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Recording Orchid's Audio: Two Methods

Updated

With the v4.0 firmware update, Orchid allows audio to be recorded in two ways:

  • Via USB-C

  • Via 3.5mm stereo output jack

Method 1: Via USB-C

Orchid's USB-C connection carries audio directly to your computer; no separate audio interface or additional cables are required. Orchid is USB class compliant, which means it follows a universal audio standard that both Mac and Windows recognise natively. On Mac, this works out of the box with no setup at all. On Windows, there is a small amount of configuration required to get the best results in a DAW, which is covered below.

  1. Turn your Orchid completely off. Plug the USB cable into both your computer and the Orchid. Turn the Orchid on, but do not touch any keys, buttons, or dials while the startup logo shows on the screen.
     
  2. Once the Orchid finishes its boot animation, a "Select USB Mode" menu will automatically appear on its screen. Use the Options dial to select "Enable USB Data" and wait a few seconds for the connection to finalise. 
     
  3. The remaining steps vary depending on your computer's operating system:
    • Mac: macOS will detect your Orchid immediately as an audio device with no additional steps. Open your DAW's audio preferences and confirm the driver type is set to Core Audio; this is the only audio driver mode on Mac and it is selected by default.
    • Windows:  Windows recognises Orchid automatically as a USB class compliant audio device, but unlike Mac, Windows offers several different audio driver modes. The one you choose has a meaningful impact on latency and compatibility with your DAW. Here's what each option means and which to use.
      • ASIO4ALL –  the audio driver standard used by virtually all professional DAWs on Windows because it provides the lowest latency and most direct communication between your software and audio hardware. Because Orchid is class compliant rather than coming with its own manufacturer ASIO driver, you use ASIO4ALL, as it is a free, universal ASIO driver that works with class compliant USB audio devices. Download and install ASIO4ALL from asio4all.org, then select it as your driver in your DAW's audio preferences. In the ASIO4ALL control panel, make sure Orchid is enabled as the active input device.
         
      • WASAPI (Windows Audio Session API) – Windows' built-in modern audio system that requires no additional installation. It works well for general audio playback and is supported by many DAWs. However, its latency is higher than ASIO, which can make real-time monitoring while recording feel sluggish. It's a reasonable fallback if ASIO4ALL causes issues with your specific setup, but not the top choice for recording work.
         
      • WDM (Windows Driver Model) / Kernel Streaming – WDM and its lower-level variant Kernel Streaming are older Windows audio modes that some DAWs still list as options. They offer lower latency than standard WASAPI but are generally less stable than ASIO4ALL for recording. Most users won't need to use these; they are mainly relevant if a particular DAW doesn't support WASAPI and ASIO4ALL isn't available.
         
  4. Once your audio driver is selected, set Orchid as your audio input device in your DAW. From there, setting up an audio track to record works the same way as with any other audio interface.

Method 2: Via 3.5mm Stereo Output Jack

  1. Connect Orchid with a stereo TRS cable. Plug the 3.5mm connector into the output jack, and the other two 1/4" ends into two separate input channels on your audio interface. 
     
  2. In your DAW, create a new stereo audio track and assign the two channels to the inputs on your interface. 

Note: Users have reported getting muddy or distorted audio when recording their Orchid. In almost every case, this is caused by recording Orchid's stereo signal into a single mono channel. This will cause phasing issues and a poor-quality recording. For best results, we recommend using a stereo TRS cable, like as our own over here.