The Universal Audio Volt 4 Max is a 12-in/6-out desktop USB audio interface with two Tone Shaping mic preamps, Max compression, speaker switching and a built-in talkback mic. Two line inputs and four line outputs connect keyboards, outboard gear and a second pair of monitors, and the ADAT or S/PDIF optical input brings in up to eight more channels. It can run on USB bus power, and UA includes an external power supply for setups that need more.

Tone Shaping and Max Processing

Each preamp has its own Tone setting. 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. Max Processing compresses in real time while you track, with six presets for vocals, guitar and bass modeled on the LA-2A and 1176, and the Smart Display shows gain reduction next to the input level. Auto-Gain sets recording levels and Clip Protection catches stray peaks.

Monitoring, Connections and Software

Speaker switching moves the monitor feed between line outputs 1-2 and 3-4, so two sets of speakers stay connected. Headphone outputs on 1/4" and 1/8" jacks share one cue mix, MIDI In and Out use 3.5 mm TRS jacks, and the USB-C hub port powers a controller or other peripheral. Volt 4 Max is class compliant on Mac, iPad and iPhone, and Windows uses the UA ASIO driver from the UA Connect app. 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

• 12-in/6-out desktop USB audio interface with 32-bit/192 kHz conversion
• Two Tone Shaping preamps with 60 dB of gain and Warmth, Focus and Shine modes
• Max Processing with six compressor presets per channel, modeled on the LA-2A and 1176
• Two rear XLR/TRS combo inputs, two front-panel Hi-Z instrument inputs and two line inputs
• Speaker switching between main and alternate monitors
• Built-in talkback microphone
• ADAT or S/PDIF optical input for up to eight more channels
• MIDI In and Out, plus a USB-C hub port for peripherals
• Full-color Smart Display with gain-reduction metering
• Assistive Auto-Gain and Clip Protection
• Two headphone outputs (1/4" and 1/8") with one shared cue mix
• Independent +48V phantom power on each channel
• Built-in loopback for podcasting and streaming

Specifications

• Simultaneous I/O: 12-in/6-out
• Inputs: Two XLR/TRS combo (mic/line), two 1/4" TS instrument on the front panel, two 1/4" TRS line, one optical (ADAT or S/PDIF)
• Outputs: Four 1/4" TRS balanced line outputs (monitor on 1-2, alternate monitor on 3-4), two stereo headphone outputs (1/4" and 1/8")
• Max Processing presets: Great Vocal, Rap Vocal, Album Vocal, Electric Guitar, Jangly Acoustic, Tight Bass
• Talkback: Built-in microphone
• ADAT input: 8 channels at 44.1/48 kHz, 4 at 88.2/96 kHz, 2 at 176.4/192 kHz (S/MUX)
• MIDI: In and Out, 3.5 mm TRS (Type A)
• Conversion: 32-bit, 44.1 to 192 kHz
• Mic inputs: 14 dBu maximum input, 2 kilohms, switchable +48V per channel
• Instrument inputs: 13 dBu maximum input, 1 megohm
• Line inputs: 22 dBu maximum input, 10 kilohms
• Monitor and line outputs: 20.2 dBu maximum output
• USB: USB 2.0 host port, 5 VDC power port (1.5 A minimum, 3 A supply included) and hub port (5 VDC, 0.5 A maximum), all USB-C
• Power: 5.5 W typical, 7.1 W maximum, rear power switch
• Compatibility: macOS 12 or newer, Windows 10 64-bit or newer, iPadOS and iOS 16 or newer
• Dimensions (W x D x H): 7.5 x 4.5 x 2.1 in
• Weight: 1.4 lbs (0.6 kg)

In the Box

• Volt 4 Max USB audio interface
• 1 m USB-C to USB-C cable
• External power supply with AC adapter kit