What is the Best Audio Interface under £100? (2021)

I tested more than 15 of the most popular audio interfaces under £100. This includes interfaces from Focusrite, Native Instruments, Behringer, PreSonus, Mackie, Steinberg, M-Audio, Tascam and Audient. I hope this video helps you choose the right audio interface for your needs and budget. ►Enter the Giveaway here: http://bit.ly/3eenHma ► Interfaces that I tested but did not showcase as I felt they were not good enough to be shown on the channel: Komplete Audio 1 (£75): Unbalanced outputs are unforgivable at this price point. These will pick up interference and are unsuitable for studio use. M-Track Solo/Duo (£40/50): Supply issues, unstable driver performance, poor sound quality, USB Type B. M-Audio Air 192(£104): Poor build quality with overuse of plastic. It is very large. Audio performance was not up to the standard of the interfaces I showcased. (Which is a shame as I have a sweet spot for M-Audio!) Tascam US 1x2HR (£100): Unbalanced outputs are unforgivable at this price point. These will pick up interference and are unsuitable for studio use. The design and layout is also rather confusing with some important controls located on the rear of the device such as the switch for direct monitoring. You will likely be switching this control many times in each recording session and it just makes no sense to be out of sight. Behringer UMC22: Unstable driver performance but a good build quality for the price. Input and output quality was lacking compared to the others. The inputs had much more noise in real world testing. Behringer U-PHORIA (UMC202/204/404) (£60/80/105): Similar issues to the UMC22. Inputs didn’t sound as clear and the Type B connector did not provide stable performance. Steinberg UR12 (£80): Unbalanced outputs are unforgivable at this price point. These will pick up interference and are unsuitable for studio use. There 6 were showcased in the video: PreSonus Studio 24C (£104) Focusrite Scarlett Solo (£99) Audient EVO 4 (£99) – Note, you can’t adjust preamp gain and output volume simultaneously. Komplete Audio 2 (£99) Mackie Onyx 1.2 (£70) PreSonus Audiobox USB 96 (£72) ►Important notes: I found that this budget was full of marketing traps/pitfalls/false claims of quality. Many companies try to push for higher sample rates such as 96kHz or 192kHz to try and give the impression of higher quality. Audio professionals know that this simply isn’t the case and higher sample rates often lead to lower quality. This is due to intermodulation distortion caused by inaudible frequencies. Unless the AD/DA converters are world class and you have an incredible playback system capable of reproducing 0Hz-96kHz with almost zero distortion then higher sample rates than 48kHz will offer no improvement to your recordings, mixes and masters. Oversampling inside plugins is a different discussion entirely, as this is a digital process and often does lead to better results. TL;DR: Don’t be fooled by marketing! The prices will vary in your country regardless of currency conversion. Check local dealers for up to date prices as this might influence your choice. I have also noticed sellers/shops increasing prices immediately after my recommendations (this happened with my headphone video). 0:00 – Intro 1:00 – What is an Audio Interface? 2:05 – 4 for £100 2:25 – Recording Tests SM7B 3:45 – Headphone and Loudspeaker Volume and Quality 5:05 – PreSonus Studio 24C 6:45 – Focusrite Scarlett Solo 8:25 – Native Instruments 10:18 – Audient EVO 4 11:45 – Included Software 13:00 – My Favourite 13:25 – 2 for £70 15:05 – Advice for buying used gear 15:30 – Giveaway ► Support my channel and get exclusive perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIcC…​ ► Get my Sound Bank: http://bit.ly/inthemixstore​​​ ► Save money on DistroKid if you signup through my custom link → http://distrokid.com/vip/inthemix