Audient EVO 16

... and I needed a quick replacement for my beautiful, but outdated Focusrite Clarrett 8PreX, which stopped working with my computer/OS.

I needed 24 channels to marry up with my mixing console, and I didn't (still don't) have the money for a UFX , so my choices were limited.

With 8 analogue i/o and two sets of ADAT i/o, on paper the EVO16 ticked all the boxes. However, and this is my fault for not doing deeper research, in the flesh, this unit was not what I wanted it to be.

My main issue is its form factor; it has a rack mounting kit available, which you have to pay for separately, but as is, it's neither full nor half standard rack size, but somewhere in between, and at 10", is much deeper than most gear.

The odd width also leads to my second issue with it, which is that it has the first two combijack inputs on the front, with all of the other inputs and outputs (except the headphone outputs) on the back. If Audient had made the dimensions conform to the standard, they would have had enough space to put inputs 1 and 2 on the back with the rest. They could have duplicated them on the front, like other manufacturers do, and charged a little more without putting off many potential customers, IMHO.

Basically, what I wanted was the yet to exist at the time, ID48, with its more standard form factor, and bypassable mic preamps.

While some will appreciate the 'auto gain' technology the EVO16 provides, it isn't a feature I have much use for personally.

Overall, it performs well, and it got me out of a bind, but with hindsight I would not have bought it for my particular set up. However, it may yet come in handy if I start a mobile recording service, and for those who don't use traditional rack equipment, they may find that my issues are non-issues.

I used this interface to record an album and it does it's job, but honestly the smart gain is not much use unless you mic up drums. And I constantly have this weird coil winding sound when on quiet sounds. Additionally, 48V phantom translates the electrical sounds to the recording somehow. Great features, mid sound. Build of the interface is OK, buttons seen like they could fall out, because they move around, yet the sides are made from metal.