Audient EVO 8 is an innovative USB audio interface that boasts of breaking new ground in the music production industry. Driven by the primary objective to make professional-quality recording accessible for all, this sophisticated tool aims to simplify the technical aspects of recording, allowing artists, podcasters, and streamers to focus on their creative process. This piece will delve into an in-depth review of the Audient EVO 8, assessing its performance, design, features, and value, to help you decide if it is the perfect audio interface for your recording needs.
Contents
Unboxing and First Impressions
The Audient EVO 8 comes neatly packaged, tucked securely within an attractive box that suggests robustness and quality. Upon opening the box, what strikes first is the sleek design of the EVO 8. The audio interface is housed in a lightweight but sturdy plastic chassis with a matte black finish that exudes sophistication. It feels solid in your hands, indicating that it would tolerate countless hours in the studio.
The surface of the device displays an array of features, including four front-panel combo mic/line inputs, two headphone outputs, and two speaker outputs. All elements look meticulously arranged on the interface, which speaks to the thoughtful design of the EVO 8.
Accompanying the interface in the box are a USB cable and a Quick Start Guide. One noticeable facet is the absence of any physical software or driver media in the packaging. Software downloads, including drivers and the EVO mixing app, are designed to be accessed online – a contemporary touch that reduces unnecessary clutter.
In general, the unboxing experience of the Audient EVO 8 offers a hint to the promising performance the device might deliver. The compact form factor and minimalist design, combined with a well-organized and thorough feature set, inspire confidence in this product’s potential.
| Product Name | Amazon Link |
|---|---|
| Audient EVO Out Audio Interface | Find more info on Amazon here! |
| Audient EVO USB Audio Interface | Find more info on Amazon here! |
Key Features and Functionality
The Audient EVO 8 Audio Interface is a distinguished choice for home studio setups and offers a host of features that can enhance your audio recording and production process.
One of the major highlights of EVO 8 is its usability. It’s easy to set up and use, making it an ideal option for beginners. Moreover, it’s also highly portable, which allows for on-the-go recording sessions.
The EVO 8 boasts of 4 EVO preamps with 58dB of gain range, which provide a clear and crisp sound quality. The smart gain feature allows users to automatically set the levels of their microphones. This unique feature helps to prevent clipping and distortion, ensuring a top-notch audio quality.
The interface also features JFET Instrument Input for guitar and bass. This, along with multiple headphone outputs, makes EVO 8 not only suitable for solo projects, but also for multi-performer scenarios.
EVO 8 is not bereft of advanced features such as monitor mix and pan options. This lets you balance audio playback levels while recording. Hence, you can route audio and monitor mixes effortlessly, and keep the workflow smooth and uninterrupted.
Another exciting feature is the Loopback functionality. This allows the users to combine computer audio and microphones into one track. For podcasters and streamers, this feature can be incredibly useful.
EVO 8 also offers a high-performance converter and 24-bit, 192 kHz sample rates, ensuring every detail from your performance is captured effectively. It also facilitates ultra-low-latency performance, avoiding any possible audio delay.
This interface is also USB-C compatible, which means you can power EVO 8 directly from your computer without needing an external power supply. For those who travel, having fewer accessories to carry is always a benefit.
Lastly but importantly, EVO 8 features an iOS compatibility. This allows the users to record anywhere using their compatible iOS device, making the audio recording possible anywhere, anytime. The accompanying EVO software also ensures smooth navigation and control over the interface.
Sound Quality and Performance
When it comes to sound quality and performance, the Audient EVO 8 is nothing short of impressive. Its 113dB dynamic range at conversion ensures ultra-low noise levels, promising a pristine audio quality that can rival more expensive models.
The EVO 8 notably makes use of Audient’s Smartgain feature, designed to automatically set the gain level of the unit. This technology is highly useful in situations where getting the right sound can be a trial and error process, making it quick and straightforward to find the right levels and take the guesswork out of your hands.
The audio interface sports a sample rate ranging from 44.1kHz to 96kHz. It delivers a clear and refined sound even at higher frequencies and reduces potential distortions. The EVO 8’s frequency response, ranging from 20Hz to 20kHz, ensures that you’re getting an accurate reproduction of all your audio sources.
In terms of performance, the EVO 8 is remarkably responsive. The latency is practically nonexistent, allowing for real-time monitoring. The operation is smooth and efficient, with the unit hardly exhibiting any signs of strain even when thoroughly challenged.
It’s also worth noting that the EVO 8 provides a loopback functionality. This feature allows you to mix your microphone input and computer audio, then send it back into your computer. This capability is especially handy for podcasters, streamers, and musicians who use app-based sound effects or backing tracks.
Whether you are a budding music producer, a streaming aficionado, or an enthusiast looking for studio-grade audio right in your home, the Audient EVO 8 delivers a remarkable sound quality and performance that seems hard to match at such a price point.
Connectivity and Integration
Audient EVO 8 impresses with its seamless connectivity and integration. Equipped with its USB-C connection (USB-A to USB-C and USB-C to USB-C cables included), it establishes a stable connection with your pc, mac, or tablet, ensuring zero-latency direct monitoring while recording.
It supports a wide range of input and output connectivity options, including four Evo mic pres, four line-outs, and JFET instrument input, ideal for any variety of sources, from guitars to synthesisers. The microphones’ input has phantom power, giving a superior quality of audio capture for both dynamic and condenser microphones.
The standout feature of EVO 8 is its ‘Smartgain’ technology. This feature allows the interface to auto-detect the input level and automatically set the gain for you, which is immensely useful for beginners and a helpful convenience for professionals.
The EVO 8 also allows for loopback functionality, providing beneficial integration and usability for streamers and podcasters. By merging your computer audio with your microphones, it allows you to easily capture both simultaneously, eliminating the need for additional software or complicated routing.
Software integration is another forte of the EVO 8. It is compatible with all major DAWs, and the EVO’s software mixer delivers impressive control over your audio workflow. The interface comes with an easy-to-navigate standalone app, providing you with a visual layout of your mix, mute and solo options, monitor mix, and pan settings.
With EVO 8, it’s evident that Audient has given a great deal of thought to streamline the recording process, ensuring smooth and effortless integration with your audio workflow. Despite its compact size, it proves to be an audio interface that doesn’t compromise on connectivity, making it invaluable to professional musicians, podcasters, and music producers alike.
Pros and Cons
The Audient Evo 8 is a compact and effective audio interface that’s suitable for both home and professional studios. However, it’s not without its pros and cons:
Pros:
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Smart Gain Functionality: One of the standout features of the Evo 8 is its smart gain mode. This is designed to automatically set the levels of your microphones, which can be a huge time saver during recording sessions.
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High-quality Preamps: The Evo 8 features 4 high-performance mic preamps. Audient is well-known for its pristine preamps, and the Evo 8 certainly lives up to the company’s reputation.
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User-friendly Design: The interface is compact and lightweight, making it ideal for travelling musicians or those working in smaller studios. Its layout is also intuitive and easy to navigate.
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USB-C Connectivity: This feature allows for super-fast data transfer and easy connectivity with modern devices.
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Value For Money: The Evo 8 offers a lot of pro-grade features for its price and is considered great value for an audio interface in its range.
Cons:
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Lack of MIDI In/Out: Unlike some of its competitors, the Evo 8 does not come with MIDI inputs or outputs. This could be a dealbreaker for musicians who regularly use MIDI gear.
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Limited Direct Monitoring Options: While it does offer latency-free direct monitoring, it does not allow for complex routing or mixing options found in higher-end models.
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No Hardware Buttons For Some Controls: Important controls such as phase inversion or phantom power need to be handled within the software, which can be a bit inconvenient during a session.
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No Standalone Operation: The EVO 8 cannot operate standalone, and must be connected to a computer to function. This could limit its usage in certain scenarios.
Comparisons with Other Products
When compared to other products in a similar price range, the Audient EVO 8 holds its own quite well. Other products such as the Behringer U-Phoria UMC204HD and the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (3rd Gen) are often deemed by users as strong competitors.
The Behringer U-Phoria UMC204HD usually comes up commendable in these comparisons due to its low price point for a 2-in/4-out interface, MIDAS designed preamps, zero-latency direct monitoring, and solid metal chassis. However, where it falls short compared to the EVO 8 is in the number of inputs/outputs and the absence of the innovative Smartgain feature that makes setting levels easy for beginners. Also worth noting is that the U-Phoria UMC204HD lacks loopback functionality, which is increasingly important for podcasters and live streamers – a growing user base in audio interfaces.
The Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (3rd Gen) is probably the closest rival to the Audient EVO 8 in terms of features and price. Whilst it offers a similar number of inputs/outputs, high-quality preamps, low latency, and a solid build, it doesn’t match EVO 8’s innovative Smartgain feature and loopback functionality. In addition, the EVO 8 offers four outputs compared to the Scarlett 2i2’s two, offering the user extra flexibility for monitoring. Lastly, while the Scarlett 2i2 has a reputation for its excellent sound, EVO 8 is reported to have an equally fantastic transparent sound with a slightly cleaner and clearer tone.
Despite its competition, the Audient EVO 8 stands out with its unique feature-set, offering elements like Smartgain and loopback, along with an unrivaled combination of inputs, outputs, and sound quality. This comparison although not exhaustive, gives a snapshot of where the Audient EVO 8 sits in comparison to similar products, showcasing its strengths and defining features that make it a compelling choice for many audio professionals.
Price Point and Value for Money
The Audient EVO 8 is a competitively priced audio interface geared towards podcasters, musicians, and content creators. It provides exceptional value for money considering the array of features it has to offer.
Priced at around $200 (at the time of writing), the EVO 8 directly competes with audio interfaces like the Scarlett 2i2 3rd Gen and PreSonus Studio 24c. Despite its budget-friendly price, the EVO 8 does not compromise on the quality of sound. It presents a professional-grade 24-bit/96kHz conversion which guarantees crystal clear audio.
Apart from the pristine audio quality, this audio interface presents features such as smart gain, loopback functionality, and a variety of inputs and outputs that enhance user experience. These qualities make the EVO 8 stand out in its price range and deliver exceptional value to its users.
When compared with other audio interfaces in the same price bracket, the EVO 8 offers similar, if not superior specifications. The added benefits of the EVO 8 are its intuitive software control and automatic level setting, the Smartgain mode – all packed into a compact and portable form factor.
Hence, the Audient EVO 8 delivers high value for its cost, perfectly combining quality and affordability in a sleek package. Its features and performance are impressive and give it a competitive edge in the highly crowded market of audio interfaces. It’s an investment that offers a good return for anyone looking to achieve high-quality audio recordings without breaking the bank.
Final Thoughts and Recommendations
The Audient EVO 8 is undeniably a worthy contender when it comes to audio interfaces. Its preamps are unarguably some of the best in the industry, providing superior audio quality. It is impressive how it provides a higher level of audio with low noise floor and its overall performance surpasses expectations for an interface in its price range.
The loopback feature is also commendable, allowing streamers and podcasters a more convenient process. Given its compact size and sleek design, it doesn’t consume much space on your desk, making it quite portable for on-the-go sessions.
However, a key downside to consider is the lack of additional outputs, which may limit flexibility in some recording scenarios. Some users might also feel the need for a feature allowing direct monitoring through the software.
Despite these minor drawbacks, the EVO 8 is an excellent choice for beginners and intermediates. It competes favorably with the more expensive audio interfaces regarding performance, ease of use and versatility.
Overall, it’s fair to recommend the Audient EVO 8 for its affordability, superb audio quality, and minimalist operation.