About M-Audio
M-Audio has been making audio and MIDI hardware since the late 1990s, when it launched as Midiman and built some of the first affordable USB audio interfaces for home recording. The company took the M-Audio name in 2000, was acquired by Avid in 2004, and has operated since 2012 as a business unit of inMusic Brands, headquartered in Cumberland, Rhode Island.
Today the lineup spans the entry-level M-Track USB interfaces, the widely used Keystation MIDI keyboard controllers, studio monitors, and microphones. MusicRadar's review of the M-Track Duo HD Producer Pack called it capable of "a tone comparable to much more expensive interfaces", and Sweetwater's customer reviews consistently point to the M-Track Solo's low price and simple setup as reasons it remains a common first interface for home recordists and podcasters.
Brand website: m-audio.com
What M-Audio makes
M-Audio's catalog runs wider than the gear we review. The lines we know best from our own testing are marked with a star:
M-Track USB Audio Interfaces
Entry-level bus-powered interfaces, including the Solo and Duo HD, built around M-Audio's own Crystal mic preamps. — featured on House of Octave
Keystation MIDI Keyboard Controllers
USB/MIDI keyboard controllers in 32, 49 and 61-key sizes with velocity-sensitive keys.
Studio Monitors
Active nearfield monitors for desktop mixing and production.
Microphones
USB and XLR microphones for vocal and instrument recording.
MIDI Pad Controllers
Pad-based control surfaces aimed at beat production and sample triggering.
Why we recognized M-Audio
The House of Octave Top Brand recognition isn't paid for and can't be applied for. We award it to the brands whose gear consistently stands out in our player-tested category guides. M-Audio earned it on the strength of the products below, judged the same way every product on this site is: assessed on build, tone, and playability, weighed against what players actually report over years of use, and ranked on merit.
M-Audio gear we rated highly
M-Audio M-Track Solo USB Audio Interface
With over 7,700 owner ratings, it carries by far the largest evidence base of any interface in our audio interface reviews, and its USB/Direct monitoring switch is real hardware, so you hear yourself instantly while tracking rather than through a laggy buffer. It's genuinely pocket-sized and bus powered, and it ships with MPC Beats, a useful starting point for anyone making beats rather than tracking a band.
Read the 13 Best Audio Interfaces of 2026 (Home Studio, Podcasting, iPad & 8-Channel) guide →
M-AUDIO M-Track Duo HD USB-C Audio Interface
Two combo inputs that each accept a mic, a guitar, a bass or a line source, at a price point where most interfaces force a single input and a second recording pass. Switchable 48V phantom power and a full 24-bit/192kHz converter mean the resolution ceiling never limits what you record, and a hardware Direct/USB monitor switch lets you hear your own playing while tracking.
Read the 10 Best Audio Interfaces for Guitar of 2026 (Picks for Amp Sims, Bass and Acoustic) guide → M-AUDIO M-Track Solo USB Audio Interface
With more than 7,700 ratings, it's among the most thoroughly documented entry-level interfaces we've reviewed, and it includes 48V phantom power at a price point where several nearby competitors skip it entirely. It's also driverless on macOS, so it works the moment it's plugged in and keeps working across operating system updates without waiting on a manufacturer.
Read the 14 Best Budget Audio Interfaces of 2026 (Cheap Picks for Guitar, Podcasting and Streaming) guide →What earned M-Audio the recognition
- M-Audio interfaces appear across three of our audio interface roundups, earning recognition for both the M-Track Solo and M-Track Duo HD lines.
- The M-Track Solo has amassed thousands of owner ratings, giving buyers an unusually well-documented track record for an entry-level interface.
- Both interfaces are class-compliant and driverless on macOS, so they work the moment they're plugged in and keep working through operating system updates.
- The M-Track Duo HD pairs two combo inputs with 48V phantom power and a 24-bit/192kHz converter, more input capability than most interfaces at its price.
- M-Audio bundles MPC Beats and Ableton Live Lite with its entry interfaces, giving new users a complete recording and beat-making starting point out of the box.