This is the M-track Solo and the M-track Duo by M-Audio. These are the newest cheapest audio
interfaces you can buy right now but Behringer makes one for $4 less and Focusrite
makes the most popular budget interfaces on the market. so can M-Audio compete? let's find out!
if you're in the market for an extremely low cost audio interface you should definitely
be checking out the M-track Solo and Duo. in this video i'm going to test them out
and we'll explore all their features. i'll also compare the audio quality with the Behringer
UM2 which is also extremely cheap and we'll find out if it's worthwhile upgrading to a $100
audio interface like the Focusrite Solo. you'll find audio samples in this video so you can hear
these side by side. if you're interested in buying any of these interfaces i'll include links to the
best prices in the video description. if you're new around here i'm Sanjay C i've got tons of videos
about music production and the latest music gear on my channel. consider subscribing if you haven't
already i always give you the information you need and make audio and music production easy to
understand. the M-Track Solo is $49 and the Duo is $69. the only major manufacturer that makes interfaces
this cheap is Behringer. the M-track interfaces let you use a microphone, guitar or external
synth and record what you play or sing into your computer. you can connect them both with just one
USB cable. they both have two channels so you can record a microphone and a guitar at the same time.
the Duo features two combo inputs so you have more options for connecting two guitars, two mics
or other combinations. i love that the Solo has a combo input for channel one. this means you can
even record a stereo synth or a stereo line source with it. both M-Tracks also have Phantom power so
you can use a condenser mic which many vocalists prefer on top. both interfaces have gain knobs for
the two channels. you can set the volume of your input signal with these and the light below. the
knobs indicate if your signal gets too loud. i like the controls on the top. it's more convenient to
control than knobs on the side of other interfaces. the Duo model also features a separate control
for headphone volume. on the Solo you just get one knob to control the volume of your speakers and
your headphones together. in the front you've got your inputs, phantom power switch, headphones input
you get a larger quarter inch input on the duo and also a direct monitoring switch. direct monitoring
lets you hear the direct input signal along with the music from your DAW when you record. it's
really useful when recording vocals or guitars and helps you keep in time with the music when you
record by the way are you considering the M-Track interfaces for recording your vocals. what other
interfaces have you considered? COMEMNT below! oh and if you want to check out my comparison of $100
interfaces you can watch that video here. on the back of the M-Track interfaces you have your USB
port and the output to your speakers. the Solo has RCA outputs and the duo has quarter inch TRS
outputs which can help reduce noise. both of these interfaces are 16 bit 48 kilohertz which is
typical recording quality but other more expensive interfaces will allow you to record in multiple
levels of quality for home recording though. this is going to be fine before we get to
listening to these. i need to talk about build quality. the build quality of these interfaces kind
of reflects the low price. these feel extremely lightweight and the switches in the front are
light to the touch. the whole body feels a little plasticky and sounds hollow when you tap on it.
i wouldn't feel very confident tossing this around during live gigs. the knobs
however feel sturdy and tight. they have a nice rubbery feel to them as well. if you're looking
for better build quality you're gonna be paying at least a hundred dollars with something like
the Focusrite Solo which has a metal body. but hey you're probably just going to be using these at
home in your studio. by the way the Behringer has a similar overall build quality but i do prefer the
feel of the knobs on the M-Audio interfaces. okay let's listen to some audio samples from
all three of these interfaces, but WATCH UNTIL THE END of the video because there
are other features that you'll need to know about before making your
decision.
((SONG PLAYING))
I preferred the recordings
from the Focusrite but the M-Audio and Behringer were very close. the M-Audio was a little warmer in
my opinion but all sounded great .i really can't say that one was a lot better than the other
but what did you hear? which was the best to your ears? by the way on all of these interfaces, i had
the gain knob set to about 12 o'clock. if you're just recording your voice you may be interested
in USB microphones. i recently compared some of the best USB microphones available right now and
i recorded a song with all of them. you can watch that video here. okay audio quality aside there are
other differences you should know about with the M-Track interfaces and others at this price range.
i tested the interface with the Beyerdynamic DT770 PRO 250 ohm headphones. these headphones require
more power from audio interfaces to get to loud volumes. but remember for most typical headphones
the volume output is going to be just fine. the M-Audio and Focusrite had low volumes on these
headphones but the Behringer was a bit louder when i used the direct monitoring feature. the volume of
my input was a bit low and it was hard to get it at a right level for a comfortable recording.
but it was totally usable still. i also tested guitar recordings with all three
interfaces
the focusrite had the best guitar recording with the M-Audio coming in next the Behringer was quite
muffled. now what about latency? latency is kind of like a delay between what you're hearing from
your computer and what you're actually recording live. so when you play it back the audio may sound
out of sync. all audio interfaces have some sort of latency but some are better than others in
handling it. the M-Audio latency wasn't bad and it was comparable to other budget audio interfaces
especially with the direct monitoring feature. you can totally get around the latency issues.
the M-Track interfaces come with software so you can get started with recording music at home .
you get MPC beats which is FREE for everyone but it's a nice multi-track recording solution. you
also get pro tools first some avid fx and the air expand to virtual instrument. i actually prefer the
M-Audio software package to what Behringer offers which is very basic and will have you wishing for
more very soon. so is it worth buying the M-Track interfaces? Yes, the audio quality is good for
vocals guitar and at this low price they've really done a good job. now if you really want higher
recording quality options you need to look at $100 interfaces at least. but for basic home recording
these are going to be just fine. i think M-Audio has a slight edge over the Behringer interface
and build quality particularly with the knobs and the guitar recording was much better. the vocal
recording was comparable with all three i also prefer the software bundle that M-Audio includes.
i mean you don't get tons of stuff but you've got some excellent software to get you started.
the build quality of these interfaces reflects the price so keep your expectations in check.
the Focusrite Solo does not include a combo input for channel 1 like the M-Track Solo does. that's a
benefit of the M-track and the Behringer interfaces. i'm really happy to see major manufacturers like
M-Audio start to make more low-budget interfaces. it gives Behringer and others the competition
needed to keep improving their products and making them more affordable to record music
at home. if you have questions about any of these interfaces leave them in the COMMENTs BELOW. what
did you think of these ultra budget interfaces? let me know in the comments!
KEEP MAKING THE MUSIC YOU LOVE
and if you're just getting started with music production check out one of these videos next :)