Audient iD44 Unbiased Review

This is an unbiased Audient ID 44 Review which will help you to decide if you go with it or not.

The manufacturer claims that it’s the most powerful audio gear among all the products they have released.

As you know Audient is a leading manufacturer of analog audio hardware and has 20 years of expertise, I personally think that this audio interface would win the market within months.

I have thoroughly reviewed this audio interface in this article.

BUT, before jumping into the review let me first introduce you to some latest deals and offers related to audio recording and music production.

Well, here is my Audient iD44 review.

iD44-Front

Audient iD44 Features

  • 20-in, 24-out USB 2.0 24-bit/96khz desktop audio Interface
  • 4 Class-A Audient console precision mic preamplifiers
  • 2 ADAT ins & outs connections
  • Instrument inputs – 2 discrete JFET
  • 2 inserts (Fully balanced)
  • 2 headphone outputs (independent stereo)
  • Main + alternative speaker outputs
  • Dedicated talkback, dim and cut controls
  • Word Clock Output included
  • DSP Mixer with Low Latency
  • All-metal enclosure + hand-milled aluminum knobs
  • 3 function keys (user-defined)
  • Scroll Control
  • Weight (kg) 1.75kg
  • Dimensions (mm) 276 (w) x 51 (h) x 174 (d)
  • $500+ Bundle of plug-ins and software

Price

Audient iD 44 audio interface is available at around $690-$700 on online marketplaces. If you want to know the latest price, you can always checkout that here.

Audient iD 44 Review and Buying Guide

As I told above that Audient is a leading manufacturer of analog audio gears.

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that we recommended. Read more about Affiliate disclosure here.

Audient’s designer David Dearden says that he has been in the analog mixing console business since the 1980s and even today Audient has a wide range of analog mixer consoles.

David founded Audient a few decades ago to mainly focus on the mixer console business.

One of the best achievements for this company is ASP8024 preamp

This preamp is widely used by leading audio interface and mixer manufacturers around the globe.

In fact, 90% of the manufacturers use this preamp as a component of their products.

When the world was run after digital audio, David Dearden was manufacturing classic analog mixing desks for big studios.

This analog mixer console’s feel is carried over in Audient iD44 audio interface.

The 1st analog component you get in this audio interface is ASP8024 preamp. 

A legendary preamp that provides warm and rich sound. Whether you record a vocal session or guitar it creates an analog feel in your recordings.

This classic analog feel is a quite important ingredient for better mixing.

The 2nd analog feel is its look. It’s a desktop audio interface that looks like a mixer.

The knobs and buttons all give it a classic console look. Because of the desktop placement and console look UI, operating this audio interface is also simple as compared to other interfaces.

Ins and Outs

audient iD44-Rear

Audient iD44 features 20 inputs and 24 outputs with 2 adats ins and outs connections. As an upgrade to Audient iD14 and iD22, this feature is expected from the manufacturers.

With this whole bunch of ins and outs, you can easily tackle a live stage recording as well as multitrack simultaneous recording in your home studio.

However, there are other audio interfaces with the 20in/24out feature but they are not as affordable as Audient iD44.

Audient iD44 has 4 ASP8024 preamps, which as I said above, are the best preamps in the music industry.

Whether you record vocals or instruments these preamps help you to out a better mix. Audient iD44 has 2 J-FET instrument inputs to record your guitars and other instruments with precision.

There are 2 ADAT input and output pairs available in Audient iD44.

You can connect 16 simultaneous inputs and outputs via a Digital mixing console.

As well as you get a word clock to set up the same sample rate for your digital gears throughout the studio.

Remember, I told you above that it gives you the feeling of an analog console?

Here is one more feature of Audient iD44 which gives it a console tag. The inserts. Generally, we find inserts in consoles but this audio interface has also 2 fully balanced inserts.

You can use external effects with this audio interface directly. Such a great feature.

In many cheap audio interfaces, you only get 1 headphone out which forces you to buy a headphone amplifier if you wanna monitor the recording with your artist.

No worry, Audient iD44’s 2 independent stereo headphone outputs can be able to monitor your recording along with the artist.

You can also get main and alt speaker outputs to connect two monitor pairs simultaneously.

Performance

With class-leading AD/DA converters, Audient iD44 delivers a great sounding experience.

As compared to other same-range audio interfaces, iD44 provides much more quality to your recordings.

The J-FET instrument inputs and ASP8024 preamps double the quality of sound captured through these powerful gears.

Its USB 2.0 compliant USB port helps a high-speed data transfer with minimum data loss.

One more thing which you should know is it is not a USB-powered device so you can’t use it outdoors. But it’s not a drawback for a 20in/24out audio interface.

Rather it confirms that the USB port does not overload due to the extra work pressure of providing power to the interface.

Audient id44 Latency

DSP mixers are an important feature of a modern audio interface.

As nowadays the trend of consoles is decreasing and the dependency on DSP mixers is increasing.

DSP mixers are software provided as part of an audio interface to control its settings, faders, and effects by computer.

The latency is a common problem in digital audio devices especially cheap audio interfaces.

But thanks to Audient iD44’s low latency DSP mixer and high-speed hardware, you get a very low latency in the mixer display as well as in your audio monitoring.

The DSP mixer latency can be decreased to 0.3236ms for a 96kHz recording. There are 2 other numbers regarding latency that you should pay attention to.

  • DAW Roundtrip Software Monitoring Latency @ 32 Sample Buffer – ~1.6ms/96.0 kHz
  • DAW Playback Latency @ 32 Sample Buffer for Software Instrument Playback – 4.2ms/96.0 kHz

These two features are very important for monitoring purposes.

As you can see the roundtrip software monitoring latency and DAW playback latency is below 1.6ms and 4.2ms respectively, ensuring that you get a smooth monitor while recording your projects.

Build Quality

audient iD44 front1

Made with a metal enclosure and hand-milled aluminum knobs Audient iD44 ensures that if you drop it from a height, it will work even after that.

However, the metal cabinet is not scratch proof and the rough finish increases the chances of scratch.

The black and silver combination of color gives it a professional console-type look.

The knobs, buttons, and switches are designed with a classy console finish.

The input and output channels are not gold plated, however, they can be compromised under this price range.

Pros

Audient iD44 has some great features which are eligible to discuss here.

User-Defined Function Keys

It has 3 user-defined function keys. You can use these keys to use cue-mix console functions easily.

With these keys, you don’t have to rely on just a computer keyboard.

You can assign them to control speaker switching or cue mix monitoring.

Dedicated Talkback, Dim, and Cut Controls

When you record vocals or acoustic instruments with the artist in another room it would be difficult to interact with them without a talkback function.

Assigning and using a talkback mic and switches is such a headache for newbies.

With Audient iD44 you get a dedicated talkback button with dim and cut controls as well as you could feed the talkback channel from any input.

2 Independent Stereo Headphone Outputs

Now you and your artist can monitor your recording simultaneously with 2 separate monitor outputs.

However, this is not a new thing as Focusrite has this feature with their low-end cards also.

Instead, I added this feature here as I know the monitoring issues when recording acoustic instruments.

Other Advantages

  • High-quality audio performance.
  • The dedicated iD Mixer application allows you to cue and monitor mixing.
  • Two eight-channel ADAT I/O to connect with other interfaces or mixers
  • Windows and Mac compatible

Cons

When you go with cheap audio gears, you have to compromise with the lack of some features.

Here are some cons of owning Audient iD44 audio interface.

Lack of Analog Inputs

If you go with Motu or Fireface audio interfaces with the same input and output, you will find at least 8 to 10 analog inputs so that you could record a full band without relying on optical inputs and digital mixers.

But Audient iD44 doesn’t have that feature. It has only 4 analog inputs which are not sufficient for a live recording with a full band.

To conquer the manufacturing cost they provided 2 ADAT inputs instead of extra analog inputs.

I really upset about not getting sufficient analog inputs. However, as I told you above, you have to compromise some features if you go with cheaper solutions.

Sample Rate

Most audio interfaces with 20in/24out provide a 192kHz maximum sample rate but with Audient iD44 you have to compromise with a 96 kHz maximum sample rate.

The one and only reason are to minimize the manufacturing cost.

I am not telling you that recording with 96kHz is not professional.

You can also get a pro-quality output with this sample rate but 192kHz is far better than 96kHz.

No Firewire connection

However, Class-C USB 2.0 is a very fast technology. I was expecting at least firewire though.

Unfortunately, it does not have a firewire port. But don’t worry a class-C USB 2.0 connection can be able to transfer 480Mbps or 480,000,000 bits per second.

If you use all 44 channels(full throttle recording) the maximum data transfer is 44 channels * 96000 samples * 24-bit sample depth = 101,376,000 bits per second.

Obviously, it’s less than 480,000,000 bits per second(USB 2.0 maximum capability).

This means iD44 can easily handle all 44 in/outs if your computer could handle that DATA transfer rate (traditional hard disks cannot handle that transfer rate.

If you want to enjoy iD44 in full throttle, you should change your hard disk to SSD)

Other Disadvantages

  • It does not support USB bus power
  • No MIDI ports on the iD44

What’s In The Box

As aspected, you get the audio interface in the box.😀

But wait, you also get over $700 worth of plugins and software free with ARC.

This bundle includes industry-leading plugins which shape your mix with pro-quality.

A high-speed Class-C USB 2.0 cable, a PSU, and manuals are also included in the box.

But you don’t get a driver and firmware CD/DVD in the box.

You have to separately download Audient iD44 manual, driver, and firmware from its official website here.

Don’t forget to register your product for the warranty as well as to download your software and plugins bundle.

As customer reviews are very important before buying a product. SO I would suggest you to go to Amazon and checkout the customer reviews before buying Audient iD44

Do I really need this?

The answer is very simple.

If I want to upgrade my old cheap audio interface then this will be my first choice to upgrade. After all, with $699 I’m getting a 20in/24out audio interface.

But if I already have a pro audio interface like Fireface or Motu, I don’t need it at all.

For home recordists who can’t afford a high-end card, this is a good alternative.

However, I love ASP8024 preamp for their great quality so I can think of off getting this audio interface.

Conclusion

The choice is yours.

Above I told you in what circumstances I prefer to own Audient iD44 audio interface.

Now the decision is yours.

According to me, The Audient iD44 is an excellent audio interface that offers the superior sound quality, reliable performance, and a robust feature set.

It is a great choice for music producers, audio engineers, and other professionals who require a high-quality audio interface.

However, its relatively high price tag may be a deterrent for some users.

If you are a home recordist and upgrade your card then this would be a better choice for you.

Keep in mind, that to use optical inputs you should have a separate digital mixer which costs you more than a pro audio interface.

If you can survive with 6 analog ins then this card is for you as you get a legendary ASP8024 preamp with this card which is a great deal I think.

FAQs

How does the Audient iD44 compare to other similar products?

The Audient iD44 is a high quality audio interface that compares favorably to other similar products on the market. It offers superior sound quality, reliable performance, and a robust feature set.

What are the main advantages of the Audient iD44?

The main advantages of the Audient iD44 include its superior sound quality, reliable performance, and robust feature set.

What are the main disadvantages of the Audient iD44?

The main disadvantage of the Audient iD44 is its relatively high price tag.

Who is the Audient iD44 best suited for?

The Audient iD44 is best suited for music producers, audio engineers, and other professionals who require a high-quality audio interface.

Alternatives

You must compare with the alternatives when going to buy Audient iD44. Have a look at these alternatives.

Universal Audio Arrow

universal audio arrow

Genuinely not as much compared to Audient id44.

Universal audio Arrow is much cheaper than Audient iD44.

You can consider upgrading your 2 channel audio interface to it.

Focusrite Scarlett 18i20

focusrite scarlett 18i20

I have used Focusrite and I know their input quality.

They could be a good choice when upgrading your audio interface.

Focusrite has a wide range of USB series audio interfaces.

Scarlett 18i20 is a good alternative to Audient iD44 audio interface.

Read also,

Gautam Roy is a recording engineer and a blogger from India. He loves music, writing, and travelling. He is also an active investor and a successful entrepreneur.

You Might Also Like:

3 thoughts on “Audient iD44 Unbiased Review”

  1. this interface has a the new USB-C connection, not a Class-C USB 2.0. So it’s USB 3.1 and much faster just like the MOTU M4

    Reply

Leave a Comment

JOIN MY TELEGRAM CHANNEL FOR EXCLUSIVE STUFF

Exclusive Plugins Deals & Discounts, Audio Recording Tips and Many More...
JOIN FOR FREE !
close-link