If you're looking for a budget audio interface
for your
The Behringer U Phoria UM2 can be a great option
I'm going to give you 8 Behringer UM2 tips
Plus 1 extra tip coming up
Welcome to Simple Green Tech I'm Radio Zane
and I do weekly videos with tips, tutorials & reviews
to help you unleash your creativity
in this video I'm going to give you 8 tips to get the most out of
the budget priced audio inteface The Behringer U Phoria UM2
plus I've got 1 bonus tip
but you'll have to stick around to the end to find that out
and it just might be one of the most important tips
out of them all. I put a link to the Behringer UM2 in the video
description below just in case you want to see the latest pricing
and see the full specs of this audio interface
but right now let's get started with the tips
Tip 1 - Install the actual Behringer driver
for the UM2. I know if you go to the website
it tells you to install the ASIO4ALL driver
but Behringer actually had their own driver for it and I did a video
on how to install it there should be a card up here
and the link is also below if you want to click on that and check it out
the downloads for those drivers are also in that video description
Tip 2 - Set your streaming software
to mono or record to a mono track
if you install the driver from tip 1
you may notice that you're only hearing audio out of 1 side
usually it's the left side
this is because each input on the UM2 is actually a
mono source so if you record to a stereo track
it's only going to record to one side
I did a couple of videos on how to do this in Audacity
and OBS again
they're linked in the description below
Tip 3 - to use the phantom power on the Behringer UM2
you must use an XLR to
XLR cable not an XLR to 1/4 inch cable
even though the line input and the XLR input
share the same location it is
actually 2 separate inputs on the inside
and only the XLR input carries the phantom power
Tip 4 - When using your Behringer UM2
make sure it's away from other electrical cables
or other electronic devices like
USB mice, keyboards, your cell phone
even sometimes your laptop or your computer case
can cause interference and this is because
the plastic case of the Behringer UM2 doesn't do the
greatest job at shielding it from electronic interference
if you start noticing some weird noises in the interface
like bad ground sorts of noises or other
kind of interference coming in it's likely because
you have it too close to some other device
Tip 5 - Is choosing your sample rate
now this can be more of a preference thing for advanced users
but if you're just new to audio recording
a good rule of thumb is to choose 44100
for recording music and choosing
48000 for recording video
and this is because 44100 is CD quality
and it's pretty standard for
music playback software and 48000
is DVD quality and that's pretty standard for
video work Tip 6 is know which input
you're going to connect your devices to. So if you're connecting
a microphone, connect it to the XLR input using
a XLR cable
if you're connecting a synthesizer or an external mixer
or a CD player or some sort of external audio device
You want to use the line input right here
if you're connecting a bass guitar or guitar
you're going to want to use the instrument input right here
unless you have active pickups then you can use
the line input. Tip 7 is if you have speakers
or monitors connected to the Behringer UM2
You'll want to turn the volume down on the actual speakers
or turn them right off when recording or streaming
this one might seem a little bit obvious
but some beginners might get a surprise dose of feedback
if they try to record or stream with their speakers on
and this is because the output volume controls both the
headphones and the speaker volume
Tip 8 is you can actually use Pro Tools with the Behringer UM2
and get great results
now this is a preference tip but if you're
new to recording and you want to get to know the software that
pro studios use. You can actually download
a free verison of Pro Tools called Pro Tools First
and you can get started in the pro tools world
actually let me know what software you currently use
in the comments below. we've done all 8 tips
already so now it's time to do that bonus tip that I told you about
and this is...
get used to the interface you have unless your
interface is broken or you need more inputs
don't think that upgrading to some other interface is
going to instantly make your content sound better
the truth is unless you spend a significant amount
on an audio interface I'm talking at least
$500 but likely more you're really
not going to notice any sort of audible difference with the
audio that you're recording The AD/DA converters
in all of the lower price audio interfaces
is going to be very similar you'll be better off
investing in a higher end microphone or instrument that will
give you instantly noticeable results. The
better you know your audio interface the better quality
recordings you're going to get. And like I said
unless the thing breaks or you need more inputs
there really isn't a need to upgrade it
unless you're going to be spending a significant amount of money
The Behringer UM2 Will give you CD
quality audio and Broadcast quality audio
this video up here is what YouTube thinks you'll like next
and this one down here is my Behringer UM2 playlist
if you enjoyed this video and would like to see more like it
please consider subscribing to the channel
and give this one a big thumbs up
thank you so much for watching for Simple Green Tech
I'm Radio Zane and we'll see you in the next video