M-AudioRecording, Streaming and Podcasting Bundle – M-Track Solo USB Audio Interface and Marantz MPM-1000 Condenser Microphone

The first thing you notice, right off the bat, is how small and light this unit is. In a head to head physical fight, it wouldn't stand a chance against, say, a Focusrite or Steinberg interface. It's also interesting to note that the M-Track Duo has no operating light when it's on save for a quick flash of the guitar/mic input light when it's plugged into your computer. The included instructions are fairly simple, and almost unnecessary, because the unit itself is relatively simple. I first operated it without downloading the driver and it worked fine, limiting your audio and playback to 16bit/44.1KHz. With the driver, not only did I now have the ability to record and playback at 32bit/48KHz resolution, but the included ASIO driver works well, achieving excellent low latency in Cubase 11, Amplitube 5, and so on. I tested all the inputs and outputs are they worked fine, very nice and quiet. Using headphones, listening to the old songs was like listening to new music again. The audio was crisp, clean, clear, full bodied, full of decent highs, mids and lows. Everything was going well until I plugged my guitar in and fired up Amplitube 5. Immediately, I heard a high-pitch whining/squealing noise. I checked my guitar cable, my guitar, the software, changed different parameters in the software, tried all the different USB ports on my computer, then realized I was having ground loop hum, that annoying whine you get because the USB power and audio share the same line. After reading several reviews and watching YT videos, I'm going to invest in a USB filter. Once I do, I'll update this post. Technically, right now, the guitar is usable, and recordable, when the M-Track Duo input is set to 50% (12 o'clock). Past that, and using heavy distortion, you introduce the pesky squeal again.Update: After using this unit for about a week, sadly, I had to return it. I searched and searched and did all I could to remove the high-pitched squeal emanating from it. i even bought a USB silence for $54. It didn't work. Thus, back to M-Audio with this unit. Too bad. I did like its small footprint and very, very good latency.

Just bought this today and I think this is a fantastic audio interface. The preamps sound really nice on it. And unlike other interfaces I've tested in this pricerange, ie the UM2, this doesn't have hiss. I think overall this is a fantastic interface. My only qualms are 3 things. First it feels cheap. When you tap the side of it, it definitely feels like everything is made of plastic. Though it has a certain charm to it and I don't know why. The second is that the headphone outputs are a bit weak on it. So if you have something with high OHM, ie Sennheiser HD6xx or DT770 250 OHM, you're going to need to use something like an M50X or a Sony MDR 75706. But other than that, a fantastic audio interface. I hope this stays $50 as it helps solve a problem many are having with finding good solid interfaces - on a budget.

I was really worried when I first opened the package and installed it, because the first thing I heard when I plugged in my microphone and instrument was the buzzing that a lot of people were experiencing from a ground loop hum. However, I was able to remedy this by using two different types of cables.Previously, I was using a 1/4 to xlr cable to connect the microphone and a 1/4 to 1/4 jack cable to connect my guitar, and I was getting that infuriating buzzing/ humming.Now, as seen in the picture, I am using a male xlr to female xlr cable to connect my microphone and a new 1/4 jack cable. This has eliminated any hum that I was experiencing before hand.That being said, a chain is as strong as its weakest link. You can't expect clear audio from a 5 dollar karaoke microphone, and great tone from a $60 guitar. Musical equipment is an investment, and the more you spend now, the less you should have to spend in the future.The monitor is quiet with headphones with high impedance, but I honestly expected that. It is a $50 audio interface. This is made for people looking for cheap starter equipment, so the emphasis is on the usage of starter equipment. If you plug in your Sennheiser HD 58x headphones, it will be quieter than if you plug in a pair of Beats Wireless Studio.It works well with Windows 10, and I haven't had any issues. Just make sure that "Line 1/2" is set as your default device. Windows 10 doesn't automatically switch default microphones when you plug in a new device.Overall, I think it's a fantastic product for its price and I would personally recommend it to anyone looking for a introductory piece of equipment for either recording podcast, or recording music. I am very happy with my purchase.

Writing this after owning for just under an hour. This could be a really neat cool little unit. Build quality appeared to be good and it has a great layout. But the headphone amp needs more output power. Using a pair of Sony MDR-7506 headphones, having the headphone pot cranked up all the way resulted in insufficient volume.Was really hoping for the best, given the price, after my Focusrite 2i2 bit the dust.

We upgraded our audio set-up recently and bought a couple of really nice mics, so a twin-input XLR audio interface was needed. After debating various interfaces, I decided to take a risk and go for the M-audio as I've used older models in the past with very little issue and it was the cheapest by far. Whenever you go cheap with audio gear theres always an element of finger-crossing, but I need not have worried.A few reviews have complained that it feels tinny, and I would disagree. It is deceptively light for sure, but somehow also manages to feel well built and robust. Theres a good action on the gain knobs and the switches are very positive as well, overall despite the low weight I'd say its actually very nicely made as long as you don't plan on stamping on it or putting a marshall stack on top of it. The XLR inputs grip tightly and securely, infact every single port on this little box feels precise and well made.The level of clarity delivered by this interface is really quite impressive, its a very clear, open and honest sound with no tonal colouring which is always going to be preferred by anyone serious about audio as it's a proper "blank slate" to begin with. I found no noise was introduced to the signal at all until the gain was set above 9, which is excellent. Setting it up was so simple a child could do it, and after downloading the ASIO drivers from the m-audio website it was ready to go in seconds. There are no bells or whistles and frills (it does have switchable phantom power but this is unnecessary for my setup so I can't say if its any good) but I'd say its barebones nature is actually its strength. It looks professional, it sounds professional, and its cheap. I guarantee you won't hear the difference between this and a focusrite or similar, and the only reason to buy above it is if you need more features or are planning on using it to beat your bass guitarist over the head, in which case may I recommend a brick instead. Good stuff.

The M-Track Solo is a great Audio Interface for people looking to record audio on a budget. For the price this is very impressive.For the price, the M-Track Solo (and duo) are reasonable quality. The product is made entirely of plastic except for the knobs which are rubber. Despite this, the M-Track range still feels good quality.The M-Track solo has the following features• Phantom Power (48v for recording with condenser mics)• Combo Jack (Input 1) that accepts both XLR and TRS/TS Inputs• TRS/TS Jack (Input 2)• Analogue RCA output.• Input Level Control for both Input 1 and 2• Output Level Control• Output USB/Direct Switch• 3.5mm Headphone JackIn the box it includes the Audio Interface, Information/Instructions, and the USB cable to connect to your PC or Laptop.Overall the M-Track solo is a good competitor to other Interfaces in this price range, if not the best. However if you have the money, it’s definitely worth looking at options that are a bit more expensive such as the Scarlett Solo.If you have any questions about this product feel free to email me at [email protected]

I bought to allow me to record some music at home. The hardware is really good, well built and works very well with my simple recording software. I was really looking forward to using the included PRO TOOLS First software bundled with the package. Sadly this will not run on my new DEL XPS (32gb RAM) and windows 10, giving a criptic error message and no link to anything to fix it. The help link on the AVID site, is circular waste of time with no help at all provided, only a link to forum (that I couldn't log into as it needed details of AVID products I don't have). Very disappointing. If you have a good music editor already, use this. If you haven't AVOID!

It would have been a negative review if I wrote one immediately after the initial 'use'.The M-Audio 'Register Your Product' leaflet rightly hints: " If you need assistance do not return your product to the dealer. Instead please contact our helpful technical team".Indeed, the initial 'issues' one encounter with a new appliance is often due to improper settings, which can be corrected with minor setting tweaks. The "helpful technical team" is just hogwash, as I didn't find it easy to contact such a 'team'.Now, to the product and it's functions, which is what that matters the most. Though it looks like metal, the body is made of good quality, thick plastic. It looks pretty stylish and is lightweight. The connections are easy if you follow the provided instructions. The connectors and knobs are smooth though robust. A software download card with easy download and installation information is provided along with a USB cable.The Pro Tools software is the next tangle which needs to be unravelled. Though the website offers tutorial videos, the videos fail to play, and I had to depend on YouTube videos for help. The software is pretty complicated that I found it hard even to turn the dials in it. The dials move clockwise when I move them anti-clockwise, and it took me a while to comprehend the process.A couple of initial recording experiments turned out disappointing. Finally, I managed to learn the proper settings and the result is astonishing!I love this sturdy machine and is glad that I went for it merely depending on the brand's good reputation. Good work M-Audio! Kudos!

Completely disappointed.I always liked using M-audio equipment, like the speakers, they always speak loud and with quality. But M-audio let me down again with the audio interfaces. I used my fast-track Pro for years, it had great potential and it was well designed, the simple power button behind it helped a lot, although I always had problems taking it to another new device like Imac, I always had problems with the Pro-tools, nothing that hours of patience doesn't work itself.But M-Audio is sinning with support for the new M-Track Duo, I bought it through amazon and waited a week and a half for its arrival. Well, as I'm on the go and needed a sign for more homemade recordings, I preferred the brand I already knew. After the wait, it finally arrives, the physical weight of the board shows its fragility, but that's ok, let's go, I installed all the programs, drivers and anxious to finish the step by step and start my recordings, ok, the first test done, none surprise for the expected value and quality. But on the second day when I turn on the computer, here's the surprise, two red clip lights on, I check the volume knobs in 9 hours and I start to worry. As the result, the card simply shows a huge noise on my phone and simply dies, time and money wasted. But, let's go to support, on the M-audio website I sent my question through a form. I get the answer that within 24 to 72 hours they would respond, it's been almost three weeks and so far nothing, So I decide to go to support through the telephones informed in the manuals and on the website, I simply don't wait for more than 7 hours between missed calls and turned off by UK support. What degree of your satisfaction would be fair?