Behringer U-Phoria UMC22

I would like to preface this by the fact that I am by no means someone well educated in the field of audio. I bought this to go with a cheap microphone setup from Amazon, just so I could talk to my friends with something of a nicer setup.

So, after getting the product and setting it up on my desk, finding the right drivers when getting it to work with my PC was a little difficult initially, but after following a few links and finally getting it downloaded, it worked there and then. So, a plus to getting it to a state of 'just about working'. I've heard from other places that it isn't exactly this simple when trying to use it for something more than just a microphone input, but that doesn't quite affect me. Setup outside of the drivers is as simple as adjusting audio levels in Windows.

For audio input, it works just fine with my current microphone, a cheap Neewer NW-800 that I got from Amazon. Setting everything to max in Windows and then using the adjustments on the interface itself felt right to do, and the little indicators were perfect for telling me if I had set the gain a little too high or not. Though, the Signal LED doesn't appear to be too sensitive, as in, even if a program I am using (Discord/Teams/Zoom) is detecting input, the signal indicator is usually off. I don't necessarily speak so loud, and it only comes on when I start to raise my voice.

In terms of using it as audio output for my headphones, the built in DAC/amp works wonderfully, and is a tonne better than the output on my laptop of course. I can't say too much about it as I have not got much to compare to, but it provides a wide range of listening volumes (I usually have it set at 11 or 12 o'clock with my AKG K612 Pros, with all volumes in Windows set to max) and the direct monitoring feature is wonderful to help me realise if I'm talking just a little bit too loud. I don't particularly like how it quietens down the output signal a little bit, but that's just nitpicking.

The build quality of the unit is perfectly acceptable. Looking from the front, the slightly glossy front facade isn't distracting with reflections as the gloss isn't overly done, and each knob feels nice and buttery smooth to turn. Though, the small size of the knobs isn't that satisfying personally, but that's not exactly a problem, is it? The unit sits just a little higher than the surface on some small, rubber feet which do a good job of protecting the surface from scratching from the case of the unit. Speaking of which, the metal case feels of high quality, and does not feature any sharp edges. My biggest complaint about the unit would be that the phantom power switch is on the back (I like having all of the controls and switches on the front, for ease of access), but as the average person wouldn't be fiddling with that switch too often if at all, it isn't too big of a problem.

Overall I find the unit to be really quite good, especially for the price you can get it at! The build quality is great, and the provided features are very nice.

So I'm by no means a producer, engineer or creator, but I do play some fairly intense video games, that require communication with teammates, so I have a good XLR microphone and a desire for great output audio [via an AKG P120 and HiFiMan HE4XX's]. This - among many other interfaces; coupled with a nice headphone amp - fulfilled this role handly, but I've had some issues, particularly with Discord and the Windows drivers, which prompted me to replace it with an alternate unit, which has had the same issues.

Basically, I can join a voice chat and the DAC would capture/send both my output and input audio without issue. Or I could join and it would capture one or the other. This happened particularly when I installed it first, I rebooted, swapped USB ports, swapped USB controllers and the same basic result would happen. I would also try opening software in a particular way [start my music up first for example], but it didn't seem to work. And then it would be magically fixed. I don't know what I did, or how I did it, but it just fixed itself... somehow.

Like I said, I'm no producer, engineer or creator, so I cannot speak to it's functionality inside certain software options, but beyond this incredibly bizarre issue [that, like I said has happened with other devices before and since - and it's definitely something with Windows and Discord, the mic is peaking on the interface], it has worked fine. Both inputs and outputs are crisp, clear and without distortion and for any budding artist, looking for a couple of basic inputs, this does the job well

INST2 input was not working out of the box. Here's the solution:

Try this, but ensure that all other programs are closed before you start (my computer crashed on one of my attempts, even though this is a clean and fully updated Windows 10 testing machine - there appear to be system level bugs here).

1) Right click on the loudspeaker icon in the Taskbar and select "Open Sound Settings"
2) Click on the link "Sound Control Panel"
3) Close the "Sound Settings" window.
4) In "Sound Control Panel", select the "Recording" tab
5) Ensure that the default device is set to any available device that is NOT the device that you want to change.
6) Right click on the device that you want to change and select "Properties"
7) Select the "Advanced" tab
8) Select the Channels / sample rate that you require
9) Click "OK"

credits to Steve from Audacity.

I've bought it to connect my Electric Guitar to my pc and use it for recording and overall practice using a virtual amp simulator that allows me to use various different sounds without the need to buy expensive Amps or Pedals.

It is made out of Metal so it looks sturdy and can probably withstand some abuse.
The sound is as great as it can be for a 40 Euro Interface but theres nothing to worry about regarding noice levels and connectivity, i've had no problem connecting it to my Windows 10 machine and my DAW.

I would really recommend this Interface if you are on a pretty tight budget like i am

This little audio interface is perfect for those who are just starting out in music or for someone who wants to upgrade their setup from a USB microphone.

The sound quality is excellent but the interface does introduce a fair bit of noise. Fantom power is a huge plus, it is capable of driving my condenser mic with ease. Having two inputs is also a brilliant feature, even though the second input is only an instrument input and doesn't support fantom power.

Latency is where this interface falls short. Even with a powerful PC, this interface introduces a significant amount of latency, too much for vocal tracking. There is a direct monitor button which lets you hear your microphone input directly with no latency, which is perfect for when you're on a voice call but there is no way of turning it up without turning up the master volume. If you want to monitor your vocals with effects? good luck. This might just be an ASIO4ALL issue and as far as I have found there are no alternative drivers for this interface.

All that being said, this is an extremely cheap interface and all my issues with it are purely nitpicks. I have recommended this interface to my friends who want to use it for streaming or online calls. You would be hard-pressed to find an interface this good for this price.

I just bought this to record some of my guitar and starting off with the build quality (My biggest concern)... For such a cheap device it has a very nice mass and feel to it. It isn't obscenely heavy but certainly appropriate and doesn't feel like it's going to fall apart. Port quality and stiffness is good. One thing I would like with this interface is a input, headphone and/or Speaker output dB meter. Primarily for the outputs because you don't know if there is any signal output. My *only* other slight issue was with the ASIO4ALL V2 drivers. You need to download the ASIO4ALL driver but preferably not the beta and must select "offline settings" in the setup wizard. Then you need to open ASIO4ALL Offline Settings and actually select this interface. I had to google that as it didn't say that any where.

Besides all of that. If you need something to record an instrument and/or a microphone for cheap and you want to be of good build quality, I can recommend this.

As I needed an Audio Interface to use for live recording and rehearsing, my decision fell on the Behringer U-Phoria UMC22, which comes at quite an affordable price.
There are no fancy extras to be expected but the sound is alright for home productions and it connects to my computer very easily on Windows XP as well as on Windows 7.
I've been using it for home recording of guitar and voice so far and there's nothing bad to be said about it.
As far as live music making goes, I can't rate it as of yet but it should be helping lowering the latency at least in comparison to no interface at all! ;)