# Audient Evo 4 Audio Interface Review - No more clipping with Smart Gain!



## Mike Enjo (Apr 10, 2020)

Hi folks! I’ve been testing out the Evo 4 Audio Interface from Audient, particularly the new ‘Smart Gain’ feature. See how I went!

WATCH HERE:


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## Sean J (Apr 25, 2020)

Do you know how stable the Evo 4 driver is for virtual instruments?

I've been wanting to find if anyone has used this with 50+ Kontakts loaded. ASIO performance is key for me. It looks like a great little interface, but software is everything for me. RME and Lynx have really proven that with their commitment to their drivers, but most others have fallen very short here. Evo (Audient) on their site only talk about low latency in this area, which isn't the same thing as good real-world performance. I realize it's not the most common point of an interface, I/O is, but none of the reviews I've seen have talked about this yet and where you're posting on VI-Control I thought I'd ask.


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## onebitboy (Apr 26, 2020)

I would assume reviews don't talk about it because it's not a concern. The ASIO driver gets one audio stream from your DAW. It doesn't matter whether the DAW creates that stream from one Kontakt track or from 50.


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## Sean J (Apr 26, 2020)

onebitboy said:


> I would assume reviews don't talk about it because it's not a concern. The ASIO driver gets one audio stream from your DAW. It doesn't matter whether the DAW creates that stream from one Kontakt track or from 50.



"RME also enjoy an enviable reputation for the quality of the driver" ⁠— SoundOnSound

More Kontakt = More CPU used
More CPU used = variable I/O performance

I've used USB, Firewire, Thunderbolt, PCIe, and Express Slot interfaces on big projects. An EMU PCIe card doesn't even remotely live up to an RME and adding more Kontakt instances absolutely reveals that fact. A USB 2.0 interface isn't as CPU independent as Firewire. Lynx and RME are widely known for writing drivers very effectively, with Lynx often being a little faster to deploy. I did my homework, contacted manufacturers requesting improvements, and played that game for years. Then I bought an RME and never had to bother.

I'm not an expert in this area, and I certainly don't believe that consensus makes something true or makes me right. But it's at least worth noting that better-developed drivers are seen as relevant by many and has been for decades. Most reviews I've seen are more interested in audio engineering or a small band sized project. Hardware reviews aren't often geared toward orchestra-sized templates, or larger.

I'm not saying you're crazy. I can see why you'd say it shouldn't matter in theory. It might even be that the driver only magnifies the real issue, which is something else. Don't have a clue. But so far, I and others doing similar projects have found that drivers seem to be a critical component to consider in one's setup.


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