PreSonus has built its reputation on developing reasonably priced products that don’t sacrifice build quality, and the AudioBox USB ($149 street), a 24-bit, 48 kHz audio/MIDI interface, continues this trend. By including a copy of its Studio One Artist (Mac/Win) DAW, the company has assembled a complete recording package that is exceptionally affordable.

Unlike many interfaces at this price point, the AudioBox USB has a metal chassis, rather than one made of molded plastic, which gives the unit a substantial and solid feel. The metal knobs feel reliable and offer a reassuring amount of resistance. PreSonus promotes the AudioBox USB as roadworthy and I’d agree: I didn’t try throwing the AudioBox USB out of a speeding van, but I have little doubt that it can take some serious punishment.

The 2-in/2-out interface features a pair of Class A XMAX preamps, with combo connectors for its front-panel 1/4-inch/XLR audio-input jacks. The input gain/trim controls let you add up to 55dB of gain, and each channel has its own LED that indicates when the signal is clipping. The phantom power button sends 48VDC to both inputs.

It’s important to note that the inputs are not designed to accept line-level signals. The manual specifically warns you that they may damage the AudioBox USB.

The Mixer control adjusts the level of the direct input signal being sent to the outputs, resulting in latency-free monitoring when the knob is turned towards the input side of the dial. Separate volume knobs are available for the headphone jack and main outputs.

The rear panel has a stereo headphone jack, balanced 1/4-inch main output jacks, standard MIDI I/O, and the USB connector. The interface is powered from your computer’s USB port (see Fig. 1).

FIG 1: The AudioBox offers balanced outputs and standard MIDI I/O.

Out Of The Box
The AudioBox USB ships with a CD that includes a PDF of the owners manual and Windows drivers for the interface. If you use Mac OS X, no drivers are necessary.

The AudioBox USB worked exactly as it should when I connected it to my Mac Pro running Mac OS X 10.6.5. The drawback to using the Mac’s built-in USB Audio support is that the latency isn’t comparable to well-designed custom drivers if you need to monitor through your computer. However, the AudioBox’s Mixer control lets you avoid the latency by monitoring your inputs directly.

The mic preamps are quiet, adding transparent gain without hiss in the signal. I recorded vocals and clean guitar amps and felt that the AudioBox USB did a fine job of capturing them with my Sure SM57 and Sennheiser e609 dynamic mics. When I used my Audio-Technica AT4047 condenser microphone with the AudioBox USB, the resulting acoustic guitar recordings sounded pleasingly full.

I tested the instrument-level inputs using two custom Koll electric guitars (one with humbucker pickups, the other with filtertrons) and a Yamaha bass guitar. Unfortunately, the high-impedance inputs of the AudioBox USB (at 0.5 megohms) isn’t quite as high as most passive guitar pickups like (1 megohm or more). Even adjusting the input control, my guitars sounded thinner than they do with a dedicated DI box. My bass has active pickups, however, and sounded very good through the AudioBox USB.

I hooked the AudioBox USB up to my Yamaha HS80 monitors and was pleased with the sound quality of the converters. I didn’t hear the frequency smearing that is apparent with some low-budget USB interfaces. This device sounded as good or better than anything I’ve heard at this price point.

There’s An App With That
Installing the included copy of Studio One Artist was a breeze (see Fig. 2). Mac users can simply drag the application from the DVD into the Applications folder on the computer. The authorization process was equally easy, and Studio One Artist automatically recognized the attached AudioBox USB and was immediately ready to go. The application has a clean, uncluttered user interface and very good online integration for those who want to include personal info with their song files.

FIG 2: PreSonus’s Studio One Artist offers a clean, familiar DAW interface that integrates seamlessly with the AudioBox USB hardware.

I didn’t take long to set it up and begin recording a song. And the easy-to-follow documentation and tutorial video walk you through the program very effectively. If you don’t already have a DAW or are looking for a change, Studio One might be just what you’re looking for.

For A Song
Although it’s limited to 44.1 and 48kHz sample rates and doesn’t have line-level inputs, the AudioBox USB interface is built like a tank, offers MIDI I/O and direct monitoring, and includes Studio One Artist, which costs more than the AudioBox USB on its own. Overall, the AudioBox USB is a fantastic deal for the price.

Pros: Well built. Class A mic preamps. Includes DAW software. Latency-free input monitoring.

Cons: Doesn’t handle line-level inputs.

When Orren Merton isn't writing and editing music-technology books for Course Technology, he simulates being a guitarist for Ember After.