Much of the time, I was forced to turn down the actual 2-track in order to get a meaningful vocal. In the past, I was unable to hear myself when recording vocals because the US-122 was very limited in this aspect. This feature allows you to control the volume when recording vocals. Another feature of the US-122mkII is that is overrated, especially for the musician on a budget, is the Mon Mix feature. It also records in up to 24-bit/96kHz resolution. Again, this is amazingly useful as these days so much is done on the go. This means that you can just plug in the device into your laptop(or desktop) and go. It also has MIDI input and output for use with controllers and keyboards. I actually have a Juno 6 and a Rode K2 that I keep plugged into the device. The US-122mkII has two 1/4" line inputs, an instrument input for guitars and basses, and two XLR inputs with phantom power for dynamic or condenser microphones. And importantly, it works with every DAW available. There have been multiple times where I, as a producer, have had to switch sessions or make changes on the fly to sessions and was able to do so because of the Tascam US-122mkII.
It's cheap, it sounds great, it gets the job done, and it's portable. The Tascam is incredible for multiple reasons. Since then, I've only updated once and that was to the Tascam US-122mkII. Seeing how all I had was a small budget and a dream, I couldn't really aim for the overly expensive gear. It was cheap and allowed me to get the job done. When I was in college, I made a small investment in the Tascam US-122. Depending on how long you've been making music, most artists/producers have gear that they swear by.