The XD-2 can be used in two separate modes: Rec/Play Mode and USB Mode. In Rec/Play Mode, the XD-2 acts as a standard USB audio interface with active inputs and monitoring features. In USB Mode, the XD-2 acts as a DSP resource in which the on-board channel dynamics and EQ can be used for a recording or a stereo mastering pass. For USB Mode, the user can control all the Mackie dynamics and EQ from the XD-2 Graphic User Interface, and all hardware inputs are disabled.