Comments about TASCAM US-122MKII USB 2.0 2-channel Audio/MIDI Interface:

I have had one of these for at least two years. I have used it with multiple machines under both XP and Win7 x64. It seems to me that most of the complaints here are coming from Mac users or Win7 users. To the Mac people, I can only respond that maybe you ought to pick a platform that is more cost effective and practical for hardware devs to support; you'd think you'd start to get it when your complaints clog up every Internet review forum from free VST plugins to just about every low-cost USB interface out there.

As for the Win7 complaints, I'm here to tell you that the 122mkii *does* work just fine under Win7. Occasionally, and I do mean OCCASIONALLY, the interface *does* go a little nuts, creating the funky ASIO-buffer-related noises that a few other users cite... but this is a rare thing and easily resolved by unplugging the interface / plugging it back in. (As such, I guess I'd have a harder time recommending the 122mkII for live applications.) It's also worth noting that I had a harder time with the SPDIF-equipped 144mkII in this department; for whatever reason, it seemed a lot more glitch-prone than the 122.

Most of the time, my 122 works well for hours at a stretch. The mic preamps don't sound fantastic but they do get the job done for quick project recordings. It would be nice if the headphone amp had a little more oomph, which is a complaint I also have about the US-1800 I own. But overall, I have reasonable expectations for a unit at this price, and the 122 meets them just about as well or better than any other USB interface I've tried in the price range... and I've tried quite a few.

I do note that recently, there are some new options from the likes of Focusrite for a bit more that might be worth looking at for the supposedly better preamps alone. But at the time I bought the 122mkII, it was the best luck I'd had with any USB interface in the price range, and it has served me well on a lot of projects in the last few years.

Comments about TASCAM US-122MKII USB 2.0 2-channel Audio/MIDI Interface:

IF you use windows XP AND ONLY WINDOWS XP, and you find this item on clearance, then it's worth messing with.

But DO NOT attempt to use it in Windows 7. Get a unit that's up-to-date instead.

I originally had it running on windows XP, only minor issues, some latency etc.

Later I built a new system.
With a clean install of windows 7 and updated drivers etc. YOU WILL EXPERIENCE DRIVER FAILURES, TERRIBLE PERFOMANCE SPIKES, AND EVEN BSOD's due to Tascam completely botching the windows 7 drivers for this device.

I thought it might be my PC's hardware. I was convinced that MUST be the case.

I was wrong, I wasted 2 days thinking I could solve the problem I've seen hundreds of forum posts begging for help on.

I attempted it on several windows 7 machines. Same or similar issues. The windows 7 drivers are HORRIBLE, they crash spectacularly.

Do not get this interface if you have a choice between it and a more modern unit!
YOUR EXPERIENCE WILL BE A NIGHTMARE.

The funny part?
Every forum post on this claims Tascam support told them they've never heard of this issue before.
Nice...

It pays to check reviews on these things, and I hope I just saved you from a horrible nightmare.

Comments about TASCAM US-122MKII USB 2.0 2-channel Audio/MIDI Interface:

I have had this interface for a while now and I have no complaints, the clicks and other noise issues others have had i had at first but I was able to get it running right. I have been pleased with this product and will continue use it

Comments about TASCAM US-122MKII USB 2.0 2-channel Audio/MIDI Interface:

I bought the Tascam US-122MKII with high expectations. I assumed that teamed with my fairly new MacBook Pro and Garage Band, I would be able to plug a microphone and a keyboard into my computer and record. That just wasn't the case. I was able to record using my Ovation guitar but even after several hours of continuous reconfiguration, I wasn't able to get the vocals or keyboards recognized. I don't have a lot of time to spend on configuring equipment and at this stage in my life, I surely do not need the frustration. I am returning the unit and will probably invest in a newer USB full-featured keyboard.

Comments about TASCAM US-122MKII USB 2.0 2-channel Audio/MIDI Interface:

I picked this unit up at my local GC to meet some very basic needs: get (2) mics into the computer for some self produced training videos with decent sound quality while bypassing the mic/line-in ports on my laptop. The features and price point of the Tascam unit were very attractive. Install of the drivers (from their website) went w/o a hitch on an Windows XP system. Audacity and Reaper worked with the unit w/o a problem. Sound quality: built-in preamps are on the weak side. With condenser (MXL) or dynamic (EV) mics the gain had to be turned up almost to the max resulting in noticeable hiss coming into the recording. The hiss was easy to remove via software. Running a mixer into the line inputs worked perfectly as I could dial down the gain on the Tascam unit and reduce most of the noise.Recording consistency: would occasionally snap, crackle, and pop while recording. I made sure Wifi, anti-virus, and firewall features were turned off on the laptop but that made no difference. Build quality: this is where there were inconsistencies. The unit is physically larger than it really needs to be. When you flip a switch on the unit you can hear an echo in the box. I would?ve liked a smaller unit for portability and storage reasons. Although the box itself is metal and feels sturdy the knobs an potentiometers don?t measure up. The pots don?t turn as smooth as other value-priced gear (ex: Art Tube MP preamp) and the knobs feel thin and cheap. In other words, the unit does not convey a sense of build quality compared to other gear in the price range. Overall: the interface works and the sound quality is quite good if you use the line ins and bypass the mic preamps. At its current price (~$97) it?s worth it for basic needs. I returned the item simply because the noise w/mics was an issue. I replaced it with a Lexicon Lambda which performs better.

Comments about TASCAM US-122MKII USB 2.0 2-channel Audio/MIDI Interface:

I have been using this device for about a year and just with in the past month it started doing the same thing. Horrible noise issues screaming from the Tascam even when there is zero chance of crosstalk. As a AV and IT professional, this issue drove me mad! Finally , I boiled down to a hardware issue with the Tascam.I will be sending mine back to Tascam asap!Only one good thing came out of this nightmare. I hooked my old M-Audio Delta 1010lt that i almost forgot about. With the updated UI from M-Audio, this card is simply amazing.

Comments about TASCAM US-122MKII USB 2.0 2-channel Audio/MIDI Interface:

I originally bought this product for use with a computer running Windows XP. It worked great, satisfied all my needs, and never had any problems. About a month ago, I got a laptop running Windows 7, and it fits all the problems being described in the reviews. It begins with a click once in a while, and after a while evolves into this horrible static-type noise.Although, as I said earlier, it works wonderfully with my Windows XP computer. I would recommend asking a local music store to order it (if they don't already have one or more in stock) and bring it home to try it. If it makes click occasionally, don't compromise. Take it back, buy a new system.

Comments about TASCAM US-122MKII USB 2.0 2-channel Audio/MIDI Interface:

This USB interphase has given me nothing but problems. It works fine for about 15 minutes, then it starts making this horrible, terrible noise. I have followed Tascam's recommendations to reduce the noise, (including disabling anti-virus software, changing performance settings, manually turning background programs off, etc) but I still get the noise. This interphase will make you not want to record.

Comments about TASCAM US-122MKII USB 2.0 2-channel Audio/MIDI Interface:

I bought the TASCAM US-122MKII because it had all the features I was looking for at a reasonable price. I was aware of that some people had issues with it. But there seems to be issues with every USB interface out there so I figured I might as well give the TASCAM a try. Right?Wrong! While unboxing it I found that the knobs were very wobbly and made out of thin plastic. (Note, the device is completely dead until you install the drivers, only then does the USB light come on.) As I'm on Snow Leopard I downloaded the latest 10.6 drivers for Mac and followed the instructions. Once I had it set up I plugged in an electric guitar to try it out. The signal seemed to be strong but I noticed faint digital noise mixed in with the clean signal. The noise was also present on the clean recorded signal. I tried different guitars, cables and inputs but it was still there. I downloaded Firmware update 2.01 for Mac from TASCAM thinking maybe it would take care of the issue, it didn't. I returned the TASCAM and got a USB interface from a different manufacturer.

Comments about TASCAM US-122MKII USB 2.0 2-channel Audio/MIDI Interface:

In theory this is a great product for a good price. In practice there is a very bad issue when recording. A noise occurs during input signal level rises and falls (i.e. when the SIG LED turn on and goes off). This renders all recordings useless, especially when you use it for guitar amp modeling with distortion. This is not a latency issue. Google "tascam us-122 mkii pops" and you will see what I mean. Lots of people are having the same issue and TASCAM offers no solution.Apart from that it is OK. Very low latency, good playback quality. As long as you don't use it to record it performs good. But I guess this is a recording interface. Shame.