Behringer Guitar Link UCG102 USB Audio Interface

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 software2. Unplug the Behringer UCG102 and plug it back in again3. Repeat steps 6, 7 and 8 and also check your Windows 'Sound' Playback and Recording settings to make sure they haven't changedIf 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!

Update: it has started making occasional crackling noises on both my Mac and Android phone. Enough to be annoying. This was a waste of $38.The UCG102 does what it promises--connects your guitar to your computer through USB and provides a headphone output. For a pretty low price. It's basically a computer audio interface, similar in function to something like the Focusrite Scarlett Solo, but with fewer features and in a smaller package. If the small package or low price is important to you, then go for the UCG102. If a larger package is OK and you have a little more money, then go for the Scarlett Solo or a Behringer UM2 or UMC22. If you want a step up but still want the small package, then there is the IK Multimedia iRig HD 2 or the MeloAudio TS Mini for about the same price as the Scarlett Solo. But for the money, you can't beat the UCG102.On my Mac, I just plug it in and it works. Low latency, no crackles, good sound. The highest quality setting, as seen in the MacOS Audio MIDI Setup tool, is 48.0 KHz 16-bit Integer, which is fine--better than CD sound (44.1 KHz ,16-bit).I've also connected it to my Android phone (a Google/LG Nexus 5X running Android 8.1), and it works. I had to use an adapter from USB-B on the UCG102 to USB-C on the phone, and I also had to provide power to the UCG102 (phone wouldn't do it), but it did work. The app I used, Deplike, had some troubles since the OS wasn't giving it priority, resulting in some crackles and drop-outs, but that's Android's fault, not Behringer's. It was better on my Moto X4 running Android 9.0, which was able to directly power the UCG102--fewer crackles, but still some.Two things to know about this product:1. Don't bother installing the software, it's junk. It comes with a very old version of some open-source recording software called Audacity. Just go to audacityteam.org and download the current version for free if you need a fancy recording app. Or record with Apple GarageBand for free.It also comes with software that models an amp (yes, just one amp!) from Native Instruments from 2008. Don't bother. GarageBand has decent amp and effects modeling, or buy BIAS FX or Amplitube.2. The headphone output is 50 ohms. Generally, you want headphones with 10X the ohms of the output for the best sound (so 500 ohms, in this case), but you'll be OK if your headphones are at least 50 ohms. Mine are 26 ohms, in which case there is terrible distortion. I switched to another headphone which are 60 ohms, and then it sounded good. Many headphones intended for use with smartphones are low ohm headphones, and this may be the reason some people here have experienced distortion with the UCG102. It seems that this device is intended more for use with "studio" headphones, 100 ohms and up.

I am not a musician and have never played the guitar. I was just looking for a compact external audio card for my laptop, since its built-in audio card sounds terrible. I chose the UCG-102 for its stereo headphone output and volume control. The manual lists the device's input as a mono guitar input, but it turns out that this is a full-fledged stereo input to which you can connect a linear stereo output from another device. So Guitar Link can be used as a full-fledged audio card, which was a pleasant surprise for me.The only limitation is the lack of a microphone input, as well as a sample rate of 32.0/44.1/48 kHz and 16-bit depth.Regarding audio drivers: Windows 10 found the device automatically, no installation was required. To work with Cubase, I initially installed the Asio4all driver, but when I launched Cubase, I could not launch any other audio program at the same time. Then I tried to install the driver from the included compact disc: BEHRINGER_2902_X64_2.8.40 (for some reason this driver is not on the Behringer website). Although the driver officially supports Windows 8.1 and below, everything installed and work fine on Windows 10.