Recording - June 2011 - 60

B Y M I K E M E T L AY

Sound Devices USBPre 2
Sound Devices has been known for years as a manufacturer of audio gear for the field recording engineer, with compact and rugged field mixers and solidstate recorders making up most of its product line. It was one of the first companies, if not the first, to offer a really high-quality bus-powered audio interface in the form of the USBPre, which we reviewed all the way back in November 2002. In that review, the USBPre handled itself with aplomb in an era of IRQ conflicts, driver mismatches, audio-hostile operating systems, and computers that were just becoming fast enough to routinely handle native audio. A lot has happened in the world of computer music since then, and we’re due for an upgraded USBPre. The question is, in an era where high-resolution USB audio is now commonplace, does Sound Devices have anything left up its sleeve to make the USBPre 2 stand out? See for yourself. Black box The USBPre 2 is a portable bus-powered USB 2.0 audio interface that can also function as a standalone 2-channel mic preamp with analog and digital outputs. It handles audio at up to 24-bit resolution and 192 kHz sample rate. It operates as a Core Audio compliant interface with any Mac running OS X 10.4 or better (some issues with OS X 10.6.5 were resolved in 10.6.6, which is where we did our OS X tests); ASIO drivers are available for Windows XP SP3, Vista, or 7; and with the appropriate ALSA snd-usb-audio module in place, it supports Linux Kernel 2.6 or greater. I didn’t get to test the USBPre under Linux, but I had no issues with our Mac or Windows test machines.
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output jacks, RCA Aux outputs, coaxial S/PDIF input and output, and the USB port; the rear panel has the balanced XLR outputs, optical Toslink S/PDIF in and out, and a rubber cover that hides two sets of DIP switches for assorted device settings (see below). Note the absence of a multipin connector and breakout cable, a common way to add I/O with minimal hardware cost but one that isn’t designed for rough use in the field. Good choice. There’s no power supply jack; in standalone mode the USBPre 2 is still powered over USB. You can do this with a powered hub or USB power supply of 500 mA capacity. Even a computer can act as a power supply if need be; the USBPre 2 can be told to enter standalone mode on powerup, even if it sees a computer at the other end of the cable. Taking a DIP What about those DIP switches, anyhow? They let you set up a wide variety of functions that are vital to flexible operation but don’t need to be fiddled with on the fly. This is where you set your sample rate for standalone mode, and toggle the 48V phantom

Interface, preamp, converters, and features every field recording engineer needs
The USBPre 2 is built into a tough extruded-aluminum box with bolted end plates, a recessed front panel, high-quality connectors, knurled metal knobs, Neutrik jacks... first class all the way. The front panel has three Big Knobs—two for channel input gain, one for headphone output level—and two Small Knobs that retract into the case to keep them from being accidentally turned—one for output gain control and one for zero-latency monitor mix of analog inputs vs. computer. Four tiny but positive-feeling buttons select source for inputs 1 and 2 (separately, huzzah!), metering of input vs.

computer audio return, and mono monitoring on the headphones. Last and certainly not least, there’s a gloriously highresolution 23-segment LED stereo level meter, 2 dB steps from –44 dBFS to 0 dBFS, plus indicators for when the onboard limiter kicks in on each channel. The left end panel has all the inputs: two XLR (Mic), two 1/4" TRS balanced (Line), and two unbalanced RCA (Aux). The right panel has 1/4" and 1/8" TRS headphone

power, low cut filter (12 dB/octave, 3 dB down at 80 Hz), 15 dB pad, and built-in limiter (the threshold’s fixed at –4 dBFS) for each input. You can also: - set dual mono operation with Input 1 routed to both tracks; - set the XLR outs to mic or line level (–40 dBu or 0 dBu); - set the headphone mono button to sum only the inputs, or audio from the computer as well;
Recording - June 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - June 2011
