Behringer U-Phoria UMC204HD USB Audio Interface Reviews

Over the past 35 years or so, I've always been happy with Behringer equipment. Great value and performance for the money every time out. The U-Phoria is no exception. Works great, never fails, and excellent both in and out. You can't go wrong with this, imo.

I have only had this product in use about 5 times and so far I am very happy with it. I use it with Jamkazam, , and I am getting solid sound. My bass sounds Great!

This is a great unit! It sounds great and works with a lot of different DAWs. It only has two inputs so it limits you when trying to mic a an acoustic guitar with two condensers and then a vocal. I returned mine and immediately purchased the UMC 404HD. I'd recommend this unit if you have different needs than me. Also recommend downloading the driver from Behringer…Just so you get the most out of it.

This interface works great. Very easy to use. The inputs dont have any noise. It is a way to record for the price.

There are similar interfaces out there, but very few have midi. With the UMC204HD, I can run a condenser mic, midi keyboard and a drum track from my iphone -- each on its own track -- and the signal is clean, noise-free and without clicks or pops. How so much data can squeeze down only four wires in a usb cable I have no idea -- who cares? This thing is fun and easy to use -- you'll forget it's there. And buying from Sweetwater is a unique experience. It's not just a box in the mail with these guys.

This interface is very ez to use and works great at a good price.

I forgot to add in my comment saying I hope that this helps someone else. My sales manager Carson Peach was willing to go to extraordinary lengths to make me a happy customer before I discovered the problem and corrected it. I am impressed that Carson was willing to go to such lengths to make my experience an happy one and this is why I'll never ever buy equipment from any music retailer besides Sweetwater. They have my business and gratitude for life.

My 204HD interface kept shutting down and it was driving me crazy, I was so unhappy with the product and that's when I discovered that the special audio effects on the computer soundcard were active causing the interface to shut down so I deactivated the special effects and now the interface is rock solid. I love this interface because I can get a great sound through it. I installed nearly every driver from Behringer, changed sample rates, decreased the CPU load by downsizing the amount of instruments and tracks, cursed, restarted and restarted the computer, cursed some more before I did a troubleshooting function of the soundcard and discovered that the special effects were switched on causing the problem ( about three days of being angry ) I hope that my experience helps someone else. It's an great product!

I was looking for an interface to use the VB3m app (Hammond B3 VST) on my iphone with a Roland keyboard (as a MIDI controller). This device worked perfectly. I made the connections; tweaked the balance and output knobs; and didn't even need to read the directions. No issues with latency. Great audio quality from the VST coming thru the interface (that was the main reason for the purchase since iphone no longer has a headphone output...sigh). Regarding the connections: For this setup, you will need the iphone camera adapter (lightening to USB 3) and a USB A to USB B cable. Be sure to get the lightening to USB 3 adapter as it allows you to attach a USB power adapter. This is necessary to provide power to the Behringer interface and the phone. Additionally, you will need MIDI cables to connect the keyboard controller to the Behringer interface and audio cables to connect to a sound system. I have not used the microphone input (yet) so I did not include that in the overall rating. I hope this information is useful.

I have been looking for a decent low budget audio interface for some time and I finally ordered this based on some Youtube reviews.

I bought this with the special price from Sweetwater. It is a very good interface for the value.

I paired it with my Behringer studio 50 usb speakers (Also bought from Sweetwater with discount price). It sounds great with very low noise.

This is my first review of any product on Sweetwater and I really had to do it. I produce primarily on Studio One so when I got my DAW years ago I also got the Auidobox USB 96. I've been using that combination for a while but I seem to struggle with glitches and CPU spikes whenever I'm recording. I assumed this was normal since I use a lot of third-party plugins, so I would simply turn off the plugins while recording vocals, despite the fact that I have a Windows i7 computer running on 32g RAM.
However, I recently decided to get another interface. After brief research, I settled for the Behringer U-phoria UMC204HD. Once I got around the installation I switched my interface to the U-phoria and the difference was like night and day. Everything worked perfectly without the clicks and CPU spikes. The noise floor was so much better and I could record in my poorly treated room without having to do as much clean-up afterward. Before now I couldn't do my mixing using the interface. I had to switch to my computer sound card to use my plugins. Now I don't have to do that anymore. I had to leave this review for some who may face the same problem as myself. I'm not sure if the Audiobox alone was the problem but I'm pretty glad I could finally get a solution at such a low price point. This is a great product for the price.

Versatile and easy to use.

Best Audio Interface at a best price with good quality sound. If you need an audio interface on budget but advanced I will recommend this one.

For recording acoustic guitar, trumpet and vocals this unit works great. It is easy to use and works seamlessly with my DAW(Presonus Studio One). The sound quality is excellent and has a low noise floor. For the money, it is worth it.

After do some research and read reviews this was my choice and purchase it and arrived in three days.
The UMC204HD fit the bill at the third of the cost of Scarlett 2i4/4i4 even though it's USB2.
I had been using a Scarlett 2i2 first gen. and want a unit with midi in/outs to connect some older sound module's
When the unit arrive I plug the unit in and connected right away to my Mac Mini in Reaper with little set up. The unit sound quality is as good or better then my old Scarlett 2i2 and midi works great. The unit is well build all the pots are smooth. I like the mix pot to adjust the latency of input/playback from your DAW. To anyone look for a AI with Midi in/outs this is the unit Big Bang for the buck.

I've owned this for a few years now and it has worked flawlessly. The Midas Preamps are clean and with Reaper as my Daw this little Rig just works! Great Inputs and flexible outputs, Love the Midi In-outs as well can connect my old drum machines etc. You can't beat it price-wise and it Works Great Thanks Mr. Matt Masek sales Engineer

After browsing the reviews for this item, I noticed that the 4-star and under ratings are kind of here and there. One of them points out the comparative specs vs. Focusrite; others complain about incompatibility with modern computers or USB 2.0. I haven't had problems with any of these one-off complaints, and have used my UMC204HD with two Asus (Windows 10 Pro) Ableton laptops and a Presonus (Windows 10 Pro) DAW over a period of about 4 years. The unit has been transported in a backpack dozens of times, is an integral part of my live electronic setup, and has been used to record excellent audio for studio use. It also functions well as a 2-track studio interface, where multiple instruments are not needed simultaneously. The RCA outputs on the back panel have proven unexpectedly useful for live work, as Ableton tracks requiring unique effects can be routed to separate mixer channels.

I won't get into specs, as I suspect the high-end studio crowd would win that argument. I use my ears, and understand my own needs. This is an inexpensive, portable, Swiss Army Knife item that gets the job done, without the worry that it may get banged around a bit. Drivers have been solid, and fuss has been minimal. The Behringer brand was associated with cheapness and non-pro gear in years past, but units like this demonstrate that they are making good gear with an eye (ear) for hobbyists and pros alike.

I highly recommend this as an entry-level desktop interface, or as a go-to portable laptop interface for DJ or Electronic live applications. I'll be buying a second one as a backup - Can't go wrong with the price-to-function ratio.

The title says it all!

Really love the preamps. They deliver great sound and make everything sound natural. Great bang for the buck!

The quality of the sound that this interface provided was amazing. The fact that it created two separate tracks in my recording software, one vocal and one guitar, gives me a solid foundation for recording the rest of my original songs. It is the perfect solution for what I needed.

Bought one each; UMC204HD & UMC404HD for bench testing new PCs in a Voice Over Studio. Downloaded drivers from Behringer website, unboxed and plugged these units in and were good to go in about 5 minutes. The preamps are quiet and output sounds great. If you've never owned an interface or need a second unit and are confused about what to buy... buy one of the 204s first for about $ or 404 for $ to play with. You may find you don't need a $ unit after all.

Fender Blacktop, 22 frets, 5 position switch, factory except for the Mighty Mite Ebony fretboard, razor thin action, jacked into my Korg effects pedal, stereo out into both channels of the Behringer UMC 204HD, that into my ten year old HP laptop running Windows 10, Core i-7, dual SSD, turned on Acid Pro 10, the UMC 204HD runs off of USB 2 as does the laptop, didn't even ask for a driver, Acid had the Behringer already set up as my default Audio In device, arm for record, record, perfect. What can I say, finally, I'm in heaven. All the knobs work, box was pristine, 2 day shipping from Sweetwater, even got a follow up phone call from Jason McCalley, super professional. C'mon man. Plus got the thing on sale, made out like crazy on this deal.

the behringer u-phoria umc204hd usb audio interface is a great way to get high quality sound files out of your computer and into your studio monitors. it sounds great. and it's cheap. however, if your computer is an old dell laptop like mine with very little ram it will slow your computer down far too much. preferably you should have 32 gigs of ram to use the umc204hd. therefore I am sending my umc204hd back to sweetwater and trading up to a behringer x1204usb mixer which I will use in a different context. I am now using a much more expensive audio interface but it does not bog down my computer. the great thing about doing business with sweetwater is they will take a component back if it is incompatible with your computer.

I'm an amateur musician, and this audio interface easily turns a room into a miniature studio. I'm able to record vocals, guitar, bass and keyboard all at the same time. The sound quality is good, and the interface itself takes up nearly no space. If you're just getting into recording, this is the perfect starter interface.

My home studio is called Dinosaur Studio because I tend to keep working with the same pieces of gear for so long they become dinosaurs!

After living with some issues that had developed in my old Alesis iO|2 audio interface, I finally decided I needed to replace it. I'm a careful shopper so kept looking at info and specs on many different new interfaces for several weeks. I kept coming back to this Behringer unit because it seemed like the best bargain and something with all the features I wanted.

Well! Now that the UMC204HD has been put to the test in my little solo musician/songwriter home studio, without exaggeration I can report it surpassed my expectations. This is one super solid unit, beautifully compact and with all its controls handier to use than my old Alesis.

I was really hoping to get a unit with all the features I had on my old unit but quickly discovered that most interfaces in my under-$200 price range have dropped some features that were standard 10+ years ago when I bought the Alesis.

These are attractive specs for the UMC:

24-bit/192kHz 2-channel sound
MIDAS preamps
+48 phantom power - for condenser microphones

BUT it also has these features which I don't consider "extra," but are lacking on other interfaces in the same price category:

TRS insert points for an outboard processor
MIDI in and out
Main Outs PLUS two more playback outlets

I needed the inserts to keep my hardware compressor still in line. AND having hardware MIDI ports instead of having MIDI only available through USB means I can still tie in my hardware synths.

The only slight concern I had turned out to be Zero problem - This is a USB 2 unit instead of USB 3, but it doesn't seem to make any difference. Latency is fine, zippy, I don't think USB 3 would make for a noticeable improvement.

All this for $...? It's incredible. If you have a small studio like mine and only need 2 mike/line inputs, it would be impossible to find more bang-for-your-buck.

Go for it. I'm sure glad I did!

It has been everything I expected it to be.
Works seamlessly with Cubase 10 and has its own midi input.
Also very easy to get the drivers

Solid build quality, does not feel cheap. Quiet and clean recording with easy setup. Multiple outs, Insert jacks and MIDI I/O. Hard to beat it at this price point.

Behringer has done an awesome job with both the quality of design and DAW compatibility with this interface. The sound quality is pristine, most likely due to the MIDAS preamps, and I am especially thrilled that during live performance using NI Kontakt 6 with VST instruments, I am no longer hearing intermittent distortion like I was previously when using my Steinberg U242 interface. I have never heard my VST instruments sound so clean, even at higher output levels.
It works seamlessly with my Macbook Pro on stage or when recording using a DAW at home.

This audio interface was exactly what I was looking for. After using a Focusrite Solo for around a year, decided it was time to upgrade, and I'm amazed with the quality and function of this device. Works beautifully with the Presonus Eris 5 monitors, my Beyerdynamic headphones, and a Rode shotgun mic all at once. The ability to control the levels of each individual line makes this a must have for a budget-friendly small at-home studio, or even just for recreational use such as gaming or video editing.

06/08/2018 Been using this UMC104HD almost every day, several hours per session. For over 2 years. Still working great, sound quality is great, function does what I need. I connect just about anything and everything from acoustic guitars, electric guitars, mic' guitar amps, preamps, compressors, vocal mics, keyboards, etc,... has not glitched once. I connect the audio output to 2 separate monitoring systems while recording and playback via USB. All my DAWs and other music and video software recognize and use it with no issues.

I purchased this to upgrade from a Line 6 interface which was limited to 16 bits and was without other features I need in my home studio, such as Phantom Power and Midi and Monitor I/Os.

The UMC204HD provides amazing audio clarity in a well designed and constructed metal chassis with features I need.

The small footprint helps with small desk limitations, yet does not detract from its value.

The Windows drivers seem solid and this was easily recognized by my Reason DAW.

This is really a much better interface than it has a right to be at this price point. The preamps are extremely clean at listenable volume. So far I've used it to track guitar and it's been great. The thing that makes this interface a real steal are the features that are jammed into his little box. Clean pre-amps...check! Midi in and outs...check! Multiple ours...check! Monitor switching on the front panel check! Separate volume controls for monitors and phones...check! Input pads and phantom power... Double check! On top of that the proprietary drivers are stable and ASIO support is there (great for running BIAS standalone) and the construction is solid with a sturdy metal casing and just enough weight to not get accidentally yanked off the desk while playing! Again this is a great value for home recording, I honestly can't imagine getting more for less.

First off, the product works great and gave me no problems during installation. No troubleshooting was required.
But my review isn"t for the interface, it"s for Sweetwater. From the start I was assigned a sales engineer that I could personally contact and that would help me in case I ran into any problems. The packaging also comes with a nice thank you note from the company owner (and some candy!)
Sweetwater really goes out of their way to ensure their customers are taken care of!
Thank you Sweetwater

I am happy to report that my UMC204HD is fully compatible with my Linux distribution, Ubuntu Studio 16.04, without the need to install any external drivers. So far I have made a few test recordings using the XLR outputs on my Onkyo home theatre preamp. Recordings were transcribed using the Ardour Digital Audio Workstation software via Jack Audio Connection Kit, all running smoothly at a 192 KHz sample rate. The recordings came out clear, clean, and free of distortion or drop outs.

Many reviews stated it"s cheap and low quality. I can tell you it"s not low quality. Nicely built, works great. Don"t let the lower price scare you away. Perfect for the small studio.

The UMC204HD interface (also,consider the UMC404HD) provides all of the basic inputs needed to capture studio-grade recordings,and at this price-point, no other USB interface offers all these goodies. 2 decent preamps, inserts for adding some extra outboard love to those preamps, MIDI i/o for adding your outboard midi devices into your DAW workflow, 24-bit/192khz,etc. You have to spend some serious cash to upgrade to anything actually better for a portable recording rig. I have two of these and one UMC404HD,also have an iD4 and iD14, for remote recording set-ups. They all work wonders,in the studio or in the field, but I prefer the U-phoria's for the outside work. The 204 fits in a pocket inside the laptop bag, always ready to plug-in and record. Add in a pair of quality foldable cans into laptop case/bag and you have...The Best Deal in Portable USB Interfaces, if evaluated by price, quality and function. Check 'em out, the U-Phoria line is worthy.

Exactly what I needed for my projects.

Got this interface to start recording my bass and guitar stuff. It does exactly what i need it to. I do not know how it compares to other products, but this interface should have exactly what you're looking for.

I bought this Behringer U-Phoria UMC204HD specifically to sit on my desk. I already own a Behringer U-Phoria UMC1820. I carry the UMC1820 in my laptop case to use as a portable studio but I didn't want to tear it down and pack it every time I used it in the field. So I bought this U-Phoria UMC204HD to live on my desk. Both of these units work perfectly on both my Laptop PC & on my desktop PC with Sonar Home Studio and Ableton Live Intro. I could not get it to work as both the input source and output source simultaneously when using Pro Tools First, but Pro Tools First has so many other issues that this was pretty far down the list of bugs and issues. I know of nothing out there that comes close to the performance that I get from these devices in their price range, it's not even close. If you need a great affordable dual input audio interface for a home or project studio this is the one to get. Every single feature works just as it should.

The UMC204HD is one of the biggest unsung values in pro audio right now, period.

I use mine as a general purpose headphone and mic pre-amp for mixing and tracking in Pro Tools. It's built like a tank, the headphone amp is dead silent, and the mic pres are not only high quality, but have enough gain to squeeze decent sound out of an SM7B or RE20 without much background hiss. It's also entirely USB powered (a huge bonus for me).

It's also built surprisingly well.

I'd recommend this unit for podcasters, voiceover professionals, and just about anybody that needs an ultra portable audio interface.

This is my first audio interface, so I don't have anything to compare to. Other than trying the line in port on my PC and a USB microphone. I was in the market for an A.I for under $100. There seems to be a lot to choose from, but I wanted to be able to hook up my drum machine using midi cables. That pretty much narrowed the field down to two. This and the Presonus AudioBox.

I read a lot of reviews about the AudioBox pre-amps running hot. Which is a bad thing. (so I'm told.) By comparing the two and looking at the price...It was a no brainer.

I ordered it on a Friday and it arrived a day early on a Monday. I opened the box and hooked it up and couldn't be happier. This little black box has lots of buttons, knobs, and holes to hook up all my equipment.

I installed the drivers (which need to be downloaded from Behringer's web site.) on my Windows 10 machine with no problems. I opened Sonar and there it was. Now I can hook up my amp or guitar into the UMC204HD and make beautiful music without dogs barking and kids screaming.

I highly recommend this product to anyone starting a home studio on a budget, or to anyone looking for a small portable A.I that is strong, dependable, and has several I/O configurations.

The U-Phoria is one of the handiest tools in my arsenal. The Midas pre's are nice and clean, a rarity for something this inexpensive. The I/O is perfectly suited to simple recording sessions, overdubs, mix projects, or live midi/backtrack handling. I love tossing this thing in my messenger bag and getting work done. Also, the U-Phoria is completely plug and play. At least in my case, no trickery or special drivers were required. I unboxed it, and got it talking to Logic the moment I plugged it in.

It does everything it's advertised to do and everything my sales agent (Marshall Oliver) said it would, and does it cleanly and easily. I don't see how anybody could go wrong with this unit, especially for the money. GREAT bang for the buck!! Highly recommended!!

The "Musical Background" (below) won't let me post, but I have over 40 years playing guitar, mainly Country with some other genres added in. Thank you, Sweetwater and Behringer, for a fine product.

I'm just starting out on making music and this whole audio engineering deal, and I needed a really cheap interface to start out with. You know, people recommend stuff they're familiar with; the Focusrite Scarlett stuff, Presonus, etc. But if you're like me, and you're budget for this stuff is virtually equivalent to zero, then this interface KILLS IT.

Now, I have no way to compare how the preamps sound to the way more "professional" preamps sound, but they sound great either way. The gain control is stable, and the pad feature is VERY handy. I'm starting making Rock and Metal music. Running my guitar through a DI Box then through this into my amp sim (Toneforge Ben Bruce) sounds fantastic. I haven't really recorded too much vocals, but so far the vocals, even without a normal preamp, sound great.

Since I program bass and drums, two inputs was all I needed. For $80! You're probably comparing this to the 2i4, which, now that the 2nd generation is out, is maybe a little bit better. But that $120 difference doesn't say so. For just $80, this is an absolutely killer interface. At the VERY LEAST, it's convenience is absolutely unbeatable for those with a low budget.

Not only is it budget-friendly, but it also absolutely destroys the stereotype of "cheap interfaces will always suck". It destroys it sonically, and, since it's metal, it doesn't feel as cheap as you might expect it to be. The knobs aren't loose, the inputs feel nice and tight, all the features on this thing will come in handy when you least expect it.

This thing is crazy good. If you're having doubts, throw them away because they don't deserve to exist. BUY THIS THING!

This audio interface is crazy good for the price...I mean crazy. Behringer kind of has a reputation of making low- quality products, but that's just not true. Over the past few years, they really have made some great products, and this isn't an exception. I literally, opened the box, plugged it into the computer, download the driver from Behringer's website, which was really easy to do, and within five minutes I was recording. This thing has a great build quality too, full metal body, knobs very smooth and don't feel cheap at all. Most of all, it sounds great.

*This uses the same Cirrus Logic AD/DA converters as the Focsurite 2i4. Sounds very good.

*Drivers are stable and fast. According to RTL tests, it is one of the better usb interfaces. Not quite as good as RME, but better than most usb interfaces. Three months of using it, I've not had any dropouts or audio glitches. Latency is very good, able to track VSTis with no perceived latency.

*Very loud and super quiet headphone amp. No hiss.

*It has channel inserts that allow you to bypass the mic preamps. Just insert standard 1/4" cable to first position. (Ofc, they can be used as standard channel inserts to patch in gear using a balanced "Y" cable.)

*It doesn't require the computer to be on to operate. As long as it is getting power to the USB port it will work as a mini mixer and/or for phantom power to mics. With a USB power adapter, it can conceivably be used as a mic preamp for phantom power at live gigs.

*Supports multi-client audio. It operates seamlessly with multiple applications at the same time. This allows you to loopback audio (from the duplicate 1/2 outputs) into another application. Great for ripping music for your audio productions or practice.

*Real time monitoring and "mix" knob lets you match incoming levels with PC playback easily without having to bring up the console application. Very easy to use.

*Cons: The DI inputs do not sound good with high-Z instruments. If you are tracking instruments directly, you will need a high quality DI, or convert the signal to low-Z.

Summary: Amazing interface, especially for the price.

It's compact, extremely well built and the preamps are ultra clean. It has enough clean gain on tap to power an SM7B without the need to use a cloudlifter, and there is no noise. Did I mention the price?

The U-phoria series is a home run for Behringer. Well done and thank you.

Preamps are INCREDIBLY good, up to 192kHz (although I only use 48k), has MIDI, Phantom power, 2 inputs! And the price? You can't beat that! THIS IS AWESOME!

I bought this interface I love it and easy to use recommended thanks sweetwater

For 80 dollars, this is great! Very impressed with it so far. Everything sounds clean, from guitars to vocals and the fact that you can go up to 192K is awesome.

Would recommend it. I just replaced my steinberg ci1 with this. Did a few ear tests comparing the two and was favorable of this one..

This thing is unbeatable. Its feature set is similar to those other interfaces in its price-range, except for the ability to record in 192khz, but it does those same functions even better. Noise is never an issue because of the nice preamps and there's very little latency when monitoring. This is the perfect interface for the mobile musician and for the engineers who can't always have their biggest, baddest gear to take home from the studio.

Product came very well packaged. Was very easy to setup and this is my first USB interface I'm using this with Reaper `

Every once and awhile you get more than what you pay for. For me this was one of those times. Was pleasantly surprised. This is a nice solid unit and a great bargain for the price. Very low noise floor, clean and just sounds very good for what it is. No issues in Windows 10 with Reaper, Cakewalk, Sonar, Traction, Waveform, Sound Forge, Logic. Works with these DAWs along side Windows still being the default device also no problems. Having about a 50/50 hit or miss with Berringer products over the years I was more than skeptical as I own or owned several of the big brands over the years. If it lasts a year for this price, throw it away and buy another? Highly can recommend it.

Excellent Interface for all your recording needs. Cant beat the price! very solid and sturdy! Love it!

I bought this back in may and ive been using it since then, its well built and has sounded great and clear, clean mixes and just everything about it is on par.

if you're looking for a really easy and cheap interface that plugs right in to your laptop or computer, then buy this, it will last you and you'll be writing material in no time.

I am actually amazed that this cheap little thing is as good as it is. I took off half a star because the Behringer drivers for this thing is a little buggy for me. But it works perfectly with asio4all drivers.

I bought the UMC204HD to replace the $250 Focusrite 2i4 that died after about a year of use. ...I didn't expect much. I planned to only use this to connect my Golden Age Projects 73 pre to to my computer. But when I tested the mic inputs I was shocked.

The Midas preamps really do sound good. I thought it was just marketing hype. I've tested it with the Rode NT1, Electrovoice RE20, RE320 and Shure SM7b and the same results - clear, detailed and smooth. What shocked me was the preamp has enough gain for the SM7B (needs 65 db) with no perceivable hiss. You don't need a cloudlifter like you do with most low priced mic preamps.

The UMC204 HD sounds and works just as good as my 2i4 when it worked. How long it will last I don't know. But its a cheap device with an expensive sound and far I'm very happy with it.

This is a great buy for anyone who is into home recording but not
willing to spend a lot of money. For the price, you get a lot in this
package, especially if you are a solo home recording artist. I have
used this for about two months now and no problems. It does exactly
what I was hoping it would. I have 2 lines in, one for mic and one for guitar,
plus inserts on the back if you want to add your on effects.
Very Happy.

I can't find anything wrong with this interface. It's got everything I need for quick mobile setups. It's got nice preamps, that are really quiet and transparent.
I also own a presonus 1818vsl, Digimax D8, Focusrite Scarlett 6i6, and an M-track 2x2 by M-Audio. the M-track is also usb powered like the behringer, but the behringer is actually my go-to for quick demos. I like the M-track, except for the fact that it's not flat. I prefer the behringer because it's tiny, flat, and easily fits in my gig bag with my laptop...can't say that for the M-track.

Built like a tank. Every bit as functional as any other in it's class.

so much for such a small price. this product is awesome. I would highly recommend this for the on-the-go producer.

Exceptional value. The interface makes mid level equipment function well, and keeps up with more advanced hardware well. If you don't have a $300 to $1500 microphone, and want an interface that will give you the best possible performance from your microphone or midi hookup, this is an excellent choice. If you purchased a straight to PC diaphragm mic or similar hardware, and are disappointed in base line noise hiss or input range control, this is a good choice to manage the issue, and can give you near-zero baseline noise. A brief note, you will need a proper XLR cable for a mic requiring phantom power.

I bought this interface to replace a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 that went missing on me. Although the Scarlett worked perfectly for me, the U-Phoria was cheaper and had more features, so I though I'd give it a try. I use it primarily for playing keyboard live at church using software plugins, so I haven't tested the inputs much. However, the TRS main outputs are great, and the sound man hasn't complained at all about background noise or hum - in a live setting, I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between this and the Scarlett. Also, the ASIO drivers work without any problems on Windows 7, and I can play with the latency set to under 10ms with no glitches whatsoever.

Another plus with this interface is that it actually has 4 outputs, and the headphone jack can be switched between 1-2 and 3-4. I'm going to be DJing a wedding in the spring, and this means that I can send the headphone mix to 3-4, and run the TRS main outputs to the speakers, so I don't have to worry about hum from my computer.

One additional note - the USB jack in my Scarlett had gotten a little loose over the years, so I had to keep it and the cable in a certain position so that it wouldn't lose power while playing. The U-Phoria has the tighest USB jack I've ever seen, so I don't think I'll be having that issue for a long time.

I bought this for my new computer as I had the need for another audio sound input device. I have to record out from a Edirol Sound Canvas when creating a backing track with Band in a Box. This gives me some options for recording the tracks back to my PC. I like the input and output choices on the U-Phoria. I haven't actually tried to use it for recording my pedal steel yet, but I suspect it will work great for that as well. A nice little unit and it didn't break the bank.

Plugged it in and it just works with Manjaro ARM linux on pinebook pro. Just need to learn how to use the audacity software. Sound is clean, slight hiss in the headphones at high levels. Best behringer product i have bought, this one is a winner.

(I read another comment with the same issue)
I initially purchased this for my PC and had occasional driver issues, but later upgraded to a Mac system. There was no issue for a while but after a couple months the input was not coming in at all. The device was powered and detected, but no sound would input. I figured a workaround: unplug and plug back in (over and over) until the INPUT lights turned on at plug in, THEN it would work properly. Fast forward a year or two later and the problem is persistent and annoying. I think it is finally dying on me after about 3 years, because now it glitches my BRAND NEW M1Max MacBook Pro running Logic Pro completely during playback. When I unplug and playback using the MacBook speakers, the playback runs smoothly, but then glitches horribly as soon as I plug the umc back in. I am honestly considering buying this one again, however, because I did get a lot of use for it, and for the price, it might be worth it.

I just opened my Behringer U-Phoria UMC204HD a few hours a go and am doing comparison with my Focusrite Scarlett 2i2.

I will describe what I noticed about recording quality from line input. On balanced line input, both show low distortion. On unbalanced line input (no signal on one of T(tip) and R(ring) of the TRS), UMC204HD has significantly more second order harmonic than Scarlett 2i2. Second order harmonic distortion component by itself is not so harmful, but I noticed that UMC204HD also has significantly more intermodulation distortion than Scarlett 2i2. For example, on spectrum analyzer, we can see significantly higher level of 1kHz tone from UMC204HD than from Scarlett 2i2 when tested with a 19kHz & 20kHz IMD test track. So it seems that the more expensive Scarlett 2i2 does some things better.

UMC204HD does the advertised 192Khz sample rate recording when it is connected to my Windows 8.1 computer. I downloaded the driver from Behringer web site. On UMC204HD web page, there is no link to a driver. So I downloaded a driver from UMC204 web page.

I appreciate that this seller (Sweetwater) gave us a piece of useful info on the web site: "Tip-send/Ring-return 1/4" insert points let you incorporate outboard processors." I looked at the enclosed manual, but could not find out which among T(tip) and R(ring) of the TRS is input or output. Does this indicate that this seller has actual usage experience about the products it sells? If yes, it is a good thing for customers.

This interface is a bargain equivalent to the Focusrite Scarlet 2i4 (which I also own)! It sounds good and has a lot of flexibility for what I mostly use it for--which is NOT music but rather video streaming, screen recording, and video editing. It works very well overall, but when any computer I use it on goes to sleep (3 different Macs) the interface sends a slow, loud, repeating pulse of noise to my powered speakers. The noise is like a distorted electronic kick drum "p-UH" every 52 seconds. I have to power off or turn down my powered speakers whenever my computer goes to sleep. I know it's part of the unit because I exchanged mine when the first one did this and discovered that the replacement does it too. I decided to just live with it.

You wouldn't think that would be annoying, but it I find it intrusive to be working on something else or step away from my computer and have to go back and turn off the speakers (or "wake up" the computer). It's loud enough for people on a call to ask me "what is that noise?". Computer speakers aren't usually turned off constantly--When you boot your computer you don't expect your computer speakers to be turned down. Many Zoom calls have started with me accusing the other person of having their microphone off and then realizing that my speakers are off because of the constant, percussive fart noises coming from the interface when it goes to sleep.

I've had my Behringer for many years now, and despite it being a budget device, its a really good interface and I'm still using it to this day. I do have to say that I've got a quirk with the Behringer U-Phoria and its the line-level signal. I think that the pre-amp might be souring with age, it really does not hold a line-level much at all and I really have to crank up the gain to get any kind of sound into my DAW. Same old computer, same old drivers, same old mic, same old everything of course. Very strange to me (I'm not too technically savvy) but it really works great for someone who just uses it as a hobby.

I used this Behringer UMC204HD for a year as audio interface for sending tracks out to an AV system. Worked really well for monitor out.

I also used it occasionally for dynamic and condenser mic in. Worked OK for that. Mic amps are quite nice. The must-have feature of mixing mic input with DAW output live in headphones gave me exactly what I needed for managing video conferences.

Biggest Upside: Got it on sale, so affordable. Good USB->audio out. Good mic input (and USB audio-in at least at the start).

Doozy of a Downside: Warranty false advertising issue discovered subsequent to very frequent failure of USB audio-in when unit was 30 months old.

Originally, USB audio-in failed to present once or twice on Macintosh, even while a monitor of the mic via headphones showed the mic picking up and sounding fine. It was just the USB audio-in that was attenuated to near zero, or totally gone in those cases.

After a year of storage, however, this USB audio-in problem occurred about 90% of the times the unit was plugged in (on 3 Macintoshes, 5 different USB-C adapters, ...). Repeatedly rebooting the UMC204HD, by unplugging USB cable and plugging it back in, would eventually get me going. Unfortunately, this caused service outages if someone bumped a cable and I had to spend multiple minutes to get a lucky boot again. So I figured it'd be worth checking for a fix under the still running 3 year warranty.

Behringer support was OK during the pandemic. It took a month to get a response at all, but once engaged we got to a solution within a couple days: replace the unit out of warranty.

A downside to the support is it turns out Behringer's advertising on their site for their warranty is false. They only have a 1 year warranty, not 3 years. Apparently you can do some kind of hoops (pay $ or give up extra personal data/privacy) to extend to 3 years, but they "mistakenly" advertise that 3 years as their actual warranty... If I'd known that going in, I'd have just taken the UMC204HD to the electronics recycling facility immediately, rather than waste time trying to debug for possible repair. Live and learn!

Because of the warranty games and the resulting wasted time (mine and theirs), I'll be purchasing other brands in the future. In the end, I did get $half-off-list worth of use out of the UMC204HD for audio out; I simply want more reliability in hardware and companies than Behringer has proven to supply.

This interface has some really good preamps, phantom power and a good hefty feel to it. Controls are easy to use and hookup cant be simpler, just plug it in. But the drivers and software ABSOLUTELY SUCK! I have to keep flipping from the native windows system to the AISO to record, then flip back for playback. ZERO documentation on why this is the case. No ability to set the inputs to the AISO and the outputs to the native windows. The UMC control panel is basically useless, and Pro Tools hates it. Reaper works but the flipping thing again.

If I had to buy another one, Id probably go with a Focusrite or PreSonus. Save your pennies and just get a better make. IT is definitely NOT for beginners

As I stated in my title, this is my first purchase of a Behringer product. I spend a good deal of time researching this item to make sure it would suit my needs.
The setup didn't go quite as expected, as I needed to download a driver package and install it.
Once I got the unit up and running I started up Cubase to make sure I could achieve the routing that I require.
I unfortunately have not used it for any recording yet but I'm confident the latency will be low and the sonics great!
The metal chassis gives this piece of gear the ruggedness need to withstand the bumps encountered on the road. Time will tell if the electronics enclosed within are as equally rugged.
My only regret is that I didn't get the model with more I/O ports!

This device may be fine for a home studio. However, I needed to use it to broadcast on Zoom. After trying it and finding that the computer sound was not being broadcast, I waited in the long queue to talk to tech support. Once I got a live person, he informed me that this device doesn't do what I want. He recommended that I return it and buy a device that included loopback, a term I hadn't heard before. I know that my salesperson, Eric, was trying his best to get me what I needed, but he didn't know that I needed loopback. Given the thousands of products the salespeople deal with daily, that's not surprising to me. Hopefully he and I now understand this wrinkle, and I will end up with the interface I need.

I have several lower-end audio interfaces that I use on my Macs including the U-Phoria UMC404HD and the Focusrite Scarlett Solo first gen (96kHz). I have been very pleased with the performance of the Behringers on my Macs. However, I recently had the need to plug this AI into my work computer, which is an Intel Core i7, 3GHz, 16GB RAM running WIn OS 10. As soon as I plugged in, my computer started whirring like crazy. I checked and it was using anywhere from 70-100% of my CPU resources. The unit worked on my Macs, so I know it it is not defective. I also know my work computer works with a Behringer non-HD AI. I plugged in my UMC404HD and same problem. I plugged in my first gen Scarlett, CPU did not go over 15%. Not sure what the deal is, but this was disappointing.

After purchase, I kept getting a lot of external noise. I thought it was coming from my microphones but after closer inspection, I found that the unit itself was acting almost as a microphone. I can tap on the unit itself, without anything plugged into the unit, and hear it coming through my headphones. Save yourself the headache.

Live monitor is only through my B speakers, and only mono. Output is also only mono unless i turn B speakers on. Either i got sent a severely faulty unit or "you get what you paid for" is the rule

if you run windows 11 and are looking to get an audio interface you want to pass this brand up. dont let the small price tag tempt you...there are no audio drivers for windows 11 that will support this interface...its not worth it. get a focusrite or something good. I struggled with this product for a few days trying to figure it out, all the while convinced I was doing something incorrectly, eventually searching the internet for advice. I have since discovered that there are many others struggling with this same issue. the drivers that exist for this device will not work on windows 11.

i normally dont leave bad reviews for products but I wanted to hopefully let other windows 11 users know this issue exists before theywaste their time. dont do it

This device only works with USB 2.0 ... this means with a modern Mac it just won't work at all, they only have USB 3.0 ports.

On my PC I can get audio to work by routing this device though a USB 2.0 hub, but even with that MIDI in/out just does not work at all.

Frankly this device should not be sold anymore, for 90% of computers bought in the last 5 years it won't work without an additional USB 2.0 hub and even then the MIDI is DOA.