Anyone used a Behringer UCA222 to record line out?

[JackRose]

I'm looking for the cheapest way to record audio and I'm thinking about this, but I've read that some people have had issues with it regarding gain (with other pianos) and a hissing sound. Has anyone used this with the PX-S1000? Thanks!

[IanB]

I don't hvae a PX-S1000 but I have a UCA222. I would describe it as good consumer quality. If your recordings are for your own use, it would be fine. It doesn't have any gain controls though, so if the keyboard output is too quiet you would need more equipment like a mixer or preamp. The ADC chip in the UCA is not top of the range but like I said, good enough for consumer use.

If you want something professional quality you would need to spend more money. Pro quality would include anything you're going to play back to an audience over a PA system- levels of noise you won't notice at home are very obvious over a large speaker system. If you intend to do multi-track recording, noise is also a more important issue. In that regard I have a Behringer UMC404HD which includes both XLR and jack in and out, gain controls, 24 bit 192kHz sampling, monitoring options etc. It is 4 channel, but they also do a 2 channel UMC202HD. I would recommend one of these for a quality recording- or indeed similar units from other manufacturers which other people here may recommend from personal experience (I wouldn't want to recommend anything I haven't myself used).

The UCA222 is a basic recording solution. You pays your money and you takes your choice

[Chandler Holloway]

I covered most of this in your previous topic on the subject, but I did own the Behringer UCA202 for about a year and a half and had no issues with it as far as recording line level signals like keyboards and pianos. I used it to record synthesizers and keyboards and never experienced problems with hiss or a lack of gain controls.
 

I eventually upgraded to the Scarlett 2i2 because I wanted to record mic level sources, which the UCA202 is not equipped to handle on its own. I gave it to my buddy who wanted to record some demos, he hasn’t had any issues with noise. He primarily uses it to record his drum machines, but also occasionally hooks it up to an analog mixer if he wants to record other sources like a mic or a guitar.

 

Note that the UCA202 and UCA222 are identical in every way aside from the case color; the UCA222 costs more because of the software it comes bundled with. Audacity is more than capable of handling your recording needs, however, so I would go for the 202 if you can find it near you.

 

If you’re really concerned about the noise level or hiss, I found this video that conducts a very thorough test of the noise floor and recording quality of the UCA222; it ultimately concludes that it’s a serviceable, if very basic interface that delivers clean line level recordings and not much else. He does detect a bit of noise in the monitor output (although he says it’s not very noticeable), but the signal that gets recorded into your computer does not have this noise. You would never need to use the monitoring output anyway, as you would either be listening to the onboard speakers or the PX-S1000’s headphone jack if you only really plan to record solo piano pieces.

 

I would say definitely buy one new if you do want to try it out. It’s cheap enough that getting a used one isn’t going save you much money, so buying new will give you the option of returning it for a refund if you find that it’s not up to your standards.