Description
If you’re looking for a simple, affordable, and effective way to record music on your Mac or Windows PC, then check out the Behringer U-Phoria UM2. Ask any Sales Engineer here at GearNuts, and they’ll gladly tell you that you don’t need anything fancy to take down your ideas, and the U-Phoria UM2 USB audio interface gives you everything you need. Onboard, you’ll find one of Behringer’s acclaimed XENYX microphone preamps, along with a dedicated instrument input, so you can record yourself singing as you play guitar or keys.
From the manufacturer
UM2
Audiophile 2×2 USB Audio Interface with XENYX Mic Preamplifier
- 2×2 USB audio interface for recording microphones and instruments
- Audiophile 48 kHz resolution for professional audio quality
- State-of-the-art, +48 V-powered XENYX Mic Preamp comparable to stand-alone boutique preamps
UM2
|
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|---|
Compose. Record. Mix. Share.Tracktion is one of the world’s fastest and easiest Digital Audio Workstations (DAW) for composing, recording, editing, mixing and sharing your music with the world. Featuring a single-screen interface, and pushing the envelope in design elegance, Tracktion brings together outstanding Pro DAW features, such as dynamic automation, unlimited track count, MIDI recording and support for VST and AU plug-ins. This powerful music production software gives you all the tools of an entire professional-grade recording studio. Learning a DAW has never been easier, thanks to their vast and readily available library of resources. |
Seamless Integration with Popular DAWsThe ultra-compact UM2 is totally compatible with virtually all popular recording software including Avid Pro Tools, Ableton Live, Steinberg Cubase, etc., so you can record tracks directly into you favorite computer-based DAW – and mix and master to your heart’s content. |
Sonically Superior Mic PreampsThe studio-grade XENYX Mic Preamp used in the UM2, has been praised by audio engineers all over the world for its hug-headroom, low-noise operation. These state-of-the-art mic pres represent a major step in the evolution of audio technology – and they can easily hold their own, even when compared to the most expensive stand-alone mic preamps. XENYX preamps offer a staggering 130 dB of dynamic range, with a bandwidth that extends from below 10 Hz to well above 200 kHz. Armed with these outstanding mic preamps, the UM2 provides such transparent, crystal-clear performance you just might think someone upgraded your mics while you weren’t looking. |
Convenient MonitoringThe UM2 Mix control allows direct monitor select, which means musicians can experience their performance clearly – resulting in a better performance and recording. With its powerful Phones Output, Direct Monitor Level control, Status and Signal Clip LEDs, plus USB-supplied power – the UM2 is ready to go wherever you go. |
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
Getting ConnectedOn the UM2’s front panel you’ll find the a combination jacks that accept balanced XLR, ¼ ” TRS and unbalanced ¼ ” TR connections along with a ¼ ” TRS. The rear panel is home to the +48 V phantom power switch, a USB 2.0 port for simple and easy connection to your computer and power, plus RCA playback options for direct connection to studio monitors. It just doesn’t get any easier than this! |
Free Would Be Nice!Because you’ll want to take full advantage of the UM2’s recording and podcasting potential, we’ve included a download for all the software you’ll need for audio recording, editing and even podcasting – all free of charge and downloadable from behringer.com. You’ll be ready to go live on your PC or Mac right out of the box! We’ve also provided a free download of more than 150 virtual instruments and FX plug-ins – turning your computer into a powerful home-based or mobile recording studio from input to output. |
Recording the Next Big HitThe amazing UM2 ultra-compact 2 x 2, 24-Bit/48 kHz USB audio interface allows you to record the perfect vocal or instrument tracks directly to your computer, thanks to the XENYX Mic Preamp with +48 Volt phantom power for condenser microphones – and studio-grade 48 kHz converter for superb sound quality. Whether you’re a singer-songwriter, producer on the go, or just need a rock-solid interface for running backing tracks at the gig, the ultra-dependable U-PHORIA UM2 will help you shine in the digital domain. |
Faheem –
Excellent Budget USB Interface/DAC for price – also UMC202HDI am writing about both the UM2 and UMC202HD:I had to write this review to help out anyone else who comes across this product like me. I want the best for the least amount of money, and I’m willing to spend more if it means avoiding a product that will be a waste of money down the line. These products match my expectations and needs at an excellent price point.UM2: The pricing on this model can not be emphasized enough, because it is literally a third of the cost of more expensive equipment that fundamentally performs on par at its core function (transmitting good quality analog sound to digital for usage in a PC or in other devices through the analog output).I have read that on professional testing, the UMC204 performs as good as expensive equipment at the same fundamental function that cost thousands of dollars more. That inspires confidence in the UM2 since the spec differences are laid out openly (48khz vs 192khz for example). So you know what you are getting, but also that you will be getting the best quality for what you are paying for. Similarly, the UM2 and the UMC22 are identical in feature and function except that the body of the latter is metal, and the outputs are TRS vs RCA. Some more audiophilic folk may demand those design features for reasons they believe are important to sound processing. Personally, I was okay sacrificing those, and to my untrained ears, I find no difference between the PC sound card which is already high quality, and the UM2 interface. In my estimation, the average user who is simply looking to create their own content, or upgrade from a laptop or PC soundcard will be very well satisfied with this device.My primary gripe against this device for which I dropped one star is the installation support, which is none from Behringer. PC compatibility is a problem as it is not usable on a system without installing the right codec. Behringer has made this a messy process, and in fact without support, as it has no proprietary codecs or software for the device. Usually that is good because open source support means that the general community would provide answers to other users. However, the device only runs off of an old codec version that is no longer available on the developers site (ASIO) and is only available through miscellaneous forums which is a serious security concern. That is a massively dropped ball. But in the end I got it to work, so I’m relieved in the end. It took a couple of hours to get it to work which is the negative. I would still highly recommend this to everyone with the note that they need to get some help on the software side to install it properly.Lastly, there is either misinformation, or I just lucked out, but the direct monitoring will work in Stereo, whether it is taking two channels and mixing them, or taking a mono channel from a single input and conveying them to both stereo channels (must use stereo jacks of course, and also stereo connections from the rear RCA to speakers – can also be used for any other receiving device. I even plugged it into my DSLR without problem with Stereo piping into the camera – thumbs up!)Also, if you set this as your primary audio device in your PC, you can use this as a DAC which is on par or better than the internal soundcard in the PC. It will work just like your own PCs sound card. The USB 1.1 has not been any limitation to be at all, so USB 2.0 difference to this appears to be hype to me.Bottom line – extremely recommended. Don’t waste time, money, or emotions into any other device unless your a pro. If your a pro, skip all the other devices and jump straight up to something in the $500/$1,000 range, don’t even worry about budget, and just do what all the other audiophile nerds do (justify and claim the more expensive equipment is better just because of the price). If your looking for a single XLR input, or 2 unbalanced inputs, and one output parallel to the USB output, get this. If you need any more inputs and outputs, explore the other range of devices from Behringer, and get what suits you. The good news is, if you have a little bit of audiophile concern but can tolerate sacrificing the greatest theoretical specs, you’ll find with more IO more laudable specs. In practice, people like me will probably find zero differences. Don’t pay more money for other brands.I also like the potential versatility with this device. I plan to do a recording for a video in a couple of days, and in a month I plan to support a livestream video/audio broadcast. This device can do it all.On UMC202HD:This device should be a significant upgrade to the UM2. Unfortunately it is not in terms of audio quality. It is definitely perceptively better, but not double the price better. The build quality is definitely far better, but it doesn’t impact the performance for me. The only thing that is a major step up from the UM2 then is the addition of another XLR port. When you look at the price points, it doesn’t seem to be giving the value proposition of adding an XLR port to the UM2 or UMC22. The range of prices starts at $30 for the UM2, then goes to $45 for the UMC22 to add a metal body, then $75 to go to the UMC202HD. You could get 2 UM2s if you needed to XLR ports only, and still save money over the metal body.Unfortunately, the market just isn’t priced that way, making these options from Behringer the most reasonable. If you were to go to Tascam, or even other options like Zoom (which allows is recorders to be used like audio interfaces! Two thumbs up!) the point of entry is $80 for basic options (just recorders really) with the first option to add XLR at around $100 or more.This means Behringer is the easy go to solution for adding XLR inputs to your setup. And having two XLR ports vs on definitely opens up flexibility. I could see myself being handicapped in future instances without it (interviews, live-streams and podcasts with more than 1 presenter, etc).So it really comes down to your use. If you are comfortable keeping your use case simple and actively plan on never expanding beyond that, such as having a single person setup, then getting the UM2 is an easy option. But if you have any aspirations towards prosumer/advanced amateur opportunities, then there is very little option that makes sense.At the minimum, you will get a very solid solution for audio interfacing with all of these models. The UMC202HD actually has supported drivers on the Behringer website to boot. The software giveaways are garbage. Don’t worry about them. Audacity is far superior.On the UMC202HD you do lose the consumer friendly feature of mono to stereo direct listening however. For some reason, but which makes the value proposition for the UM2 all the greater, it is wired so that each channel automatically feeds stereo out on the direct monitor headphone output, meaning you will hear sound on both sides of the drums. Unfortunately, the UMC202HD only supports mono to mono channel direct monitoring, meaning each channel input only drives one output channel (left or right) on your monitor or headphones. Maybe this is fine if you actually use a single mono speaker for review which also makes sense. In this way, the UMC202HD is more geared towards professional users which means more equipment and setup the further up in professional equipment you go.Overall very satisfied with the UM2, and mostly satisfied with the UMC202HD. That said, if you find it for $60 or $65 dollars, it would make the deal spot on for value.
Kevin G –
Perfect for my needsI had a Scarlett 6i6 for many years as my interface, but it was having a lot of problems. Since I’ve been trying to simplify and minimize my setup, I thought why not go with something really small and cheap?Now that I’ve been using this for a bit, I can’t say I feel the need to upgrade. Although it has unbalanced RCA out, I haven’t had any problems with sound quality.It’s the perfect small size and it is very easy to operate. I actually like the layout better than my Scarlett. It has a direct monitor button right next to the headphones out which is very handy. The 3 knobs at the top (2x inputs & output) are nice to operate and are big enough for ease of use.It works perfect with Logic Pro so far and everything has been smooth sailing. I highly recommend this and it’s very surprising how cheap it is. It’s perfect for the minimalist solo musician and I actually like it better than my Scarlett 6i6 so far.
Mark Pixley –
Better than I expected.At one time Behringer products were the ban of the industry, cheaply made/reversed engineered/and slave labor were the typical comments you’d hear about them…I have owned several products that were frankly unusable (cheap compressor and a horrific ADA8000)…since purchasing Midas and a few other companies and being re-branded as Global Music I have to say things have really turned around…First lets talk about the drivers, if you are running a Mac OS the drivers are already installed, plug it in go to your midi/audio device settings and choose it, you’re done…in Windows (depending on OS version) you are going to need to download and install the appropriate drivers…depending on your computer this can be painless or a nuisance but thats hardly a Behringer problem…my install went quickly and thank god the old days of having to restart your computer every time you installed something is over…Once installed the drivers are pretty seamless…depending on the application it seems that bit depth is adjusted on the fly, which is also a wonderful new thing, not sure if its just ASIO 2 or what but I like it.As far as the U-phoria UMC404HD…for $99.00 you are not going to beat the quality or functionality of this device…I own a plethora of state of the art converters, from Apogee and Prism to the high end Lynx stuff and even some developmental TI and AKM boards…I also have a handful of the smaller Roland/Edirol devices as well as a Duet from Apogee…so my”A/B” comparison pool is above average (yes I might be a hoarder I never sell or get rid of any audio gear)…Frankly the converters in this UMC-404HD are as good as anything in my arsenal (also considering that at anything over 96kHz you are already outside the realm of tangible human hearing when it comes to noise floor anyway)…I have a tendency to NOT like any AKM converter and I pretty much could tell these were NOT that typical wet blanket smearing that a badly implemented “signal chain/psu/chip-choice” usually gives you…these converters are smooth, no clipping, no computer noise (switching power supplies in an DAC power system are a terrible idea but the technology is apparently coming round)…I haven’t tried them at 192kHz because its really just a preference and eats up hard drive space (google NWaudioguy and read his stuff on this), but at 96khz everything is smooth as butter crisp and detailed just the way you want it.The Midas pre’s are wonderfully quiet, I would compare them to my API stuff with less gain, and overall this device seems to be on the quieter end of converter boxes/pre’s, everything is sorta preset at a lower input level, which is fine if you ask me, no reason to drive your digital hot anyway…there is a hint of color but no smearing and no real clouding of the audio signal, its pretty much “what you hear is what you get”, I cannot say this about any of my other devices with built in preamps…I NEVER use a devices pre’s because I have a rack full of vintage stuff that is better, but this device is now my exception, it sounds as good as the rack stuff, just not as loud…speaking of which (built in preamps) you CAN bypass the pre’s by simply using a TRS on the insert jack on the back, so if you don’t like the pre’s just bypass them and use your own outboard, you still get quality DA/AD conversion and you can real-time monitor with the mix knob on the front…but like I said this product seems to be on the low end of output level so that rule applies across the board to your headphone out…you are not going to be driving some high end/high impedance headphone to bleeding ears level with this thing, not a lot of volume range on the headphone mix but so what? Typically you should be sending out a separate headphone mix to a band anyway and you’ve only got 4 inputs so lets not pretend this is for tracking an orchestra, it is what it is and its quite good at that.As far as functionality, having an A/B monitor switch on the front of this device is brilliant thinking on Behringers part…no other device in this price range is that versatile…The ONLY drawback/complaint I have is really just a minor one and that is the phantom power switch powers ALL of the channels at once, (not that phantom will harm a non-phantom mic) and I get why they did it (cost probably and for what? A few guys like me complaining?) but it seems to me there should be a way to change this in software if you want (my Apogee Duet lets me do this).I’m not going to go into all of the functions, others (and the Behringer sales video) will do a better job there…all I have to say is if you have heard in the past how crappy Behringer products are and avoid them like the plague I can assure you that something has changed in this company for the better…now the one caveat to that is I have not had to deal with their customer service, for all I know it could be non-existent, but I highly doubt it, they seem to be forward thinking here and listening to the customer base much better than the others…at one time if you had Behringer products in your studio people mocked you, that has changed…if you DON’T have their stuff now I would say you haven’t tried them…this is now my favorite converter because, well…the price and the build quality makes my pocket book smile and the ease of use and functionality makes my workflow smile…the fact that its easily portable and I can switch it between DAW systems super fast makes it a bonus all the way around.Get one. They are cheap.
Martin C. –
Best in Class!I’ve been recording music and sound both professionally and for fun since the mid-90’s. I’ve been fortunate enough to get to use a wide variety of equipment at all levels, from cheap junk to top pro quality. My home desktop recording setup has centered around an M-Audio Delta1010 card for many years. In studios, I’ve used a variety of things, from Digidesign, RMC, Apogee, etc… I needed a simple and cheap USB interface to use with an old beater laptop for some mobile recording. After much research, I nabbed a Behringer UMC404HD. The price was cheap enough to be worth the gamble; I’ve used Behringer things a few times in the past, but never an interface, and was worried it might be too junky to be usable. But seeing that these are perpetually out of stock at most places, I figured it would be easy enough to flip if it ended up being a lemon. Thankfully, I won’t even need to worry about that, because this one is a winner! Best $99 I’ve spent on anything in a long time.Sound quality is great. I’d say the quality of the conversion beats my M-Audio card (which was originally at least 6x the price!). I’m going to chalk this up to improvements in technology over the years, and it really makes the Delta show its age. A nice clear sound, not lacking in body, and doesn’t have any of the harshness I’ve encountered with other Behringer products of the past. I’m not going to say it’s “warm” sounding at all, but it really doesn’t need to be, honestly. It’s just a solid clear sound with a minimum of any noticeable hype or color. Behringer’s parent company recently bought Midas, and the UMC404 claims to have the same mic preamps as used in the high end Midas consoles. Which model of console is anyone’s guess, and it’s really more just an excuse to stick the name on there to play off the reputation of the name (though, Midas is a big name in live FOH consoles, not really anything to do with recording consoles). But whatever, the mic preamps do sound good. Noise isn’t too bad – recording piano with some dynamic mics didn’t get any bad noise issues. It will get a bit hissy if you have to max the gain out, but there are few situations where I see that happening, and if you really need lowest noise, you can always use a nicer external preamp and patch into the line inputs. The inserts included on each input is a nice touch! You can easily patch a compressor after the mic input – which is good news for tracking vocals. This is an extremely helpful feature that most other interfaces neglect.One complaint about the mic preamps: they don’t work well with low-output ribbon mics. I tried it with my Cascade Fat Head II and it was a no-go. Not enough clean gain available. Had to max it out to get any signal and at that point the noise was too much. Ribbon users would need something like a Cloud Lifter or other external preamp to be able to use them with the UMC. Too bad, but that’s really not a huge letdown considering the price and how well the unit performs otherwise.Control panel for the drivers is very spartan, but it does enough to tell you what’s going on and make a few adjustments. People like me who are used to the luxury of an onboard DSP zero latency monitor mixer (like the Delta has) will be a little disappointed by the lack of monitor adjustment with the simple analog input monitoring on the box itself, but it’s still work-able, just a bit unusual to lack a separate control for monitor mixing. But considering the price and general sound quality, this isn’t really a complaint.As far as how well it plays with software, I’ve tried this with Adobe Audition, Reaper, and Tracktion. It works just fine doing multitrack using the ASIO drivers in Reaper and Tracktion, but it did NOT work well with Audition at all. Attempting to use the ASIO drivers to do a multitrack recording in Audition caused Audition to crash. Multitracking in Audition doesn’t seem to work at all with this, even when switching to the MME or WASAPI drivers. I’m blaming this on Audition because Adobe sucks. Tracktion was billed as “included” software, but it wasn’t actually in the box with it, and when I registered the product with Behringer to get my “free” download code, I have yet to get any reply from them. There’s a free version of Tracktion available and that’s probably what they’re talking about. Behringer pulled this crap before by including the freeware Audacity with interfaces and billing it as some great deal of included software (and Audacity sucks, BTW). Tried messing with Tracktion a bit, but really not a fan of the workflow. It’s quick and easy, but it’s too stripped and just not an interface I find comfortable. Reaper gave the best results for multitracking on the laptop, and then I used Audition for editing/mastering the final mix. My main software on desktop is Samplitude Pro X, but I haven’t plugged the Behringer into my desktop yet. The laptop is running Win10, so good news for Win10 users that the drivers seem to work fine with it.Haven’t tested the MIDI yet, and therefore haven’t used any realtime softsynths with it, so I can’t make any judgment about the latency. The control panel gives you some control over this, so I’m sure I could probably get it to where it feels good for realtime synth. But as this is being used almost exclusively for recording, low latency is really not on my list of needs.Time will tell about the long-term reliability of a $99 interface with this much packed into it, but overall construction seems solid and I’ve had no feelings about it being too delicate to carry around in my backpack. Should hold up well to regular mobile use.Giving something like this 5 stars seems excessive, because there’s certainly better out there. But at this price? Not even close! In the very crowded world of sub-$200 audio interfaces, I will put the UMC404HD up there as a clear winner.
NC –
Works as advertised, good valueNice little device that works as advertised. The only downside I found is that it can only power up when connected to a laptop. At least none of my various wall mounted USB power adapters work. However, the literature clearly shows that it must be connected to a laptop, so that’s on me. For the price I’d recommend this unit, but keeping in mind that it may not work with an external USB power device. It doesn’t hurt to try, it just doesn’t seem to turn on, but connect it to your laptop and you’ll probably be pleasantly surprised at how well it works.
Armageddon –
Works fantastic for my needs.My gaming computer has a beefy power supply which unfortunately is very audible through any recordings made using line in or usb connections. I bought this Behringer U-Phoria interface to try and sidestep some if the hiss noise. While the noise isn’t entirely gone (not the fault of the interface), it is very manageable now.I had perviously purchased the Focusrite Scarlet solo, it was finicky with drivers and eventually died in a year or so, out of warranty. The Behringer U-Phoria is less than half the price and has all the same features. I only just got this interface, so I can’t do a crazy in depth review, but everything it claims to do works well. I’m very happy with this purchase. Now on to make some black metal.
JeffW-Htos1 –
Very clean, easy to use.I’ve always wanted a simple 2X2 mixer for my computer back to the 90’s! (Mackie VLZ’s were bulky) I’m quite familiar with Behringer as a retired a/v tech with >3000 hours as FOH sound. This is my SECOND Behringer piece (have an 800w head mixer as well) and have found this piece to be great! I LOVE how clean it is, ESPECIALLY with a calibrated mic that “pinks” rooms and arenas. As well as my large diaphragm condensers. Well worth the price.
Rickhollandhfx –
Great valueWorks great and inexpensive. I would like to be able to set the gain more reliably by having stops on the dial with numbered and more frequent marks on the panel. I know you still have to adjust gain with each recording session and even within a recording session, but for me, it would help to know where I was last time.
Chris Rhetorix –
Best Budget Interface Ever!I was going to return this product, after i saw Behringer listed ASIO4ALL as the driver. I hate asio4all. However i found a YouTube video where a guy showed me you can use this with the Behringer ASIO Driver and let me tell you it makes a world of difference. Im able to get super low latency, great sound quality, I love it!
Jinfrey –
impressive sound qualityI recently purchased the Behringer U-Phoria UM2 USB Audio Interface and I am extremely happy with my purchase. The interface is compact and easy to use, and has greatly improved the sound quality of my recordings.One of the standout features of the Behringer U-Phoria UM2 is its simplicity. It is plug-and-play, which means that I was able to start using it right out of the box without having to install any drivers or software. The interface also has a clear and intuitive control panel, which makes it easy to adjust the settings and get the sound I want.The sound quality is also impressive. It captures audio with a high degree of clarity and detail, and clear signal.