Behringer UCA202, Works well with Garageband -

Overall Rating44444

Works well with Garageband -

I am new to the world of in-home recording. I recently purchased a computer primarily for Garageband. I was having trouble recording an electric guitar plugged directly into the computer input. The guitar signal was sporadic at best.

This product has solved my problem and seems, so far, to work well with Garageband. There is no additional software to install. It simply plugs into the usb port and is automatically detected by the computer.

I give it only four stars because there was some frustration involved. There are no 1/4″ inputs for a standard guitar plug - Only RCA inputs for this device. This is something you may not discern from the items description (nudge, nudge). However, there are 1/4″-RCA guitar cables available that work just fine. I just thought others might like to know beforehand. Also, this item by itself is not good for CONTROLLING your signal. As I mentioned above, this recording business is new to me; so, maybe there are ‘obvious’ issues that I am unaware of. But, while the product does a nice job of making an electric guitar signal detectable, you will need to run it thru some other device to control the volume better. You do get some control from the guitar volume & Garageband itself, but not enough. I plug my guitar into a multi-effects processor, then the processor out into the Behringer (via 1/4″-RCA), then the Behringer into the MAC via usb. I also tried using the Behringer with a small practice amp in the chain, but there was too much hiss. Using the effects processor without the amp in the mix works best.

I am happy with the product and would recommend it for use with Garageband.

Update (2/6/2012):

The featured review for this product, Behringer UCA202 U-Control Audio Interface Electronics Mar 1, 2008, was written by pinchdogster.

The average rating for this item is 4 out of 5 stars, according to 3 reviews.

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Reviews (3)

pinchdogster

June 26th, 2010 at 6:24 am    


Overall Rating44444

Works well with Garageband -
Rated 4 stars.


Tristan Harward

July 16th, 2010 at 6:11 pm    


Overall Rating33333

Functions, but not as high quality as advertized.
This device is great for those who just want to get sound in and out of the computer conveniently without plugging in too many audio cables. It is nice to sit down at a desk, plug in the USB hub, and get sound in and out right away. I used mine to connect out to my ADS monitors and in from my run-of-the-mill Behringer 802 mixer.

Key word “used.” After a few hours of listening to the device, both recording and playback, I realized that it actually sounded worse than the headphone output on my laptop. Now, realize that I am a stickler for audio quality - your needs may vary - but for those with good ears this may be useful information. The sound is dead and lifeless, without much clarity or image. It seems as though a veil lies between me and the music that I can’t get rid of.

This, my good-eared friends, is the problem with a cheap DAC. That’s the Digital-to-Analog converter, and it’s what takes the bits from your computer and decides how to make sound waves out of them. Devices such as this one are cheap for a reason - the DAC chips and op-amps and components in the signal path are cheaply bought and cheaply constructed, and you’ll get that signature veiled Behringer (oops, am I generalizing?) ‘cheap’ sound.

If you have good ears and know you will be able to hear a difference - do yourself a favor and invest in a good DAC and ADC instead of this. You will thank yourself many times later on for it. There are many options in the $100-$200 range that those with good ears will (unfortunately for our wallets) require.

So this review is mainly targeted as a warning to folks with discerning ears. However, if you’re just looking for simple input and output and aren’t running it to a good set of monitors or doing serious recording, then this will do just fine. If you know you won’t be able to hear the difference, there’s obviously no point in spending any more than this. Enjoy!

(As a side note - if you’re wondering why I care so much, let me put it simply: I end up listening to and enjoying more music when it sounds remarkably real. That’s all it is really.)


N. Webb

July 17th, 2010 at 3:45 am    


Overall Rating55555

Eliminate Buzz
If bad buzz ground record directly through the sound card. This device is the weather cleared. I use it to record music and speech in stereo and were very impressed by the quality and tranquility. The headphone jack on the side with volume control is handy when recording too. It helps to hear exactly what you record. Stereo is handy too. Works great on a laptop and desktop.


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