Hardware controls make it easy to set up a very basic headphone mix by adjusting the balance of input and playback signals respectively. The flexibility of using the control software on a tablet too is a real winner, particularly for those times where you have a single monitor screen and want to adjust audio settings without changing apps. It’s also possible to save and recall gain settings as part of a scene in the Universal Control software. Digital gain-setting on inputs gives the user a chance to match channels, which is relatively rare at this end of the market and is especially great for stereo mic combinations. On paper, the dynamic range figures for the converters don’t look as good as some rival interfaces in this price range, but you have to argue that the Revelator offers far more in other departments. The onboard preamps sounded really nice when put to work in a recording session, and we were impressed by the sharpness of transients in commercial music played back from the DA converters. A microphone input signal running through a vintage compressor and EQ in the onboard Fat Channel DSP A recording revelation Control wise, aside from the main rotary controller and input selectors, there are buttons for accessing DSP presets, a back navigation button plus an oh-so-handy mute button for the main outputs feeding monitor speakers. Those with legacy MIDI devices will be happy with the inclusion of a MIDI in/out port. The dual combi mic/line/instrument sockets are accessible around the front, while balanced line outs and the single headphone socket are tucked away around the back. Metering is neat and handy on each input’s screen, including a clear display of gain level, the incoming input level and a gain reduction meter showing the effect of any compression or expansion in the DSP chain. The simplicity of navigation works well here, but we found it proved slightly too easy to switch phantom power on and off – you’d need your wits about you when using mics that might be damaged by applying voltage. When either of the input buttons marked 1 and 2 are pressed, you can access various preamp functions including a high pass filter, gain and phantom power (which is individually switchable). The rotary control can be pressed to cycle through setting various levels. It works much better on a higher shelf, such as next to monitor speakers. The little LCD screen is a very welcome addition to the feature set, but it’s hard to see the whole display when the interface is below your eye-line. Out of the box, the io24 sits nicely on the desktop, with a tough metal case and sturdy controls. The io24 works on all major platforms, including iOS, and comes with native support for the most recent Apple processors, like the latest M1-equipped MacBook we tested it on. Within the product range, the io24 interface sits alongside a USB microphone variant known simply as Revelator. Handy presets give novice users a starting point when dialling in sounds, plus a range of loopback options for feeding and routing audio in a live stream. READ MORE: Gear Of The Year: Best audio interface of 2021Īn onboard DSP version of the Fat Channel taken from Presonus’s Studio One DAW is available on each input channel.PreSonus has added lots of extra handy features for recording artists and podcasters or live streamers, making the Revelator io24 a step up from most two-input interfaces. The Revelator io24 is a smart and compact desktop audio interface that’s designed to be easy to operate with its tactile, rubberised push buttons, rotary knob and neat little colour LCD screen.
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