All user reviews of 4/5 for the Alesis iO|2 Express

2-channel audio recording interface for computer
Recording at 24 bits and 48 kHz
Balanced Master output and headphones output
Professional A/D and D/A converter
Low-noise preamp and 48V phantom power
Mic, line and instrument level inputs
MIDI in and out to play and control instruments
It works with virtually all software programs without the need of installing drivers ─ Plug and Play
USB-powered, no external power supply needed
For Windows and Mac OS X
Comes with a CD, Steinberg Cubase LE and a USB cable
Dimensions: 4.9" x 6.3" x 2,2". (125 x 160 x 55 mm)
Weight: 13 oz (380 g)

"Recording at 24 bits and 48 kHz," that says it all. Clear and precise recording. I use it mainly to record electric, acoustic-electric and bass guitar, as well as rap texts and vocals.
Good overall reproduction, no particular remarks.

UTILIZATION

Stable drivers, I usually use it with the Asio4All drivers, no latency problems. The setup is quite extensive but in the end the result is very satisfying.
Unfortunately limited to 2 simultaneous tracks, which is nevertheless more than enough for my small home studio, 48V phantom power if required. I use it mainly with protools and also ableton.

GETTING STARTED

Installation on a PC is pretty smooth. You connect the USB cable and the drivers are installed a couple of seconds later, then it's ready to use.

OVERALL OPINION

I have used it for almost a year and have never had a crash. It's value for money is amazing. I strongly recommend it to people who want to start their home studio at a reasonable price.
I don't regret my choice. I have informed myself and this one seems the best value for money by far!

Basically, I bought this soundcard to listen to audio motivated by its simplicity and price.
I would have never imagined that it would become essential for my compositions thanks to the 2 inputs, which allow me to efficiently record my synthesizer.
I use ableton live and the setup is child's play.
It comes with a lite version of cubase. I have not used it much, but it's very nice to have a rather comprehensive software at this price point.

UTILIZATION

The drivers for pc must be installed, on Mac everything is done directly.
I use Ableton Live.
I record two tracks simultaneously
I haven't seen any updates, but I think it works fine without them.
The problem is the latency, I don't know how much latency it has exactly, but it has some. I have tried to set it optimally and I can get reasonable results to record in the studio.

GETTING STARTED

Problem-free installation, everything is clear and easy.
I haven't found any incompatibilities.
Very clear and concise user's manual.

OVERALL OPINION

I've used it for 3 years and it's my first soundcard.
What I like best: The prices, the ease-of-use.
What I like the least: It has only two inputs, the sound loses a bit of quality, which is normal given the price...
Superb value for money.
I would definitely buy it as a first soundcard, although I right now crave a motu (which is another ballgame altogether).

The Alesis iO2 Express is an Audio Interface that has a very basic layout and design. The knobs appear to look like they are made out of heavy materials but they really are not and this could be an issue if the unit gets dropped. This interface only cost around 80 dollars though so I didn’t expect for it to be made out of the best materials. I was using this interface for my mobile set up for a few months. It is a 2 input unit with and XLR microphone input and ¼ TRS input for other units to be running into it. It gets its power directly from my laptop so there was no need to have any other power sources for it. I just kept it in my laptop bag and I was good to go no matter where I was.

UTILIZATION

Using and setting up the iO2 Express was very easy, it even came with a copy of Steinberg Cubase LE, which I used with it for a while. It worked great with Cubase and recording simple songs and stuff with this interface sounded great until I tried to record some more intricate stuff with it like instruments and other sound sources and it was just not able to handle everything I wanted to throw at it. Also I wanted to record more instruments and voices simultaneously and that just was not possible so I was forced to upgrade.

GETTING STARTED

The manual was easy to read and navigate through. I ran this interface and software on my Windows Vista computer running 32 bit and it also worked on my older XP laptop just fine as well.

OVERALL OPINION

I never had any driver issues with this interface or any type of crashes with it. It has worked great every single time that I used it. I do question its durability though when used and traveled with a lot.

Basically, I wanted a more sound cards or rather to conduct a workshop computer music.
It was therefore something easily transportable, convenient to install with USB power not to run after the catch or become entangled in electrical wires. It was a good start. Then I wanted college students learn to manipulate the sound, that is to say, turn the knobs, snap buttons, plug in can clearly see the inputs and outputs. Also the headphone jack is quickly accessible on the front for the multi-posts.
Finally, this card perfectly filled his office with a sound quite right, breathless, and with power comes with a version of Cubase.

UTILIZATION

No problem of instability. No driver to install whatsoever a Mac or PC, plug it works. At the latency of 4 virtual instruments, I get 10-12 with 512 ms buffer on configs middle school type in 44Khz.
I have not tried to record more than two tracks at the same time or 24-bit.
Regarding updates, I do not need a priori for the moment.
I mainly use Audacity, Live, Cubase and MuseScore.

GETTING STARTED

It is recommended to install Asio4All for better compatibility in XP.
Manual clear without real value in fact.

OVERALL OPINION

Used for more than one year, these sound cards, despite their side a little cheap, are more robust than what I imagined, mostly used by teenagers. Lightweight, ergonomic and efficiency are qualities that I really appreciate in this particular field of animation workshop.
I remake this choice because the price / quality ratio is very good.