M-AUDIO AIR 192x4 USB-C Audio Interface for Recording, Podcasting, Streaming with Studio Quality Sound, 1 XLR in and Music Production Software

I bought this interface in January 2021. I have used it for for guitars plugged directly into the interface, and I have used it with Shure SM57 and SM58 microphones. I have been very happy with the sound quality, the ease of use, the reliability, and pretty much everything else about this interface. I have moved it all over my house and taken a few places in my backpack with no problems. I bought this interface because I wanted something that would be easy to adjust while playing a guitar or keys in low lighting. The Air interface has a giant knob to control the monitor volume, and the input knobs are easy to see and far enough apart that I can grab one without bumping the other. Everything is very spread out, and I can do what I need to do without thinking too much about the interface. I am going to upgrade to an interface with two mic inputs in the next few months. I have looked at the Air 192|6, which has two mic inputs, but am still undecided. I have been happy with the 192|4, but the new Focusrite 2i2 has some cool features and the UA Volt comes with a lot of good plugins. The Air interfaces come with some nice plugins, but they are the same ones you get for free with pretty much every other MIDI controller: MPC Beats (always free), Ableton Live Lite, Mini Grand, DB33, etc. I'd be way more excited if their interfaces came with a choice of a free plugin, because Air makes a lot of amazing effects and instruments. On a side note, if you a just getting into music production and MIDI controllers, I can't recommend Ableton Live Lite enough. It's a great choice for newbies, because there are so many how-to videos on YouTube. TLDR: this a very solid interface that does everything well

I bought this after trying 2 others. The USB-c connection eliminated all latency, the unit is attractive in design and study, metal. The knobs are perfect in size and how they move. My only reason for 4 * in sound is that the ProSonus did have a richer sound but it gave me so many headaches; latency and connectivity problems with LogicProX that I returned it. For the money the M-Audio is a great deal and a great product.

Space it takes up: I was hesitant to purchase this interface due to the size. Many YouTubers said it was bulky and took up a lot of space. This may be true when comparing it to Focusrite Scarlets or other interfaces but as my first interface, I can’t imagine it being any smaller. It fits perfectly on my desk and doesn’t take up much space. Build quality: This interface is light weight but feels very solid. The knobs are this very nice quality plastic but have resistance you would find on a professional mixer. The main frame of it is metal. The only cheap feeling thing is the large knob used to control it’s output for studio monitors. Ease of use and features: This device offers you a ton of control in terms of it’s monitoring. You can adjust the headphone volume as well as balancing the audio from your computer or the direct monitoring from the interface. The headphone amp is powerful enough to drive my ATH M50Xs. I’m not sure how it works with higher ohm headphones. You can have a guitar/bass plugged in along with an xlr mic or something that uses line input. The Air driver you can get once you register it on the M-Audio website works excellent for FL Studio and other DAWs I’m sure. Overall: This interface has a great feel and works as advertised. I have no complaints about it. The headphone amp paired with lower ohm headphones and lossless audio quality music can make for a good HiFi audiophile experience. Also, I found the serial number for my product on one of the user manuals in the box rather than on the box. You’ll need that to get the plugins and driver.

I've been mostly happy with this purchase. I had a fringe use case for this device with using it for a VFIO setup. I know libvirt can make things that function fine in Windows all screwy when in a VM so I went in knowing it might be an issue but ultimately have had it working pretty soundly for about a week. If I run into any other issues I'll update review. Pros: - Great price for a USB DAC with nice built in preamps and XLR out. - I like the design of it. The knobs are not crammed on the front so if you have the room on your desk it's a nice layout. - The preamps specifically are nice because I have a Shure SM7B and wanted to avoid adding on an extra preamp if possible and this DAC boosts enough to not require an additional preamp. It seems like you can run most dynamic mics raw with this mixer and get appropriate levels barring the quietest of whispering. Cons: - Drivers suck. It's been said before in other revuews but holy hell the M-Audio drivers that Windows pushes are terrible. I was getting crackling audio from my speakers and my mic was disconnecting every few minutes when I was using this mixer in my VM. Tried a whole bunch of fixes between switching ports, changing sound virtualization, and fiddling with sample rate and buffer size. Finally figuered I'd just try reinstalling the drivers which I didn't expect to be the problem given the mixer worked fine in baremetal windows. With no drivers installed the mixer worked flawlessly. I don't even. - The control panel is threadbare and the GUI looks half functional between all the options grey-out for any given reason. It's a glorified hotlink to visit their tech support site. - Pre-packaged software and demos is 100% wasted on me. Could be some really good offers for Protools in there but my eyes glaze over when I see this stuff as I just assume it to be demos looking to push a purchase on you. I bought this mixer because I needed a mixer, not because its Protools certified and comes with a trial version of an extra plugin to make farts sound wetter. Overall, the hardware itself is nice and navigating the quirks can give you a nice mixer. It's just navigating the quirks that can turn owners into refunders.

Users with poor reviews seem to be suffering from user error. My model worked perfectly fresh out of the box. Just as well, I decided to update the drivers. The drivers clearly state your PC must be restarted to work and be active. There are currently (as of 4/26/2022) no drivers specifically for Windows 11, however, the Windows 10 (64-bit) drivers worked perfectly for me. Zero knob wobble, tight and smooth knobs. Smooth switch for phantom power. Tight connectors with zero wobble. The drivers actually enabled 32-bit, which is incredible for specific audio needs to avoid losing data. My PC is a Ryzen 5 5600x, so Ryzen systems are, in fact, perfectly fine. I have Windows 11 Pro, and the Windows 10 Drivers are excellent and hassle free. The software subscriptions are all optional via their website, so you do not receive ANY bloatware or unwanted apps. There are 2 included USB cables; 1 usb-c to usb-c and 1 usb-c to usb-a. I am using a different branded usb-c cable rated for 100W, so the claim that a "usb 3.1" cable will not work is false. The audio quality of 32-bit 192,000 Hz is phenomenal. I purchased this unit, marked as "USED" from Amazon Warehouse. The item came re-packaged in a general brown cardboard box, with all items sandwiched between two styrofoam blocks. All items were included, and the item is apparently brand new (cellophane still in tact on face). I am ecstatic to have purchased this item for $72.64 instead of the full $119.00; what an absolute bargain. Would recommend for an initial audio interface; I wanted a MOTU M2, but this was nearly 1/3 the cost.

Nice

Good interface but the top, scratch too easily, still good.

OK folks, here's the skinny. The paperwork inside tells you that you MUST install the driver prior to plugging the unit into your computer. DO NOT INSTALL THE DRIVER. This things works fabulous without the driver. However, once you install the driver, you suddenly lose most of your computer's sound functionality! Oh yeah, but then you can PURCHASE "plug-ins" and other work-arounds to bring that functionality back. Without the driver = my computer can use this for anything and everything. WITH the driver = I have to reset the device USING PROTOOLS ONLY each time I want to playback ANYTHING (to include your OS sounds, youtube videos, music you have recorded, EVERYTHING. And then reset it again each time you want to use it to record. You get it? The device with the driver installed will only function with protools, and will not allow you to record AND play back. You have to choose which direction the sound goes, and you don't get the other until you choose again. When using the driver, sample rates and everything must match EXACTLY or you cannot access your instruments, this device, files on your HDD, etc. I couldn't even play back songs that were on the HDD for years. Couldn't listen to a CD. Terrible! And the software that comes with this thing is useless. Protools is a joke - looks like a free phone app and functions like an overcomplicated blender. The M-Audio Air device itself works fantastic without the driver. I use it with Audacity, Cakewalk, Reaper, and just to play along with youtube backing tracks. And sample rates etc have no impact on functionality without the driver. The DAW can be set to any rate and the box works. It's worth the money, as long as you disregard the driver and software. If you are tempted to purchase because of the software, move along to another!