Audient’s iD44 “console on your desktop” experience has just received an upgrade in the form of the iD44 MkII. We have the lowdown…

The humble desktop USB audio interface has certainly seen a few changes in the last twenty years or so. From its basic 2 in, 2 out beginnings, the medium has gone on to bring multichannel goodness for larger channel counts, with many designers maintaining that the format is more than adequate for the bigger jobs too. Alongside the emergence of the ubiquitous 1U 8x8 boxes, the industry has also seen a number of interface/monitor controllers. These typically arrive in wedge shaped boxes with large monitor level controls and buttons designed to bring a monitoring experience previously neglected by USB boxes.

Previously known exclusively for its consoles, monitor controllers, and other analogue devices, Audient have more recently explored bringing some of their console DNA to the USB interface market. Following a number of smaller units, the company’s 1st generation iD44 was the culmination of earlier units’ USB interface-with-monitor-control. This added expanded analogue (including 4 console pres) and digital I/O bringing 20x24 functionality, as well as an extra sprinkling of the illuminated buttons that gave a nod to the company’s console-shaped history.

Audient iD44 MkII

Four years later, and Audient have today given the world the next generation of the iD44 in the form of the MkII. The unit retains its progenitor’s form factor and basic functionality, adding some welcome new features. Perhaps most noteworthy is the care Audient have taken to not only improve upon the iD44, but also to do this at no extra cost to the user. Watch in the video as we outline its new features as well as a few of those that have helped to make the unit the junction point between console and interface.

The headline features of the update are as follows:

• Dual Headphone Outputs on outputs 5+6, plus another on 7+8

• Audio Loop-back

• Improvements on the ADCs. THD+N was previously -103dB (0.0008%). That’s now -112dB (0.00025%)

• New Modern Cosmetics

Andy Allen, Audient’s marketing director adds, “As far as audio performance was concerned, iD44 was already fully spec’d, yet we saw an opportunity to make the best better: making a major improvement to the all important ADC’s, incorporating additional must-have features and styling it with a beautiful new smoke-grey finish. All at the same price, delivering yet more value to our customers!”

Andy continues, “The combination of these enhancements alongside four Audient Console mic preamps, class-leading converters, ADAT expandability and balanced inserts means iD44 (MKII) really does deliver the audio performance of an Audient console straight to your desktop, and ensures with iD44, our customers get a professional grade audio interface without breaking the bank.”

The unit also retains all the features from the MkI:

• 4 x Class-A Audient Console Mic Preamplifiers

• Class Leading AD/DA Converters

• 2 x ADAT Inputs & Outputs for Digital Expansion

• 2 x Discrete JFET Instrument Inputs

• 2 x Fully Balanced Inserts

• Main and Alt Speaker Outputs

• ScrollControl

• 3 x User Defined Function Keys

• Dedicated Talkback, Dim and Cut Controls

• +48V, Pad, and HPF Switches

• Ultra-low Latency DSP Mixer

• Word Clock Output

• Standalone Mode

• USB 2.0 Compliant

• 24bit/96kHz

• All-Metal Design

• Power switch

• Free Software + Plugins

The Same, But Better?

If you like less noise and distortion, you’ll like the iD44. If you need loopback, you will also like the iD44, whose virtual recording chops have been ported from other MkII units from the company. Not only does the unit cost the same as the previous one, but it could also potentially save you the price of an extra headphone amp thanks to Audient thoughtfully strapping an extra output across an existing one. The smart new Smoke Grey finish certainly does the business which Audient tell me was chosen to closer match the look Apple laptops. While the all-white LED bargraph meter might not be to everyone’s taste, compromises such as these all help towards keeping the cost of the unit down. Is the MkII the same? Not quite, but first impressions and indeed the numbers will make the iD44 MkII “console on your desktop” even better, certainly.

iD44 (MKII) will retail at the same price as its predecessor: £499.99 inc VAT, €599 inc Local VAT and $699 MAP.