If you search YouTube for the best budget audio interface, theres one model that you won’t see pop up At all really.
Which is really strange to me. Because the Arturia Minifuse 2 is probably the BEST audio interface for most people…
The Arturia Minifuse 2 is a 2 in 2 out beginner friendly audio interface. It costs around around about £130 or $150 on Amazon where it has a rather tasty 4 and a half star rating.
It is jam packed full of really useful features and serves as one of the best audio interfaces in terms of price to performance out there.
It’s pretty clear what super popular audio interface Arturia are going after with this product, offering more features than that ubiquitous wee red box as well as also coming in substantially cheaper.
Hardware
Inside the Arturia Minifuse 2’s box you’ll find an information leaflet, the Minifuse 2 itself and a lovely Arturia branded, braided USB C to USB A cable.
I should point out that while I have the white model here, there is a black version available if you prefer your audio interfaces to look a little more evil.
Build quality here is great! Most of the Minifuse’s body is made of metal, with the front and back panels being made of plastic. All of the knobs and dials feel really sturdy and have a lovely premium, rubberized feel to them.
On the front of the interface are two combo XLR / 1/4” jack inputs. Each input has its own backlit gain knob that respond to your input, turning red when the signal is too high.
Each input also has a button that allows you to switch between line and instrument levels for a clear, consistent signal.
There is a 48v power switch for when you hook up a condenser microphone to either (or both) of the combo inputs.
Next to that is a real time, colour coded VU meter. This is an output meter only, but it is definitely handy to have a visual representation of your outputted volume on the interface itself.
Next to the meter is the chunky output volume knob for any monitor speakers you have connected.
To the right of the output knob is a monitoring mix control which allows you to control what you hear coming from the Arturia MiniFuse 2. You can blend between the input signal and the signal from your connected computer or device.
Below that is a direct mono switch and finally at the very end is a 1/4” headphone output and a headphone level control knob.
On the back of the Arturia Minifuse 2 is where things get really interesting…
There are 2 x 1/4″ TRS balanced line outputs here to connect studio monitors. Next to those – and a rarity at this price point – is a 1 x 5-pin MIDI input and a 1 x 5-pin MIDI output.
Next to those there is a USB port. That’s right a USB port on the back of an audio interface. Not something i think i’ve ever seen ,and certainly not something you’d expect on an interface at this price point.
And finally you have a USB C output to hook the interface up to your Mac or iPad via the included cable.
Built to Last
As I mentioned the Arturia Minifuse 2’s build quality is very very good and it has a unique, shallow form factor that sets it apart from a lot of the other square-ish audio interfaces out there. It really is quite compact, which is good news for mobile creators in particular.
Another thing that mobile creators (and everyone else) will love is that USB port that’s on the back of the interface. This is honestly genius and it blows my mind that other interface manufacturers just don’t do it. It’s rated for 250mA and is perfect for attaching Midi controllers in particular.
iPad and iPhone users in particular will find this helpful as it could potentially remove the need for a dongle or adapter if you have a USB C to USB C cable lying around that you can connect the interface to your iPad with.
Another feature not really seen in interfaces at this price point are MIDI Din in and outs. These let you Send, receive, sync, and record MIDI information for your synths, drum machines, sequencers, and more. Arturia are probably best known for their software synths and MIDI controllers so it makes sense that they’ve included features here that are well suited to that audience.
Speaking of software synths, The Minifuse 2 comes with a good selection of free software, including Analog Lab intro, which allows you to play around with hundreds of great sounding presets ripped straight from the full fat version of the plugin.
You also get access to Ableton Live Lite, four actually useful FX plugins, the light version of Native Instrument’s Guitar Rig 6 and 3 month subscriptions to Auto Tune Unlimited and Splice’s sample library.
The Minifuse also includes loopback functionality, allowing users to capture voiceover alongside in app audio recordings.
All of that is great, but doesn’t mean much if the sound quality isnt there. Well i’m happy to report that the quality on offer here is fantastic and on par with most other audio interface out there at this price point. The Arturia Minifuse 2’s whisper quiet preamps lead to crystal clear recordings.
The Best Audio Interface for Most People?
It’s becoming harder and harder to reccommend a specific budget audio interface nowadays as most on the market at the sub $200 price point deliver great quality recordings.
You really have to dig into what each interface offers in terms of extra features to figure out what is going to be best for you.
The Arturia Minifuse 2 does all the basic stuff you’d expect from an interface at this price point very well.
More than any other audio interface i’ve looked at recently, the unique features it offers really do set it apart.
No, you’re not getting any extra recording ‘modes’ or automatic setup funtions, but the inclusion of things like an onboard USB port, MIDI in/outs and Loopback, make this one of the most versatile and flexible interfaces on the market, especially if you’re a big synth user.
Arturia have absolutely nailed it here and I would highly recommend taking a closer look at the Arturia Minifuse 2 if you’re in the market for a budget friendly audio interface.
