Roland UA-1010 Octa-Capture

I got this to upgrade to a PC based set up after years of using a dedicated Roland VS2400CD, so while I have no way to compare it to any other recent USB interfaces I can say that it does a fine job for my requirements. Individual phantom power was a biggie for me. I really don't understand why batch phantom power is even a thing!

Setting it up to use in Cubase 8 was a breeze if you know what you are doing, I have had no need to fiddle with any latency settings and get no noticeable lag or delay in any sense. Only used at 44.1khz so far. The Autosense feature is very, very, very handy although going through each channel and setting the levels individually is not too much effort either. Hi pass, phase and compression on all channels is nice though i mostly only use the hi pass. Nice reverb for monitoring: the reverb is not recorded through to the daw. Some of it can be a bit fiddly to set up, the reverb, the input and output mixers A-D, keep the manual handy! All great features nonetheless, and the software it comes with makes it much easier to navigate the interface including said features.

I rated the Octacapture slightly down on sound quality, while it is fantastic for the price I can only imagine there are better albeit more expensive products out there. But at this price point it is fantastic.

I also rated it slightly down on characteristics, as the lack of an Adat connection didnt bother me when i purchased it but am now unable to expand without getting another octacapture and stacking them. Even though I've used Roland products for over 10 years, I also like variety so for tonal varierty I'd prefer to get a dual input pre amp with a digital out for the spdif input and make use of the full 10 inputs this awesome unit offers. On the plus side it does have a MIDI in/out which was also something I was unable to find on too many competing interfaces. While this doesnt really make up for the expansion limitations, points to Roland.

In a nutshell: It sounds good, is easily portable, individual phantom power, auto sense, upto 10 inputs once you add the 2 digital ins, great autosense feature, no latecy on my set up (Win 8.1 64 bit, i7 2.8Ghz, 16GB RAM, Samsung EVO SSD). The knob controls can take a bit of getting used to and other than expansion limitations I can think of no real issues I have had with this wonderful unit! It would have been really really awesome if it had a monitor A/B function too. Something surprisingly basic and easy to integrate yet very rarely seen on interfaces.

TLDR version:
Octa-Capture is a well designed audio interface featuring 8 analog inputs, each equipped with an XLR / 1/4" combo jack and a preamp, allowing up to 8 microphones or other instruments. The front panel user interface is brilliant and allows to adjust every setting, so it can also be set up and used as a standalone mixer, all without needing a computer. Even though the unit was first released in 2010, Roland keeps updating the drivers to support the latest OS versions. The user manual is also very detailed.
It can be coupled with one more Octa-Capture, Studio-Capture, VS-100 or VS-700, allowing to expand in the future if more ports are needed.
In my opinion this is overall a better device than most in the same category.

Full version:
I wanted to get a desktop audio interface with at least 6 inputs. I was choosing between Focusrite Scarlett 8i6 (3rd gen) and MOTU Ultralite Mk5. MOTU is highly recommended, but for an amateur like me, it just seemed too expensive. So I was almost settled on the Focusrite, when I stumbled upon the Roland Octa-Capture. Released in 2010, it might be called ancient by some (in today's world, when people change their smartphones every year or two). That's why I didn't find it on any recent article titled, for example, "how to choose an audio interface" or "best audio interfaces in 2021".

I read complaints about some manufacturers releasing new models often, and dropping support for their older models (i.e. a new version of OS comes out, but they don't update the drivers). This is not the case for Roland. E.g. their Quad-Capture audio interface is discontinued, but it still has a page on their website, with drivers available for Windows 10 / macOS 11. As a person who doesn't like to change hardware often without a good reason, I prefer manufacturers with that sort of long-term commitment to their products.

Now to the device itself. If you just compare the numbers, newer interfaces seem better in terms of dynamic range on the inputs (Roland 104 dB, Focusrite 8i6 110 dB, MOTU M4 120 dB). Output dynamic range seems good at 113 dB (Focusrite 8i6 110 dB, MOTU M4 120 dB). Personally I find that numbers are not be-all and end-all. For some reason Roland doesn't provide specs for total harmonic distortion / noise. I think Roland's specs are good enough, and it works well and sounds good (to me, a non-professional).

The device is quite large (wide) for a desktop audio interface. Not a surprise, considering that all 8 analog line inputs are XLR / 1/4" combo jacks. There is an LCD screen and some buttons and rotary encoders, allowing to monitor input levels, and adjust any setting on the device. Because of this, it can work very well as a standalone mixer. Focusrite 8i6 and bigger models can also do that, but they have very few external controls, so they have to be connected to a computer to set things up via the software control panel.

A rare feature (for an audio interface of this size) is 8 mic pre-amps on the analog inputs, with 48 V phantom power individually switchable for every input . Adjustable gain on all analog inputs is useful not just for mics, but for any devices whose line outputs are not very strong. A handy feature is Auto-Sens. You start it on for one or more inputs, then play the loudest parts on the instrument(s) connected to those inputs, then stop the Auto-Sens, and the input gains are automatically set up.

On each input, a compressor is available, as well as a reverb effect.

I found the device operation quite intuitive, but Roland also took good care of the owner's manual. It's ~100 pages long, quite readable and very detailed. I use the device with a Windows 10 laptop, as well as with a MacBook. Windows 10 downloads and installs the driver automatically when you connect and power up the device. On macOS you have to download and install the driver from Roland's website. The drivers' control panels look practically identical and are easy to use.

If more ports are needed, the Octa-Capture can be coupled with one more Octa-Capture, Studio-Capture, VS-100 or VS-700. Second device's coaxial (SPDIF) out is connected to the first one's coaxial in, the digital sync signal is provided by the second device (VS EXPAND setting: ON) which acts as the timing master.

The MIDI In/Out works well and can handle a lot of data. I have them connected to a Yamaha VL70-m tone generator, I use a software called VL-Wizard to upload new instruments to the VL70-m, it sends a lot of MIDI data, which can allegedly overwhelm some USB MIDI interfaces. VL-Wizard has settings to add some delays to slow things down - with the Octa-Capture this is not needed, these delays can be left set to 0.

While on paper (in terms of some tech specs) some modern units may appear to be better, in my opinion this unit is really great and worth considering.

When my QUAD Capture started to feel limited in terms of in and out I evaluated several AUDIO MIDI Interfaces.
I checked every single brand, ranging from 10 to 20 in/out, USB 2 or 3. I even read the instruction manual of each to get more details possible.
To my eyes it seemed that OCTA Capture was the best for the budget also because for the moment, USB3 interfaces do not offer lot more in terms of speed/innovation and was the most complete and flexible interface I found.
I was doubting to buy it because is now “old” but most of the new interfaces of 2018, 2019 seem just a reissue of past items with makeup (and mark-up : ).
One of the best features for me is that all the input can get line level, instrument level, balanced (XLR, TRS), unbalanced: basically everything (and it has also HiZ). Output level is declared at nominal output of 0 dBu (line+4)
I use some effect pedals with and without DI/PREAMP, routing audio from OCTA to pedals and back to OCTA, and the sound is good and clean with no backnoise.
Very useful the AUTOSENS function to regulate the ideal input level of the signal.
The only thing is missing are DC coupled out to Send Control Voltages but if you have this need, a Korg SQ1 or similar, would do the job.

A nice little unit that is child's play to operate. Plenty of controls on the front panel provide instant access to all parameters - no scrolling through deep menus. A good transparent and clean sound with my Neumann mics. and I look forward to using it on mobile classical sessions.
The only drawback is the awful software bundled with it. Sonar is, to say the least, a "dog". I wanted a very simple multi-track DAW for mobile, simple multi-track recordings. I would then transfer the audio files to my MacPro in my studio for mixing, editing and mastering. Sonar seems to be quirky and unreliable so I need to get Logic Pro X onto my MacBook.
As a versatile, low cost and high quality unit I can recommend this.