Tascam US-4X4HR USB Audio Interface

Tascam US-4x4HR USB Audio Interface

The Tascam US-4x4HR is a 4-in, 4-out USB audio and MIDI interface for musicians, producers and streamers who have outgrown two channels. It records at up to 24-bit, 192 kHz through four of Tascam’s Ultra-HDDA microphone preamplifiers, feeds four balanced line outputs and two headphone sockets, and adds MIDI in and out for keyboards and controllers. Whether the session is two vocalists and two guitars tracked together, a full small band, or a podcast panel, this is the interface that handles it without a mixer in front of it.

Key features

• 4-in, 4-out USB audio interface with MIDI in and out
• Recording resolution up to 24-bit, 192 kHz
• Four Ultra-HDDA mic preamps with EIN of minus 128 dBu
• 56 dB input gain range and switchable 48 V phantom power
• Inputs 1 and 2 switch to instrument level for guitar and bass
• Four balanced TRS line outputs and two headphone outputs at 45 mW per channel
• Zero-latency direct monitoring with monitor mix control
• Loopback function with OBS support for streaming and podcasting

Ultra-HDDA preamps and high-resolution conversion

The HR series was built around cleaner capture. The Ultra-HDDA (High Definition Discrete Architecture) preamplifiers reach an equivalent input noise of minus 128 dBu, the signal-to-noise ratio is 110 dB on the microphone input, and total harmonic distortion plus noise is as low as 0.0013 percent on the mic input and 0.0011 percent on the line input. In practice that means quiet sources, fingerpicked guitar, dialogue and delicate acoustic instruments, are recorded without a bed of hiss underneath them, and the 56 dB gain range drives demanding dynamic microphones properly. Conversion runs at sample rates from 44.1 kHz to 192 kHz at 24-bit depth.

Four inputs, properly flexible

Each of the four inputs uses a combination XLR and TRS socket. The XLR side takes microphones, with 48 V phantom power available for condensers, and the TRS side takes balanced line sources such as synthesizers and external processors at up to plus 20 dBu. Inputs 1 and 2 add an instrument setting with an input impedance of 1 megohm or more, so a guitar or bass plugs straight in for amp-simulator recording. Four microphones can run at once, which covers drum overheads and room pairs, small choirs, string quartets and multi-person podcasts.

Monitoring, outputs and streaming

Four balanced TRS line outputs, at a nominal plus 4 dBu and a maximum of plus 20 dBu, feed studio monitors and give a second pair for outboard gear, a separate headphone mix or re-amping. Two headphone outputs, each delivering 45 mW into 32 ohms, let an engineer and a performer listen together, with independent level controls for line and phones. Direct monitoring is latency-free and can be set to mono or stereo per input pair. The built-in loopback mixes your inputs with the computer’s playback and routes the combined signal to software such as OBS, making the US-4x4HR a complete streaming and podcasting front end. Tascam’s driver also runs at buffer sizes from four samples up on Windows for very low latency with virtual instruments.

Build, power and software

The die-cast aluminium side panels use a honeycomb structure and tilt the unit slightly upward on the desk, so controls face you and the chassis stays put when cables are plugged and unplugged. It connects over USB-C, runs on USB bus power from a computer, and includes the PS-P1220E AC adapter, which is required for use with iOS devices. Bundled software includes Steinberg Cubase LE and Cubasis LE 3, IK Multimedia SampleTank 4 SE and a three-month Auto-Tune Unlimited trial, so recording can start the day it arrives. The interface measures 296 x 65 x 160 mm and weighs 1.6 kg.

Choose the US-4x4HR if two inputs have become the limit on your sessions. Four quiet preamps, high-resolution conversion, flexible monitoring and a proper streaming loopback make it a long-term centre for a small studio.