audio production, this is still a very solid foundation. It comes with a functional starter version of EVERY effect and plugin you need and an easy environment in which to learn them. It doesn't really have the best anything though. You WILL grow out of it and want something else the more about audio you learn. DO NOT let that dissuade you if these are your first steps into the audio world. Audio is a very deep very expensive rabbithole and this is a very easy way to get right into it.

I started with a GuitarPort and upgraded to the Pod Studio UX2. The DACs are much faster so I can increase the buffer size without any pick attack delay on a minimal laptop I am using. Before I had to run it at minimum buffer size which was inconvenient with aftermarket programs. The unit works with GearBox, Amplitube 3, Guitar Rig 5 in addition to PodFarm as tested. The sound is improved over a GuitarPort and it has very useful features. You can control the dual VU meters in "ToneDirect" settings to show Input, Output, Monitor, Send 1,2 and Send 3,4. The manual states that it outputs 24 bit S/PIDF always but you can change that to 16, 24 or 32 bit as well to use this with a wide range of digital recorders. I have mine set to 16 bit at 44100 to sync with my Fostex VF160EX and I can set the stereo channels to any of the 16 channels available. The S/PIDF Digital Output is 75 OHM coax so if you want to interface with either optical SPIDF or TOSLINK you will have to add a separate coax to optical adapter box. The 1/4" headphone jack matches all the other inputs and outputs as well vs the GuitarPort that only uses 1/8". Being able to plug in my MXL condenser mic without a separate power supply is a bonus. Recording via the analog outs or the S/PIDF out is a breeze and clean. The analog outputs are adjustable via a knob on top as are the two mic inputs. So far there are no Cons, only Pros with this device.

I would have given them a 5 for this unit. But crazy updating process, registration this and register that. The Monkey 6 upgraded like half dozen times before it didn't tell me there was another upgrade..They couldn't just upgrade to the latest version, had to upgrade from 1.01 to 1.32 or something like that...silly.Unit is great and has many bells and ...Like that it can be linked to Sony Acid Music to record songs.After upgrading, the headphones no longer work. The search on their site doesn't come back with a reply. Looking for someone to email a question to.Online video skips the most important part - getting the unit connected.Still don't have the headphones working. Tried installing the Reason software and won't take the license code from the card attached to the disk. Can only be this number. Now I have to see if I can get a hold of them too.. What a waste of time. Please, can it be any more screwed up?Makes me wonder if this is worth it. I have an amp and doesn't takes days to plug it in and use it. Amazon says there are only 5 units left. I bought this days ago and site still says on 5 left.There is NO help on line and I found a phone number but is only M-F during the time that I work. They most likely will take hours to answer and refer me to the useless, good for nothing web sites that make you run circles and do nothing to help. \ Update 7+17-2011 -> Started up the unit today and tells me there is no driver. Tried starting over from scratch and the line 6 Monkey download froze.Again no help from them. Love their amps and this one is great if it would work!

I've tried other Line 6 products and have been pleased with them, so I thought I'd give another one a try. This unit is great. It also comes with some excellent software as well. Pod Farm is the software you use to load effects presets and some of them are pretty good. I've loaded them, tweaked them a bit and saved them as my own. There are a lot of effects models, amp models and and cabinets to choose from. I like the fact that it has xlr inputs with a built in phantom power supply.My primary concern was latency. That delay you sometimes have with the sound when running music gear into the PC. Let me tell you, there is basically NONE. No latency whatsoever. You can use a load of effects simultaneously and still have no latency. To be honest, I was skeptical regarding the latency issue. They advertise that there really isn't any and they weren't lying. I hook it up to my laptop and use it with cakewalk Music Creator 6, to have a portable recording setup. It works very well with Cakewalk. Sometimes when you buy things over the Internet that you haven't tried or know someone who has, you can be taking a bit of a risk. This was well worth the risk because it all worked out fine in the end. I'm happy anyway. Hope this review helps.