The cheapest guitar recording device I could find - Behringer Guitar Link UCG102 Review

[@TheGuitarGeek]

I will be testing some more interfaces and studio stuff! Sub here to keep updated kzbin.info

[@starbuckita]

can you do Behringer U-Phoria UM2 USB Audio Interface to see if the latency is like the ulink or what, please? or comment if you know its the next decent step up from this? cheers thanks!

[@abcrx32j]

Finally, something I can use with my windows vista OS

[@TheGuitarGeek]

😂

[@alejandrogiussi6369]

I love when somebody gives a clear explanation and on top of it answers the question with a yes/no. This video is exactly what i needed. That's cheap.

[@modscientist9793]

Great video, I used one for years before I could afford good gear. It is an absolutely viable option for anyone looking to get into guitar recording and wants a basic interface to get the sounds into the computer. I ran mine with a pair of studio monitors and it sounded great. Last thing I could say is as far as latency is concerned you can pair this with an asio driver like ASIO4ALL,. this should help immensely

[@caradabikeazul]

The original driver for this was awesome, but only works on win xp. It had extremely low latency. Doesn't work that good with generitc asio driver.

[@fuzzfrancis435]

Had to come back and again say thank you. I replaced my POD GX with this and I am glad I did. POD kept causing BSOD no matter what settings I use. This is perfect for Amplitube!

[@BloodyChunX]

It's 2024 and I have started getting back into playing with music production. I am looking at getting a Novation Launchkey mini mk3 for Ableton and an audio input for my guitar. Your video reminded me that I had one of these hiding under a pile of clothes in the bedroom. I remember it working great (apart from the drivers asking to be reinstalled every time I used it) But yeah. It will do for now. Saved me a few quid!. Thanks!😎

[@daniels8852]

My list of free plugins/DAW's I use: DAW: - Reaper (still usable after 60 days, can handle 32bit plugins without a problem, has great packages) Guitar Plugins: - Heptode Deep Crunch for Lead Tones, - Ignite Emissary for Clean, Crunch (turn down gain and input) and Lead - Ignite Nadir (Impulse Responses) - Guitar Rig 6 (free version) for delay, reverb, wah pedal, volumne pedal, noise gate... Bass: - Ignite SHB (turn down gain for clean bass) - ignite Nadir - Mobius Looper for live-looping I also have a midi-pedal (with feedback from realearn), so I don't have to use the mouse to turn effects on/off.

[@acvek2002]

Amazing video, you just answered on all of my questions in my head, thank you.

[@jonniegibbins]

I have one of those I bought about 8 years ago. Back then the software worked - sort of. The latency was awful, close to half a second. I chucked in a drawer and bought a focusrite. It might be damned cheap but I never did get it to work properly.

[@caradabikeazul]

Dude, the win xp driver was awesome. I think you used the generic asio driver, which is awful.

[@MeiRei_]

How do I get this thing working without using headphones

[@caradabikeazul]

@@MeiRei_ you can use a p10 cable to plug the output to your amp. Or use a p10 to p2 adapter and connect to your sound system.

[@saarangnarayan123]

Reaper is practically free for life. They won't stop you from using the software ever neither do they hold back any features. But I would say that at about $60, getting Reaper is an absolute no-brainer. PAY FOR IT. You don't technically have to, but why be a knob when you can be awesome!

[@PooNinja]

Pay for it!!!

[@RADERFPV]

You summed it up nicely! If you like Reaper, please put some cash aside and pay for it at some point. It really helps out the dev team and the project as a whole, and helps keep it alive for everyone.

[@Dictatortot-n3d]

Pirate it lol

[@saarangnarayan123]

@@Dictatortot-n3d you don’t need to because the free version is no different from the paid version.

[@grilledspaghetti]

Guitar-dirt box--1/4 to 3/8 mono adapter- mic input of sound card- Reaper- Freeware amp sim I actually recorded quite a few covers like that. A PS2 singstar usb mic afapter that you can find for 2 bucks at a flea market works as well.

[@fuzzfrancis435]

I just ordered mine this evening. Thank you for this!

[@TheGuitarGeek]

You’re welcome

[@Musicology1975]

Excellent review ,effort, and dedication. 👍 Thank you🙏

[@dereosroads]

Great video, and great interface. One note, though: even though the CD-Rom software is out of date, you need it for the Behringer driver. While I'm able to simply plug this thing in and it works perfectly on my iPad, when plugging into the desktop, the generic driver that shows up as an option in my DAW has a lot of latency. The driver on the out of date CD-Rom fixes that by giving you an official Behringer driver for the UCG102. Don't throw it away!

[@gonzalobernaus3856]

Buenas tardes, qué latencia tienes en tu daw ? por curiosidad 256 o menos?

[@Xaltar_]

I was given a Digidesign Mbox2 by a friend who picked it up at auction in a mystery box for virtually nothing. Old but it works a treat. There are plenty of old audio interfaces out there and most will do the trick to get you started.

[@TheGuitarGeek]

Anything that facilitates guitar is good

[@Xaltar_]

@@TheGuitarGeek Indeed. I wish it were this easy to get into playing/recording when I was a youngster starting out. Back then I had to save up for a year working odd jobs just to get my hands on an old 4 track and a copy of Cakewalk for windows 3.1. My guitar was a warped hunk of scrap wood with strings on it and pickups that were so microphonic you needed a 10m cable so you could play it in the next room from the speakers or get feedback for days. Didn't stop my mates and I trying to make an album :) Good times!

[@NiqScott]

I bought one of these back when Pontius was a Pilot, and pretty quickly upgraded. I now use a Focusrite 3rd Gen 4i4, but I've loaded up a laptop with TH-U, MODO bass, EZ Keys, and EZ Drummer 3, just to take away on holiday, and the Behringer takes all this in its stride. No, it doesn't have any MIDI functionality, or any outputs other than the headphones, but if you just want something that will get your guitar into your computer, and get noise out to your ears - AND will fit in the pocket of a laptop bag - you can't beat this. Just hunt down the old Behringer drivers. They only list Asio4All on the download page, and my experience with that over the years is that it sucks. The 64 bit Behringer drivers CAN be found on the web.

[@tarkett8529]

There’s no excuse for not practicing or recording now, the hardware is cheap and good enough for most, the software is sometimes free and good enough for most the same goes for the instruments themselves, the only exception is if you don’t have a phone/laptop/iPad/Mac/PC/tablet to record on and those can be had for cheap second hand which will do the job, it’s a great time to be getting into music it’s never been easier or more affordable.

[@caradabikeazul]

I have this for more than 10 years. Recorded really a lot of stuff with it. I even tried to record microphone, without success. There is not much that difference from an usb soundcard to record guitar. It worked like a charm on windows XP with the native driver. Doesn't work that good with asio driver though on newest windows.

[@truenorthpedals4528]

POOP THATS CHEAP!!! Great vid Andy. It is all about capturing that inspiration.

[@m4krozz216]

yeah, i liked just because of how you look in that headphones haha. thanks for the vid, it really helped me, greetings from ru

[@TheGuitarGeek]

This makes me very happy

[@jSF_everything]

Lol “in a word, yes… in 3 words, yes it does” 8:01

[@김재용-q8p]

I'm a Korean. Thank you for your kind and useful information.

[@TVguy9999]

Damn that's cheap! I bought one...and installing it now with Audacity. Thanks for vid!

[@mikegro5337]

For headphones, AKG in my mind is the ultimate k240 or k92 same price range (within 5p) are just a fantastic bargain price studio headphone monitor. I've used them for years and I love that they both use a micro xlr cable that is so readily available for your need length at a great price.

[@TheGuitarGeek]

Thanks! I’ll check those

[@EgoShredder]

I'd say minimum of AKG K271 MkII, although if you are obsessed with bass and want cheap but quality, go with their K245 which is ridiculously cheap at the moment as of July 2022. If you have more money to splash around the K712 PRO are amazing, with a wide soundstage that immerses you and makes guitar VST plugins make you feel like in a room in front of a real amp.

[@mikegro5337]

@@EgoShredder Those are all quite expensive. If you have the cash then great!! From my perspective you want as neutral as possible for recording, that way you don't mess up your EQ settings and have the mix bass or treble biased.

[@EgoShredder]

@@mikegro5337 You will never get reference grade like the K712 PRO on the cheap. Neutral costs money. The other option is to use headphone correction software to do this, like Sonarworks Reference 4. However you have to make sure your headphone model is supported, from their list of 400+ models. You can if you so wish, purchase your headphones via them, with them already calibrated and checked.

[@earlbryant4903]

Damn that's cheap! I have one that works fine but I learned more by watching your video. I am thinking about using an adapter for USB to iPhone to incorporate Garage Band for iOS as the effects and recording software on iPhone instead of a MacBook Air laptop. I will see how that goes. Thanks for the video.

[@explorervango880]

I fell asleep, but I woke up at the end (not your fault-I’ll rewatch). Bought a guitar cable for $18 that had usb c on the other end, and I was able to play into Garage Band on my iPad Pro, but had no sound needing to pull the cable out for playback. I have the Jam and that works great for my MacBook with my Blackstar Fly stereo amps as monitors using the headphone jack (farty beehive of an amp, but great speakers for the computer streaming video or playing guitar).

[@dulzonon]

daaaamn, that's cheap! I own a UMC202, also cheap but I'm still learning how to use it. hopefully in a couple of weeks will figure it out. As usual, thanks for a useful video.

[@JohnSmith-ki2eq]

I have an old (2009) Acer Aspire laptop sitting in a drawer that I can dedicate to this task and this audio interface looks like a good choice, best of all the old lappy has a DVD/CD-ROM drive on it meaning I might still be able to mess around with the bundled software for giggles and poo's.

[@LeighFugeGuitar]

Hot Tamales that a relatively inexpensive USB interface I love the Windows Vista reference. I remember my first experience recording on a Windows Vista computer... it was basically an exercise in trying to make drivers load. God bless XP!

[@Shezsheridan1]

Great video - and great simple explanation. And yes, it is very cheap

[@margaretaloring4529]

So ... i purchased this along with a hum bucker pick up for my acoustic guitar and couldn't make it work UNTIL I found your video. It was a question of settings. So, a blown afternoon (boo) but happy ending (yay) and yeah, damn that's cheap :)

[@vasotoe]

You got me with Windows Vista support...🤣 Daaamn that's cheap!!!!

[@bertisat2008]

Great review! Very well explained...Damn that´s cheap!

[@sean_staples]

Dang that's CHEAP! I got one from my buddy for the cheaper price of free! Awesome vid, thanks man

[@TheGuitarGeek]

Can’t get cheaper than free!!!

[@jamlemon]

1:00 I thought Andy was going to burst into Aladdin song! 😂

[@thomasreid573]

Cakewake is a good Daw thats what I've been using, was using fl studio but demo doesn't let you access your saved files till you pay for it so I like cake walk

[@tombstoneisevil]

Damm that's ... leave it at that, good practice tool to learn and get started. Reaper just has a message on saying you need to buy in 30 days, after that you can still use it, click the still evaluating button and good to go. Good video bro, definetly a topic to do more content

[@TheGuitarGeek]

I didn’t know reaper would remain free. That’s cool. I’ll bring you more

[@jefferson4245]

Behringer also makes the U-phoria UM2 audio interface, which is about $45 USD, same 48khz signal. 2 inputs!

[@TheGuitarGeek]

Maybe I have a video lined up 😉

[@josephdavismusic]

Damn that’s cheap. We run an irig2 into the iPad - but might be looking to record on the laptop. Think we’ll try the usb out on the katana first - but this might be another option. Have a good day Andy.

[@mikegro5337]

I would be super curious on your take of bandlab. It's free, works on your phone or tablet along with your pc, multi platform and somewhat limited between them. I love your take on things and would truly be curious as to how much or how little you'd be a fan of bandlab. Ps. Fantastic job, love your content, keep it up mate.

[@j.j.steinwell2732]

Dis yah likkle guitar intafayce werk well nice fi di price! DIS TING A SKANKIN eeeeeeee! Tanks to yu fi di video demo mon!

[@JohnG-zq9mr]

I use this with Bias FX2. I just wanted to get my guitar sound into the computer to use Bias, with no intention of recording or mixing with other inputs... and it works perfectly fine !!! And damn it's bloody cheap!!! (... I'm cheap, I know.. hahahahaha!!!)

[@football...4473]

Latency problem?

[@lordraj365]

Mann this is the best video 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@purplerocket666]

Daaaamn ThAt'S chieep. Great video. Seems that the longer the hair, the better the videos. Btw. have you tried 09 - 42s on the doublecut. I did that because of a video that Rick Beato made with Rhett Shull. It is amazing. Works, feels and sounds great.

[@lespaulplayer23]

Great review. Saying what it is, what it does and plain speaking terminology that everyone can understand. Oh yes, and DANG THAT'S CHEAP 😁👍🏻

[@jason_from_canada]

Dang that's cheap!! Didn't know about this one so thanks for bringing it to my attention Andy! :o)

[@TheGuitarGeek]

You’re welcome dude. Spend wisely

[@Saronite]

am really new to guitar ... i have a question can i plug this into my computer and plug my headphones into my computer instead instead of the guitar link? so i can play a drum track and hear my guitar at the same time

[@vhsonacomeback]

Did you ever find the answer to this question?

[@Saronite]

@@vhsonacomeback the audio quality of this device is extremely crappy .. it wasn't worth it

[@toberkel83]

I bought the Audiolink light from Miditech for 33€. Its also cheap and nice.

[@kenken-op5qe]

The very reason I wouldn’t want a new apple…. But glad it works with iOS for a portable recording set up. Good video.

[@TheGuitarGeek]

Cheers! iOS works great

[@boliviabusker5323]

i have of those and tjey work well you just have to keep the cables far from thr ground and know have to tweak it

[@leftyamazed]

Damn that is cheap! I bought the TC Helicon Go Guitar to use with my iPad and Garageband. I choose that because, like iRig, it doesn't use USB, it uses the mic/headphone socket, so easier to use with an iPad (or any device with the combined 3.5mm socket). I think it is about the same price and quality wise, and is probably equally as 'aged' as new mobile devices are losing their jack sockets.

[@AndyWWW]

Thanks very much. Found mine on ebay (used) for 5.74 GBP ($8) including post. Dang that's CHEAP. Arrived in mint condition with manuals.

[@TheGuitarGeek]

You are welcome Andy!

[@MaxPower-js1sk]

It looks like a late 90s device. Even the CD with the drivers make it look ancient.

[@Rubiksman123]

This works very well for recording, still using an old copy of Cool edit pro 2.1 to record!

[@TheGuitarGeek]

Wow!!! Cool edit pro!!! I used to use that

[@winceyV1]

Damn thats cheap might have to try it out , thanks for all you do Andy

[@ArpitChanana]

Can we plugin our guitar amp, ( I have a marshal mg10) , into the headphones slot for live performance? will the capacitance difference cause any issues?

[@deanandthebeans857]

This thing is great! I have one and it just works - actually better than some much more expensive alternatives.

[@simonsmith2579]

Cakewalk by bandlab free for Windows, includes a Guitar amp suite with Marshall Fender etc. clones.

[@MarioHemsley]

Great job! Thank you!

[@carmenvisaroma7777]

Can we use it as a standalobe phone preamp WITHOUT connecting any ios device but a usb powerbank? i think not but maybe when no usb host interface is preswnt the device justs routes sampled in guitar signal to the DAC for the output...

[@andyjett]

System settings showed the driver as USB Audio driver - is it the same thing as ASIO? or do we need to get separate ASIO driver in order to avoid any significant latency?

[@kaposztapower3721]

Maybe a stupid question but can i use the normal PC speakers/headphones as output? So just plug the bass into this thingy and then after fiddling with the PC setup i just use my regular speakers not using the output on the device itself.

[@bryangregorysteele2544]

Hello there, I just wanted to thank you for your video on this UCG102, I bought mine a good 10 year's ago and put it in a box to be missing until recently. So upon opening and finding it I was immediately thinking software out of date. I do own a couple of laptops and towers that are XP and they all still work, and I just began using a Toshiba Satellite with Win7 on it, but my intentions have been to keep it offline so that I don't get bombarded with junk just from being online. But prior to seeing this video of yours, I installed 2 disks that came with mine one being similar to what you showed "Guitar Combos" with 3 choices (AC box, Twang, and Plexi Combo's) and the serial number to activate it. But being offline is there another way to activate them or toss the CD as you did? 2nd disk is "energy XT2" now this also downloaded to my laptop and it let me install the serial number, although I have not been able to open the program. Now one of these 2 gave me a version of Audacity 1.2.6, it shows a build date of 11/13/06. I am able to use this version of Audacity offline on Win7 but as I said the other disk with the 3 options will not work, and the energy XT2 will not open? So short of getting one of my other computers up and running with XP on it do you know of any way that I can use this interface? So far I have been unlucky trying to get it to work. But I will not quit until I get it working or worse case I put it away til I get out an XP... Oh as you said in the video headphones capable of 50ohms minimal output, but if I use an amp perhaps you can show a video of exactly how you are able to do so, and it being stereo output using a mono output cable will it work or do I have to get a stereo jack and use splitters to connect with an amplifier? Thank you sincerely, StyngrB

[@slimshady3116]

I only have 3.5 headphone jack, that adapter seems to need far bigger jack...

[@demianschultz3749]

Wow, that's a steal! It's practically highway robbery!. Does it work on Android 13 Tiramisu?. Thanks for the video

[@briandevitt6903]

Damm thats cheap.........Handy little device for sure. Andy, a sideways question for you............(if you dont mind) I have a deep desire for a twin P90 Tele. I'm thinking of buying the Harley Benton kit and using the body and neck only, buying new tuners, bridge and wiring. I had thought about reducing the thickness of the body, filling in the existing routs and then putting a cap on (maple or Walnut) and routing for new P90s. I dont want a pick guard, I want a clean look. Then binding the new top and applying a finish. Any thoughts or suggestions?

[@b.j.thomas3264]

Just got a nice (I hope) FREE amp sim so now I need an interface so I can use it! (Wife works at home so I must keep volume to a minimum so this is needed). How will this work? I don't want to spend much, especially as this will be my first venture into guitar-computer and I may not like it. Thanks! Great review-video!

[@piston_77]

im having a massive latency with this thing, how did you do to get it to a low latency?

[@matiasengelhardt3075]

Dang that's cheap!! Great video!!!

[@mikedwiles]

Dang! That's cheap! I remember when the cheapest I could find was the Line6 Tone Port. Seems like they were $80 and that was 20 years ago.

[@backlom]

CakeWalk is free. I’d love to know how to use it.

[@jonniegibbins]

Put cakewalk in the search box in KZbin. There are loads of lessons from setting it up to using it with plug-ins.

[@yohanonshine4664]

I bought this for 8.99 usd on walmart site 2months ago only thing disc contains malware that spies thru cam and audio . Another reason not to use apple stuff lol, oh yeah cake walk is free has all sorts of effects and sharing network is band mix that comes with it

[@TheGuitarGeek]

Why does the software affect Apple only? I couldn’t even load the software on either of my macs. This could be terrible if it’s true

[@yohanonshine4664]

@@TheGuitarGeek yeah my pc actually diagnosed it as malware and would not let it load it even specified it was used to spy thru cam and mike

[@SamikBhattacharyaOfficial]

Great video dude! I was looking for an honest review on this one! one quick tip. I'm eyeing Zoom H4n and I heard it also doubles up as an audio interface. I was wondering if I can use Amplitube with H4n as the audio interface and plug my guitar there. Care doing a video on that?

[@TheGuitarGeek]

Hey, i have the H4N too. I’ll put it in the monthly video

[@Kelty0656]

thanks for this video !

[@sajisguitar]

Dang that's cheap!! Andy, I will list down some cool free audio recording DAWs Cakewalk by Bandlab Waveform from Tracktion Soundbridge All works with 3rd party plugins!! Love your videos! Cheers!

[@hypezar]

This thing is cheaper now. Price like 6-7 bucks and probably even cheaper than that. Great for anybody that are new to guitar or just wanna connect the guitar to PC just for the sake of it. In the long run, still need better interface than this. For the meantime, this thing will do the job just right.

[@ellahorses5436]

Damn that’s cheap - great video, I might just give that a go !!!

[@elprup2011]

Use it for Bass, Keyboards and Vocals too.

[@alv1174]

Can you also use a microphone in the guitar input slot?

[@ladog211]

Will It work with a microphone and the ibook G4 with gararge band ?

[@Forest_Fifer]

Jings crivvens help ma boab, that is moderately not expensive. You're supposed to be able to link this using an adapter to either android or iOS devices, and run stuff like amplitube, deplike, tonebridge, giving you a multi-fx unit for pretty much pennies. Basically what you did with Amplitube on the Mac, but on a tablet/phone. Any chance of a demo on an iPad (I know you don't have android)?

[@gmbrereton]

Hi great video - will this device work with Windows 11 64 bit?

[@DoubleDguitar]

That’s like cheap with a cape and a big ole S on it’s chest. Thanks for presenting a look at a really reasonable recording alternative. Duodenum from Denver, that’s cheap!

[@TheGuitarGeek]

I had to read that twice. Must be tired. Thanks man. Good gear can be affordable

[@DoubleDguitar]

@@TheGuitarGeek reading back, I actually managed two alliterations in my comment. That’s most likely the issue here lol. Take care.

[@MrTiagoFernandez]

Just heard of this a couple days ago and since I want to play Rocksmith on a budget, will this work with it? Is it a good alternative to the official cable of the game?

[@blocktane5166]

I bought one and its fine accept it has this god awful hissing sound. Any tips?

[@kbmusic3879]

Thank you so much bro!

[@TheGuitarGeek]

You are very welcome!

[@iriririi4445]

Guys can u answer what should i choose? behringer ucg102 guitar link or uca202? it’s like same price in my country but is there any big difference to prefer one over other?

[@gdevelek]

Can I plug the output into a guitar combo?

[@r.studio4455]

Can we use this for other instruments as well? For keyboards and mics?

[@TheGuitarGeek]

absolutely yes.

[@justsongsandsunny6122]

does it work for an acoustic guitar too?

[@MikeLute]

Great Scott! That`s affordable, how did they do that? And how many of those devices have been stockpiled? (considering the outdated software on a prehistoric storage medium and the design from a past millennium) - Good thing is: it still is useful for young aspiring creative people.

[@TheGuitarGeek]

No idea how many exist but I think it would be perfect for students

[@PooNinja]

🎶I can compute clearly now the vistas gone I can calculate all the obstacles in my way it’s gonna be a bright bright Big Sur(y) day🎵

[@nocaster5120]

Where did you find it for 25$ , lowest I see is $30 usd on sweetwater

[@jasontrayal718]

Thanks Andy. 👍

[@TheGuitarGeek]

Thanks mate

[@richardbrenton8983]

Dang that's cheap :) thank you, that cd has been driving me mad trying to get it to work.

[@TheGuitarGeek]

I hope you got it!

[@robertgortega5217]

Will this unit work on Chrome Book OS devices such as a laptop?

[@AgaresInPeace]

Is it compatible to use on android apps such as deplike?

[@danilocarrazzone]

Dang that's cheap!! I used it for a long time, adding one useful piece of information, it is stereo IN and OUT, so with a Y cable (2 monos into 1 stereo P10 plugs) and a software that allows you to process 2 channels simultaneously (recording or simulating 2 separate amps) you may use a stereo pedal rig before it, listening in "real" stereo the processed sound in your headphones.

[@Anshul1614]

I got one, but just for kicks if I want to connect it to monitors I can just use a y cable to split the out?

[@aritraselva9925]

thank you so much 🙏🏻

[@fantasynx4730]

What pc does were you using?

[@jimjamarch]

Damn, that’s cheap. Good guide. Thank you.