One thing that I feel has been missing from NLEs is a simple and efficient way to record voiceovers and narration. In my old linear edit system, where the audio went through a Mackie 1402 VLZ mixer, all that was needed was to plug a microphone and cable into one of the plentiful inputs. With NLEs, though, it’s not so simple. While most computers have a microphone input, it’s generally an unbalanced 1/8-inch jack that’s not meant to take a lot of abuse. Furthermore, you’re stuck using a consumer microphone or using a number of adapters to step down from XLR to 1/8-inch.

Another gripe I have with this setup is the lack of control over input levels. Normally it’s done with a virtual slider you drag with your mouse. I’ve always found that interface difficult to work with. For audio, I’ve preferred faders or rotary dials on mixers. There are a number of high-priced offerings from Digidesign, Yamaha and Mackie that will give you the tactile feel you want while recording, but will set you back a few hundred to tens of thousands dollars. For those of us who don’t have that kind of money to spend on control surfaces and high-quality balanced inputs, the Tapco Link.USB could very well be the right choice.

Colored to match Tapco’s "Caterpillar" color motif (black with yellow highlights), this little box of useful connectors and controls gives you more than two independent channels of microphone, line and instrument level inputs through high-quality Neutrik balanced combo XLR, 1/4-inch connectors. It also features left and right 1/4-inch monitor outs, as well as 1/4-inch stereo headphones out. It connects to a computer through a USB 1.1. The connection allows you not only to record, but also monitor simultaneous playback while recording. Essentially this box is an external sound card. It replaces your computer’s built-in sound card in all related applications.

The input gain controls are two rotary knobs. There are three other rotary controls: the mix, monitor level and head phone volume. To protect the front controls, there are two metal loops. The top and bottom of the unit have a rubber cover to keep it from sliding off a desk. If you’re short on space, it has a built-in stand that lets you place it vertically. It also has a red LED that indicates the phantom power is on and a yellow LED for indicating power. The Link.USB can record at sampling rates of 44.1, 48, 88.2 and 96 kHz at 24 bits and ships with Mackie’s Traction 2 (PC and Mac) software for recording and editing.

Aside from the useful pro connections on the Link.USB, portability is another huge advantage. The USB interface makes it simple to move the Link.USB from computer to computer. At my production company, I have three HP workstations and a notebook for the field running Adobe Creative Suite Premium 2, Adobe Premiere Pro 2, Adobe Audition 2, and Sony’s Vegas Pro 6, Sound Forge 8 and ACID XPress 5.

Once I put it to work, I found the Link.USB simple to set up and even easier to use. The unit also worked well interfacing with Adobe Premiere Pro 2. While I had known there was a way to record a VO direct to the timeline, I’d never done it. This test gave me the impetus. Setting it up in Premier Pro was just as simple as any of the other audio programs. Just go into the audio preferences, change the setting from default to Tapco, and you’re in business. You must then open the (virtual) mixer in Premiere Pro and choose the track you want to record to by clicking on the microphone button on that track. You then hit record to put you in "record pause" mode, place the timeline counter where you want the narration to start, and hit play. It’s that simple.

Adjusting the input gain on the fly with the knobs was much easier than using the "virtual faders" that are used to control gain in Premiere Pro, and it would be the same for any other program with a similar GUI. I also tried the Link.USB with the other programs I mentioned earlier (including Microsoft’s Sound Recorder), and it worked flawlessly with them all.

The Link.USB’s drivers install only with the Mackie Traction 2 multi-track audio editing and mixing software that comes in the box. The Traction 2 software has been most interesting. Despite the fact that it came in the box with the Link.USB, I had a hard time getting it to recognize the hardware. I contacted the company’s tech support, tried all of their suggestions to get Traction to work, but it wouldn’t.

Finally, the solution came to me through a friend who suggested I use a free downloadable audio editing program called Audacity from Behringer, a European-based company and a competitor of Tapco. Thankfully, it worked great.

Just for fun, I decided to try Mackie tech support one more time. As I was on the phone with them, the Traction suddenly started working with the Link.USB on my laptop. I have no explanation for this.

I did have the same problem with the software once I tried it on my Xeon workstation. After working with other tech-support staff, and trying things such as uninstalling, reinstalling, unplugging and then re-plugging in the hardware (while toggling some settings), it finally saw the device. According to tech support, this is a problem that occurs for some users, but not for others. All said, it was a most convoluted installation process.

Traction 2 has a very unique interface. I’d say that while it’s nice to have it in the box, it’s overkill if you just need to record narration; Traction is more for mixing music.

In the end, I have to say that I love the Link.USB. It offers the flexibility to use it in just about every audio and video editing software one could hope for on the PC. (The Link.USB will also work on a Mac, though I wasn’t able to test its compatibility with that platform.) The only exception on the video side was with my outdated Avid Xpress DV 3.5, but that may have been due to my not finding a hidden menu. Its small size, light weight and powering off the USB bus make it convenient to take it with you if you need to work on location or to move from computer to computer. If you need to do narration, voiceovers, sing a duet or record a Podcast, the Link.USB is the solution for you.