Blackstar Polar 2 Audio Interface

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Overview

Introducing Blackstar’s POLAR audio interface, designed specifically for anyone who records guitar.

Our market research shows that most people who use an audio interface to record music at home record guitar. We conducted extensive Human Centred Design (HCD) which identified three main challenges people experience when recording guitar directly through an interface: poor feel / response, difficulty setting input levels without clipping and hard to use. Our POLAR interfaces overcome all these challenges making them the ultimate solution for anyone who records guitar.

POLAR provides the ultimate solution for these customers, with three clear reasons to purchase:

1. Feel and response of a real guitar amp

The only audio interface in the market with a FET input stage and “Enhance” feature that mimics the behaviour, characteristics, and electronics normally found on the input stage of a valve guitar amplifier. Plugging a guitar directly into a normal audio interface produces an anaemic signal with peaky transients, which makes playing through amp plugins sound like… a plugin, not an amp.

With the flick of a switch, POLAR’s “Enhance” feature makes all software amp plugins sound better by restoring the touch, feel and response of real amps. Works perfectly with pedalboards, no need for D.I. boxes or extra hardware.

2. Setting levels made foolproof

Our innovative input stage will never digitally clip, allowing the user to drive the interface like an amp. The input stage has an impressive amount of headroom running on +/- 12V giving 24V headroom, an outstanding comparison to competitor units at 5V. Setting guitar input levels and improving your tone has never been easier.

We put an equal amount of effort into designing the POLAR MIC preamps, which boast a response that matches one of the most famed preamps in studio history: the Neve 1081. In a blind A/B setup, the POLAR sounded identical to the vintage Neve. Additionally, the “Enhance” function on the MIC input acts as a gentle high-frequency lift that adds just the right amount of air and clarity to vocals.

3. Quick and simple to use

While “Enhance” improves feel, it was also engineered with an input stage that can never digitally clip for foolproof input level setting. Users can set levels quickly without worrying about clipping, allowing them to focus on the most important part: the music.

POLAR’s innovative features, alongside an incredibly low noise floor (115db), 48V phantom power and headphone outputs that can drive both high and low impedance models, make POLAR the go-to audio interface for all musicians who record guitar and audio.