List Price: $249.00
Sale Price: $196.81
Today's Bonus: 21% Off
- 24-bit / 96 kHz 2 x 2 USB 2.0 recording interface
- 2 dual-purpose front-panel input channels
- Mixer control (blends the input signal with the computer playback stream for zero-latency monitoring)
- Headphone jack with level control
- Main-output level control
- LED clip indicator for each channel
- Studio One Artist digital audio workstation software included
- Virtual StudioLiveTM (VSL) control software included
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Presonus has impressed me yet again, and here is why. I might sound like a sales rep for this product, but rest assured I am not. This device is just that good. Add to the fact that I snapped this puppy up for $80 on a late night eBay snipe a month ago, it was like Santa decided to surprise me early. This is an in depth review as I wish to cover all facets of this amazing little device.---------------------------------------------------------------------
Features:
1) 2 solid XLR combo inputs with excellent xmax preamps (found on their more expensive devices like the famous StudioLive mixers). These babies output a clean signal with very low noise. Great range (-15dB to +65dB) for gain on inputs offer flexibility. Many USB audio interfaces fail at pumping out such a high gain which is invaluable if you are using dynamic microphone like the Shure SM7B which needs 60db of gain. Most Focusrite USB interfaces only go up to 55db. By previous interface (Yamaha audiogram 3) failed miserably at powering dynamic mics. And for very sensitive mics, the signal goes all the way down to -15db, which is extremely quiet.
2) Sample Rates and Buffer sizes: Offers a variety of sample rates 44.1, 48, 88.2 and 96kHz. 24 bit depth is a standard in most new interfaces, so no surprise there. The buffer rates range from 64 all the way to 2048. Buffer rate is basically the time the DAW has to process the audio signal and return it to the interface. So if you use low buffer, it will be very processor intensive. And if you processor is pushed hard enough it will start to clip and crackle. But it offers the advantage of low latency. High buffer rates does exactly the opposite. This is useful while playing back the audio as the CPU has more time to process, hence can withstand many effects and plugins. But while live monitoring will cause higher latency. But this vast range gives me great flexibility while recording, playing back and mixing. The latency at 256 buffer size is under 10 ms (double that to get real-time latency, to PC and then back to device). This is by no means stellar, but around the same as USB interfaces at a similar price-point. Moreover, latency to me is not a problem with the zero latency monitoring of the VSL.
3) Virtual Studio Live (VSL) (look at uploaded pictures): This is the killer feature that puts the 22vsl at the top of my interfaces preferences. VSL is nothing but a software interface (basically a window) through which you can control the interface. You can apply processes like compression, limiting, gating, EQ all individually to the 2 channels and hear them LIVE on your headphones on monitors. Further more by applying these effects in post, you can record tracks with the effects on them. This reduces load on your DAW as the signal itself has all these effects. FYI Presonus calls all these effects in summation as FAT channel effects.
The 2 main stereo bus effects are Reverb and Delay (processed by the two 32 bit DSP chips of the interface). And those 2 effects are the only ones which you can only hear on the headphones live and NOT record onto the tracks live through post. The reverb and delay effects are of good quality and enhance the recording experience SO much.
The VSL software interface comes with a variety of presets. So if you plug in your vocal microphone to the interface and don't know what effects to apply you can apply fat channel and FX presets by simple drag and drop. Not only that, you can save the entire VSL window settings as a scene preset. So if you intend to use the device at a live concert, you can simply drag and drop the scene presets as you wish.
The VSL offers a faux near zero latency monitoring, by means of bypassing the daw output while recording. This is where the inbuilt effects come in so handy that I don't have to rely on the daw for live monitoring. This feature is of course not of use when recording guitars with VST effects, as then you rely on the DAW for signal processing.
4) Software: Apart from the VSL graphical interface, the 22 vsl comes with Presonus Studio One V2 Artist edition. Usually the DAW's which come along with budget interfaces are mediocre at best. But the artist edition of this DAW is fairly capable. It offers a clean interface making the workflow extremely efficient. Further more, the software is fairly stable, really processor efficient and very intuitive. I fell in love the software to such an extent that I went ahead and bought the entire producer edition, which is the DAW of my choice right now. It pairs very well with the interface.
One BIG flaw with the artist edition is that it DOES NOT support VST's, DX or even rewire. This is a major flaw and hope that Presonus fixes it. I guess they want to ensure profits on the more expensive versions. To mitigate the lack of support of VST's, the artist version comes with some effects: some which sound good, some passable and some downright terrible. Over all, as a software included in the package it is steal. For the stand alone street price of $99, not good value.
5) Build Quality: The unit is well built with the all metal chassis and looks like it is going to last me a while. It is not the prettiest interface with a seemingly slightly outdated look. But that is only for superficial concern. The trim knobs feel very solid and have notches which give you slight tactile feedback as you rotate them. Also the balanced outputs are a plus, although a standard in many interfaces these days.
6) Support: Presonus although a formidable name in FireWire Rack modules, is relatively new to the world of budget interfaces, DAW software and Pro-sumer mixers. Hence their support group is very eager to help out their ever growing consumer base and iron out issues on a regular basis. Also, their forums are full of helpful end users(ranging from absolute amateurs to middle of the line professionals) who can help out with issues and offer valuable suggestions. This is a huge pro in the long run and coaxes you to get tied into the Presonus world.
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CONS:
1) I initially faced some driver issues while plugging it into Windows 8 USB 3.0 ports. A short download later, the latest 1.2.1 beta driver however seems to have fixed all issues. In any case, returns are always an option with most retailers selling interfaces.
2) No 10 db pad
3) Included software has no support for VST, DX or Rewire
4) The instrument inputs are unbalanced, instead of being balanced.
5) Slightly aged styling
6) Latency although is fairly low IMO, isn't stellar enough for some users.
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Comparisons:
a) Presonus Audiobox: Avoid it. It has been a hit or miss with many. Besides, the 22vsl is the succession to the audiobox which was Presonus' stepping stone to better interfaces.
b) Avid/M-Audio interfaces: The Avid Audio(formerly M-audio) interfaces are either a hit or miss. The driver performance in inconsistent and build quality is shoddy at best. Although they might work for some, much better products are available these days and I would advise people to avoid the brand altogether
c) Focusrite: The Focusrite changes USB interfaces in that they were amongst the few companies offering products with stable drivers and predictable performance. The preamps are a tad bit better, given that Focusrite specializes in them. But in the average recording session, these are almost imperceptible. The Saffire 6 comes with more i/o options and has more pads giving you more control. But these pads are of little use to most. The slightly cheaper scarlett 2i2 offers similar stability with a few less features than the 22vsl. But the feature that beats every USB Focusrite interface is the VSL. That as I already mentioned is very useful killer tool.
d) If you have a spare hundred lying around, invest in the Roland QuadCapture which does everything the 22vsl does and more, better. It comes with a whole host of great features, and offers pristine sound. Great feature set, superb build, amazing sound, professional semi-professional to professional class. I would have bought it in a heart's beat had I had the money to spare. Even at the $270 price point, it is amazing.
e) Firewire devices: If you have a firewire/thunderbolt port, I would definitely recommend firewire devices over a USB device. Especially on Macs, firewire offers higher bandwidths, and many more options for quality interfaces. Everything from the $200 M-Audio ProFire 610, to the $400 Focusrite Saffire Pro 24 DSP, to the latest and greatest $600 Motu Track16, to the industry altering Universal Audio Apollo at $2600 (most amazing interface I have heard of my life, a huge bridge between analog and digital worlds). Firewire just offers more i/o options, gets better signal processing results, comes in a variety of price points and offers ultimate flexibility. USB 3.0 can challenge it hopefully, but the audio industry hasn't responded to the new USB standard yet.
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Final thoughts: Overall I would absolutely recommend this unit to anyone considering a budget interface for home recording purposes and live use. The VSL effects and controls are to me an absolutely stellar feature and makes recording an enjoyable experience always. Add to that the pairing of Presonus DAW software, it makes the experience even sweeter. I would definitely recommend this over any Focusrite interface purely because of the VSL features. If not for the VSL, I think Focusrite interfaces might just nudge forward in certain areas.
Buy PreSonus AudioBox 22VSL (Advanced 2 x 2 USB 2.0 Recording Interface) Now
Wanted to pass along this information because I hadn't seen it in other reviews, but this audio interface is perfectly compatible with the new Garageband 2011 as well as with Mac OSX Lion. Like many others, I wish I had the money for an Apogee Duet, but wanted a solid interface for one third that price that is plug and play with Apple products. This fits that bill perfectly....install the drivers and record away with Garageband, or just use their amp modeling to monitor guitar, bass, keyboard.....whatever you like through this great interface. I always have a guitar or bass and a mic attached to this thing, along with a MIDI keyboard. It just works!I haven't messed much with the included software because this thing is so easy to use with GB or Logic, but I'm sure it's solid as well. Great product for the novice recording artist!
Read Best Reviews of PreSonus AudioBox 22VSL (Advanced 2 x 2 USB 2.0 Recording Interface) Here
Presonus makes good products but they are a bit pricey when compared to the competition, with no apparent reasons for that. They all have pros and cons and similar quality. This unit, for example, is not designed to take line-level inputs, making it a little limiting if you want to connect a drum machine, keyboard, synthesiser or even an electric acoustic guitar with a built-in pre-amp. At least they are honest enough to tell you this in the manual (page 5).You would need to buy the 44VSL to be able to connect active instruments, but it would cost you $300. A better option would be the NI Komplete Audio 6 for $230, or the Presonus Firestudio Mobile or the Focusrite Saffire 14 for about $250. These have more line-level connections on their backs.
The other small units from Mackie, Focusrite and Steinberg also offer the same quality (again, with pros and cons), but their inputs allow for line-level instruments. The Presonus 22 does not. They are also $50 cheaper. Some have Midi connection, others don't. Some offer USB 1.1, while others have USB 2.0. You will need USB 2.0 or Firewire if you plan to record more than two tracks at the same time (if you have more than two inputs, of course). The new Steinberg UR 22 is a great unit for $150, however, it allows the connection of only one guitar without a DI box, i.e., it has only one Hi-Z input.
At the end, think twice before buying these interfaces. You need to know exactly what you will (or may) be playing and what you want to do while recording. Many of these units were launched years ago, so can we expect some upgrades in terms of hardware soon?!?! I hope so. There are still a lot of obsolete equipment out there that allows multiple inputs but only two tracks recording due to the limited connection (USB 1.1) and design. I am now getting into the mixer/interface combo world, but this would be a more expensive option.
Anyway, good luck in your search for the "perfect" low cost interface. Do your research. Get to know the unit's inputs, connection to the computer, sampling rate, the "bit", quality of the pre-amps, etc. You will need all of this to make a sound decision.
Want PreSonus AudioBox 22VSL (Advanced 2 x 2 USB 2.0 Recording Interface) Discount?
This thing is amazing. I was using a FastTrack MkII by M-Audio, as well as a MXL MicMate Pro. The issues I was having with them was that I was getting noise from my mics (both ribbons and condensers, and even a dynamic, especially on the FastTrack). I was having to use noise removal, and it was making the audio sound really artificial. With the 22VSL, no noise! And the gain works awesome!I've became an instant fan of PreSonus. The Studio One software is rock solid crash proof, and the VSL portion of this is beyond description (no joke, once you get the hang of it, and pick your jaw up from the floor, you'll wonder how you ever got along without it).
I was looking for something with better pre-amps than what I had, and from other reviews, I knew these where really good. But, I was totally unprepared for just how much better these were. It's not just marketing hype, these "xmax" pres are, for a lack of a better word, perfect.
The device appears to be indestructible. Everything about it appears to be a testament to good engineering. For instance, the knobs have ticks so you can perfectly restore a position when switching mics, and you can exact match between two identical mics. The connectors are all top-of-the-line, and the phantom power switch is lighted, so no disastrous mistakes. I am confident this device would survive being in a gear bag, but it's sexy enough for your desktop with clients.
The only reason not to get this is if you are opting for the 44VSL instead.
One issue I had, though, was a clicking in Sonar X1 Producer on songs that had more than 9 or so tracks. This was caused by my not selecting ASIO (Sonar choose some stupid defaults when I switched interfaces). Once I did that, latency dropped to darn near 0, and fidelity became perfect regardless of how many tracks I threw at it. I mention this because Sonar's forums suggest increasing the buffer sizes, which should have been a last resort type thing. It only happened in Sonar, all other DAWs selected the right driver settings first shot.
The Presonus 22VSL is a great compromise it offers two inputs (with clean, high gain mic preamps), MIDI connectivity and rock-solid drivers. Moreover, it includes the excellent VSL (pre-DAW) mixing software that would be far better explained by a YouTube video than I am capable of in an Amazon review.
The important thing to know about the VSL software is that it allows you to create a mix of your inputs with EQ, compression, reverb and a couple other effects. You can then use that mix to monitor yourself as you record. You don't have to save that mix in your recording program, but you can (Note: only the EQ, Gate and Compression can be written to your DAW). Thus far I have only use the VSL effects for monitoring purposes, but I have a friend who recorded several pieces using the VSL effects and they sound great.
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