M-Audio’s Air Series USB-C audio interfaces promise high performance at affordable prices

When the world ends, someone somewhere will still be using an M-Audio audio interface. The company’s affordable I/O boxes have been ubiquitous for the best part of two decades, and now we have a new range to consider: the Air Series.

There are five models in the range: the Air | Hub, which is a simple monitoring interface (there are no inputs) ad 3-port USB hub, and four ‘proper’ interfaces that offer different levels of I/O. Each of these operates at 24-bit/192kHz and comes with a high-speed USB-C connection that’s said to enable round-trip latency of 2.59ms for real-time monitoring.

Each interface has a nice chunky volume knob on its top surface and contains M-Audio’s Crystal preamps. We’re also promised “pristine” A/D converters for high-quality recording.

Whichever Air interface you choose, you’ll get a decent software bundle in the box. This includes both Pro Tools | First M-Audio Edition and Ableton Live Lite, plus a range of Avid and Air Music plugins and loop content.

Prices and specs for each model are as follows:

• AIR | Hub: USB Monitoring Interface with Built-In 3-Port Hub, $69
• AIR 192|4: 2-In/2-Out 24/192 USB Audio Interface, $119
• AIR 192|6: 2-In/2-Out 24/192 USB Audio/MIDI Interface, $149
• AIR 192|8: 4-In/4-Out 24/192 USB Audio Interface, $199
• AIR 192|14: 8-In/4-Out 24/192 USB Audio Interface, $299

All of the Air Series interfaces will be released in the fourth quarter of 2019. Find out more on the M-Audio website.

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