EVO 4

De Evo4 is verrassend veelzijdig voor een klein apparaat. De bediening is even wennen, maar eenmaal gewend is het heel simpel en intuitief te bedienen. De geluidskwaliteit is zeer goed, en biedt een hele goede interface. De auto gain functie is voor de beginner een ideale toevoeging, maar zelf gainen heeft wel de voorkeur. Een van de minpuntjes is wel de audiometer. Het zijn allemaal identiek gekleurde ledjes (met aparte intensiteit, niet 1 ledje per stap), maar een gebruikelijke groen, geel en rode indeling was wat herkenbaarder geweest.
De afwerking is goed, plastic geeft een beetje mee als je er in knijpt, maar daar heb ik heb de evo niet gekocht om er in te knijpen.

I use Evo with a laptop.
Accordingly, the sound card itself and all related audio equipment are stationary, and the laptop follows me around the apartment and beyond.
In such conditions, I got the following experience in 4 months of use:

a) pluses
- on win 10, the card was installed as a native one and worked as accurately as a clock, right up to the notorious system updates;
- dimensions: small, very convenient, does not interfere on the table;
- preamplification: for a fairly quiet tube microphone (Nady 1100, not bad, but entry-level, and very old) it gives out smoothly. The impression that there is no color at all. At least on my cheap equipment (mostly in the non-professional segment), when the gain is changed, no metamorphosis in the signal is observed;
- Evo software mixer is simple and straightforward from the very beginning.

b) cons:
- case: since I use the device stationary, this does not concern me much, but if you often work in the field, you will want a more reliable case. Now, when you change the connected devices, you take the entire card in your hand and squeeze it with quite a little effort. But this effort is enough for fears that you will damage the device. I repeat: the card itself does not suffer in any way, but there is fear, and it distracts attention;
- weight: very light piece. If this is a plus during transportation, then be careful when working - position the cables so as not to catch on them and not accidentally throw the Evo off the table;
- compatibility: after recent updates to the win 10 system, reconnecting the Evo became problematic - the settings for bit depth, sampling frequency, and latency began to get lost. This can happen even during recording, resulting in signal interruption (the sound growls loudly, as if it lacks a buffer).
_____ I treat this defect as follows: before recording, I change all the audio settings in Evo and daw, save them, then return the old settings, save again. It's annoying, but it works. I don’t know what is the matter more - in the OS, Evo, DAW or all together, but this only applies to recording. More precisely, analog-to-digital conversion. I am inclined to conclude that the fault for this lies with microsoft, but nevertheless it is desirable that the audient react faster, and they do not seem to read letters.

It's all! When the problem of driver compatibility is fixed (no matter who it is - MS or Audient), this interface will give you confidence and peace of mind. You can get used to the control, and if you are lazy, use a software solution. And yes, if you only use it at home and do not disconnect from your computer, then the described problem will not occur.
And once again I want to draw your attention to the ergonomics of the device. You don't expect the virtues it has from such a small box. Great device.

Evo 4 is a reliable device that does a big job with little need for attention, so much so that it is easy to forget the device is there.

Audient recently enhanced user functions with the release of Windows and Mac desktop clients for managing Evo 4 via a keyboard/mouse. The value added software utility includes an additional desktop interface for managing loopback recording. With the release of this software utility the unit's overall accessibility, especially to non-tech users, is greatly improved.

I am producing some classical musicians in a large church right now with 5 mics which I am covering with Evo4 and a Zoom H5 as preamps. Evo 4 is portable, the unit is ready for use as soon as your computer is "up", and being able to run two mics on smartgain meant I could forget those mics and focus on issues that need constant attention when dealing with live performers.

A few reviews have mentioned that levels are not stored in Evo 4 memory between re-boots, and while I understand the seeming inconvenience, it takes little time to find a mic level with smartgain, and for work that needs intensive gain control these kinds of levels need constant attention whatever device you use.

Other reviews have also mentioned that monitors are deactivated while headphones are plugged in. As long as you know your choices when you buy, I do not see the problem at this price point.

Device efficiency saves time in live situations. For vloggers, gamers, and podcasters, Evo 4 is low maintenance. For professionals Evo 4 gives hands-free utility to permit increased scope of work. Audio quality is well above its price level, and yes, it CAN run a Shure SM7b, although I still slot a Cloudflifter into my soundchain. I would would trade up for the Evo8. I cannot think of a reason why even a pro would not be happy to have one in inventory.

If Audient offered a version upgrade which came in a hardened case I would pay the difference for the extra duability when I am on the road with it. Not everyone needs that though.

Great machine.

Evo 4 by Audient.
It is a great compact interface with an amazing sound quality given the price tag. Controls are a little bit different from other interfaces but once you get used to it is a breeze to work with. I would say the simplified 1 knob for all solution is really ingenious. And I like the smart gain function, it is very practical and saves time.
Audient software to control works very well in Windows and the driver is also flawless in my setup. It also comes with a bunch of 3rd party software that are very useful.
The build is good but the plastic seems very fragile, I have doubts about the durability of it, but since it looks like a product targeting home studio/podcast/vloggers I do not see much problem.
The second issue I have is the shape design. At first, I found it very elegant and distinctive from other products but the lightweight construction + the tall brick format makes it very unstable.
Pros
- easy of use
- great sound quality
- affordable
- smart gain
- usb-C connection
Cons
- plastic construction
- lightweight + tall brick design is unstable