Behringer GUITAR LINK UCG102 The Ultimate Guitar-to-USB Interface for Recording and Jamming with your PC/Mac or iOS device

Initially, I wasn't sure which PC-Guitar interface to get and I avoided these things for a few years until the companies started producing 64 bit drivers to allow users to run their products on Windows x64. For this device, I am running it through Guitar Rig 5 and Mixcraft with impressive results. I have absolutely NO crackling, noise or latency issues. I have an above average desktop computer with a motherboard sound card and Windows 7 x64. If you install Behringer's 64 bit drivers and ASIO4All, configure everything properly, you shouldn't have any problems. For those who've had to run an audio chord from the unit's headphone jack directly to their speakers; this step is not required to get results. If you use ASIO4All and Behringer's USB driver together, you can select your audio output to go directly through your sound card after the signal's been processed through your recording software. This is why I purchased the device in the first place. Because I wanted to work with a digital signal within my recording and Guitar Rig software. The Behringer UCG102 allows you to do just that. Here are some steps to get you going in the right direction. By the way, I went through some frustrating trial and error getting this device to work the way I wanted in Windows 7 x64. It would be nice if Behringer would update their manual and website to provide better setup instruction. This, in my opinion, is the only negative against the product. Basic Windows 7 setup... 1. Download Behringer's Windows x64 driver from their web page... [...] 2. Run the Behringer driver setup and when it asks you to reboot; Go ahead and do that. 3. Download and install the ASIO4All drivers from their web page... [...] 4. If the Behringer UCG102 isn't plugged into to the USB port, do that now. If it's already plugged in, remove it and plug it back in again. This step ensures that the driver is properly loaded and the device is up and running in Windows. 5. Go to Windows 7 Control Panel or do a menu search for 'Sound' to configure your Windows Playback and Recording settings. 6. The Behringer still needs to be plugged in to configure these settings. In your Windows 'Sound' settings, make sure your 'Playback' device is set to your default speakers. If using headphones, set them as the "Default" Playback device. 7. Under the 'Recording' tab, select 'Line In' and if the Behringer USB driver is loaded and running properly, you should see an option to select "Behringer USB WDM Audio 2.8.40' as the Line-in device. The '2.8.40' is the driver version you downloaded from their web page and that number may change as drivers are updated. 8. Now you can start up your Guitar Rig or effects processor software. In Guitar Rig, you have to go into 'Audio and Midi Settings' and ensure that you are using 'Asio' as your driver and "Asio4All V2' as your device. Under the 'Routing' tab you have to make sure your 'Outputs' are set to either speakers or headphones. Under 'Inputs', make sure you have 'Behringer USB Audio 1' under just the 'L' or left channel only. The settings under the 'MIDI' tab don't affect this type of setup so there's nothing you need to do there. *** Step 8 is where you will normally run into problems and to fix this, you have to configure your ASIO4All settings. In the far right corner of your Windows taskbar, you should see a green icon, which if clicked will bring up your ASIO4All configuration window. You can also select 'ASIO Config' in Guitar Rig within the 'Audio and Midi Settings' and get into the same window. To get everything working, you have to click on the wrench to open the ASIO configuration. This is where you'll have to do some trial and error by clicking on the input and output device icons. What you're looking for is a green On/Off button with green arrows next to them for your input and output devices. For example, under my settings, I have the following ASIO devices showing green buttons and arrows... Top selection = Output: 'High Definition Audio Device" Bottom Selection = Input: 'Behringer USB WDM Audio 2.8.40' = (In: 2x 44.1-48kHz, 32 bits; Out: 2x 44.1-48kHz, 32 bits) A blacked out On/Off button icon with no green arrow, or a red 'X' next to these settings means something's wrong or you haven't clicked on the On/Off button icon so that device is actually turned on. Click on the wrench to exit out of the ASIO configuration. If you're not getting all the selection options in the ASIO or audio/midi configuration settings, try the following... 1. Close Guitar Rig and other recording software 2. Unplug the Behringer UCG102 and plug it back in again 3. Repeat steps 6, 7 and 8 and also check your Windows 'Sound' Playback and Recording settings to make sure they haven't changed If your using recording software like Mixcraft, you also have to use the ASIO device drivers within that software in order to record your guitar. By the way, I am able to run Guitar Rig's VST and real-time record with all Guitar Rig's effects within Mixcraft and achieve impressive results. Latency is not an issue because I'm using the ASIO drivers in combination with Behringer's USB driver. If you're having troubles, don't give up and keep at it. You'll be happy with the results and there's nothing like being able to record in real-time while using awesome guitar effects. I love it!

I am very happy with this product, and am writing to confirm that this device works well with the 3rd generation iPad ("The New iPad", which was released 16 March 2012) but, requires the Apple iPad Camera Connection Kit (MC531ZM/A) 's USB converter to actually connect to the iPad3 30 pin input. Other USB to 30 pin converters may work as well, but I have not verified. Unlike guitar interfaces that convert 1/4" guitar cable to 1/8" microphone input, such as the IK Multimedia AmpliTube iRig ", this product connects to the iPad 30 pin input, providing a high quality, low noise digital connection. I have experimented with 1/4" to 1/8" converters, and found that there is extreme noise (apparently from "cross talk") which renders them unusable when playing through an overdrive/distortion amp model. With the UCG102, the 30 pin connection seems to eliminate this problem, providing excellent distortion and f/x sound possibilities. I chose this product over the iRiffPort or Apogee Jam for two reasons: better price, and additional flexibility. This product, in combination with the camera kit, accomplishes the same result for approximately $62, as opposed to $99 for the above mentioned interfaces. Substituting a 3rd party USB to 30 pin connector could reduce the price further, but I have not verified this compatibility. I also believe going this route provides more flexibility, as the camera connector kit can be used for USB midi interfaces and a wide variety of other peripheral equipment (cameras, keyboards, etc). Additionally, the UCG102 can provide a 1/4" interface for PC and Mac computers as well, while competing 30-pin products do not support USB input. Finally, I would like to recommend that users have a set of headphones or speakers to plug into either the UCG 102 or iPad headphone jack, as the iPad's on board speaker seems to be disabled when this is in use. Good luck, and rock on.

If I post a negative review, you can bet it has to be bad. I am the world's most laid back person and this thing has me ready to punch my fist completely through my laptop screen. The unit itself looks great. Installing the driver went less than great. I had to uninstall it twice. Just for the fun of it, and because I really wanted to make this work, I tried it a third time and it installed. Now, the modeling amp from Native Instruments. You know, the very reason you would probably buy this thing to begin with? Well it is absolutely, without question pathetic. I'd like to consider myself a smart guy. I'm an engineer for a wireless company. I'm CCNA certified. I know my way around a computer and loading software. But this POS is just unbelievable. I have NEVER encountered a worse experience loading software. It runs you through about 17 hoops. It says it can't connect to the Internet. My connection is perfect. So you have the export an HTML file after entering your registration code for the main modeling amp software - no problem. Simple process - you'd think. I exported it, clicked on the link in the file, verified my info, and exported the activation file. Then when I went to upload that file back to the "supposededly my problem" non-Internet connected Service Center, it errors out. Oh, and that brings me to another point. You have to install the driver for the device, a Service Center to activate the amp software (which I have yet to even have a glimpse of), the modeling amp software itself, and a flurry of other software. It is the most convoluted, non-working, pathetic process I have EVER seen. And I format, load and troubleshoot Cisco IOS's and config files for a living. This thing is going back. I have wasted no less than 6 hours of time I'll never be able to get back. A company as big as Behringer should have this process down to a science. I'm EXTREMELY disappointed in them. This is an experience I'd expect from some fly-by-night product developer working from a garage. Did I say horrible?

This product is not as bad as most people claim. It is definitely not a professional tool but it still works great when you want to record yourself or you have no amp. The biggest, and only, issue I had with this product were the driver and programs that came with it. The product's driver were crap (same for the programs) so I just downloaded the ASIO4All driver, and it solved my latency issues (I have ASIO4ALL set to 512 sample rates, which is produces descent quality for me). I run this device through Guitar Rig 4, and I have no delay issues when playing. The computer that I run it on is this an AMD Phenom II N660 w/4 Gig ram. I have yet to figure out how to output the guitar's sound to the speakers without a third party dual-end 3.5mm male auxiliary cable and a 1/4 to 3.5mm convertor. If you are able to plug your head-phones into the head-set jack, you will only hear a "clean guitar" because the effects (such as distortion) occur on the pc and not the device itself. You'll need a third party dual-end 3.5mm male auxiliary cable and a 1/4-3.5mm convertor to hear the effects; just connect the auxiliary cable into mic-input on your pc. Pros: 1. Works as advertised (Once you tinker with it and get different drivers/programs) 2. small and easy to carry/use (just plug it into the USB port after you install ASIO4ALL) 3.(with guitar rig 4) good replacement for amp if you do not have one Cons: 1. A few additional third party supplies are needed for desired results (mainly cables and convertors) 2. The given drivers and programs are not the best 3. VERY THICK AND USELESS MANUAL THAT COMES WITH 3 SEPARATE SMALLER MANUALS TALKING ABOUT THE SAME THING (i just thought the manual was unnecessarily thick redundant; you'll know what i mean once you buy it...) 4.the led light never turns on like its suppose to 5.Did I forget to mention the crap-ass software and programs that come with it? Seriously don't use em... Conclusion: I will give it a 4 still because it works just like it said it should and that is what matters. Only the useless and crappy software/drivers annoyed me...and the excessively large and many manuals... UPDATE: Go to the manufacturers website and download the driver for this product (it's not crap anymore). If you do not wish to use a 3.5mm converter cable then you're going to have to mess around with your audio input/output device on your computer to get the audio and effects to work; I'd still recommend a converter cable even though that defeats the purpose of the device. Still recommend this product if you want a cost-effective solution to playing your guitar on a digital device.

This thing works, but the devil is in the software (I am writing from a PC). While a number of different programs are included with this product none of them make it simple to record. The amp modeling software is compatible and recognizes the hardware, but isn't suitable for recording. Audacity isn't compatible out of the box and neither is the EnergyXT2. This drove me absolutely crazy. For a couple of weeks the only thing I could do was practice through headphones (which works very well). Plain and simple - I bought this to record. I am sure there are costly software solutions out there that can recognize the USB/ASIO drivers and record via this interface but I didn't want to pay for something I thought I should get out of the box. Fortunately, after much turmoil I discovered that for the computer savvy individual there is a way. Audacity can be built to include native ASIO support! However this requires compiling your own custom (and non-distributable) build. The excellent step by step directions to do so are here: [...] Once I got Audacity to recognize the USB/ASIO drivers I was much happier with the purchase. I still give the product 3-stars because I assume the average consumer won't want to go through the pain of custom building software to get a recording ability. To me, a out of the box recording is a basic requirement of a "Guitar-to-USB Interface".

This little gadget here is a dream come true. All it does is amplify the signal that comes from your guitar and transform it from analog to digital, then you can choose the output method, through your pc speakers, the headphone (or monitor) jack in the Guitar Link, or the computer headphone jack. The plastic doesn't look "chinese", if you know what I mean. It feels resistant and strong enough to take on a few drops. You HAVE to have it plugged in during the installation or else it won't work. Also, it only installs on one USB port at a time, so I recommend you choose one port just for it (not that the port is goning to stop working or anything). The installation instructions are really like this: -Insert the CD with the guitar combos. Install all 3 if you want, although you are good to go with the AC Box Combo alone (other 2 are 30 min trials) -Plug the Guitar Link and start the driver setup, it is in a folder called "drivers", but I don't remember which of the two CDs has it. -Restart your computer and start the AC Box Combo. -You are all set to start playing. -If you want all the other software you might as well continue installing it. The software included is mostly trash. It comes with 3 Combos, one full version, the other 2 are 30 minute trials. You can use this if you are an amateur and you will be more than happy. The Audacity has a learning curve as steep as a skycraper, and the "lite" version of Energy (called EnergyX2 or something like that) is a liiiittle limited.If you plan to make a studio of your office or room I recommend you buy something more "professional", I personally use Fruity Loops and Waves GTR, but a friend has a couple IK that work awesome and most come with a pedal. The 64bit asio4all driver is included but is named like setup36.exe, who knows why not 64 or 86, so don't worry, it supports vista/7, 32/64 bit. I haven't tried it on MacOSX or XP. Bottomline: Definitely is a good investment, weather you are a pro or a beginner. Good quality and good design. Works with everything I have plugged in the jack. (The price in Amazon is about 6 bucks less than every other place I looked).

I was very excited to get the Guitar/USB interface. I used it to connect with GarageBand on a MacBook Pro and with my guitars(Peavey JF-2 and LTD MH250NT). It performed well and for just about a year, it worked. I did have to increase the gain in GarageBand and had a few issues with it creating feedback. This causes GarageBand to adjust internally and produces a dialog box with some options. The good: No set up required on the Mac. It was instantly recognized and provides a solid signal to the software. The modeling amp software included was interesting and if you were to pipe your gig through a computer, it would perform well with not crashes under Mac OS X 10.5. The bad As soon as the warranty expired, it fried out on me. I am not sure if I want to buy another one to replace it. I wish someone would build a bluetooth or wi-fi adapter for computer input.

I have been playing guitar for roughly four years now and have recently decided to start recording some of my songs and covers. I have never used any kind of USB interface for my guitar before but this little thing works very well! It's obviously not quite as powerful as a higher end MIDI Interface, but at this price there is no reason to complain. The sound quality is actually better than I expected, although I did have to play with a lot of guitar tones before it sounded good. There is no latency at all and it worked as soon as I plugged it into my Mac. Just make sure you plug the device in first before opening GarageBand, POD Farm, or whatever program you will be using. I haven't had a single problem with it and I have already recorded several covers with my guitar. I definitely recommend this product to anyone who wants to record their guitar or bass on a casual level. I love this interface and I'm glad I bought it!

This is an extremely helpful product. Works perfect without any human understandable latency. Best part is the licensed version of a software-amplifier of Guitar Combos. In addition, if you want, Native Instruments provides a huge discount on Guitar Rig software. CAUTION: Be careful about overcharges by seller. In US, it costs $40. Don't buy unless it's "Amazon Fulfilled".

Aucun souci de fonctionnement : on branche, on enregistre ! Je l'ai ouvert et la puce de conversion est celle qu'on trouve dans les interfaces de plus de 100 euros ! Pour le quart du prix, ce module fait parfaitement son travail. Latence très faible, bruit inexistant. Bravo, un must pour les musiciens de salon !

This device worked fine as soon as I figured out how to set the entry port of my Mac in Garage Band. Can't comment on the included softwares on DVD since I did not use it yet.

Wie in anderen Rezensionen schon beschrieben, ist die Software (das "Bundle") eigentlich eine Zumutung. Ich habe probeweise den einen Verstärkertyp unter Windows installiert. Das Ergebnis war eine Katastrophe! erst kein Ton, dann, nach ein bisschen probieren ein undefinierbarer, verzerrter Soundbrei. Ich hab es sofort aufgegeben, weil ich keine Lust hatte, meine Windows-Installation noch mehr zu verbiegen. Zweiter Versuch. Den Guitar-Link unter Ubuntu Linux eingestöpselt. Okay, man muss ein bisschen probieren (evtl ein bisschen lesen...) und jackd installieren. Sobald die Verbindung steht, hat man dann ein absolut erstklassiges Interface. Ich habe es jetzt mit rakarack und jack ausprobiert und bin einfach nur begeistert!!! Selbst bei einer "normalen" Installation ist der Klang klasse und die Latenzen - naja, sagen wir voll erträglich. Ich habe nun auch auf dem Laptop Ubuntu Studio mit Real-Time Kernel installiert und das funktioniert fantastisch. Die Latenzen bewegen sich so um die 7ms; also auch beim Playalong (was übrigens auch klasse funktioniert, wenn man z.B. VLC ebenfalls über den Jack-Server einspielt) merkt man kaum eine Verzögerung. Beim Testen der Aufnahme mit Audacity war dann schon eine merkbare Verzögerung hörbar. Dies lässt sich aber in Audacity einfach durch verschieben der Spur korrigieren. Fazit: ein erstklassiges Hardwareteil, simpel, ohne überflüssigen Schnickschnack, wird von aktuellen Linux Dist. sofort als externes USB-Audio erkannt. Für den Preis kann man nix falsch machen..... Wer das Teil allerdings unter Windows einstzen will, der sollte sich auf Probleme einstellen. Die mitgelieferte Software ist jedenfalls meiner Meinung nach Schrott. Unter Linux, im Verbund mit dem Jack Audioserver, Rakarack als Gitarren-Effektprogramm, Vlc als Abspielsoftware und Audacity als Recording Programm ist das Teil echt der Hammer. Eigentlich brauch ich jetzt keinen Amp mehr ;-) - nur noch einen guten Kopfhöhrer. Deswegen (und nur deswegen) gibt's volle 5 Sterne!

Very little noise on the input, I’ve never heard how bad I am this clearly before!