Studio 26c

After nearly two months with the PreSonus Studio 24c replacing my broken Zoom U-24, I can confidently say this interface delivers where it matters most whilst revealing some frustrating design choices that hold it back from perfection.The Good StuffThe sound quality genuinely impressed me. Those XMAX-L preamps aren't marketing fluff - they're noticeably cleaner than what I had before, with enough headroom to handle my dynamic microphone without needing a cloudlifter. For content creation work like voiceovers and streaming, the clarity is spot-on. The 24-bit/192kHz capability means my recordings have that professional sheen that makes editing a pleasure rather than a chore.USB-C connectivity feels properly modern, and the bus-powered design means one less wall wart cluttering my desk. The metal construction feels reassuringly solid - this isn't going to fall apart if you're lugging it between locations.Where it gets frustratingThe control layout is genuinely maddening. Five knobs crammed together on the front panel with the phantom power button squeezed in between - it's like they designed it for people with fairy fingers. I've accidentally knocked settings whilst reaching for the mix control more times than I care to admit. The headphone jack being round the back is another head-scratcher for anyone who actually uses headphones regularly.Against the competitionHaving researched extensively, the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 consistently gets more expert recommendations, and I can see why - its layout is far more sensible. However, the Studio 24c has proper MIDI I/O, which the Scarlett lacks. For the same money, you're getting more connectivity options, even if they're packaged less elegantly.The Behringer alternatives cost less but reviews consistently mention more electronic noise. At this price point (around £70 used), the PreSonus hits a sweet spot between the budget options and the premium interfaces.The software bundleStudio One Artist is genuinely useful - far better than the basic DAWs usually bundled with interfaces. I didn't bother with most of the other included software, but having a proper DAW included adds real value.Bottom lineThis interface does exactly what I bought it for without fuss. The sound quality justifies the price, the build feels professional, and it's been completely reliable. Yes, the control layout is annoying, and yes, there are more user-friendly options available. But if you can live with reaching round the back for headphones and being careful with those cramped controls, you're getting excellent audio performance that'll serve you well for years.It's not the most elegant solution, but it's a proper tool that gets the job done without breaking the bank.After using various budget interfaces over the years, this strikes the right balance between price and performance for someone who needs clean audio without the premium price tag. Just wish they'd sort out that control layout in the next revision.

Edirol outbox went south. Needed to get my Mac talking to synths. This is a really good audio outbox. I'd say it's about spot on for the price.Not a lot wider than a Mac mini, records into Logic flawlessly, MIDI works well and the phantom power doesn't have any fluctuations or drops like the damned Edirol this replaced (a moment of silence please).I've tried a couple of apps for latency, I've dropped all the way down to 4ms on Logic and got no clatter or cutout, so it's as low as needed.Oddly, I've not used the bundled software. I'm sure there's nothing wrong with it, but I'm used to what I've got already.

I'm very impressed with the Studio 24c. Up until now, I'd connected my synth to my PC via USB and tried out the free version of Studio One. I've now got the interface connected and am using Studio One Artist. Everything is working well, the sound quality is excellent. Thoroughly recommended.

After a bit of setup, the PreSonus 1810c is working great on my Fedora 41 system with ADAT (using the Behringer ADA8200). I'll detail some of the things I had to do to get things working below, but your Linux system may have varying results.At first the sample rate was stuck at 88.2kHz, and therefore I was only able to use 4 of the 8 additional ADAT inputs. However I quickly found you can change it to 44.1kHz by adding "snd-usb-audio vid=0x194f pid=0x010c device_setup=1" (no quotes) to "/etc/modprobe.d/alsa.conf" (create the file if it doesn't exist).After that, reboot, and you should find all the ADAT inputs available at 44.1kHz. You can change device_setup's value to choose different sample rates.I also made sure to pick the 1810c Pro Audio profile in KDE's audio settings, rather than the Surround 7.1 option, so that applications know I'm in stereo.After sorting those things out, I added all the inputs and outputs I needed in Bitwig under pipewire, and it's been smooth sailing so far. The interface itself is nice too, it feels solid and I like how the knobs feel.As far as I know, the next cheapest interface that has ADAT, and is known to play nice with Linux like this one does, is the Behringer UMC1820, which might not appeal to those looking for something that has better build quality and reputation. For those people I highly recommend trying this out.

Produces very good recordings. I like the separate volume controls for main output and headphones, and the mix control can be useful. The columns of leds are a nice way to display levels, but the input controls do not function very progressively, meaning that all useful adjustment is confined to the top 10% of the range. This makes fine adjustment quite fiddly. I would also prefer the headphone jack to be located on the front of the unit, though this is a minor gripe with which others may not agree.I would like to thank PreSonus support for their excellent customer service in providing me with a replacement usb cable for the faulty original.

Good buy

Works