 From the ID4 and 14 to the feature-packed ID44, Audient have impressed us with some high-quality Mk2 versions of their audio interfaces, but with the sizeable gap in specs up to their flagship model, that is until now. Hi folks, I'm Mike and I hope you're well. I think everyone agrees that it's the quality of the preamps on the ID range of audio interfaces from Audient, which set them apart from some of the other audio interfaces in a similar price range. So with that as a starting point, it really comes down to which features you feel you need and what you can afford of course. Now there's actually quite a big gap in features between the ID14 and the flagship ID44, which is why I think the new ID24 is going to be a welcome addition to the family. However, I feel that Audient have missed an opportunity here. We'll talk about that later, but first of all, let's take a look at the specs. The ID24 is a 10-in 14-out 24-bit interface with sample rates up to 96 kHz. We see one of its inputs on the front in the form of a JFET instrument input, a nice place to add a little bit of analog color to things like electric guitars. This overrides the regular input one that we'll see in a moment. Also on the front we see some dual headphone connectors, but it's on the back where the real action is. This is where we see our two main analog inputs in the form of combo connections for XLR and quarter-inch jacks. And it's next to these that we see the first big step up from the ID14 in the form of two sends and returns, more on these later. To the left, we see our four balanced line-outs, and next to these we see both ADAT-in and ADAT-out, bringing us up to the full complement of 10-ins and 14-outs. The word clock connection here helps us with getting multiple digital devices in sync. And finally, we see a USB-C connection to connect up to the computer. Note we don't have any separate power connector here, as we get that from our host computer via USB. On the top we have our main gain knob for each channel, 48 volts of phantom power for microphones that need it. We also have a 10 decibel pad and a low-cut filter. To the right we have our main encoder for volume. We also have an ID button, which allows that encoder to behave like a scroll wheel. We have a configurable dim button and a cut button to mute. We also have a dedicated headphone volume control and three assignable function buttons. All of this is supported with software for us to mix our various inputs and outputs for our master mix and two Q-mixes. We can also easily assign functions to our function buttons by right clicking them here. Diving into our system panel, we can route all of our outputs in various ways and set up the talkback feature. And whilst we don't have a dedicated talkback mic, we can either use one of our various inputs or assign it to something like an internal mic on our laptop. Note that we can also configure levels for our dim control and additional outputs here. So where does this sit in terms of the current range of ID audio interfaces? Well they all use the same class A audio mic console preamps and they're all built like tanks with their metal casing, metal switches and nice quality connectors. But I actually think that the ID24 sits a little bit closer to the flagship ID44 than it does to the ID14. I say that because the main noticeable difference is in the number of inputs. The ID24 has two out of the box whereas the 44 has four. However, it's still very expandable via ADAT in and out as well as word clock to keep them all in sync. It's a pretty serious piece of gear in this way. Now I should also mention there's a difference with the headphones. With the ID24 you've got the same mix for both headphone connectors with the 44 you can actually have separate mixes for each individual headphone out but that may not matter to you as you expand and start using things like headphone amplifiers. Another thing it has which is great is the sends and returns. This is going to enable you to insert outboard gear like compressors etc into your recording chain and if you just use the return part of it you can actually bypass the onboard mic preamps and use some of your choice. That's a pretty advanced feature. Now in one way it's a little bit better than the ID44 in that it's bus powered via USB so you don't need an external brick to power it which makes it a little bit more mobile but I still think the Audient have messed up in one way. So as I say I reckon the ID24 sits a little bit closer in terms of spec to the top of the range ID44 than it does the ID14. But let's say for argument's sake that it's kind of halfway in between so it should have a kind of a halfway in between type of price right? Well currently the ID14 sells for $299 on sweetwater whereas the top of the line ID44 sells for $699. So a halfway price point would be around about $499. I think it could be worth more than that but halfway is $499. So I was a little bit surprised to find out from Audient that this is going to be selling for $399. A whole $100 cheaper than I think it should be. Audient I think you missed an opportunity here it's too cheap but hey we're the winners you keep doing what you're doing. So it's really a no brainer you've got great features out of the box but the main thing is you can expand it so that ends up being the hub of a really sophisticated project or even professional studio. Now I mentioned a couple of times about the expansion. If you want to find out exactly how to do that using ADA watch this video right here where I tell you exactly what to do.