Audient Evo 4 Audio Interface Review / Explained (Smart Gain Demo)

[@ChloeHowie]

bruh, not gonna lie.... That was your best box throw ever

[@ValentinBraem]

I was so unprepared, I burst out laughing.

[@reggiep75]

There needs to be more box death fury!

[@shaneconner5659]

Definitely!

[@conjuringbeats5830]

Anthony Howie CHAMP

[@alexandrzatonsky]

Agree. Also somewhere out there must be graveyard of smashed boxes.

[@curtisjudd]

+10 for Smartgain. +18 for box throw without shoes or even socks. Overall this thing sounds good, too.

[@aussiewanderer6304]

At least we know he wears pants.

[@curtisjudd]

@@aussiewanderer6304 Pants are good. Thank you for wearing pants, Bandrew.

[@AngelLopez-iv5jv]

I’m just glad he didn’t use the office mullet. I swear it’s the only reason I gave him a like. 😅

[@ereli]

🎇

[@DjGoHamGaming]

When you threw the box, I died! 🤣 Glad to see you getting worse! Those boxes deserve everything they get!

[@swschilke]

It's not a game changer, it's a gain changer 🤪

[@conjuringbeats5830]

Steffen W. Schilke 😂😂😂

[@mrbreadman]

This was the first thing I thought of lol

[@dwftube]

How would you rate this sonically vs. the MOTU unit you recently tested?

[@Jgheiler]

@c1014 USM me too!

[@maximeheberttalbot4505]

Audient Evo vs Motu M2 vs SSL2 vs Audient id14 🤯

[@dawoud8013]

he place : 1 - Audient EVO, or if you can add more money SSL2 2- SSL2 3- Motu M2 For the id14... we should wait for the Mk2 test ^^

[@Dabloon]

I laughed out loud when you threw the box and fell over. Cracked me up.

[@Liowen]

"The Evo 4 it's so good......it'll knock your socks off!"

[@klpamei4663]

According to you which one is better? Audient Evo 4 or id4?

[@SkipCutscene]

I'm wonder, pre-amp mic on Evo4 can compare with iD4?

[@ricsim78]

Some are saying it sounds even better than the iD4, which makes sense because it is 4 years newer. I do not think you can go far wrong with either, but I think the auto-gain feature is worth it by itself. That is one thing that can make or break a recording so I see that as worth it alone.

[@jasonish]

Love seeing the XLR ports on the back -- much much better for desktop use.

[@HowardOlsen]

I think auto gain is a great feature too. I'm not too lazy to learn how to set gain, I just have no meters on any of my devices or and I cant see within Zoom Meetings or Camtasia what it actually is. Auto gain, just gets rid of one more variable to mess up. Was actually going to get the Motu 2 to replace my Steinburg simply for the LED Meters on it.

[@Chapizard]

0:00 "Dad, how is THIS supposed to help me be a good quarterback?" 0:46 “... Okay. I get it now."

[@laptopolist]

It’s a gain changer.

[@arjunarora5905]

Evo v/s Motu M2 ? Cuz you said in your review that Motu was the king of budget interfaces ! Does this take the throne away from it now or still the same ?

[@mrtechie6810]

I think the M2/M4 is better quality for more money, but less versatile than the EVO 8.

[@stringstorm]

That's some ridiculously clean sounding preamp! :O

[@LiraeNoir]

Honestly I'm not impressed by the Smart Gain feature. I think a good proper display, with a good text and even the production of a good short video would cost less and be more useful. I knew *nothing* about audio a couple of years ago, but gain setting is that hard to learn. But even if you want that, why not do it in software? *Much* cheaper to do, and only a little less usable. I'm also not impressed by their gain stage. Sure it's Audient, it's clean. But 50dB of amplification? Come on. A beginner won't have the knowledge or money to treat his room for a proper condenser usage, so I feel dynamic mics should be the main target of a "beginner interface". And the construction overall. And no mute function for the speakers. Kind of an issue for producers, if they don't use near field monitors easily accessible. But I do love the mic mute function! That's great, I wish my iD4 had that :(

[@mrtechie6810]

It has a mute function. The EVO 8 has two outputs so you can run one to the headphone and the other to your monitors.

[@TheBackRowShow]

Loop-back and MORE on a $130 device. Yeah, solid buy. The smart gain feature may help 700k of 900k podcasts..thank you audient

[@conjuringbeats5830]

The Back Row Fantasy Show 🙏🙏🙏

[@Hotrod9207]

Hi Podcastage. Thank you so much for this video. At the moment I'm having problems with my current interface, so I try to choose between Evo 4 and Scarlett 2i2 3rd Gen (this is because only they are available to me at the moment). But I only have AKG K240 MkII headphones (55 Ohms) (no studio monitors). Which interface will be the most reasonable in this case? Mostly I'm recording electric guitar and vocals. Thank you in advance

[@TorianTammas]

I have for myself the EVO 4. It is easy to set up, easy to use and returns pleasing results. I use it mainly for vocals and voice overs.

[@tosicbob2738]

@@TorianTammas Do you have any high impedance headphones to try it with?

[@1neeraj9]

Focusrite 2i2 3rd gen or EVO? Which one would you recommend?

[@abhidmusic7819]

evo 4 because of its great preamps and high dynamic range..

[@jvenandra]

Hi i want to asking when i using headphone then output evo then output L-R evo become muted, why?

[@w1zdz]

Which would you recommend more? The Evo 4 or the Motu M2? Thanks!

[@ReaperforPodcasting]

My exact question. lol

[@JEBJOSH]

Throws box and falls: Me: 😂😂

[@ShredOfficial]

No audio warning at 4:09 almost deafened me 😅

[@Itscvsper]

Bruh my left ear

[@BoostDriftTeam]

My right ear is still ringing

[@yukaiin]

Please add the EMI issues! Bought this piece of trash a while ago mostly for gaming and just a little bit of music and it drives me crazy. I can't have my phone near it without me soundng like a broken gameboy. Lucky i dont have a Bluetooth mouse but hell i will sell it at the next opportunity

[@ZeroKami86]

I'd much rather have a smart gate/compressor :D

[@Podcastage]

Yes please

[@artielukas888]

Don't buy it! I have Mac OS Catalina, and not only it disconnects all the time, but also it feels like a piece of plastic garbage! Not only that, but also when I plug it in into Yamaha HS5s, there is not a very loud but a very audible annoying noise coming out of monitors. Looked it up, and yep other people have the same problem. Apparently, it is a radio inference that is coming out of the Evo 4. Please, do yourself a favor and buy Focusrite Scarlett! It is in the same price range and is 100% reliable.

[@evilaj2010]

I like how the box bounced back close to him as some sort of response and karma with him losing his balance there.

[@WarerBrow]

Can you please tell how preamps of this lil' bud compares to Motu m2 or audient id4 preamps?

[@frankeastman5499]

Do you always record barefoot?!?! Suddenly i'm finding it awkward to make eye contact... you think you know someone...

[@TheGaragebandGuide]

Epic box throw 👌

[@janibrahimgarciarivera5016]

Can I get zero latency monitoring through this interface?

[@frizzle1538]

yes

[@Fluware]

I have been using this wonderful interface for a month now. I have to admit the design of EVO4 screams that they don't really like "physical knobs" in general. (e.g. having only one knob, smart gain, software controls, and the elimination of the need to set the knob while switching between the headphones and the monitors, etc.) I also dropped it by accident from a height of 50cm and the knob detached and also the lid halfly opened. Fortunately nothing got broken but I suggest you handle this little toy with delicacy esp. when everyone is complaining about the plastic.

[@Podcastage]

Thank you for sharing your experience with this. I'm glad nothing was broken.

[@TheRenati123]

Is this going to be compatible with Beyerdynamic DT 1770 Pro?

[@rars0n]

Great review, I mostly agree. I think if you're just trying to get your voice/instrument into the computer as cheaply as possible, this is a decent option, especially for noobs. I sympathize with you on gain setting, a lot of people just plain don't know how to set it properly, or how to position a mic for that matter, and the Smart Gain feature should help with both of those things to the benefit of the sanity of all listeners. However, I suspect that there are some dumdums out there who will use it and, because their setup sucks, they won't like what they hear and will override the gain setting to make it sound "better" anyway. For me, there's a bit I don't like about this: I don't like multi-use knobs, buttons, and meters, and this has all three. If I want to adjust something on channel one, I have to press the channel button first. That's annoying. I can't tell just by looking at it if phantom power is on for channel two, nor can I tell the gain setting. The nice thing about many knobs is that they also function as a value indicator; I can look at the knob and know immediately where it's set. The visual indications on this kinda suck for me. I can't help but keep thinking that the Motu M2 is only $40 more. It doesn't have the problems I mentioned above, plus it has MIDI. If I am going to be adjusting gain, recording different instruments, and using MIDI, the M2 absolutely kills the Evo 4 while still being extremely affordable. This is why I view this more as an interface for novices, one that is just easy to set up and get something into the computer. If you're not going to be futzing around with it much and want to let it set the gain for you, then great! This is definitely for you! But a beefier, more usable interface is not that far away in price if you need a little more. One thing I question about your audio interface reviews, and I'm not trying to be a dick but rather just bringing this up for the sake of accuracy, is whether it's valuable or not to read the latency numbers from within a DAW. I know that sometimes reported latency can vary quite a bit compared to actual latency, and I wonder if latency testing would be more valuable than reading reported numbers. I'm not trying to make your job more difficult, but I do think it would be helpful. More importantly, if reported latency isn't accurate, then maybe it's not worth including in the review. Just a thought. Modern audio interfaces tend to be low enough not to really matter anyway. Thanks again for the awesome review! I was interested in hearing more about this when it was first announced, so I'm glad to see you cover it!

[@adityabali1939]

I would suggest Presonus Studio 24c. Cheaper than MOTU by a hair, robust metal chassis and build plus Presonus preamps sound better than MOTU anyday. Bonus: comes with Presonus Studio One 5 artist

[@rars0n]

@@adityabali1939 It looks like it also comes with a bunch of plugins as well. Seems like a very good option. The thing that I kept hearing about the MOTU preamps is that they're very low-noise. I suppose if you want a preamp that doesn't color the sound at all, then they're not a bad option, but I bet the Presonus pres sound a lot better.

[@adityabali1939]

@@rars0n presonus amps are also ninja quiet. I would go with presonus studio 24c if i was in your position. In EU it costs 145€ compared to motu m2 which is €200+ I’ll still be going ahead with the EVO 4 because I’m a bedroom guitarist and I’m definitely not a singer. I don’t need a mic or anything, just a stereo input for tracking instruments. Also presonus won’t work for me because I use no MIDI devices and Presonus Studio One software is not native yet for Apple M1. In EU the Audient EVO 4 is costing less than €100 and I can save for 1 extra month to get education pricing on logic pro x which is native for Apple M1. So you see, different things for different applications. In the end i think every product is decent and option paralysis will just leave you unhappy (because option paralysis is a derivative of expectation and expectation is the root of sorrow)

[@RusticMapleDesign]

I think the smart gain is the best selling point. It’s not just for people that don’t know how to set gain, but for people who don’t have studio headphones to really be sure gain is just right.

[@dannykedose]

So.. Motu M2 or Evo 4??

[@AVMusic2612]

Important note You can see the clipping if there is some on the channel number switches When clipping occurs, they turn to red Note it

[@MrGul]

You said "leaves a little bit to be desired" but never followed that up. What is it you desire from the unit that it didn't provide? You only mentioned the build quality in the pros/cons part.

[@6ynical]

Probably means thats the only problem he had with it

[@PhillipRPeck]

I fell out of my chair when you fell out of your chair

[@travisbradbury-hulls6812]

Never thought in 2020 I would be able to say "Today I saw Podcastage's feet"

[@LongshanMusic]

😂 but also 😭

[@SoundSpeeds]

More preferred and recommended than recording 32 bit floating point. I was hoping for an automatic level riding feature but no. Maybe when they release a 4+ in a metal body.

[@MichiMallu]

0:43 - 0:50 hilarious! don’t get hurt buddy, we need you! BTW, the smart gain feature is incredible, love to have it!

[@manlyone23]

I can't believe you record these barefoot.

[@Podcastage]

The only thing bruised in this video was my ego. Sweat pants and no shoes! I’m a dang heathen.

[@nethbt]

This is the best sub $150 interface atm...none comes close...Id also rank the MOTU M2 as the best $200 interface as well....with preamps just as good ( or better) as other brands that's priced twice as much...no kidding...skip the Focusrite ..if you wanna buy your first interface or upgrade from the cheapo that you have right now ..this is it! so damn good 👍

[@mossgrovewrites]

The warning that the audio was about to get loud again ♥️ perfection

[@SethGlenn]

Great review. I've been looking for a budget audio solution for around $100 for streaming, because frankly the GoXLR Mini at $250 is way too much for entry level, and I don't know enough about interfaces and mixer to know what's going to be good for a beginner like me. You set it up nicely and explained it well enough I feel I learned some thanks for the review!

[@KryssN1]

Really great budget option for starting out at decent level would be Behringer UMC202HD / 204HD (if you need MIDI I/O for keyboard/instruments), ultra low noise and great sounding. Other options Audient, Native Instruments Komplete Audio 1 and 2, Mackie Artist and Producer, PreSonus Audiobox iTWO, M-Audio AIR 192/4 and 192/6, Focusrite 2i2, (I don't recommend Steinberg at this price point, issues with Win10 and only low noise not ultra low noise, even though their sound quality is on pair with Audient). Audient EVO is really great option for both microphone ultra low noise, great RreAmp/ADC quality and Headphone DAC/AMP quality at this price point. You will be able to drive any microphone and any pair of headphones on this with sufficient quality that you will be happy about it. With Behringer 202HD / 204HD you will be also happy about microphone quality and headphone quality, but it won't be able to drive high impedance headphones properly (like Sennheiser HD650 at 300ohm or Beyerdynamic 880 at 250ohm). For great Audio Interface at this price point, you cannot go wrong with Audient, Native Instrument and Mackie. Then you got Focusrite, PreSonus, M-Audio and Behringer, I don't include Steingberg because of OS and Mic Noise level with Dynamic mic at this price point.

[@Blatio83]

Did you just plug your Sub Ray 4 directly to the Hi-Z instrument input on this interface? No DI box or anything? No clipping issues with the active pickups of the bass? Does the Smart Gain deal with it too?

[@Choudharydairysupna]

🤣🤣🤣 seems that the box threw you

[@Techkhamun]

If he had an eBay listing: Product condition: Like New Box is damaged 😂😂

[@Day1ne]

I love this guy. helped me purchase all my microphone setup

[@francescob.3019]

I have no idea why you would design a thing like that with just one knob... what's the point

[@Podcastage]

I don't know why they designed it this way. It's not the worst thing to use, but it does make it difficult to manipulate when not looking at it.

[@ernestthompson891]

Great video! Other than the product itself which I just purchased after your review, I laughed my butt off with your intro re: the box. That was too good and funny! Keep up the outstanding work. Between you, Curtis Judd and Booth Junkie, I am purchasing products with confidence. Thank you for all you do. Ernie :)

[@f.sattar]

0:47 Andrew: I'm gonna throw this box off! Box: No, I will avenge my cardboard brothers and sisters and throw YOU off! By the way, would you say this interface has better preamps than the classic focusrite 2i2 2nd gen? It's for a shure sm58 (yes, I know, I should get the cloudlifter, and I will, but my usb interface has problems right now and I have to replace it first, besides the cloudlifter is quite expensive in my country). That being said, you're a hero for everyone who works with microphones! (even if you're a villain for your crimes against boxes and stickers, but no one likes stickers anyway).

[@heavymetalmixer91]

Letting prices aside, how is this interface compared to the iD14?

[@DarkPa1adin]

id14 has more premium build quality, connectors have little to no give. And it has better gain and dac/adc and headphone amp.

[@NippleSauce]

Welp, rip. You can't split left and right audio output. That's a big shame for me being that I'm hard of hearing on one side =/

[@Zyswest]

same 😢

[@johnburris8234]

You told me everything except for what I want to know. Does the center face record in stereo can you use input one and put two simultaneously make one left make one right and record and play back in stereo please let me know

[@theweeb141]

Hi Bandrew how do you compare this interface with audient id4

[@ubellubo]

That's what I want to know too. Evo 4 vs iD4

[@MikeBroderick33]

I found this one yesterday, which is helpful. Personally, I think the ID4's pre-amps sound better based on Gerald's comparison. Hopefully, Bandrew will do a versus between the two. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hJC0oYSVidxoiaM

[@impatrickt]

I need a Mortal Kombat “finish him!” 0:46

[@FoodTechLife]

@9:45 Gave me Anime feels. Well my iD14 is unsure if it should feel jealous. Too bad you never got to review that interface.

[@Wanooknox]

I've definitely fought that boss before :P

[@cmdshftx]

I watched that throw over and over for the length of time which would have been the video. Didn't watch the rest, still a 10/10 review.

[@thisisritzy]

BANDREW, THANKS MAN!! Great vid. Can you pls tell me if this is a better pick than the Minifuse 2? Or is the Minifuse 2 considerably better.

[@OStvone]

hello for you what is the best between evo or komplet audio 2 . my situation : I use sound card because i'm dj producer and I realize a podcastwith my voice and my mix

[@semipuro]

I've re watched the throw 26 times , and it is still funny

[@takaa01]

Evo 4 or 2i2 3rd generation? i want to record my electric guitar for covers i play metal.

[@ryanwilson5936]

What did you end up getting?

[@takaa01]

@@ryanwilson5936 audient id4 mk2

[@ryanwilson5936]

@@takaa01 Nice man! Great choice. I’ve had the first version of the id4 for a few years and it’s been a good little box.

[@takaa01]

@@ryanwilson5936 yeah, audient id4 works very well!!!

[@MusicTherapyPrashant]

F*** that box

[@mustafaelnagar5273]

I got it and I keep getting noise while recording any audio on Garage band! using the smart gain but keep getting this noise! Any advice on how to record without noise? I'm using Warm Audio WA-47jr Mic with it!!

[@poalotesta7743]

Where's the slow mo action replay, of that box toss? A 7 for style points.

[@By_Rant_Or_Ruin]

Damned bass players

[@VonFranklinFamily]

I just purchased the Evo 4 about two weeks ago. I’m using it for some at desk voiceover and training video work with an AT4053B boom microphone, because I don’t want a microphone in the video shot. I think the overall result is quite good.

[@vahdihanklc4485]

Good day, I am having trouble getting the Evo 4 audio interface recognized by my computer. I have tried downgrading Windows 10 from version 22H2 to 21H1, and I have tested it on three different computers (Windows 11 and 10), but I still can't get the Evo 4 to be recognized by any of them. I have explored every possible solution, including BIOS settings, and have tried various driver versions. Despite all this, the Evo 4 audio interface is still not being recognized by the computers. If you have encountered a similar issue, could you please help me?

[@billhepner3398]

Best box throw ever!

[@SuperHeroJay]

How would you compare this to the MOTU M2? Would you say there would be any deciding factors over the other ?

[@K95rm]

What do you suggest me to buy (Evo 4) or (motu M2) pleas tell me

[@peterhansen1814]

Line out to monitors suddenly fell stone dead. It still work on headphones. Tried everything from changing cables, computers (Macmini M1, Mac Pro black can and macpro laptop 202, different OS downloaded the latest driver without any success. It´s fairly new and not being used s very much. A waste of money. Avoid!

[@bluewt1]

7:19 does anyone know what this song is?

[@LCTRgames]

I'm not massive on the smartgain, looks good for new users or people who change equipment around a lot - but I hope it opens the door for including other in-interface processing for gates and maybe even eventually a compressor

[@JamesWilliam70]

I don't like it, everything is hidden under multifunction and minimalism despite the black brick like appearance.

[@sasuke671]

Help!! From my understanding, this should be able to power a Shure sm58, is that right?

[@loib]

yes

[@LinuxRenaissance]

Works great with iPhone 15 Pro, directly connected to USB-c.

[@jeraldabanid7901]

Evo 4 and focusrite 2i2 . What would you recommend for acoustic guitar?

[@shivammajhi7979]

0:47 KARMA

[@sapelesteve]

LMFAO! Bandrew falls off the chair & has no socks on to boot! Very entertaining indeed...👍👍😂😂

[@EmberHound]

I got this with the shure sm58 yesterday and im having problems... First there's this fain't popping/ crackling when listening through the evo4. Secondly, everyone on discord needs to turn me up to 180% cause they can't hear me, and that's with gain set to max... I've never had an audio interface/ xlr mic before so im not sure if i've done everything right. So if anyone knows what's wrong then please help :/

[@bezchlebalukas1779]

Hi @Podcastage perfect video #thumpup i am making little home studio for recording videos about compur accessories and now I deal with sound card 2 peaces look good to me and its Evo 4 and MOTU M2 i am beginner but i am type of personal who want best of best to show my visitors quality video / audio is there any advangtage when i buy Evo 4 or MOTU M2? Thanks for answer

[@roxiroxiroxiroxi]

ik I'm late to this but you should review that SM5B in the back..

[@fernandoAA]

CARNAL CLONAME UN DISCO DEL PLAY 1 PAL JUEVES PORFA EL DEL SHREK2 Y EL DEL TOI SOTRI PORFAAAS

[@dcoverzsessions]

Yes because the most advanced users know how to set recording levels :D That's why there are 1000 videos for setting levels haha

[@stevendwoodruff]

This is a lousy product. The output jack has already failed and the numerous fails with the on screen controller and manually using settings on the unit are really annoying and counter productive. Don't get it. It's awful.

[@phrozenonetwo]

Heads up! It does not allow you to use headphones and monitor at the same time. Something I missed to check before buying. :(

[@mrtechie6810]

The EVO 8 has two outputs so you can.

[@raghibakhtar]

My EVO4 interface started malfunctioning but no response after several complaint on Audient site.

[@AwesomeShotStudios]

Smartgain is nice...but holy hell is it slow!

[@royz_1]

0:46 that caught me off-guard 💀

[@Podcastage]

It caught me off guard too. haha.

[@frankluo230]

I think EVO4 main advantage is having 2 xlr mic pre instead of id4's 1. Cheaper build so as the price. By the way, can it work standalone with USB C powerbank? Mic in and speaker out to recorder or camera ?

[@mrtechie6810]

Might do. The EVO 8 version powers up and appears to work, but the 8 doesn't have the hardware monitor mix control that the EVO 4 has -- for enabling the headphone out without a computer.

[@h.c.5610]

Hello! The input of my interface is sounding in one channel only. Does anyone have this problem?

[@tonyy4059]

For some reason when im trying to record my instruments there is a bit of a delay and it messes up everything, I need help!!!!

[@statelis]

I thought it was better than MOTU M4 but it really sucks in latency...

[@Ralipsi]

i do voiceover works with a single microphone (Stellar X2) for non profit organisations. I wont do any streaming. I wonder what should i buy : ID4 or EVO 4. My prime concerns are sound quality (fidelity), low selfnoise, durability. Also i wonder what kind of XLR cables i need. Back in the 90's we had 3 pins and 4 pins XLR cables.

[@hc.lalrinliana1703]

Please campare evo8 vs Id14mk2

[@HungryForTastyFoodAndComicArt]

What I'd really like, instead of an auto-gain-level-adjuster, is an inbuilt limiter, like on the zoom H5, with quiet pre-amps.

[@barmus]

I own an h5 and didn't know it had that, thanks haha

[@HungryForTastyFoodAndComicArt]

@@barmus it's very useful against clipping! 👍

[@barmus]

always used the backup with lower gain function, but def gonna try this

[@kaarestoffer2947]

Does a H5 have a inbuilt limiter??? I have owned an h5 for two years and i didnt even know!!

[@HungryForTastyFoodAndComicArt]

@@kaarestoffer2947 Yup 😊 it's hard to find by accident, though. I only found it my searching specifically for it.

[@glmdex7459]

Hello, thank you for this great video 😋. Could you please tell me : Do you think it is a good idea to use it as a preamp between a Telefunken M80SH and a Boss Rc-505 loop station ? The goal is : - Having an easier control of the mic gain, as I have to change it often when I switch from beatbox to singing or recording instruments. - pre-amplify the m80sh, as the gain is a bit weak for the 505 preamps - use a line input of the 505 and save an Xlr input to allow me the use of an ATM250DE to record a didgeridoo (two xlr) Thank youuuuu 😋🙏🏼✌

[@Podcastage]

If you want a mic preamp, I’d suggest getting an actual preamp instead of an audio interface.