MOTU MicroBook IIc Mobile USB FireWire IOS Audio Interface

*UPDATE*Lacks driver support software CueFX on high-DPI displays. Too buggy to use. OS: Windows 10After Apple turned my duet into a doorstop, my monitors were useless and collecting dust for months. I almost went with another duet, utilizing the Avid drivers for Windows, and I also looked at the Apollo Arrow for twice the price of the micro book, but in the end I am happy with my decision. The quality is excellent and was definitely in my price range. If you’re looking for an audio interface for Windows that performs, to drive your monitors - this is it!

it's small but it gives very professional quality

I've purchased two of these over time for use in the field. I liked how small and light it is, as I carry it around in a Pelican case with my other gear. Both died on me at the worse possible moment - in the field while I'm working. I won't be buying another MOTU product; my Roland interfaces have been rock solid and while their 2 X 2 unit is larger and heavier, I need to have a reliable, robust unit that won't let me down. So that's what I'm going to replace the Microbook with. Very disappointed in MOTU, I thought they were better than that.

Could not get phantom powered condenser mics to work with it. The phantom light would illuminate but no power to the mics. Also cludgy, the separate app you need to have running to use it with Apple Logic. Previously had a Focusrite product that just worked. Needless to say returned the unit.

This is for the MicroBook II, not the IIc:I've been using this DAC for about 3 years now, and I'm very happy with it. My primary uses are for DJing in clubs and for recording vinyl onto my computer. It's built like a tank. I've toured with it all over Asia and the USA, the white lettering is starting to come off in places but no other issues. The lights/clip warnings are very helpful, and the included cuemix software sounds very good when tweaking outputs. I haven't had any issues with latency running on a 2011 macbook pro.Audio output:For DJ applications, this has very specific set of strengths and weaknesses. First, pay attention to the outputs. You get one set of stereo BALANCED outs, one set of stereo UNBALANCED outs, and a stereo headphone out (also unbalanced). The digital out is not separate, so you have at most 3 stereo outs, but remember that one pair is balanced, so you'd need a direct box to convert it if running it into a DJ mixer. I'm DJing in Ableton Live, so I'm mixing tracks in the laptop and outputting master out to only one stereo out (with a separate stereo out for the headphones). That's the weakness; if you want to mix directly on the club mixer, you'll need a direct box (`$50) to convert one of the outs. The strength is that this is MOTU and the output channels sound GREAT. Of note, if you aren't using a direct box to convert output 1, the headphones out is actually louder and a better amp than channel 3&4 out. If you're running into a mixer (especially Pioneer, because they cheat and require more voltage), you'll want to output from the headphones out to the mixer for your main, and actually use the channel 3&4 out to plug in your headphones. They get plenty loud enough in a club anyway (You're using good shielded cans, RIGHT?).Recording audio:Running an output from my phono preamp (recording vinyl to digital), the volume comes in with a good amount of headroom (read: low, but not quiet). There's no distortion when recording into Ableton. After boosting the amplitude, the recorded files sound better than most of the vinyl rips that I've heard others make. Remember that vinyl has a high noise floor, so you might find that live recording or digital sources come in hotter.If you have any questions about this, feel free to ask them, I'll try to respond.