Steinberg UR22mkII Recording Pack

Steinberg is a pioneer of computer-based recording and one of the world’s largest manufacturers of music and audio software and hardware with more than 30 years of experience in digital audio processing. All that knowledge and technology has made its way into compact and affordable devices so it can also be used with your computer at your home. Benefit from a true one- stop solution comprising software, hardware and dedicated drivers for an easy and flawless recording experience.

Taking a closer look

UR22mkII front panel view

UR22mkII’s front panel has been designed to offer quick and easy access to an impressive array of controls. These include two mic/line combo inputs, with each input sporting separate gain controls and peak indicators. A dedicated Hi-Z button on Input 2 switches to a higher impedance ideal for instruments such as electric guitars and basses.

Two dedicated rotary encoders control the volume for the headphones jack on the front panel and the output pair located on the interface’s rear side. The Mix control adjusts the relative volume of the playback from your DAW and the input signals coming from microphones or instruments plugged into the UR22mkII.

1.    Gain control for Input 1
2.    2 XLR/TRS combo connectors for mic/line
3.    Peak indicator for Input 1 and 2
4.    +48 V phantom power indicator for Inputs 1/2
5.    USB power indicator
6.    Gain control for Input 2 

7.    HI-Z switch for input 2
8.    Mix knob
9.    Headphones volume
10.  Headphones output TRS jack
11.  Output volume control

UR22mkII back panel view

The UR22mkII’s rear panel offers more I/O connections and controls. These include the MIDI port, the micro USB power input for power supply when connected to an iPad, the power source selector switch, the main USB connector and the line outputs for connecting a pair of studio monitor speakers.

1.   5 V DC port
2.   Power source switch
3.   USB 2.0 port
4.   MIDI output socket

5.    MIDI input socket
6.    +48 V phantom power switch
7.    Line output L/R, 2 analog TRS line outputs

Using the UR22mkII

Despite its compact dimensions, the UR22mkII connects to a vast range of audio equipment, instruments and other musical gear. This goes far beyond connecting line sources or dynamic microphones, as the UR22mkII also connects to condenser microphones requiring +48 V phantom power or electric guitars with a high-impedance signal. The onboard MIDI port integrates not only keyboards, but also drum pads, controllers, vintage drum machines and any other hardware supporting the MIDI standard. And the UR22mkII’s driver architecture has been engineered for perfect sync between all audio and MIDI streams, even under high CPU loads.

UR22mkII connection example, front panel

With both main audio inputs on Channel 1 and 2 implemented as combo connectors, you can plug in a large number of different audio sources in parallel. Let’s take a songwriting duo made up of a singer and a guitarist improvising a song when composing a new album. Here an electric guitar is plugged into Input 2 with Hi-Z mode engaged, while a studio condenser mic is plugged into Input 1, with both heard over the monitor speakers with no latency. Or Inputs 1 and 2 could be used to record a choir or small orchestra by using two well-placed condenser microphones to capture a larger performance space.

UR22mkII connection example with laptop, rear panel

With MIDI and audio streams synced with total accuracy, the UR22mkII is an ideal companion for composers who often use MIDI equipment such as full 88-key keyboards with weighted keys to play along to an arrangement playing back from DAW software. Audio and MIDI data can be recorded and played back in parallel, always in perfect sync.

UR22mkII connection example with iPad, rear panel

The UR22mkII is iPad ready, and supports full professional recording using your Apple tablet. Connect the iPad with the Camera Connection Kit or Lightning to USB Camera Adapter for access to the UR22mkII’s I/O connections. An external power source such as a mobile battery or USB power adapter can be plugged into the micro USB input and supplies the UR22mkII with enough power to use more advanced equipment such as large diaphragm condenser microphones that require phantom power.

Record into the iOS music app of your choice; if you don’t already have one, a free Cubasis LE music app is ready for download in the App Store. Cubasis LE is optimized for iPad operation and can be upgraded to the full feature set of Cubasis for more advanced music production functionality, all with the convenience and mobility offered by your iPad. Cubasis projects are also upwards compatible with Cubase, importing Cubasis projects for the additional functionality available in Cubase Pro or Cubase Artist.

Technology

 Sharing the same heritage as the highly acclaimed MR816 interfaces, the URs house outstanding converters and D-PRE Class-A discrete mic preamps. Each interface is completely adapted to your needs while sharing the hallmarks of the UR range: great build quality, stunning sound and flexible, fully integrated capabilities. Ultra-stable drivers for Mac OS X and Windows mean that the entire UR range supports all major recording software applications.

D-PRE microphone preamps

All UR audio interfaces offer D-PRE Class-A discrete mic preamps from Yamaha. The D-PRE is carefully designed to capture all the subtleties and expressiveness of any audio source and is the culmination of years of development by the experienced engineers at the Yamaha Corporation. 

The preamp is where sound creation begins in recording, and ultimately determines the quality of your mix. D-PRE Mic Preamps sound stunning, and the difference is in the design. Usually, preamps use one transistor each for the hot and cold signals at the input stage to amplify the signal. However, the D-PREs specified on Steinberg audio interfaces use an inverted Darlington circuit, where two transistors are used for each hot and cold — a total of four per unit. With only one transistor on a preamp circuit, distortion tends to increase along with the signal level. By using a pair of two cascaded transistors, very low distortion can be maintained regardless of signal level.

Some users might look for a microphone preamp to dramatically color the sound while others search for a very neutral response. For example, some highly sought after vintage microphone preamps excel at amplifying certain components of a given source, imparting a generous amount of color to the signal. Such a preamp might be great for a vocal recording, however those preamps will not suit every use.

D-PRE has a very wide frequency range so that it can handle any music source and it does not overly amplify any specific components of the signal. It’s beautifully tuned to be able to capture the true expression of a given performance or audio source, while leaving flexibility for later editing. The end result is that D-PRE provides a sound that is a perfect amalgamation of understated signal enhancement combined with impeccable sonic integrity. The development team took a lot of time to adjust this subtle balance and the D-PRE sound quality speaks for itself.

All power to DSP

Powered by Yamaha’s custom-designed SSP2 DSP chip, you can enjoy the benefits of dspMixFx technology, which offers latency-free monitoring together with the highly acclaimed REV-X reverb, the Sweet Spot Morphing Channel Strip and Guitar Amp Classics* for users of any DAW software.The UR824, UR28M, UR44 and UR242 highlight three DSP-based effects — Guitar Amp Classics,  Sweet Spot Morphing Channel Strip and REV-X. Plus, the Basic FX Suite provides VST 3 versions of these studio-grade effects.