Steinberg UR44 Audio Interface

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!

Purchased this for my home studio and for on-the-go recording and mixing.As an audio engineer working with high end interfaces such as Pro Tools HDX systems, Lynx and RME, this interface rocks for the price. I've been a fan of Steinberg products since the UR22 which is a smaller version of the UR44. As Steinberg is a part of Yamaha, I've always expected great quality from everything they've released and I have yet to be disappointed!Compared to the UR22: For double the price of the UR22, This thing packs more for your money than interfaces $500 and up! In addition, it comes with four D-Pres instead of two and has an additional headphone jack for two mixes.Pros: 6 Inputs (4 with Preamp) and 4 Outputs, Enough to get most things done if you're a home studio or on the road musician. Built like a rock, seriously, this thing feels like you can smash it and it would still retain its shape and work! Now utilizes the dspMixFx with Internal Channel Strip (EQ, Compressor and Reverb) which is a steal at this price. You can route reverb to headphone mixes for your vocalists or use latency free EQ and Compression on the fly, which didn't come in the UR22. Two headphone outputs for double monitoring along with seperate output for your studio monitors, standard in most high end interfaces nowadays. MIDI in and out, a must if you are a producer! New Class-compliant mode, with now works with iPad if you need to record without a computer.Cons: Unlike the UR22, the UR44 requires a power adapter and not USB Bus powered. This isn't a big problem since it provides a steady power supply for microphones unlike the UR22 which is prone to dropouts due to fluctuations in USB Bus power. To control the volume for your studio monitors, the "output" knob must be adjusted which is somewhat an inconvenience to do if you wish to reference both your headphones and monitors at the same time. The preamps are OK, i've driven very quiet mics such as the Neumann TLM 103 with no problem due to their low noise...but LDCs and Tube Mics with a not-so-hot signal may need to be driven by an external preamp to make it sound good. Once you pass 60% on the Gain Knob for the preamps, they start to introduce alot more noise that may affect your recording, especially vocals and overheads. If you plan to record by DI or instruments with high SPL than you won't have to worry as much. Plan on getting a external preamp to drive those quiet microphones! The AD/DA conversion is reference quality, to compare to high end interfaces, it is almost on par with the RME Fireface UFX, The conversion is very clean and transparent and a pleasure to work with.Overall: I am very satisfied with this purchase. For $300, you can't get better then the features offered in this little box. This little box, for me, is an all-in-one recording and mixing beauty.