Universal Audio Volt 2 USB Recording Studio

If you need an interface that sounds expensive but doesn’t make you sell a kidney — the Volt 2 from Universal Audio is exactly that. You plug it in and immediately hear what you’re paying for: the sound is clean, tight, no mud. Even on regular monitors, you can tell the signal is “glued together” — you won’t have to fix it a hundred times in the mix.

The vintage preamp mode? Pure gold. Press the button — and your voice gets that vibe, warmth, like it’s running through a tube. Perfect for vocals, guitars — really hits the spot.

And the plugins — not just some demo junk. You get real usable stuff: compressors, reverbs, amp sims, plus software from Ableton, Softube, and more. Enough to build a full studio from scratch and start recording right away.

So yeah, if you’re looking for a solid, high-quality interface for a fair price — the Volt 2 is 100% worth checking out. I got one — no regrets. The sound is awesome, everything runs smooth on both Windows and Mac. And it looks good too, not like some cheap plastic toy — it’s solid.

The Volt 2 elevates your production space with impeccable style, built to last decades.

It gives you simple 2-in/2-out audio connections. Just plug your mics or instruments into the front panel. Then connect your speakers or headphones to monitor your audio with no latency.

With Volt, you’ll be creating like a pro, fast. Some audio interfaces give you a smattering of random audio apps. Not Volt. Instead, they put together a bundle of serious music production tools, virtual instruments, and plug‑ins from the industry's best.

One of the best purchases I've made in my pursuit to build a home studio.

I needed a small USB interface and I had a few final candidates. Ultimately I chose the volt 2 because of the plugins that came bundled with it.
If I knew what a horrific experience just getting hold of these "free" plugins would be I would have definitely chosen something else.

My computer is now absolutely bloated with product managers and download clients. I've spent hours making accounts, linking iloks, copying and pasting passwords. I've yet to install a single plugin.

Honestly feel very ripped off. The device doesn't even let you install a driver
So that it can be used at all without you downloading a product manager for it. Feel like I've spent a lot of money to trash my computer.

It's truly a marvelous experience when plugging in for the first time! The packaging had a premium feel to it. The setup was so easy and effortless, i just had to download one app and it was working perfectly. It has it's own ASIO and the default options are perfect! The build quality was great. The case is made out of metal and the knobs have that nice satin finish on them. All of it feels expensive and far better than my Scarlett interface. My output is via an external PA speaker through the headphone slot on the interface and it sounds bonkers with my neural dsp plugins. It also came with alot free software! 10/10 for sure!

I purchased the UAD Volt 2 because of Universal Audio’s reputation for premium studio hardware. Unfortunately, that standard doesn’t quite extend to the Volt product line. After about ten months of regular use, the volume knobs began crackling like an old, broken radio. Mechanical pots can have issues over time, but I didn’t expect this from a brand known for high-end build quality. The Volt is no exception to the problem.

Feature-wise, the interface is also lacking. Useful functions such as loopback or an integrated software mixer — which are extremely helpful for online streaming, podcasting, and DAW screen capture — are simply missing.

On the positive side, the included Softube Marshall plugin is excellent, and the UAD plugins are quite good as well. But if you don’t care much about the bundled software, more practical and budget-friendly options like the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 or the Arturia Minifuse offer all the essential features at a lower price point.

Overall, the Volt 2 fell short of the expectations that come with the UAD brand.