Tascam US 122

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Tascam US 122

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Average Rating 8/10

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The Tascam US-122 has quickly become one of our favourite USB Audio interfaces. Why? It covers most of the bases and is priced under £200. The US-122 is USB powered, so it doesn't need an external power supply. It's got mic pre-amps with phantom power, has MIDI I/O, and a send and return for your outboard effects, all housed in a slick and sturdy metal chassis.

Click here to see how you could use the Tascam US122 in your studio.

Where size matters, the new, ultra compact, TASCAM US-122 brings portable, easy to use, professional recording capabilities for Mac™ and Windows™ laptop or desktop recording/ production systems. The tiny USB audio / MIDI interface controller is powered entirely via its USB data connection, yet provides:

2 x XLR phantom powered mic inputs
2 x 1/ 4 inch balanced line/ guitar level inputs
High quality mic pre-amp circuitry
24 bit AD and DA conversion.
Sampling Frequency - 44.1kHz, 48kHz

Discrete level control is provided for both left and right input channels, stereo line level monitor outputs and the headphone output. Analogue inserts are also provided for connection of processors, such as a compressor / limiter, across the inputs. MIDI IN and OUT connectors are located on the rear panel with the USB connector.

Requiring no power supply or batteries, the Tascam US 122 provides a more professional, robust alternative to installing a sound card. The Tascam US 122 enables audio and MIDI data to be processed at the same time and simultaneous recording and playback, via a single USB connection.

*** The Tascam US-122 is bundled with Steinberg Cubase LE and TASCAM's GigaStudio 24 sampling workstation, and is supplied with a USB cable.****

Specifications:

ASIO and MME compatibility for Windows 98SE/ ME / 2000 / XP
ASIO, Sound Manager and Core Audio for Mac OS V8.6/ 9/ OS X*
Connection USB Ver1.1 (transmission rate up to 12Mbps)
Power requirement USB Vbus (5V)
Power consumption 2.5W
Weight 925 grams
Dimensions 145 x 62 x 98 mm

Cubase LE Features

Cubase LE is the new music production software based on awardwinning Cubase SX technology featuring 48 audio tracks, VST plug-ins and full VSTi support. Cubase LE combines powerful audio and MIDI recording features with professional editing and effects. Cubase LE and all included plug-ins are compatible with both Mac and PC systems. In addtion, you can upgrade Cubase LE to the full version of Cubase at any time. Cubase LE is the perfect entry into professional recording software giving you the ability to produce professional level recordings right-away, and giving you a system that you can expand into the future!

Cubase LE Requirements - PC
Processor: Pentium III 500 MHz or AMD K7 (P III / Athlon 1 GHz or faster recommended)
RAM: 256 MB (512 MB recommended)
Operating System: Windows 2000, Windows XP Home and XP Professional

Cubase LE Requirements - Mac
Processor: Power Mac G4 450 MHz
RAM: 256 MB (512 MB recommended)
Operating System: OS X Version 10.2 or higher

Tascam Us-122 review

James Wake
September 24, 2006

Rating: 9/10

I originally bought this based on the fact it was the cheapest USB sound card that did what i needed. However i quickly realised that it was possibly the best piece of kit i own. Having used the M-Box before i didn't expect much but in my opinion this does everything that the m-box 2 does for £190 less. The only problems i have found with it is that it won't work with Pro-tools which can complicate some situations but for someone like me who mainly works in cubase and logic it's really not a problem. I have been using this sound card since december now and i would recomend it to anybody looking for a usb sound card on a low budget. The only other problem i have found with it is that for large studio projects i can only record to 2 tracks at a time, but really thats the case with pretty much any usb sound card.

This card has proved to be an very worthwhile investment even when it comes to mixdown and mastering, it has been much more usful for audio playback than anything i've used previously.

Even the software provided has helped so much in my studio projects and work.

I would recomend it to anybody who needs a budget sound card but still wants the best, unless they want to use protools that is.

Good Hardware, Flawed Drivers

Adam Coltman
April 20, 2006

Rating: 6/10

I've been using the US-122 for over a year now and I've enjoyed immensely.

It feels at home in any setup thanks to it's sturdy design. The metal housing and thick rubber band around it's midriff are assuringly strong. The sockets and LEDs are all secure and asides from a little play in the knobs there is nothing to suggest poor quality manufacturing.

In the 'studio' the interface is a breeze. Everything works fine and sound quality is great. Setup your computer correctly and latency is not an issue - but if it does arise, the Direct Monitoring proves very worthy. I had one issue once with latency in a rather large cubase project between metronome and playback but at this price I can afford to be a little forgiving.

The only gripe I have is a major one. Tascam have a reputation for bad drivers and unfortunately the US-122 follows the same suit. My new computer fails to be compatible with the interface and after a lot of trawling through music forums I found alot of users with the same issue. After extensive discussion with Tascam they concluded a 'conflict' between the drivers and my hardware and refuse to accept that their drivers are poor and need updating.

In conclusion the US-122 is a bit of a gamble. For me on my old rig it worked flawlessly and was a pleasure. However clunky drivers (there are three seperate install processes!) can render the product absolutely useless... and with no chance of Tascam improving the situation (that I am aware of) for people on a budget there are cheaper alternatives available. However to my knowledge there are no other products which offer USB-powered 1/4", MIDI and XLR functions at this price level. So for some a gamble may be unavoidable.

NAMM 2007: Tascam introduces new products
Tascam introduce their latest products on this year's Winter NAMM
Soundcard / Audio Interface Buying Guide
Dolphin Music's Buying Guide to Soundcards
Tascam releases new Audio/Midi interfaces
Tascam have released two new portable USB Audio/MIDI interfaces. The US-122L is the follow up to the popular US-122 while the US-144 is more of the same but with S/PDIF digital input and output added. Both allow you to Record two tracks at a time at up to 96kHz/24-bit qualitywith zero latency and seem like they would make aideal travelling companions to a laptop.
Sound Card Selector - In BETA testing.
Choosing a Soundcard or audio interface is one of the hardest and most complicated decisions when building your home studio. Why? Because we all have different needs and there are so many products to choose from! We have developed a Sound Card Selector to help to find the best sound card for your needs.
What does the bit depth and sample rate refer to?
Most modern audio interfaces provide the facility to specify the bit depth and sample rate for a particualr project but what differences do these values actually make to the quality of the audio? To help you understand exactly what these measures of digital audio are refering to we have created this helpful guide.
Why do I need a Microphone Preamp?
If you plug a condenser microphone in to audio interface then the signal it generates will be very quiet unless the signal is boosted. This is why you will need for a preamp.
Tascam US122 Application Guide
The Tascam US-122 has quickly become one of our favourite USB Audio interfaces. Why? It covers most of the bases and is priced under £200. The US-122 is USB powered, so it doesn't need an external power supply. It's got mic pre-amps with phantom power, has MIDI I/O, and a send and return for your outboard effects, all housed in a slick and sturdy metal chassis.

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Competition - Have your say

Have your say and submit your own product review on the Tascam US 122
Please let us know what you think of the Tascam US 122 or any other product on our site. The best review chosen from all that are submitted this month will win a fantastic pair of M-Audio IE-30 - High-Definition Professional Reference Earphones with Dual-Driver Technology worth £189.00