Universal Audio Volt 76 series

ManualsBrandsUniversal Audio ManualsAudio Interfaces1x2 USB Audio Interface with Integrated Compressor

ntil now, UA

seemed happy to

cater to the ‘pro’

market alone. That

changes with the

release of the Volt

interfaces, which

arrive to disrupt the more affordable

end of the audio interfacing world.

Here, we’re focusing on two of the

more eye-catching designs, the Volt

176 and 276.

In the box you’ll ﬁ nd the interface

itself, a USB cable for connection

and another to provide power; whilst

the interfaces are bus-powered, the

option to plug in may be reassuring

for some. Installation is simple.

Follow a link to the UAD website to

download UA Connect, which then

lets you register, install ﬁ rmware

updates, and then download any

items of the bundled software you

like. These include Ableton Live Lite,

Melodyne Essential and assorted

instruments and effects including

LABS from Spitﬁ re Audio. But let’s be

immediately clear; not only are the

Volt interfaces a departure from the

cost of previous UA designs, they

have a very different remit too.

There’s no UAD plugin hosting,

onboard software processing nor

Console software to conﬁ gure

recording setups. Instead, the Volts

are plug-and-play USB-C interfaces

which offer UA’s excellent preamps

and, in the case of the two units on

review, the added beneﬁ t of some

onboard analogue processing to bring

the ﬂ avour of two legendary Universal

Audio designs to the tracking stage.

To focus on the 276, the interface

is a desktop module, with combo

XLR/TRS inputs on the front panel,

with phantom power (one button for

both inputs), Instrument switches and

a headphone port (with generous

gain), alongside a headphone volume

dial. The upper panel is where the

main action is, with Gain dials per

channel, plus the option to switch in

76 Compressor and Vintage options.

The ﬁ rst speaks for itself, with an

analogue circuit enabling you to

choose 1176-style Vocal, Guitar, Fast

or Off one-button compression at the

recording stage. Whilst the Vintage

option is less explicitly named, it

provides the tube emulation, gentle

saturation, top-end lift of UA’s classic

610 channel. No additional controls

are available for either option; you

won’t ﬁ nd Ratio switch options for the

76 Compressor, for instance. But all

budget interface market with a great

design, a plug-and-play workﬂ ow and

hard-to-beat audio conversion.

three compression settings give a

characteristic ﬂ avour without going

overboard. Otherwise, the dominant

Monitor dial controls output volume

to speakers, and a blue-lit Direct

button enables direct monitoring by

routing the inputs to the outputs.

Round the back, you’ll ﬁ nd stereo

outputs, the USB connector and MIDI

In/Out ports.

The 176 offers all of the above

but limits itself to one input channel.

The Volts are a radical departure

for UA, offering an affordable taste of

the brand’s key ingredients. They’re

incompatible with plugins from the

UAD store and don’t even work with

UA’s LUNA software. But they

absolutely deserve to shake up the

THE PROS & CONS

Classic UA recording

channels with

Vintage and 76

Compressor

embellishments

UA quality at an

affordable price

Attractive, intuitive,

easy to use, plug-

and-play design

No scope for

expansion beyond

the limited I/O

If you’re attracted by

UAD’s plugins, the

Volts are not for you

FM VERDICT

9.0

B ad news for other

affordable interface makers:

these are great, with a spritz

of hard-to-resist recording

history magic on top

Brings the ﬂ avour of two

legendary UA designs to the

tracking stage

Universal Audio Volt 76 series | Reviews

FMU379.rev_ua.indd 75FMU379.rev_ua.indd 75 16/12/2021 11:5216/12/2021 11:52