Audient EVO 16 24-In/24-Out USB Audio Interface

Audient EVO 16 USB Audio Interface

The Audient EVO 16 is a USB audio interface built for sessions that outgrow a couple of inputs: full bands, drum kits, multi-microphone podcast and video rigs, and synth-heavy setups. It carries eight EVO microphone preamps on board and reaches a total of 24 inputs and 24 outputs once its optical digital expansion is connected, so the interface can grow with the studio instead of being replaced by it. Conversion runs at up to 24-bit/96 kHz, and Audient’s Motion UI control system puts levels and settings on a high-resolution screen at the front of the unit.

The headline feature is multichannel Smartgain. Play your sources, press the button, and EVO 16 sets gain across up to eight channels at once, analysing the incoming level and protecting the recording from clipping. For a drummer hitting a full kit or a panel of podcast guests at different volumes, it removes the slowest, most error-prone part of setup and gets the session rolling in seconds.

Key features

• Eight EVO mic preamps with 58 dB gain range and Smartgain automatic level setting
• 24 inputs and 24 outputs in total with optical ADAT expansion connected
• Converters with 112.5 dB ADC and 121 dB DAC dynamic range (A-weighted)
• Two JFET instrument inputs for guitar and bass, modelled on classic valve behaviour
• Eight line outputs and two independent headphone outputs for flexible monitoring
• Motion UI screen and control system, programmable function button and audio loop-back

Preamps and conversion

The EVO preamp design keeps noise exceptionally low, with an EIN figure better than -127.5 dBu, and provides 48 V phantom power per channel for condenser microphones. Line inputs accept signals through the same channels, and maximum input level of 16 dBu gives healthy headroom for loud sources. On the digital side, the analogue-to-digital stage delivers 112.5 dB of dynamic range while the outputs reach 121 dB, figures that keep the interface transparent next to the monitors and microphones it connects.

Expansion, monitoring and workflow

Two optical inputs and two optical outputs accept ADAT or S/PDIF, adding up to sixteen digital channels for external preamps and converters, and a word clock output keeps expanded rigs synchronised. Eight line outputs feed surround monitoring, external processing or separate mixes, two headphone outputs cover performer and engineer, and monitor control functions include dim, cut and polarity options from the front panel. Loop-back makes streaming and podcast capture straightforward, a programmable function button puts a chosen command under one press, and standalone mode lets the unit keep working as a mixer or converter without a computer.

For project studios recording real ensembles, the EVO 16 combines channel count, clean preamps and fast gain setup in a desktop unit that can also rack-mount with optional ears. It is the step into multichannel recording without stepping up to a far costlier interface class.