Universal Audio’s Volt 876: analogue sound for the whole band

Universal Audio has announced the Volt 876 USB Recording Studio, an eight-channel audio interface perfect for full-band setups. Think of it as the missing link between your mics and your computer – except this one’s been built by the team behind Universal Audio’s iconic Apollo interfaces, so it comes loaded with the kind of analogue character that usually requires a room full of vintage gear.

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The Volt 876 delivers professional 32-bit/192kHz audio quality across Mac, PC, iPad and iPhone. Each of the eight channels features a Vintage Mic Preamp mode – Universal Audio’s tube emulation circuitry that adds warmth and presence inspired by the classic 610 console. The onboard 76 Compressors offer presets tailored for vocals, guitars, synths and drums, letting you capture more polished tones during recording rather than fixing things up later on.

Key features

• 24-in/28-out configuration with room to grow as your sessions expand
• Eight Vintage preamps with tube emulation circuitry for classic studio warmth
• Onboard 76 Compressors with dedicated presets for vocals, guitars, synths and drums
• 32-bit/192kHz conversion for capturing every detail of your performance
• Two front-panel inputs with Hi-Z switching for plugging guitars directly in
• Dual headphone outputs so multiple performers can monitor comfortably
• Expandable via ADAT – chain up to three Volt 876 units for 24 channels total
• Works with Apollo and other ADAT-equipped gear you already own

Smart session management

Musicians, engineers and producers will appreciate the UAD Console app. Assistive Auto-Gain automatically sets sensible recording levels, while full session recall saves every knob position and mixer setting. The built-in talkback mic allows you to communicate with performers without leaving your seat, as well as two independent monitoring mixes mean the drummer and vocalist can each hear exactly what they need.

UA’s free LUNA Digital Audio Workstation also includes pretty helpful AI features. For example, say “Hey Luna”, and you can control recording hands-free, Instrument Detection will sort your track automatically and Tempo Listen will figure out the BPM for you. Best of all, LUNA saves everything, including your preamp settings, compressor tweaks and monitor mixes, so you can jump back into your session where you left off.

Included software

Volt 876 comes with an extensive software bundle to get you producing in no time. The UAD Producer Suite includes the Teletronix LA-2A Tube Compressor and UA 1176 Classic FET Compressor for vintage dynamics control, the Pultec Passive EQ Collection for musical tone shaping, Century Tube Channel Strip, Oxide Tape Recorder for analog warmth, Verve Analog Machines Essentials, Pure Plate Reverb, Galaxy Tape Echo, PolyMAX Synth and the Showtime ’64 Tube Guitar Amp.