UPDATE: check out our Audient iD4 review!
It’s a great time for singer-songwriter and on the go producers. True, Spotify & co. rates may be disheartening, but on the other hand, it’s never been so easy and affordable to create quality recordings.
Audient, the UK company renowned for their lovely analog mixing desks, entered the crowded USB audio interface market a couple of years ago with their iD22 (that doubled also as monitor controller).
Last year they introduced the streamlined ID14, an attractive smaller desktop unit that inherited many of the features of the iD22.
A few days ago Audient unveiled the new, compact and affordable iD4, a bus-powered audio interface (iOS compatible too).
I’m glad to see that the iD4 boasts the same sleek design of its bigger sisters, with its solid steel and aluminium casing, its console-style monitor control and Audient’s virtual scroll wheel technology (you can use the iD knob to manually adjust DAW hosts, plug-in parameters, write automation and even scroll through your iTunes library!).
Among other features, Class-A mic pre technology, pristine AD converters, a JFET D.I (ideal for keyboards and drum machines as well as guitar and bass), dual headphone outputs (helpful for classrooms, bandmates, etc.).
Also, the Audient iD4 comes with two new features designed to make the recording process even easier for users: Monitor Mix and Monitor Pan. In Audient’s words “the Monitor Mix feature lets you monitor a blend of both iD4s inputs and your DAW playback, providing near-zero latency monitoring whilst recording. And if you’re recording an acoustic guitar and vocal, the Monitor Pan feature enables you to pan both the mic pre input and D.I input from left to right, making it easy to create a balanced headphone mix that suits.”
Feature overview
- 1 x Class-A Audient Console Mic Preamplifier
- High Performance AD/DA Converters
- iD ScrollControl Mode
- 1 x Discrete JFET Instrument Input
- Main Speaker Output
- Independent Class-AB Headphone Output (dual outputs)
- Monitor Control Functionality
- USB2.0 Bus Powered
- 24bit/96khz
- All-Metal Enclosure
Price
iD4 retails at $199. To read more please visit the iD4 official web page.
