The Universal Audio Volt 1 Gen 2 is a compact 2-in/2-out USB audio interface for singer-songwriters, podcasters and anyone recording at home or on the road. Its Tone Shaping mic preamp adds the character of three classic analog designs at the press of a button, and a front-panel Hi-Z input records a guitar or bass at the same time as the mic. Conversion runs at up to 32-bit/192 kHz, and the unit takes its power from the USB connection to a Mac, Windows PC, iPad or iPhone.

Tone Shaping Preamp

The TONE button steps through three modes on the rear mic/line input. Warmth takes its tube character from the UA 610 preamp, Focus brings the tight transients of American solid-state consoles, and Shine adds the open top end of British Class-A desks. Each mode carries an EQ curve taken from analog hardware, and with Tone Shaping off the preamp records clean with up to 60 dB of gain. Direct monitoring sends the input to your headphones with its Tone setting and no latency.

Software and Setup

Volt 1 Gen 2 is class compliant on Mac, iPad and iPhone, and Windows uses the UA ASIO driver from the UA Connect app. Built-in loopback blends computer audio with your mic for streams, podcasts and video calls. UA includes LUNA Free and a bundle of UAD plug-ins and instruments, among them the Teletronix LA-2A and UA 1176 compressors and the UA 610 Tube Preamp & EQ Collection. UA sets the bundle contents and can change them.

Features

• 2-in/2-out USB audio interface with 32-bit/192 kHz conversion
• Tone Shaping preamp with 60 dB of gain and Warmth, Focus and Shine modes
• Rear XLR/TRS combo input for a microphone or line source
• Front-panel Hi-Z instrument input for guitar or bass
• Switchable +48V phantom power
• Direct monitoring and a mute button for the monitor and headphone outputs
• Built-in loopback for podcasting and streaming
• USB bus power, with a second USB-C port for a 5 VDC supply when the host cannot power it
• Kensington security slot

Specifications

• Simultaneous I/O: 2-in/2-out
• Inputs: One XLR/TRS combo (mic/line), one 1/4" TS instrument
• Outputs: Two 1/4" TRS balanced monitor outputs, one 1/4" stereo headphone output sharing the monitor mix
• Conversion: 32-bit, 44.1 to 192 kHz
• Mic input: 20 Hz to 20 kHz (±0.1 dB), 119 dB dynamic range (A-weighted), -108 dB THD+N, 14.5 dBu maximum input, 2 kilohms
• Instrument input: 116 dB dynamic range, 12.5 dBu maximum input, 1 megohm
• Line input: 119 dB dynamic range, 22 dBu maximum input, 10 kilohms
• Monitor outputs: 122 dB dynamic range, -111 dB THD+N, 20.2 dBu maximum output
• USB: USB 2.0 host port and 5 VDC power port, both USB-C
• Power: USB bus powered, 2.4 W typical, 3.6 W maximum
• Compatibility: macOS 12 or newer, Windows 10 64-bit or newer, iPadOS and iOS 16 or newer
• Dimensions (W x D x H): 6.1 x 4.9 x 2 in (15.5 x 12.5 x 5.1 cm)
• Weight: 1.2 lbs (0.5 kg)

In the Box

• Volt 1 Gen 2 USB audio interface
• 1 m USB-C to USB-C cable