See Elise Trouw Build a Song From Scratch with the Universal Audio Volt 4P Max Interface

Singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Elise Trouw—who is also a virtuoso at composing in real-time using loopers—prefers inspiration to move quickly. The easier it is for her to capture an idea, the more likely that initial thought will evolve into a finished song.

That was the challenge for the Universal Audio Volt 4P Max interface. Did it allow Trouw to comfortably, seamlessly and productively build an original track one instrument at a time.

As Universal Audio just refreshed the popular Volt line into a Gen 2 series, watch the video demo to see if the improvements enhanced Trouw’s workflow, sonic quality and creativity or not.

Building the Foundation

"We set up a couple of different instrument stations—kind of similar to what I do in my own studio, but in a much bigger and nicer space than my little DIY recording room," said Trouw about the Volt 4P Max demo. "First, I started with the keyboard station to layer a couple of parts using the Volt interface. This chord progression was the basis of the track. I noticed a little Tone button, so I tried using Shine—a British Class-A style EQ—and I thought added a little something that wasn't there when it was off. Once, I tracked all the instruments, I went back to that first track and added a Teletronix LA-2A compressor plug-in—which is bundled with the Volt—to give it more presence in the mix.”

Adding Texture

“As I was layering keyboard parts, I started going for a little more of a washy effect to add some texture and width to the sounds,” said Trouw. “I spun through a couple of different amp presets and I thought, ‘Okay, I'm going to go for this warm, wide vibe.’ I also wanted something darker for the lead keyboard melody, so I used the Warmth setting on the Tone Shaping section. I went with the bundled Galaxy Tape Echo plug-in, as well. It's very subtle, but you can hear it adds a little bit of flavor in the mix.”

Capturing Drums

“I left the Volt’s Tone and Max settings off while I was recording drums, because I wanted to capture raw audio and do most of the tone shaping during the mix,” says Trouw. “I also love to experiment with different mic placements while I’m recording, and as there are four inputs on the Volt 4P Max, we maxed them out. Later, I used the included UA 1176 Classic FET Compressor plug-in to add a lot of body and life to the overhead mics. In addition, I really liked how the Galaxy Tape Echo sounded on the keys, so I tried it on the snare. I ended up loving it.”

From Idea to Finished Track

"What was most exciting to me during this demo was how easy and seamless the process was of plugging the Volt 4P Max interface into my computer and getting my idea from start to finish," says Trouw. "Using the Tone shaping and the Max compression, I was able to get a really nice tone for each track and get the idea down quickly. I would say if you're looking to get into recording, the Volt 4P Max is a great option to do that. Or, if you're already a UA user like me, it's a really good affordable and convenient option that you can bring on the road with you.”

Universal Audio Volt Gen 2 Overview

Now that Trouw has shared her tracking strategies with the Volt 4P Max, let’s take a look at the entire Gen 2 refresh and how a particular unit might fit best for your workflow. To help us with that, Rodrigo Ibieta, Director of Hardware Product Management for Universal Audio is onboard to run through the Gen 2 series, which includes the Volt 1, Volt 2, Volt 2 Max, Volt 4, Volt 4 Max and Volt 4P Max.

“Dating back to the 1950s, Universal Audio has always served music and audio professionals,” says Ibieta. “But our goal with the new Volt family was ultimately to give creators of all types a world-class recording experience without having to become an engineer. We think we’ve delivered on that.”

In addition to making the Gen 2 Volt preamps comfortable for home studio musicians who might not be experienced audio engineers, what were some other improvements you for the refresh?

Ibieta: Like with any new product, we wanted to improve design and performance. Most of the Volt Gen 2 interfaces now feature a full-color display, and the Volt Max line adds an ergonomic, angled design reminiscent of our Apollo desktop products. We also significantly improved the AD/DA converters and the overall dynamic range of the inputs and outputs. But the biggest evolution was making the entire family easier to use with one-button preamp emulation, contextual compression presets, a guided onboarding experience and deep software integration with UA apps such as Console and LUNA.

What are some practical sonic and workflow benefits of the MAX versions?

Volt Max offers a powerful built-in DSP that models the saturation and harmonic behavior of classic mic preamps and compressors. Max models also feature ADAT expandability, talkback and a built-in USB hub for connecting peripheral devices. The Volt 4 and 4P Max also feature a dedicated ALT monitor button for easily switching between speakers.

What would you recommend as the perfect Volt preamps for specific user types?

The Warmth, Focus, and Shine preamp emulations are really a matter of personal preference. Warmth is dark sounding and maintains a rich bass tone, Focus is punchy in the mid-range, and Shine adds clarity at the top end of the frequency spectrum. They all have broad applicability depending on the source.