Steinberg UR242
4 x 2 USB 2.0 Audio Interface with 2 x D-PRE and 192 kHz support & MIDI I/O
24-Bit/192 kHz
Top of the range converters provide a maximum sampling rate of 192 kHz and a resolution of 24 bits, delivering pristine audio quality.
Class-A D-PRE mic preamps
Yamaha’s highly acclaimed D-PRE preamp delivers a truly transparent and beautifully detailed sound that is unrivaled in this product class.
Latency-free monitoring with FX
UR242 offers zero-latency monitoring with FX thanks to the included dspMixFx software with even tighter integration for Cubase owners with auto-setup, custom views, and much more.
Basic FX Suite
UR242 offers VST 3 versions of the onboard DSP plug-ins offering useful sound-shaping and FX tools: the Sweet Spot Morphing Channel Strip, the REV-X reverb and Guitar Amp Classics.
Rugged metal casing
Built to the most exacting standards by Yamaha’s experienced engineers, the UR242 is rugged enough to withstand all the rigors of the road.
Major recording software compatible
The UR242 is compatible with all major audio editing, mastering, and music production software supporting ASIO, Core Audio, or WDM standard.
iOS connectivity
UR242 offers connectivity with Apple’s iPad and iPhone. When paired with Steinberg’s iPad-based Cubasis music app or other iOS audio apps, the UR242 offers a portable and effortlessly intuitive production experience.
MIDI input & output
For utmost flexibility, the UR242 is equipped with a MIDI I/O — connect your synth, a drum trigger module or whatever MIDI device you prefer!
Loopback function
UR242 offers an easy way to streaming performances live to the internet, with incoming audio signals merged to the playback signal from Cubase or other DAWs inside the computer.
Cubase AI included
Based on the same core technologies as the popular Cubase DAW, Cubase AI offers an intuitive feature set for composing, recording, editing and mixing.
Cubasis LE included
Cubasis LE is a streamlined version of Steinberg’s popular iOS music production app, offering professional music production on your iPad.
UR242 in detail
An advanced portable production solution
The UR242 offers musicians and producers far more than just a portable I/O device, or even an audio interface; the UR242 is a mobile production solution. That’s because it combines fantastic-sounding I/O and durability with advanced DSP-based FX that can be used with your DAW software, and that at a price point that is still easily affordable.
Built to impress
The UR242 offers a perfect balance between three vital factors: quality, portability and cost. First-class components and integrated DSP-powered FX engineered to fit into a small yet rugged interface at an eminently affordable price point — that’s the UR242.
Record vocals, guitars, MIDI gear and other audio equipment with up to 4 audio channels at once in pristine 24/192 quality, yet without making any compromises in terms of durability: full metal casing means the UR242 is ready for the rough and tumble of life of a mobile lifestyle. That could be between your recording studio and your hotel room, or between your home recording rig and your band’s rehearsal room: the UR242 offers the features and quality to manage a huge range of production situations.
Full integration with any DAW with dspMixFx
The UR series integrates seamlessly — as you’d expect — with Cubase, yet also with just about any DAW out there. Just like the 19" rack model in the UR range, the UR242 offers latency-free monitoring with DSP-powered FX thanks to the onboard SSP2 DSP chip and the latest dspMixFx technology. This gives you a fully integrated DSP-based monitoring setup wherever you are and with whichever DAW you use.
When running with Cubase, the UR242 no additional virtual mixer apps are required! All aspects of I/O handling and DSP management are handled directly from within Cubase. Once your UR242 interface has been installed, Cubase detects the device and automatically embeds it into the Cubase production environment.
iPad connectivity
Connect the UR242 to your iPad or even iPhone thanks to the Class Compliant mode. iOS music production apps like Steinberg’s iPad-based Cubasis are a perfect way to sketch out ideas at home or on the go; then hook up the same interface to your PC or Mac to take your musical ideas to the next level.
Use cases
An exceptional portable production solution
With an impressive set of I/O capabilities for its size, advanced DSP-powered FX system, stellar audio components and compact dimensions, the UR242 is an exceptional interface that balances mobility with audio quality and advanced production features in a way unrivalled in its price range.
A pro studio at home
With DAWs, virtual instruments and boutique effect plug-ins offering unprecedented audio quality on even modestly priced laptops that’s on par with the most expensive studio, many musicians and producers require a compact, portable audio interface that offers functionality and sound quality to match. The UR242 comprises components and technologies of an exceptional standard for its class, offering the audio aficionado a moderately priced, mobile solution on a level with the extraordinary audio quality of today’s computer-based music production software.
The guitar and bass pro
Whether you’re laying down studio-quality guitar tracks or playing live through your laptop as a flexible digital guitar amp, the UR242 is optimized for guitarists. DSP powered virtual amp FX give you an amazingly lively, dynamic sound when monitoring — in zero latency. The Guitar Amp Classics FX suite offers four different analog amps to choose from, as well as full control over these startlingly realistic recreations of classic tube amps. The Hi-Z input on Channel 1 of the UR242’s two combo inputs lets you plug your electric guitar or bass straight into the interface, adapting the input to the high resistance of guitar signals. Add to this the great sound quality, rugged metal casing, full Cubase integration and easy install and set up, and it becomes clear why guitarists looking for a mobile solution for notebooks, Pads or even iPhones need look no further.
Keyboards and stage pianos
Keyboardists and players of digital or stage pianos requiring a mobile interface will find the UR242’s mix of features compelling. Two Line inputs and a MIDI port provide “in parallel” recording of the audio signal and MIDI data, ready for further editing or mixing inside your DAW or routing straight through to the main outputs and out to the FOH mixer at live gigs. And with the incredible level of audio and build quality for an interface in this price class, the UR242 offers a fully featured yet affordable solution for any discerning keyboard player or stage pianist — for live gigs, in the studio or at home.
Mobile recording of up to three musicians
Recording a small group or duet on a portable system — in studio quality — is one of the many tasks that the UR242 excels at. Set up a microphone for a vocalist and a guitarist, each singing or playing in front of a dynamic or condenser microphone, with a stereo pair of inputs available for a keyboard or stage piano. All three sources can be recorded at the same time in pristine quality with up to 24 bits and 192 kHz. The D-PRE mic preamp offers an incredibly transparent sound that can capture every last nuance of even the most delicate vocal performance or the most subtle instrument. And if your interface takes a couple of knocks while you’re setting up at the venue, no need to panic: the UR242’s metal casing and solid build quality can handle it.
Backing the band
Performers and bands often choose to enrich their live sound by running backing tracks from Cubase or other DAWs running on a notebook or by using an iPad or iPhone. Next to the audio tracks, MIDI data can be used to cue up lighting or other visual equipment that’s perfectly synchronized to the song. As a robust, high-quality mobile solution, the UR242 is the ideal interface for running pre-produced backing tracks out to the FOH mixer. Its ASIO, Core Audio and WDM drivers have been exhaustively tested to ensure flawless operation, even at low latencies or high bit and sample rates. The metal casing will withstand the inevitable knocks and scratches on stage, while the sturdy AC adapter means a rock-solid electricity supply for the audio hardware regardless of the power demands on the notebook’s internal USB. The UR242’s blend of reliability and stellar sound quality make it the perfect choice for bands and performers.
The UR242 close-up
UR242 front panel
8. Gain control for Input 2
9. Phantom power switch for input 1/2
10. Headphone volume control knob
11. Output volume control
12. Headphones output with TRS
UR242 rear panel
2. Power supply connector
3. USB 2.0 port
4. MIDI output socket
6. 2 analog TRS line input
7. Line output L/R, 2 analog TRS line outputs
UR242 setup scenarios
Despite its small size, the UR242 can connect to a huge range of audio equipment, instruments and other musical gear.
The two XLR/TRS combo inputs can be put to use in any of a number of recording situations. These could include recording two vocalists singing a duet; a singer who plays acoustic guitar with voice and guitar each recorded using a high-quality condenser mic; a choir or other classical performance recorded using two well-placed microphones; or any of the above accompanied by a backing track recorded using the two additional line inputs.
MIDI instruments can be recorded ”in parallel” with both MIDI data and audio streams routed to corresponding channels in your DAW, letting you edit or rework the MIDI data in your project later. Monitor speakers are connected to the two output jacks on the rear, enabling the UR242 to offer a compact, high-quality MIDI-based production solution.
Connecting an iPad or iPhone is accomplished using an Apple camera adapter*. Now you’re ready to record, edit and mix music on your iPad or iPhone, for example, using Steinberg’s widely praised Cubasis iPad app. Hook up a keyboard, drum pad or controller on the MIDI ports, with monitor speakers plugged into the dedicated Line output pair, and you’re good to go.
*iPad Camera Connection Kit, Lightning to USB Camera Adapter or Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter
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.
Guitar Amp Classics
Guitar Amp Classics make extensive use of advanced Yamaha modeling technology. Four amp types with completely different sonic characteristics are provided, CLEAN, CRUNCH, DRIVE and LEAD. Best of all, you get a DSP-powered version and a VST 3 version of Guitar Amp Classics. So you can record the dry signal with your favorite amp sound without any latency using the DSP version. Once you're done, you can re-amp the recorded track with the VST 3 version.
Sweet Spot Morphing Channel Strip
The Sweet Spot Morphing Channel Strip consists of a sidechain-enabled compressor and a three-band parametric equalizer. Both EQ and compressor were developed to attain a highly musical sound. Its featured morph knob smoothly allows you to morph through both EQ and compression settings in combination in order for you to come up with the ideal sound very quickly just by using one single control element.
REV-X reverb
The REV-X built into the UR824, UR28M, UR44 and UR242 is a complex reverb algorithm developed by Yamaha. Renowned for its high density, richly reverberant sound quality, with smooth attenuation, spread and depth that work together to enhance the original sound, the REV-X features three types of reverb effects: Hall, Room and Plate simulations with reverb time and level control.
True Integrated Monitoring
When using Cubase, all the advanced monitoring capabilities are fully integrated into the application's GUI by True Integrated Monitoring technology. All aspects of I/O handling and DSP management are handled directly from within Cubase. Cubase automatically embeds your device into the Cubase production environment and manages all audio streams with perfect sync, allowing for a highly efficient workflow that boosts productivity to new levels.
Plus, the URs feature direct integration into Cubase with dedicated windows and views that only appear when they are connected, providing full control of the hardware’s functionality from within Cubase itself.
Loopback function
For easy live streaming of performances to the internet, the Loopback function consolidates all playback tracks and input channels and routes the mix to your internet streaming software. This function is often used by hosts of internet live streaming programs. When the function is active, incoming audio signals such as microphone, guitar or line source will be merged to the playback signal from an audio playback software like Cubase or other DAWs inside the computer. The merged signal will then be send back to the computer for streaming.
192 kHz
All components are carefully selected and implemented for full resolution of high-end audio of up to 24-bit/192 kHz. A higher sampling frequency means more samples of the audio source, resulting in better reproduction of the original sound, contributing to the naturalness of audio image and ambience.
CC Mode
All UR interfaces can be switched to CC (Class Compliant) mode*. In this mode the interfaces work with the iPad and iPhone. Combining the UR units with an iOS audio application, such as Steinberg’s Cubasis for iPad, you get a fully mobile audio recording solution.
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