Focusrite Vocaster Two - USB Audio Interface Review (with audio samples)

[@DragonSlayerCommentariesHQ]

In a recent update to the Vocaster software, they added an "Edit" choice next to the 48V phantom power button now. You can adjust the intensity of each of the 4 EQ settings, and it gets saved to the hardware.

[@dare2liv_nlove]

Obligatory comment in support of "the legendary" Julian Krause! 😊

[@techtester5093]

The best🤍

[@techmed-rainer]

Hi Julian, a very nice and complete review on the Vocaster 2, thank you! There are no real surprises for me, but I think it's a bit overpriced. According the DAC chips I wouldn't be worried as they seem to be well implemented. You're totally right though, that at this price point we could expect an upgrade. PS: You're are the true legend together with Bandrew as your channels are a perfect match to us audio nerds. Thank you so much for reviewing the Vocaster 2! It's an honour and joy to be one of your supporters!

[@koenignero]

I saw it with 25% for Black Friday

[@koenignero]

Once you realize what it is capable off and how easy and mobile it is, it is not overpriced. You can attached a ton of stuff to it.

[@techmed-rainer]

@@koenignero Well, as a Vocaster is also used here by my wife, I don't totally agree. I think, it's really useful and easy to use. But on the other hand, it has limitations, which I don't really want to cope with at this price point. The software is nice and easy, but honestly there should be an option for individual settings as well. But that's just me. And thank you for providing the information about the Black Friday discount.

[@sinocelt]

Ah! Same here: Julian and Bandrew are the two I follow.

[@reinulf656]

At the moment it's 69 Euros on Thomann... Or 45 for the Vocaster One. 99 for the Two Studio bundle including their (not great) Microphone, Cable and Headphone

[@RobbDizzl]

The low end roll-off in the frequency response might actually be a good thing. Even some big "professional" podcasts don't high-pass their microphones which sucks when you listen on a system with decent low-end.

[@dare2liv_nlove]

Agreed. As an aside, I've always thought that all systems with natively included mic inputs (laptops, gaming soundcards, usb gaming headsets, etc) should have accesible high-pass options in their drivers/software. But unfortunately, the many that i've come across do not, & vocal communication (Zoom, gaming, etc) tend to suffer from bassiness.

[@dylanjastle]

Best audio related KZbin channel. Would love to see some microphone and interface tier lists for different categories from you. As well as some practical audio recording and engineering tutorials

[@soydavidvidal]

totally died at the "cloudhead" and "fetlifter" part

[@darkroommedia9701]

Your reviews are the best I've seen on KZbin hands down. I've been torn between the Vocaster and M-Audio Air and your reviews on both devices helped me SO much. I decided to go with the Vocaster based off the huge amount of gain for the hard to drive dynamic mic I have AND it has a mute button.

[@NirfseTV]

Julian, I know it's a bit niche, but it would be great if you could consider reviewing the operation of audio hardware under Linux systems in future series. This platform is strongly gaining popularity in a number of recording studios, as well as film production (e.g. DaVinci Resolve) and other areas. There are several professional DAW software solutions on Linux as well: Ardour, Bitwig, Reaper, Renoise - to name a few. Thanks for the great reviews!

[@J_Stockhausen]

It's so sad that Linux works so badly when there are good collections of open source plugins for music production

[@genericaccountingservices1846]

@@J_Stockhausen, linux works well, but there are no good open-source audio plugins. they all just suck.

[@78SE]

@@genericaccountingservices1846 I only know one audio iterface plug and play with linux: Rode Ai-1

[@qwe1231]

The Master Speaks!

[@OnadVLOGTVOfficial]

thanks Julian.. ang ganda nung pag kakapaliwanag mo.. eto na ung hinahanap ko for pod casting.. very ggod explination. salamat.. here from Philippines...

[@skarty77]

Mega geil👌🏻

[@ActionPopCast]

Hello, fantastic review. I have the Vocaster one and nobody seems to mention in any review that if you go into settings you can change between Default, Stream and Camera which changes how the vocaster adjusts the auto gain feature. I use the stream setting and get the best results. Since this review focusrite have updated the software so you can tweak the presets and im not sure if the default, stream and camera setting were available before this.

[@yo3429]

Yes, the new software is a step up. You can use the dynamic compression now with neutral setting or modify the base, mid, high band individual. Wished they simply integrate a parametric 3 band EQ, maybe in future. But for now at the actual prices, it's a really nice interface. Thanks for the info about the auto gain behavior!

[@Apache-Bro]

Hey Julian, that was a helpful review! I've seen your earlier videos covering the Sound Devices MixPre systems and was wondering why you haven't returned to cover those products for your review series.

[@mosszaphod]

Great video and I love the amount of detail you give everyone! Thank you.

[@filmhaltig]

Amazingly informative Video as always Julian, thanks for reviewing products with such a unique approach. An interface I would love to see analysed is the new ESI Neva Series (Uno and Duo) for their super compact and visually appealing design, low price-point and (on paper at least) good specs. Much love from a new and happy owner of an Audient ID4 MkII after watching probably half the videos on this channel :)

[@Julian_Karuse]

Got something for you 🦠🦠

[@josedavidrv]

Great review

[@IdunRedstone]

Those level meters seem like massive oversight. Just made to give "modern LED" look or something but in reality they just diffuse what should be a useful reading into something that is basically useless. Would be way more useful to just have stepped levels for each LED like most of them. (also edit after seeing presets, would be great if you could adjust the intensity so scale the gain changes!)

[@Decenium]

cloudhead of fetlifter, love it. thanks for the vid though it saddens me a bit that you say that patreons allow you to purchase gear, like, can you not ask some audioshop to sent you some stuff to review in exchange for mentioning them for some advertisement? That way (if any are interested) you might be able to review some expensive gear without having to pay for them. I think others like me would be quite interested to see what you would think of very highly priced interfaces like Prism sound Lyra 2, Antelope Discrete 4 Pro Synergy Core, RME Fireface UCX 2, Merging Anubis. Are they just a waste of money or do they have a reason to be this expensive. Anywho, keep it up, its good useful stuff.

[@manuelarreza6788]

Thanks Julian, an intensive and good review. What do you think between Vocaster 2 and Zoom P4?

[@michaelbrendel503]

Thank you for the detailed review! I know that the Vocaster devices aim at podcasters and vloggers, but some of them will listen to music through it. So my question is: What is the DAC quality like when it comes to music processing? Did anyone do some kind of test or can share his/her opinion?

[@iguitarrista]

Julian! Awsome! Do you have a video about the best interface to use with instrument with low latency?

[@chriscarson6050]

Hey Julian. Great job so far! Your content is really helpful! I can't be the only one to request this. Could you review Maschine MK3/+ as an audio interface since it can be used that way?

[@Patrik97BEAST]

Hi, love your detailed videos. Are you planning on reviewing the RME Fireface UCX II? I'm really wondering if it's as good as people are saying...

[@AverageVideoGameJoe]

Julian, how are the drivers for this device? As someone that does streaming I was massively disappointed with the Focusrite Scarlett series because the drivers on Windows were very unreliable and impacted how audio was processed for my streaming needs.

[@gluijk]

Focusrite drivers (Scarlett Solo Gen3) on my W10 Dell laptop turned it from a crap audio device (Dell laptops have severe latency problems that make them simply unuseable for audio playback) into a low latency high quality audio DA interface.

[@yo3429]

I tried the Vocaster and tested it. Soundwise no complains, the mic pres are good. A big bummer is, that the monitoring is fixed to the output, so you hear the mics always when using the Vocaster outputs! This is a problem and a unlucky / bad design. There are no real workarounds and I guess this could not be fixed via firmware update. So be aware, if you want to use it for online conference, you need another audio out, from the computer or another interface to avoid feedback or listening to your own voice all the time if headphones are used. This explains a lot ... Another issue, the Vocaster is sensible for radiation and not the quitest pre out there in this regard. Mac out or Duet out are absolutely dead quite, where the Vocaster has some funny noise that's audible when hooked up in the system. All in all ... not satisfied with the Vocaster, too many flaws and even if it's much cheaper today, it's hard to recommend as long as the monitoring is fixed to all outputs and not switchable.

[@Danielluis4]

Hi Julian, do you know if they work well on Android and iOS to make work calls with a microphone and headphones connected to it?

[@mongarcia01]

The dry delivery of the jokes is killing me. :D

[@Old_SnakeTwitch]

Which cheap interface would you recommend if i wanted to round trip my pc audio back into my interface for monitoring but not playback into the mix? I've been using an analog mixer for this because of the low latency but I'm tired of the interference noise from my pc using the 3.5mm jack.

[@philranger9825]

Hello, Great work! I know this is not related to this video at all, but I would enjoy a comparison of the frequency response of some microphone with and without the grille, same with the foam. Maybe also putting an SM 58 ball brille on a 57 and on a 7B?

[@Destinylover14]

your mic is so crispy and natural that its actually very unnatural, its actually crazy

[@DragonboltBlastter]

5:11 Why is the Apoge Boom in the chart to show 122dBof DR while in the original review video it is lower?

[@JulianKrause]

Hey, I'll copy the comment form the BOOM review: "The dynamic range of the mic input is stated with 122 dB(A) and after some more testing I found out, that this is true when the sample rate is set to 96 kHz or lower. This seems to be achieved with a dynamic range enhancement. With this trick up its sleeve, the BOOM catapults itself to the top of the mic input DR chart. Because most people use sample rates of 96 kHz or lower, you will see the higher number in future graphs."

[@Purrrelll]

@@JulianKrause you are full of it Julian.

[@mandalorian8922]

@@JulianKrause Hey Julian! Thanks for your videos! Probably for more than a year I've been asking you to make a video about Apollo Twin X. I ask very much, could you check all aspects of this sound card?!

[@mandalorian8922]

Hey Julian! Thanks for your videos! Probably for more than a year I've been asking you to make a video about Apollo Twin X. I ask very much, could you check all aspects of this sound card?!

[@jhanninnen]

Hey Julian, is there any chance for you reviewing some chineses Audio Interfaces, they are inexpensive clones, I believe it's not worthing buying it

[@parkerscheer]

I enjoyed your review of the Vocaster very much. I am considering the purchase of an interface for podcasting purposes only. No musical needs. Just a pair of SM7db Mics. So here is my question: Given the fact that the Vocaster is very close in price to the 2i2, would you recommend buying one over the other for purely audio recording purposes? Thanks. Eric

[@katrinloch]

Lieber Julian, vielen Dank für Dein sehr aufwändiges und informatives Video. Da ich gesehen habe, dass Du aus Deutschland bist und auch Akustik nicht meine Muttersprache ist😉, stelle ich meine Frage auf Deutsch. Ich habe auch den Vocaster und bin gerade beim Aufsetzen für Podcastaufnahmen via Riverside. Dort habe ich das Problem, dass mein Ton teilweise zu leise ist. Ich nutze sowohl das Podmic von Rode (teilweise mit FetAmp) und das Rode NT1. Obgleich ich die AutoGain Funktion nutze, ist der „Schieber" des Pegels im linken Drittel der Anzeige und verändert seine Position auch nach Beendigung des AutGain-Testlaufs nicht - das müsste jedoch eigentlich adaptiert werden, richtig? Der Ausschlag des Pegels endet beim Sprechen deutlich über dem (rechts vom) "Schieber“. Normalerweise müsste der Regler im Bereich des Pegelausschlagendes sitzen, richtig? Danke Dir im Voraus und noch einen schönen Tag. Katrin.

[@billweaver2549]

"Cloudhead or a Fetlifter". I feel like this was an intentional joke/Easter Egg rather than a mistake.

[@mitkothemacedonian]

Outputs should be measured at 10kohms load because that is the standard input impedance of mixers, interfaces etc.

[@martinuslion8485]

Kann man das Interface auch mit einem reinen USB C Kabel anschließen?

[@alexsiders2023]

cmon julian deliever us the new SSL 12 review ...we re (just me) all waiting 4 that

[@kosmicjedi]

Hey Krause, thank you for this video. I've got 2 questions: 1: What mic did you use to record this whole video, please? 2: I've currently got the Focusrite Scarlett Solo 3rd, Gen, with a Rode NT1 and sometimes a Rode Podmic (broadcaster) - so will the Vocaster 1/2 be a better choice over the 3rd gen solo? Thank you in advance.

[@stanislasbeaufils683]

Very good video but I've noticed on the dynamic range of the mic input graph that the Apogee Boom achieve 122 dB(A) while on his dedicated video it shows 113 dB(A). Is it normal, has it changed ?

[@JulianKrause]

Good catch, the reason for that is this: "The dynamic range of the mic input is stated with 122 dB(A) and after some more testing I found out, that this is true when the sample rate is set to 96 kHz or lower. This seems to be achieved with a dynamic range enhancement. With this trick up its sleeve, the BOOM catapults itself to the top of the mic input DR chart. Because most people use sample rates of 96 kHz or lower, you will see the higher number in future graphs." I have also commented this under the Apogee BOOM review 😃

[@mandalorian8922]

@@JulianKrause Hey Julian! Thanks for your videos! Probably for more than a year I've been asking you to make a video about Apollo Twin X. I ask very much, could you check all aspects of this sound card?!

[@zyl-]

you should do a review of the merging technologies anubis pro:) greetings from norway

[@theuniversalmastermind]

Excellent video .. one question ( I’m a total beginner regarding all this) what kind of kable do I need to connect a Alpha7iii camera. I can’t figure it out for the life of me . Thanks

[@TheSilent006]

Not a huge fan, would still rather just have an arturia minfuse or motu m series interface.

[@flogginga_dead_horse4022]

GAS!! :)

[@lumann89]

Cloud head or fet lifter 😅

[@carlb641]

This still does not have an option to add plugins?

[@hasibahmed8993]

Hey brother can u tell me which interface is good for shure mv7x I'm using Scarlett solo 3rd gen but i can't get enough gain, I'm planning to return it or should i go for Audient iD4 (MKII) or SSL2 or MOTU M2 im planing to live stream please help me

[@Em1lyB]

make a video on the Apogee Symphony Desktop

[@DanielPetre]

Man, that steinberg did not age well.. so noisy..

[@ThisKory]

Julian, are you playing iRacing? I saw someone with your name doing Pcup, I am curious if that is you haha.

[@Julian_Karuse]

Got something for you 🦠🦠

[@JohnnysaidWhat]

Great video!! Neve 88m review incoming?

[@ensoserene]

please can you do Motu M6 6x4 would be so grateful

[@koenignero]

I LOVE this Interface. I sold my Rodecaster Pro 2 immediately

[@jaydeversano8638]

PreSonus Revelator io24 Pleasssssseeeeeee

[@justyuriforever]

Interessant, wie man direkt heraushört, das du Deutscher bist xD

[@deaudio]

Cloud header or a Fat Lifter 😂

[@uhu4677]

Those presets are completely useless. What a stupid product. Yamaha AG03/AG06 is offering proper DSP powered EQ and compressor plugins for many years now. Why does no other manufacturer do this (apart from super expensive UAD, etc.)?

[@MCAlvesPortugal]

Can you make a review to the new Neve 88M interface, please?