The UR44 seems to be a sweet spot!

+1 Looks great!

And with that bit rate this thing must be very ‘cleeeeeean’ sounding.

If what I saw/heard on the video was made on this box,
Steiny has another winner on its hands.

And if you could ‘stack’ two (or more) there could the possibility of
recording a rhythm section using a basic rudimentary drum kit.

1-drum kit and bass/guit
or
2-drum kit and bass/keys.

Then do yer overdubs.

Things are changin’.

{‘-’}

Errr… Where is the ADAT in/out ? And how am I supposed to connect BOTH my VMK-188+ and MPD-32 controllers ?

Still looking for an E-Mu 1616m equivalent at the same price range (400 €)… :confused:

It looks interesting bu I’d sure like to know the specs, Dynamic Range of A/D and D/A etc. for the UR44 (not to mention the UR22 and UR28M).

The Getting Started manual for the UR44 has technical specs but it doesn’t seem to be available as a download.
Here’s a few details for you all.

The manual contained some errors in the specs. I have updated them from an Errata document and highlighted them in red below. I have left the incorrect values and placed them inside { } brackets.

Mic Input 1-4 (balanced)

  • Freq Resp +0.1/-0.2 db, 20 Hz to 22 kHz
    Dyn Range 101db, A-Weighted
    THD+N 0.003% 1Khz, -1dBFS, 22Hz/22Khz BPF
    Max Input Level +4dBu {-4dBu}
    Gain Range +8dB - +52dB {+16db - +60db}

Hi Z Input 1/2 (unbalanced)

  • Max Input Level +8.5 dBV
    Input Impedance 1M ohm {500k ohm}
    Gain Range ±0dB to +44dB

Line Input 3/4 (balanced/unbalanced)

  • Max Input Level +24dBu {+22dBu}
    Input Imp 20k ohm
    Gain Range -12dB - +32dB {-10dB - +34dB}

Line Input 5/6 (balanced/unbalanced)

  • Freq Resp +0.1/-0.1dB, 20Hz to 22kHz
    Dyn Range 102 dB, A-Weighted
    THD+N 0.001%, 1kHz, -1dBFS, 22Hz/22kHz BPF
    Max Input Level +22dBu {+16dBu}
    Input Imp 30k ohm (+4dBu input), 20k ohm (-10 dBV input) {20k ohm (+4dBu input), 10k ohm (-10 dBV input)}
    Gain Selection -10dB or +7.8dB switchable {-4dB or +7.8dB switchable}

Line Output 1-4 (balanced/unbalanced)

  • Freq Resp +0.1/-0.1dB, 20Hz to 22khz
    Dyn Range 106dB, A-Weighted
    THD+N 0.001%, 1kHz, -1dBFS, 22Hz/22kHz BPF
    Max Output Level +16dBu
    Output Imp 75 ohm

Main Output (balanced/unbalanced)

  • Freq Resp +0.1/-0.1dB, 20Hz to 22khz
    Dyn Range 106dB, A-Weighted
    THD+N 0.001%, 1kHz, -1dBFS, 22Hz/22kHz BPF
    Max Output Level +16dBu {+18dBu}
    Output Imp 75 ohm

Phones 1/2

  • Max Output level 35mW + 35mW, 40 ohm

USB

  • Specification USB2.0, 24 bit, 44.1/48/88.2/96/176.4/192 kHz

Cheers

Stevo… :smiley:

Thanks for posting this - waiting for mine to arrive. I needed the outputs to feed 2 DSLRs along with my mains. Also it will be interesting recording guitars dry with an amp emulated zero latency mix.

I wonder how the pre-amps and converters compare w/ the UR28M.

Also:
UR28M: S/PDIF, no MIDI
UR44: MIDI, no S/PDIF

Tough choice for me.

Generally in my experience, interfaces in the same line have the same preamps/converters. Unless you have another interface with S/PDIF (and even then), I would choose MIDI over that every time.

Thanks, Bane. Still trying to get my head around the UR44 selling for $100US cheaper than the UR28M, even though the UR44 has two more preamps … :question:

I haven’t had a chance to compare specs yet but I suppose it’s due in part to the fact that the UR28M would also function well as a monitor controller. More ergonomic than the typical box layout the UR44 has.

Good point, Bane. Also, iirc, the ur28M can also be operated independently of a computer/iPad, for example as a preamp in a live environment. I don’t know if the UR44 can.

I thought I heard that the UR44 is class compliant but not sure if that means it will work standalone or only powers itself with tablet devices like iPad.

Yeah, class compliant it is. You need to physically switch to CC Mode when using it with an iPad (and switch CC mode off when using a PC/Mac). Also, no USB bus power here. Must be powered with the supplied AC adapter.
I haven’t tried using it standalone but there is no suggestion that this would work. The manual examples are all while the UR44 is connected to either a PC/Mac or iPad. Still, I will give it a go and see what happens… :smiley:

Cheers

Stevo… :slight_smile:

If everything is armed by DSP, then really it should have a standalone capability. This cannot be marketed as standalone because in the true sense, all DSP routing and FX need to be editable on the device itself without a computer. This is what we have seen with the MOTU and RME interfaces. Normally I’ll just play music through my ipod or keyboard/guitar then disconnect the USB plug and see if it continues, which is how I found out my Scarlett remembers its routing until it’s unplugged from the outlet.

I almost bought that (the 18i20, right?) a few months ago because of the number of inputs and, well, it’s Focusrite so it’s gonna be good quality for the price point. And unless Sam Ash starts carrying the UR44, the Scarlett will probably win eventually since I can put it on my Sam Ash card the next time they run a 12 months or more “same as cash deal.”

My question is: are you happy with your Scarlett?

Very much so. It really checks all the boxes at my pricepoint and the whole construction seems to be topnotch.

That said, something to consider is that the Scarlett DSP Mixer does not have DSP FX processing capabilities like the UR’s and other big names. There is a design flaw with my 8i6, being that there is no power switch on the unit. The 6i6 and 18i8 were released a week after I picked mine up (and fixed the issue but had no loopback ins). The 18i20 is alright on that though. I would take a Scarlett 18i20 over a UR44 any day.

How about a Scarlett 18i20 versus the UR824?

Depends on what’s important to the user. UR824 has more channels, due in large to it’s extensive digital expansion and again there is a lot of DSP power under the hood. OTOH, the Scarlett definitely has better quality innards, but possibly not enough that you are going to notice in the end. But why do you think the likes of Prism Sound interfaces are held in such high esteem? Because the tech specs of their inner parts are beyond repute.

Personally for my next interface, I’m keeping my eyes on MOTU’s Ultralite MK3, which you may want to give a look Larry. It’s about $550.

Yeah Bane, you are correct.
Unplug the USB cable and the UR44 still functions, pre-amps and all…

Cheers

Stevo… :slight_smile:

This is surely a belated reply… but maybe better late than never?! Since this unit is still on the market in many places, I could as well post it.
The DAC/ADC combination identifiable on the UR44 PCB through visual inspection is as follows:

DAC: Wolfson Microelectronics WM8728

ADC: AKM AK5359VT

(This is for the original UR44 and not for UR44C).

I actually bothered to pull the datasheet for these converters. Looking at the characteristics, what becomes clear is that Steinberg has clearly picked a set of budget converters for this unit. (I am not making a statement about the sound quality, just the price range). In fact, so very `budget’ that some old interfaces from 2005 actually have significantly better converters, in terms of dynamic range, S/N, etc.

The way converter technology goes, the early 2000’s are the first time in history when 24-bit converters with a clean 120 dB dynamic range appeared. Circa 2005, AKM released sufficiently cheap DAC/ADCs that could be used in budget interfaces and offered, well, around 115 dB dynamic range, which, for the time, was quite good. Fast forward another 7-10 years and there comes Steinberg’s UR44 with something inexplicable like a 102 dB dynamic range and something like a 97 dB S/D+N ratio of the converters. While noise characteristics are usually not what I would first look at an ADC/DAC, I do however closely look at the specs of their digital filters, because that does affect the sound.

For reasons better discussed elsewhere, to work properly, an ADC must first filter out anything above 22.05k (or half of the sampling rate, such as 44.1kHz) before quantizing the analog waveform, otherwise you get an ugly-sounding phenomenon called aliasing. To reduce it, the digital filter must attenuate said frequencies enough to put them below the noise floor, while not affecting the audible range (20Hz-20kHz).The extent of such attenuation is critical. The attenuation of UR44 DAC filter is 60 dB, and of the ADC is 72 dB. Convertor filters used in other interfaces, such as AKM5385 and the like, get to around 100 dB, which is adequate, given that you want aliasing distortion to be below the noise floor.

So, while I give my kudos to Steinberg for the overall design of the unit, and I acknowledge that it works like a tank - no scratchy pots, noisy outputs, no poorly designed power supply causing noise, etc. - nonetheless I want to be at least somewhat heavily critical about the ADC/DAC choice. At least for the ADC, I affirm and testify that it is NOT linear at 44.1 kHz. This is not my subjective opinion, but rather the facts from its own datasheet, which says that at this sample rate, the anti-aliasing filter rolloff starts at 17.36 kHz, or 0.3975 of the sample rate, and reaches an attenuation of about 1.5 dB at 20kHz. Audibility-wise, this is not a big deal; a condenser mic would easily have a bigger variation from unit to unit. however, I fail to comprehend why this was necessary in the first place when, years before, considerably more linear ADCs were being available and used in competing interfaces. Anybody who has doubts can google the datasheet of this ADC and see for themselves. the DAC, in terms of linearity, fares better, although to my ears sounds quite harsh (and having seen the digital filter characteristics, I understand why).

Hence, it comes as no surprise that the updated UR44C comes with new converters. The way business acumen goes, I would not be surprised if I received a very polite invitation to spend another 350$ for the interface I already own, so that I can benefit from the better convertor quality of an yet-unspecified chip in the box, supposedly doing 32-bits.However, it still doesn’t explain why Steinberg/Yamaha, after having done a fully decent job on the rest of the box, all of a sudden decided to drop the ball on the conversion. An entire half a decade after the production of truly great converters such as AKM 5385, I can see absolutely no valid cost reason why not to put them in this box, given the speed at which anything digital depreciates in our age. So, of course I am disappointed. Not by the sound quality as much as by the design philosophy: it is okay for the customer to be had as long as they don’t know it. Well, so much for this brand I guess.

Thank you for this mega detail answer!