Tapco Link.USB review

Integrated motherboard audio is perfectly sufficient for most PC users, but Tapco's Link.USB has a range of musician-friendly features you won't normally find in a PC.

In some ways, it's simpler than integrated audio chips, with no surround sound and no 3D effects to make games sound more exciting. However, the stereo input and output are better specified than usual, supporting sample rates up to 96kHz, 24-bit and accommodating a range of input sources.

The input sockets accept XLR and quarter-inch (6.3mm) jack cables, the former for use with upmarket microphones, and the latter for line-level sources and electric guitars. A switch activates phantom power for use with capacitor microphones. The output is on a pair of quarter-inch jacks and there's a dedicated headphone output on the front of the unit. There's a series of volume controls for the left and right inputs, main and headphone outputs and also for how much of the input is sent directly to the output - a handy feature for hearing what you're doing while recording.

The unit is powered by its USB connection and works perfectly happily with Windows' USB audio drivers. However, installing the supplied software gives access to audio stream input output (ASIO) drivers, which provide much lower latency in compatible music-production software.

Mackie Tracktion 2 (reviewed in Labs, Shopper September 2006) is also supplied on the disc. It's an excellent audio and MIDI sequencer with ASIO support that costs around £110 on its own. Sadly, though, this version is missing many of the plug-ins included with the boxed version.

The inputs are a little noisier than ideal, measuring -60dB at typical gain settings, and the headphone output distorts at high volume, but otherwise audio quality is hard to fault. It's certainly up to the task of making high-quality demos. The default latency of 3ms when using the ASIO driver is impressive, making it viable to record a guitar and monitor the effected output with barely any appreciable delay.

The combination of phantom-powered microphone inputs, hardware volume controls, high sound quality and efficient ASIO performance makes this an excellent package for anyone who wants to make music on their PC and incorporate live instruments. There are a few similar products available from M-Audio, Tascam, Edirol and others, but the Link.USB's excellent software helps it stand out. Only a lack of MIDI in and out prevents it getting full marks.