Audient Sono Guitar recording interface
As long as it’s got a Hi-Z input, you can plug in and record a guitar through any audio interface. Savvy manufacturers, however, have realised that guitar players might desire a few extra features above and beyond the usual array, so have been coming up with interfaces designed specifically for guitar recording.
We recently took a look at the IK Multimedia Axe I/O (in issue 448), which features variable input impedance as well as JFET circuitry in the preamp. Now it’s the turn of the Audient Sono, a system that actually puts a 12AX7 valve in the guitar signal path and follows it with three-band EQ and Torpedo power amp/ speaker cabinet simulation from specialists Two Notes Engineering.
The Sono is no one-trick-pony – it has all the facilities you’d expect in a decent interface including the dedicated guitar input, a pair of combi XLR/jack mic/line sockets with individual 48-volt phantom power switching for condenser mics, stereo line and headphone outputs each with their own volume control, plus a Monitor Mix knob to let you listen to the input, DAW output or a blend of the two. You’ll also find a dedicated To Amp output for reamping, and an optical input so you can add an ADAT expander, such as the Audient ASP880, with more mic preamps to enable you to record up to 10 channels of audio simultaneously.
in use
Our first setup task was the easy installation of the two associated software apps that are available for free download. One is the actual Sono app where you can have remote control of Sono functions via a GUI, access firmware updates and more; the other is the Two Notes Remote Software that offers a choice of cabinets with various adjustable parameters.
Powering up the unit with the provided wall-wart power supply and connecting it by USB, we quickly got the unit set up as the selected audio interface for our Mac. We chose to start by recording some clean guitar directly into Logic Audio. The main signal you record comes from
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the end of the signal chain after the cab simulation of the Torpedo processing, but a separate feed to your DAW means you can also simultaneously record a duplicate signal that bypasses that signal processing. This ‘No CAB’ track can be used later on if you wish to apply some software amp and cabinet simulation to it, or you can choose to send it back out to a real amp and re-record it with a microphone.
Audient believes that the Hi-Z guitar input feeding the valve will give you the same response and feel you’d get from a guitar amp whatever pickups you may be using, and it has to be said that playing through it does feel naturally dynamic, while the near-zero latency means timing issues are non-existent. The standard clean guitar sound you’ll get is clear and sparkly, enhanced by the valve circuitry, which can be driven harder with the input knob to give you a bit more thickness and edge, although not getting into the realms of overdrive. The Bass, Mid and Treble knobs each offer up to 15dB of cut and boost and let you gently shape the sound. Of course, if you want to get more drive, a boost or an overdrive – particularly an amp-in-a-box style pedal between guitar and unit – is the way to go.
After the valve and EQ stage the signal goes through the A/D converter so it can pass through the Two Notes Torpedo
power amp and cabinet simulation if engaged. A Drive knob controls the amount of power amplifier saturation and while you get a choice of three different cabinet simulations stored in the hardware, you actually have access to 20 via the connected Torpedo Remote software, which also gives you the option of buying more cabinets from the Two Notes Store. The application allows the final fine-tuning of your main recorded guitar sound; you can adjust numerous parameters such as changing the microphone model and moving its position from close mic’ing of the speaker to further out in the selected recording space – Studio, Hall, Cathedral and so on – for different reverbs if you want to record the ambience.
Recording a guitar direct this way gets you a range of very usable guitar sounds, but you should bear in mind that the signal path of a basic single-valve preamp feeding a simulated power amp and cab setup does not have the versatility of dedicated amp simulations for nuanced driven tones. However, when we placed a quality drive pedal, in this case a RevivalDrive from Origin Effects, in front of the unit and made use of the speaker simulation, the recorded results were stunning.
Should you wish to record microphone or line level signals then you can use the two mic preamps, 1 and 2, which both provide excellent sound quality. Input 1 is capable of accessing the guitar channel’s signal path (via a rear panel To Valve switch), allowing you to add a little colour to a vocal or a directly plugged-in keyboard, for example. By the same token, the To Amp output is seamlessly set up and, as well as reamping guitars, could be used to send any recorded DAW track to an amp for sonic restructuring and re-recording.
verdict
With its Audient mic preamps and the optical input to expand your system, the Sono was always going to be a practical, quality unit, but the guitar facilities are what sets it apart. The valve-based preamp, its tone shaping facilities and that power amp and cab simulation will ensure that you can plug in and get a decent-sounding guitar recording at any time – brilliant for getting your ideas down quickly without a lot of messing around. The fact that you have three speaker cab simulations onboard also means that you can always use it without a computer for a bit of practice through headphones. The To Amp output is an invaluable asset for giving any recorded guitar a refresh, too. If guitar features large in your recording tasks, then the Sono is worth seeking out.
Playing through the Sono feels naturally dynamic, while the near-zero latency means timing issues are non-existent