Add Something to Your Cart.    
Toll Free 866.ZZOUNDS (996.8637) Open until 10 PM EST
Mention priority code 77DBMTF when you call
 

Tascam US122 Audio/MIDI Interface with Free Software

2 XLR-fed phantom-powered mic inputs with inserts. 2 line level inputs (switchable to guitar level). 16 channels of MIDI I/O.

Overall User Ratings

Overall:
          8 out of 10
Features:
          8 out of 10
Quality:
          8 out of 10
Value:
          7 out of 10
I Want It:
          7 out of 10
Sound:
          7 out of 10
Ease of Use:
          6 out of 10
Support:
          5 out of 10
 
 

"Feature packed audio/midi interface!"

Overall:
          10 out of 10
Features:
          10 out of 10
Quality:
          10 out of 10
Value:
          10 out of 10
I Want It:
          10 out of 10
Sound:
          10 out of 10
Support:
          10 out of 10
User: a customer from hotmail.com
Submitted: 8/18/2004
Style of Music: electronomo
Location: Chicago IL

 

 
zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.
Feature:
This device has analog inserts! No other similarly priced audio/midi interface has anything even remotely similar...

Quality:
Built like a tank

Value:
would buy it again in a heartbeat

Desirability:
Mmmmmmm, yeah!

Sound:
Solid all the way...

Support:
(haven't needed any -- that says it all)

5 of 5 people (100%) found this review helpful. Did you?    
Thanks for your opinion!
 

"Solid, easy to use bit of gear"

Overall:
          9 out of 10
Features:
          10 out of 10
Quality:
          10 out of 10
Value:
          9 out of 10
I Want It:
          9 out of 10
Sound:
          8 out of 10
Support:
          8 out of 10
Submitted: 1/23/2006

 

 
Feature:
I really like the knobs on the box for adjusting levels - if a signal starts clipping you just turn a knob instead of clicking through lots of junk. There's virtually nothing to the software, basically just an driver with buffer settings.

Quality:
seems very well made, mine's traveled back and forth to various theatres with me.

Value:
It's a crowded market, depends on what you need

Desirability:
They really should leave the term "sex appeal" out of the description of this category. I'm glad I have it.

Sound:
Mic preamps are a little noisey - best to use condensers with it because they have more output. Also, I don't think it's a good box to use with software syths - playback latency isn't good, and I've heard this from other sources. Latency isn't a problem with overdubs, BTW, because of the direct monitor dial right on the box. Recorded sound is good provided your mic signal is hot enough.

Support:
Haven't needed it - this should be a n/a.

Overall:
It's a great, easy way to get two tracks into a laptop through a USB port.

2 of 2 people (100%) found this review helpful. Did you?    
Thanks for your opinion!
 

"Well worth the money"

Overall:
          10 out of 10
Features:
          10 out of 10
Quality:
          10 out of 10
I Want It:
          8 out of 10
Sound:
          10 out of 10
User: a customer from netscape.com
Submitted: 6/8/2005
Style of Music: Contemporary Christian
Musical Experience: Recording/Multimedia
Location: North Carolina

 

 
Feature:
The features are great. It has multiple inputs as well as a very useful USB output. It also does not require standard AC power, as it gets its power from the input and/or output.

Quality:
It's made well. That's all there is to say.

Value:
If you're going to be using it a lot, it is a great value. Especially if you are in a band, it will help you improve and see what you sound like.

Desirability:
It doesn't look incredible, but then, I really don't care how it looks. I care how it works.

Sound:
It records great, especially with Sony Soundforge...just make sure that when you're mixing, if you're pushing bass then get good headphones, or you won't be able to mix well.

Support:
I haven't dealt with the company, as I have had no problems.

Overall:
I expect to be satisfied with this product until A)It dies; B)I die: or C)I stop recording.

Did you find this review helpful?    
Thanks for your opinion!
 

"May require some setup, but does what it should for a reasonable price."

Overall:
          8 out of 10
Features:
          8 out of 10
Quality:
          9 out of 10
Value:
          10 out of 10
I Want It:
          8 out of 10
Sound:
          8 out of 10
Support:
          6 out of 10
User: a customer from yahoo.com
Submitted: 1/29/2005
Style of Music: Symphonic, Electronic, New Age, Jazz
Musical Experience: Former symphony musician, multimedia producer
Location: Ohio

 

 
Feature:
I was looking for a device with usable software to flush out ideas. I need phantom power, at least two inputs, and MIDI. I looked at many options including firewire devices but they either didn't have these features, or they did and were twice the price. I kept coming back to the Tascam US-122. The interface comes with everything you need to lay down audio tracks and sync to MIDI. The version of Cubase is pretty basic but it works and the Gigasampler while lean on sounds has a nice piano included and it syncs to the Cubase software without issue.

Quality:
Pretty stout overall. The knobs as reported have a giggly quality, but work smoothly.

Value:
This is the only product in its price range (to my knowledge) with these features. For two hundred dollars you have a complete recording solution including a sampler.

Desirability:
Does what I need it to do. Was slightly larger than I though it would be, but it still fits in my laptop bag and will work well for location recording.

Sound:
I bought this product with a bit of trepidation after reading the various reviews and the subsequent frustration with pops, clicks, latency, etc. But since I make my living developing software I'm all too familiar with the conflicts that can occur when installing something new, so I took the plunge since this product had the features I wanted and the price to match. I installed the software, then plugged in the interface and it worked for the most part, but there were the reported pops, clicks, latency issues etc. Fortunately, the documentation that comes with this product helped fixed the issues that were contributing to the problems, you just actually have to read the help. If you are looking for a plug-n-play interface (on XP or XP Home in my case) that just works out of the box without any setup on your part, this may not be for you. But overall the setup was relatively painless and everything works as advertised, including the software. Audio and MIDI sync perfectly and the sound is pretty darn good for two bills.

Support:
Haven't used it. I ordered the upgraded software (Cubase and Gigasampler 3LE) which is available from the Tascam website and is free of charge if you bought this after August, 2004. The website says it should be here in 2-3 weeks...we'll see.

Overall:
I plan on using this for a few years. As we all know, technology gets better and cheaper with each year. Hopefully this will hold up and still be a great utility piece down the road.

Did you find this review helpful?    
Thanks for your opinion!
 

"TREAT YOURSELF TO A TASCAM GET"

Overall:
          10 out of 10
Features:
          8 out of 10
Quality:
          10 out of 10
Value:
          10 out of 10
I Want It:
          10 out of 10
Sound:
          10 out of 10
Support:
          9 out of 10
User: a customer from mac.com
Submitted: 7/17/2004
Style of Music: ROCK 'N'ROLL, POP,BIG BAND,(STLL TRYING TO WRITE SONGS)
Location: SWANSEA, WEST GLAMORGAN, U.K.

 

 
Feature:
ONLY TWO INPUTS, PLEASE LETS HAVE SOME MORE, MABY SOME MEMORY DEVICE BUILT IN SO ONE CAN STORE INFO,

Quality:
IT'S BUILT LIKE A BATTLESHIP. A GOOD SOLID PRODUCT .

Value:
YES A GOOD PRODUCT AT A GOOD PRICE.

Desirability:
IT'S LOOKS COOL ,AS GOOD AS ANY THING PRESENTLY ON THE MARKET TODAY.

Support:
NO I HAVE'NT DEALT WITH TASCAM,

Overall:
I WIILL NOT BE LOOKING TO CHANGE IT FOR SOME TIME.

1 of 1 people (100%) found this review helpful. Did you?    
Thanks for your opinion!
 

"I've been waiting for something like this"

Overall:
          9 out of 10
Features:
          10 out of 10
Quality:
          9 out of 10
Value:
          10 out of 10
Sound:
          9 out of 10
Support:
          9 out of 10
Submitted: 2/17/2004

 

 
Feature:
Lots of features for such a low cost interface. Phantom power was a real surprise and it's very convenient that it gets its power from the USB port.

Quality:
The body of the unit is very sturdy. As others have mentioned, the control knobs feel loose, but not a big deal.

Sound:
I use Audition (previously Cool Edit Pro). At first I experienced a latency problem, however, after adjusting the buffer numbers, monitoring while recording is right on. The sound quality seems to be very good.

Support:
I haven't needed to contact Tascam on this unit. I also own a Tascam 788. For that unit, support was outstanding. Great people to deal with.

Overall:
Just like my Bahringer mini-mixer, this unit seems to be one of those "Swiss Army Knives" for the home recording enthusiast. No doubt, eventually I'll upgrade every piece of my gear. But, as far as the US122 goes and looking far down the road, I don't see the need.

1 of 1 people (100%) found this review helpful. Did you?    
Thanks for your opinion!
 

"Older unit, but still good..."

Overall:
          9 out of 10
Features:
          8 out of 10
Quality:
          10 out of 10
Value:
          10 out of 10
I Want It:
          10 out of 10
Sound:
          9 out of 10
Ease of Use:
          10 out of 10
User: a customer from gmail.com
Submitted: 8/11/2009
Style of Music: Everything/Local
Musical Experience: Hobbyist/Home Engineer
Location: Phoenix, Arizona, USA

 

 
Feature:
Its a pretty straight forward interface, not too many features but the balanced/unbalanced selector switch is pretty cool as is the phantom power.

Quality:
Its used and was used pretty well before I bought it, and it still holds up like a CHAMP.

Value:
If you can find a used unit for a decent price then jump on it, if not I can only imagine the current model is completely worth it. I paid 50 for the interface plus a couple extras.

Desirability:
I bought it didn't I?

Sound:
This thing is leaps and bounds over the factory sound cards in my desktops and both of my laptops.

Ease of Use:
Super easy to connect, I bought my unit used and found drivers for both my XP and my Vista machines.

Overall:
Its an older unit but still does the job, pretty nifty for a home studio setup. Better than the Behringer unit that was in my price range for sure.

Did you find this review helpful?    
Thanks for your opinion!
 

"It works great"

Overall:
          9 out of 10
Features:
          10 out of 10
Quality:
          10 out of 10
Value:
          10 out of 10
I Want It:
          10 out of 10
Sound:
          7 out of 10
User: a customer from hotmail.com
Submitted: 12/15/2003
Style of Music: Alt, Pop, Rap, RnB
Location: LA, CA

 

 
zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.
Feature:
What more can you ask for in a $200 box. Preamps with phantom, inserts, direct monitoring, headphones and line outs with level controls. No stupid power cord with a wall wart (my favorite feature)

Quality:
at first the "wobally" knobs bothered me but maybe they designed it that way? dont know. I took one apart and the guts seem simple and solid in layout. havent had problems and I travel with it.

Value:
Can't beat it, I have a couple of M-Boxes which are $450 and the US-122 has more features. The M-Box does sound a little better tho. But not by much.

Desirability:
Great for anyone needing something portable.

Sound:
Sounds good, I have M-Audio, Digidesign and MOTU interfaces and they sound better to my ears, I especially like the Delta series from M-Audio which is clean and punchy. However the US-122 is close enough in quality to anything in it's class.

Support:
can't say, i havn't had problems

Overall:
I've used it on 4 projects where I decided that I rather have the artist rent a suit than pay for studio time and it's been solid.

Did you find this review helpful?    
Thanks for your opinion!
 

"Excellent Product"

Overall:
          10 out of 10
Features:
          10 out of 10
Quality:
          10 out of 10
Value:
          10 out of 10
I Want It:
          8 out of 10
Sound:
          10 out of 10
Support:
          5 out of 10
Submitted: 4/13/2004
Style of Music: Rock / Electronic
Location: Pawtucket, RI, USA

 

 
zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.
Feature:
For my purposes, the XLR input, audio input, and MIDI IN and OUT provided all the connectivity I require. I have no need of recording multiple inputs simultaneously.

Quality:
The construction is excellent. While some have said the knobs feel loose, I think that's really nitpicking. I suppose you could break one if you went out of your way but it would take some doing.

Value:
For $200 or less, this device is tough to top, particularly given that it doesn't need its own power supply. Just freeing up an electric hook-up is a savings to me.

Desirability:
The appearance is pretty good and logical but it would be tough to make a USB interface particularly sexy.

Sound:
It produces clean, clear sound with none of the clicks and pops that others have mentioned. This may be due to the fact that I have a USB port dedicated to it (as specified in the documentation).

Support:
Unknown. I have had no need of support.

Overall:
I've been using the US-122 for quite some time and its operation has been flawless. For personal home studio work, this device is an excellent value.

Did you find this review helpful?    
Thanks for your opinion!
 

"Tascam... looking out for the little guys."

Overall:
          10 out of 10
Features:
          10 out of 10
Value:
          10 out of 10
I Want It:
          10 out of 10
Sound:
          9 out of 10
Submitted: 12/6/2004
Style of Music: Hip Hop, R&B
Location: Kissimmee, Florida, US

 

 
zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.
Feature:
This thing comes with more features than you can shake a stick at. lol. Any new comer to audio will not be dissapointed. But dont ignore the upset Windiws XP users. Im using an apple.

Quality:
Great. I swear to everything thats good and holy, I spilled orange juice all over this thing (cleaned it up as soon as possible of coarse) and it still sounds FANTASTIC. I charge people for demo recordings using this and you wouldnt know whether it came from my bedroom or the studio downtown (unless you were a seasoned expert). I always record at 24/16 or 24/48 and it always sounds terrific.

Value:
For the money... no contest. This is it.

Desirability:
Its not something people will "marvel' over but its certainly not something to be ashamed of having on your desk. The features on this little device pay for itself so f*ck how it looks.

Sound:
I havent had any clicks, pops, or funny stuff going on in the sound and for this im eternally greatful. It records the TRUTH and nothing but the TRUTH.

Support:
doesnt apply to me.

Overall:
You can do any better at this price. If you ignore every other post on these review boards, take it from me. I've been using this for almost a year and despite all these sexy new firewire products coming out, I dont see much reason to upgrade (other than it being USB) because it sounds spectacular if your doing everything right. And the features, again, are very useful. everything is there for a reason. Keep in mind that I only use this for audio recording (not midi) and I use an Apple which may not be the case for most. If your using an apple and you dont wanna soend big money. Just buy this. Its all you need for a long time unless you got a lot more money to throw at one these new gorgeous firewire audio interfaces/control surfaces.

Did you find this review helpful?    
Thanks for your opinion!
 
Questions? Our musicians can help you right now!
Toll Free 866.ZZOUNDS (996.8637) Open until 10 PM EST
Mention priority code 77DBMTF when you call
Toll Free En Español: 800.460.7976 Hours
Add Something to Your Cart.    
 
Shop with those who respect your privacy— we do. Copyright © 1996-2009, zZounds Music, LLC. Terms of use apply.
A-ID: 3745