M-Audio M Track Duo HD Producer Pack review: Hot picks, cold snaps

Photo: Pete Kotel

M-Audio has packed everything this person might need into a tidy little box with the M Track Duo HD Product Pack. It includes a class-compliant two-channel audio interface, an M100 condenser microphone, a pair of HD41 headphones, a microphone clip, a USB-C cable to connect the interface to your computer or mobile device, and an XLR cable to connect the microphone to the interface — all for the low price of $200. Aside from the microphone stand (we love this one Innogear Desk Clamp Arm Stand) and the unearned confidence needed to speak into a microphone for hours on a wide range of esoteric topics, you don’t need anything other than what’s in this box to get started. Plug in a few things, turn on your favorite OBS or DAW, adjust the gain on your microphone preamp, and get to work.

The interface is a lightweight plastic box about the size of a VHS tape or self-help book you buy at an airport bookstore. The front panel has quarter-inch combo XLR input jacks, both of which have separate limiters for line and instrument level impedance. The 48V switch enables phantom power to both inputs simultaneously, which is necessary to operate the included condenser microphone or Cloud crane If you decide to go all PodBro and upgrade to a dynamic microphone. There’s also a single quarter-inch TRS headphone jack and a three-way selector that determines whether it’s a direct mono signal, direct stereo or a USB signal feeding the dual-sleeved quarter-inch mono output jacks on the back of the box.

Each channel has its own gain knob on the top of the unit, with an indicator light at the bottom that flashes white when there is a signal and red when the signal is cut off. Each speaker has 55dB of gain on tap, more than enough to turn even the most gregarious NPC teams into audible and active participants. The knob’s movement is smooth and judder-free until you reach the last 10 percent of the scanning process, at which point some ambient digital noise seems to click on and off as if it was turned on with a switch. This is a pretty big gain for any practical application given the amount of shredding it’s likely to cause, so this isn’t a major concern for anyone who’s spent 30 minutes or so dialing in their levels and getting familiar with the thing.

Microphone for fans

The included condenser microphone pairs well with the preamp located in the interface. It’s a large-diaphragm monopole condenser microphone, which in standard parlance means that the metal grille covering the front of the microphone is where you want to direct your voice, rather than the back. Condenser microphones are More sensitive to ambient noise Of the dynamic microphone, which is both a positive and a negative aspect. A condenser microphone works well slightly further away from your face than a dynamic microphone, but you’ll need to boost the gain to pick up your voice at a greater distance. This picks up more background noise as well, which can lead to some awkward moments on Zoom calls, when, say, a small flock of birds that your neighbor has illegally housed in his garage starts making nervous noises as the garbage truck rattles down the block. Fortunately, Zoom has good built-in noise suppression tools, so this was easy to address without any additional plugins or hardware.

The microphone handles standard male voice well. I’m not fully trained to speak reflectively at NPR yet, but my standard tech guy patter broadcasts clear as a bell with the microphone 6 inches from my face and the gain knob back to about 3 o’clock. The microphone doesn’t have a high-pass filter switch to produce low-end growl from accidental bumps to the stand or the microphone itself, so you’ll need to be careful to avoid fumbling that causes loud noises if you prefer higher gain and a slightly greater distance from your mouth to the microphone.