Universal Audio Announces Arrow Thunderbolt 3 Desktop Audio Interface

Ahead of NAMM 2018, Universal Audio announced its latest Arrow Thunderbolt 3 audio interface for Mac and Windows, a practical desktop unit leveraging the most powerful connection to any Mac or modern PCs ever available to recording studios. The new Arrow Thunderbolt 3 interface combines the company's class-leading audio technology and 24-bit/192 kHz audio conversion, with Unison mic preamps, and Realtime UAD Plug-In Processing.

RØDE Microphones has released its first Audio Interface – the AI-1. For a leading microphone manufacturer, this might seem like an odd initiative, but the Australian company turned the announcement into a powerful audio recording proposition. The RØDE AI-1 is a simple computer 24-bit/96kHz USB bus-powered desktop interface, featuring a high-quality preamp with phantom power, one Neutrik XLR-1/4” analog combo input, two balanced outputs, and headphone amplifier, allowing direct monitoring.

In another example of direct collaboration between Californian audio hardware specialists Apogee Digital and Apple, Apogee Ensemble Thunderbolt and Element Series audio interfaces now offer Direct Monitoring support in Apple’s Logic Pro X (10.3.2) that easily eliminates recording latency with the simple click of a button. Pressing the new “Direct” button causes the monitoring signal to come directly from the hardware input, bypassing any I/O buffer or plug-in induced latency.

PreSonus announced a new studio interface, leveraging all the benefits of Thunderbolt 2 and ADAT Optical I/O. The new PreSonus Quantum 24-bit/192kHz audio/MIDI interface delivers up to 26 inputs and 32 outputs, with extremely low latency, including 8 recallable XMAX microphone preamps. With its pro features, flexible software, and abundant I/O, the Quantum serves as a powerful combination audio interface and studio command center that fits into any recording and production environment.

It’s very questionable that anyone would still be on the market for another USB 2.0 compact audio recording interface, given the market saturation and the transition to faster and lower-latency USB 3, Thunderbolt or even Ethernet alternatives already in the market. British company Audient believes there is still a chance and released the iD4, a single-channel unit featuring the company’s Class-A mic pre technology and good quality AD/DA converters for just $199.