Behringer U-PHORIA UMC1820

AUDIO INTERFACE: I really like this audio interface. I bought this rather than the various cheaper and more popular 2x2 or 2x4 versions so as to leave all my options open, including surround sound. Most audio interfaces that are offered assume you want to create stereo 2.0. But what if you want to go further than that? You might have heard of 2.1, 5.1, 7.1 or even Dolby Atmos 11.2. There are other surround sound options like 3D audio and Spacial Audio and more. So take Dolby Atmos 11.2 as an example. For 11.2 you need 13 OUT ports for all those speakers. Or scale back to 5.1. You still need 6 OUT ports for your 5 speakers plus your 1 subwoofer. Most Studio Audio Interfaces do not support that many outs.This interface supports 20 outs but you need an additional piece of equipment to fully realize that - see below. Without that addition, Behringer UMC1820 will still give you 10 OUTs. 10 is enough for 7.1 for example. So really consider if you want to be able to create surround sound or just stereo. Or at least be able to, without having to start over and buy another interface.The 8200 is the ideal unit to add to the Behringer UMC1820 and it is made for it. This adds the other 10 OUTs. And yes, more INs also.Behringer ADA8200: https://amzn.to/4aBOTVcWhile the 8200 is called a mic preamp it also supports 10 more OUT PORTS. Not just IN and not just mics, but INs for instruments too.This threw me for a while, because the name “Mic Pre Amp” is what most people focus on, which is have enough INs for the whole band and a drum set. OUT is not always the focus as most small home studios only create in 2.0 stereo. You can also pair two 1820 units together as long as your DAW allows you to align the wordclock for the unit you want to be the master. The Behringer ADA8200 is less expensive though than another 1820 and has a switch for the wordclock built in.I also like that this is rack mountable or not as it has little rubber/silicon feet. Some might concern that the bit rate and resolution is not as high as some other audio interfaces. However, even Dolby currently uses this bit rate and resolution and so does the current new (2024) Apple Logic Pro for surround sound. Thus, this is still state of the art for most types of surround sound.My other top choice (and what I would have bought budget permitting) was this unit which is built from the ground up for surround sound.https://amzn.to/44TFZ4aClean Power is the foundation of any rack so I started with a Furman Power Conditioner which is shown in the photo. I am still shopping for a rack.Furman: https://amzn.to/3WUnzhHNote the two screen captures with the 8200 connected to realize all 18 and 20 ports.Don’t forget you need two ADAT cables if you add an 8200:ADAT Cables: https://amzn.to/3KwiDsfIf this was helpful let me know.

If you need a multi-channel audio interface with gobs of software-controlled internal routing, mixing and bells and whistles, this one isn't for you. But if you are looking for a dead-simple multi-in, multi-out interface, then this is the one you want!Now, the only thing I will ever use this for is to put line-level analog audio into the computer and to send analog line-level audio out of the computer. I will never use the preamps or any of the other features of this interface, so I can't speak to the quality or ability of those features.I needed a replacement for my firewire interface. I was using a Focusrite Saffire Pro40. Windows 10 never liked the firewire and it was becoming more and more of a problem every time Windows updated. I had to keep installing "Legacy" drivers and lost more and more reliability over time. I initially bought the Scarlett 18i8 USB interface as a replacement (Functionally identical to the Pro40 but with USB) but it didn't work any better, so, back it went.Then I bought this unit. I was skeptical of the unit because... well... Behringer. I have never had good luck with their stuff. I looked at it for a couple of weeks, trying to find something... not Behringer. Price was not an issue. I would have shelled out much more for something else if I had to. After looking at it, researching it and reading reviews on it, I decided to take a chance on it... After all, if I didn't like it, I could send it back, right?Upon unboxing, I saw that it had all the same audio connections on the back as my Focusrite. Swapping them out was a breeze. Having a Behringer UMC 202HD, I didn't HAVE to install new drivers, but I did anyway because there were updated ones. Yes, they both use the same drivers. The unit comes with a power cord. I understand that you don't have to plug it in and that it can be bus powered. I don't know whether or not that is the case. I plugged mine into AC mains straight away. I don't use phantom power but I have LOTS of USB stuff and didn't want to overtax the system.Your first step should be to go to their website to download the drivers for it. No, there isn't a disc in the box, but the optical drives seem to be going the way of floppy disks and Firewire anyway. The last 2 laptops I bought don't even have optical drives. So, downloading drivers is nothing new.Once you have installed the drivers, plug it in to the USB port. The computer sees it instantly. The drivers come with a software app that allows you to make simple changes to the interface - gain, sampling rate, bit depth... The interface shows up in windows as several different stereo audio interfaces. The first thing I noticed was that while it is ASIO compatible, it does not force ASIO. This is great for people with DAW software that does not support ASIO. With the Focusrite, if your software did not support ASIO, you couldn't use multi channel functionality. First BIG win for the Behringer. I can use it with any software DAWs, and DJ software I want.I use this interface to send 3 stereo channels from different sources into the computer and 4 stereo channels to input channels on the mixing console. It's perfect for what I need.As a side note, I also have the smaller 202HD connected to the same computer along with 2 Lexicon interfaces and they all play nice together.To summarize:Ease of hook up: 10Ease of installation: 10Ease of operation: 10Audio quality: 10In the box:InterfaceUSB cable (6' maybe)AC Power adapterUser guide