Most audio interfaces on the market are designed for a series of microphones or to be run with a mixer of some sort. The team at Audient knows this and they make different models to suit these needs. But they also recognise that there are plenty of guitarists out there who want a simple, yet high quality, audio recording option. Enter the iD4, a two-input interface that has the discerning guitarist in mind.
The first input is offered on a combination XLR/TRS connector and accepts microphone or line level signals, allowing vocals to be taken care of as well as a microphone in front of a guitar cabinet. The second input is located on the front panel of the unit for easy access and comes in the way of a Hi-Z DI input for running guitars and basses directly into a separate channel. This means you don’t need to fiddle around on the rear of the device every time you want to plug your guitar in, and you don’t need to worry about matching the impedance with a line level input. Acoustic or electric guitars simply plug right into the front and you’re ready to record.
The top panel is pretty self-explanatory and makes it very easy to work with your signals going in and out. There is a separate gain control for the microphone input and the DI, and a balance control between the input signal and that coming back from the computer. A clever mute button is included to shut off the speakers when recording overdubs, and an Audient ID button is also included. This is a treat to use as it allows the large volume knob to act as a rotary encoder and change the value of whatever function your mouse is currently hovering over in your software. This makes it really easy to get a quick, hands-on feel for editing certain parameters of effects and plugins.
The overall look, feel and operation of this unit makes it very easy to record yourself and not feel like you’re chained to a computer keyboard. Best of all, the Audient AD conversion gives you amazing 24 bit/96kHz audio quality that will allow every penny you spent building your guitar setup to be heard in your recordings. On top of that, you get a selection of Eventide plugins and Cubase LE9 software bundled with the unit, so you can make great sounding music with quality audio conversion right out of the box.
