Roland UA-55 Quad-Capture USB Audio Interface

Excellent audio interface. Will be suitable for home and professional use.
Unfortunately doesnt work independently without connection to the computer.
The best choice for podkaster, has the operated compressor.
Good sound, good indication, good ASIO drivers.
Has no competitors in this price category.

Looking for a secure system and be responsible for a final answer on the record and in the studio. The ease and calibration of the device helps a lot in equalizing and outline the whole recording process, with super low latency. Directly connected the HS columns 7 Yamaha, address all the needs and requirements for a perfect recording and audio. I am very happy with the result and congratulations At Roland - UA 55 Quad.

This audio interface as everything that i need, can plug in midi and instruments and for a low price. Better is impossible

The baby in Rolands latest line of USB audio interfaces is born but can it compete in the ultra competitive portable market and what unique features does it offer to help you capture that magic............
Stephen O Connor

Roland are one of those names that are synonymous with music production, as the saying goes they have many strings to their bow and in fact have many bows with companies Cakewalk, BOSS and Edirol also under their belts they have a vast pool of knowledge to tap. Until September of last year Roland had always marketed their audio interfaces under the Edirol brand but the introduction of the Octa-Capture changed all that.

The Octa-Capture introduced some unique and genuinely useful features such as its Auto-Sens feature but with 8 preamps and no option for bus powering it may prove overkill and unsuitable for many portable users. Filling the gap between their fully featured Octa-Capture and the intro line Tri and Duo-Capture series Roland announced the Quad-Capture in April of last year.

Whats In a Name?

You have to give Roland credit for what must be one of the most straight forward product naming strategies I have yet encountered on an audio interface. As you may have guessed, the Quad-Capture is a 4 in, 4 out audio interface housed in a very attractive and sturdy rounded aluminum case and comes complete with a DSP powered zero latency mixer and even digital compression on each of the analogue inputs! It comes equipped with two mic/ line preamps derived from the highly regarded Cakewalk VS-700 series audio interface, two balanced line outputs on quarter inch TRS sockets, full sized Midi I/O and S/PDIF I/O at up to 96 kHz on RCA sockets.

The first of the preamps is equipped with a HI-Z input for use with guitars and bass, the preamp isnt auto sensing in this regard so you will have to engage the HI-Z mode from a switch on the rear of the unit, more of which later. Beneath the unit you will find 4 anti slip rubber pads and the products serial number. Unlike my Edirol FA-66 the Quad Capture is made in China whereas the FA-66 is made in Japan. However there is an average difference of €100 on most online retailers so Roland had to make savings somewhere to meet this devices lower price point.

The unit is USB bus powered and the Roland marketing machine is very quick to promote their low noise wide ranging power supply. Historically USB buss powering has had a bad name for transporting not only power but also noise so hopefully Rolands power supply will deliver on its promise of low noise and stable, clean power. Being equipped with full size Midi I/O means almost all the checklist boxes for live use have been ticked. The only feature that may be missed are unbalanced RCA inputs for the connection of DJ equipment. The unit can operate at up to 192 kHz but at sampling rates above 96 kHz you will loose the S/PDIF i/o. Aside from the connections listed above the rear panel is equipped with its USB port and 3 switches for ground lift, phantom power and the already mentioned HI-Z switch for Input 1.

I am pleased to see that much of the Quad-Captures settings are controlled from the drivers control panel. This may seem trivial but on past Edirol devices such as the aforementioned FA-66 sample rate and clock source were hardware switched on the unit and required a power cycle after changing settings. Even the preamps gain setting can be controlled from the driver, a feature you would not expect to find at this price point, very neat! One thing missing is a power switch but with a modest draw of only 480ma the Quad-Capture has good green credentials.

Overall build quality is impressive for a unit in this price range with small allen bolts retaining the XLR sockets and a solid feel to the rear switches. The front panel knobs all have a smooth feel to them and as the preamps are digitally controlled you need never worry about scratchy pots or gain bunching towards the end of a pots travel. It might also be worth p

Long chose an audio interface in this price range and opted for this device from the famous firm Roland. I have a lot of experience playing the keyboards on this company and I know that keyboards have excellent sound quality and workmanship. Same thing I can say about this audio interface! I really like to use this sound card, a great stylish design, build quality at an altitude, the ergonomics are very comfortable. The function AUTO-SENS great help when recording guitars and vocals!
There is one drawback, for me personally, it is - there is no separate volume control for headphones and a separate - for monitors. Consider this fact. I closed my eyes for this shortcoming and still very happy with purchase!