Due to its pocket-friendly size, the Audient Evo 4 is a highly portable audio interface. An interface this small becomes a perfect size for many touring/individual artists. But, can it deliver all the essential features and next to superb audio quality? Let’s have a deeper look at it all in this detailed Audient Evo 4 review.
Hold tight because we are revealing all the features and see whether Audient Evo 4 is a right choice for you or not?
Audient Evo 4 USB Audio Interface Review
How good is the Audient Evo 4?
In short, the Audient Evo 4 is an excellent audio interface with superb sound quality and extremely low distortion levels. It is highly portable but has the ability to sit in a home studio as well. Although, a point where it falls, other than the impedence levels and maximum gain ranges, is the overall build quality. The build quality demands a proper care and a timely maintainence of the Evo 4.
Now, lets move to see the features packed by the Evo 4.
[Also check: Best audio interfaces under $200]
Audient Evo 4 Specifications
- 2 Mic/Line inputs,
- 1 Hi-Z/ Instrument input,
- +48V Phantom powered,
- 2 EVO mic preamps,
- 24-bit resolution,
- 1 Headphone output,
- Exclusive Smart-Gain Feature,
- 2 line-level/ Studio monitors outputs,
- Line output dynamic Range – 113 dB,
- Supported sample rates – 44.1kHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz,
- One USB-C port to connect to laptops/Desktop PCs,
- Direct Monitoring available,
- A wide range of softwares included,
- Windows/Mac/ M1 mac compatible.
[Also check: Audio interface setup diagram to connect different studio gears]
A Deeper Audient Evo 4 Analysis
The Audient Evo 4 features a high range of specifications for its price of $119 or so. There are two mic/line inputs. Both these inputs are great for recording line level inputs or microphones. In addition, there is one instrument input on the back side, next to headphone output.
view the price of Audient Evo 4 on amazon
All these inputs enable you to connect upto two different combinations of the mics and three different combinations of instruments. We will talk more about the use cases in later sections.
Bonus Tip: Pressing both the input buttons together will allow you to control their gain levels in a sync. It means the gain levels on both the inputs will be same. This feature can come in handy when you want to record mics in a stereo setting.
Also, check: Focusrite 2i2 3rd Gen Review – Is it best in class?]
Phantom Power!
Yes, the Audient Evo 4 does have phantom power. It makes the Evo 4 suitable for both dynamic as well as condenser microphones. Make sure you click the +48V button before recording a session on a condenser microphone.
Direct Monitoring
The Audient Evo 4 has a unique way to engage the direct monitoring feature. First, press the mixer button on the Evo 4 and then, using the master knob adjust the amount of audio levels coming from the DAW and from the inputs. It is much similar to that present in PreSonus studio series.
What is the Smart gain feature on the Audient Evo 4?
The Smart Gain Feature controls the gain metering of the audio signal to prevent it from either distorting or clipping. A person needs to enable the smart gain by pressing it. Then, play the instrument or sing vocals for 10 seconds. After 10 seconds, the gain level is automatically adjusted depending on the range of the audio signal. However, it works in a pretty conservative way and keeps your audio signal between -24 dB to -12 dB which is quite a healthy bracket so that the voice doesn’t clip.
Also check: Best budget audio interfaces that compete neck to neck with Evo 4.
Output ports
All the output ports serve the basic purpose of connecting a pair of studio monitors and one headphone. As you connect a headphone, all the audio will route through the headphones and the studio monitors will stop playing the audio.
Connectivity
At the back of the Audient Evo 4, one USB 2.0 port is present. This port connects a cable to either your laptop or computer. No external adapter is required to power the Evo 4. It takes all its resources from the computer / Laptop to which it is connected.
Sound quality of Audient Evo 4 USB Audio interface
The two Evo mic preamps and the converters in the Audient Evo 4 are bang for a buck. Because of such good preamps, the sound quality remains crystal clear & noise levels to a minimal. The noise levels drop even lower in case of condensor mics.
Also check: Audio interfaces for Shure SM7B that have low noise mic preamps and high quality converters.
Potential Use Cases
Since, there are three inputs on the Audient Evo 4, the use cases becomes very interesting. Some of the use are discussed below:
- Two Mics, one electric guitar,
- Two line level inputs, a bass guitar,
- And many more.
A great thing!
There are a ton of different combinations that you can make one the Evo 4. These combinations will allow anyone to record upto three live instruments at any particular moment.
[Also check: Mic vs Line vs Instrument level inputs]
Gain and Dynamic ranges of Audient Evo 4 USB audio Interface
| Input Type | Gain Range | Dynamic Range |
| Microphone Input | 58 dB | 100 dB |
| Line Input | 58 dB | 105 dB |
| Instrument Input | around 60 dB | 105 dB |
| Headphone Output | – | 113 dB |
| Line/Monitor Output | – | 110 dB |
You can see tech specs in more detail, here.
The gain ranges and the dynamic ranges of the Audient Evo 4 are highest when compared to 2i2, 25c, 24c or the AudioBox USB 96. The high dynamic range is a great thing to have in an audio interface. A high dynamic range lets you have more headroom space that is great for recording certain instruments and very high expressive vocals.
The Evo 4 has the highest dynamic range among any budget audio interface below $300. I really was surprised at first to see that. The highest dynamic range among many other audio interface also contributes to the good sound quality.
PROS of Audient Evo 4
- Very low noise and distortion,
- A very flat frequency response on Inputs & outputs,
- Well built preamps,
- You can control the gain levels of both the inputs by pressing them at same time,
- Clear white LEDs that display gain value,
- The “Smart Gain” is spot-on reliable & accurate,
- Highly portable audio interface,
- Dynamic range is highest among all the audio interfaces under $250,
- Input gain levels are sufficient enough for a sound recording,
- Audient Evo 4 is compatible with Windows/Macs/ Silicon MacBooks.
The Evo 4 packs a lot of different features. Some are great, while others can turn just as superb as the Smart Gain. It is a very handy feature when you are just in a mood to plug and play without worrying about audio clipping.
CONS of Audient Evo 4
- The maximum system gain range is comparatively low,
- Build quality could have been better,
- There is no MIDI I/O,
- There is only a single gain knob for all the Inputs and outputs,
- Limited sample rates with highest being of 96 kHz,
- Headphone imepedence is a bit high.
The first issue that can be seen through the naked eyes is the overall build quality. The Evo 4 is made up of plastic material that is pressable.
Secondly, a single gain knob to control all the inputs and outputs is a time-consuming task. Moreover, it can take some time to randomly select the information and adjust the gain, which is not the case when you have dedicated control knobs.
view the price of Audient Evo 4 on amazon
Next is the headphone impedance, which is 30 Kilo-ohms in Evo 4. A higher impedance means that the headphone demands more power to produce high-quality audio. A low impedance below 25 Kilo-ohms is better in a USB-C type audio interface. It is because even at low power, you’ll receive a pretty good audio signal.
One more equally important thing that concerns most music producers is that there is no MIDI compatibility in Evo 4. However, Evo 4 is inclined more towards guitarists and people that are most of the time, on tours and live performances. Therefore, it makes no sense to install a MIDI port when you cannot carry a MIDI instrument on a tour or vacation. And that is pretty smart of Audient!
Although there are other disadvantages related to the Audient Evo 4, I don’t consider them a deal-breaker.
The samples rates are not a good paramter to judge the audio interface as your PC or Laptop may not be capable of high samples rates like 192 kHz. In this case, you’ll have to see what samples rates can your system handle?
Audient Evo 4 USB audio Interface – Who should get it?
view the price of Audient Evo 4 on amazon
The Audient Evo 4 becomes a good choice for home artists or solo music producers.The Preamps are designed quite well and have an ultra-high 24-bit resolution sound quality. Unlike PreSonus AudioBox USB 96, it has very clear audio and low distortion levels, even on a dynamic microphone. The exclusive smart gain feature makes your job easier and handles all the gain metering by itself. Thus, allowing you to record instruments and not worry about any significant audio clipping or distortion.
From above, we can clearly infer that Audient Evo can turn out to be a great choice for:
- Solo artists,
- Touring artists,
- For podcasters,
- For gamers,
- Beginner producers.
Is the Audient Evo 4 good for gamers? Yes, the Audient Evo 4 is well built for gamers too. It contains loopback feature which allows to record your system audio along with a microphone audio. This feature can come handy in gaming livestreams.
The Evo 4 can also turn out to be an amazing audio interface for a home studio. However, for home studio, I’d prefer to go with an interface that provides you with much capabilites like these ten best budget interfaces do.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Audient Evo 4 is one of the best audio interfaces for beginners. It makes the workflow much easier and quicker while still having all the necessary features.
However, the main concern for some producers is that there is no MIDI I/O in Audient Evo 4. In that case, I strongly recommended checking out PreSonus Studio 24c. The 24c is very much comparable to Evo 4 in terms of sound quality, features and the price category it falls.
This point marks the end of Audient Evo 4 review. I hope this article helped you out with choosing a new interface that best suits your needs.
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