Review on 🎙️ Pyle PDUSBPP10 XLR-to-USB Signal Adapter - Universal Plug and Play Mic to PC Adaptor for Digital Recording with Mix Audio Control, Phantom Power, and Headphone Volume by Paul Abs

I was looking for a microphone interface that I could take anywhere. I usually record audio with my Focusrite interface, but it's square, requires a separate power supply, and most of the time I prefer to just leave it on my desk. So I bought this adapter so I can record with my microphone on the go and capture song ideas in my hotel room. Overall, I'm very happy with how well this thing works, but there are a few caveats. For reference, I'm using this on a newer MacBook Pro. Pros: - Easy setup. I just plugged it in and the Mac immediately saw it as an available input and output. The quality seems very decent for the price. Although I haven't had it that long, it holds up to minimal abuse when scattered in my bag and works great. - The mute button makes it easy to turn on and off for any reason and can be used as a manual squelch in noisy environments. The LED is highly visible so you know instantly when you're muted and when you're not. The actual audio recorded sounds good regardless of the microphone used, so at least I have a feeling the hardware and end result is of good quality too. Cons: - Management is terrible. Things are mislabeled (see image) and while this isn't rocket science, it makes me wonder how much attention is given to other things. I can't figure out how to get the volume/mix control to work. It's not a problem because I can toggle it on and off in the OS and in Logic/Garageband/whatever DAW, but it literally doesn't do anything when I turn the knob and the manual doesn't really tell what the mix is like / Toggling the volume should work. This seems to say that by default the fader controls volume and when muted controls the mix, but that doesn't make any sense and doesn't really seem to reflect what's going on - which is nothing. - Max sampling rate is 48kHz which is fine but everything else I record is 96kHz. I'm not sure how this difference affects the price of the device, but I would pay a little more for a higher sampling rate. It's not really a big problem and I'm perfectly happy with it for the price paid, but it would be nice. All in all a great little device and it does what I need it to do. I will try to update in the future to solve the long-term use problem. Addendum: After a few months of use, it no longer works. A clear crackle can be heard at the output, which becomes more noticeable when moving the volume control. Downgraded to 3 stars as it still 'works' but not in a way that anyone using it for anything other than a hobby would be happy with.