Do you use an audio interface for capturing sounds from the outside world? Which do you use?
Each Tuesday we open our mic to readers and lurkers alike to come out of the woodwork and tell us your thoughts and opinion, your experiences and mistakes, what you love and what you hate. We want to hear from you, and here’s your chance.
What audio interface do you use? Are you happy with it? Why did you choose it? Is there a different audio interface you would prefer?
Or do you get by without an audio interface, using virtual instruments and only sounds that are already on your computer? Do you prefer working that way? Do you imagine you’ll reach a stage where you need an audio interface?
Do you have any advice for someone who is about to buy an audio interface? What are the key issues to be aware of?
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Motu 896 mk3. I had originally meant to get it as an upgrade to my motu 8 pre, but I was sorely disappointed to find no midi inputs on the 896. I had taken for granted that all nice interfaces had midi inputs, so now I keep the 8 pre for additional inputs on scratch tracks as well as midi i/o.
The preamps on the 8pre are incredibly sucky, the pres on the 896 are quite better, but still not as good as my FMR RNP. With that said, I really like the 896. Nothing on it is really groundbreaking, like some of the presonus and rme interfaces, but it’s just a really nice culmination of good features. Metering is great, Soft Limiting is great, Hardware Monitoring is great, CueMix + DSP effects are ok…
The 896 + 8 pre give me just enough power for tracking large band sessions, with 10 drum mics, and 5 di’s. I’d like it if it had nicer preamps, but I think it’s pretty unbeatable for the price.
My main criticisms of the unit are that 192khz sample rates are completely useless. I don’t know what the engineering cost of getting those speeds are, but I wish they were applied elsewhere, or to a lower price point. Also, MOTU’s claim that you can chain their units together via firewire is utter bullshit if you’re doing anything than 1 track: only optical works well for that.
Hi,
I own a Motu 896mk3 and I agree with you about pros and cons of this interface.
There are non big costs in using 192Khz converters (and no great convenience for the user), I think it’s all about marketing…
Do you know if there is a way to use the DSP effects within a software sequencer (like Digital Performer)? It would be great because I find them very useful.
I started off with the M-Audio FireWire Solo (after I sold my clunky Boss digistation in ’05 which recorded on Zip Disks). It had 2 inputs, which as a solo musician is enough. It let me learn the basics on a budget without worrying too much about preamps, etc. Then I upgraded to the Apogee Duet, which is probably all I’ll ever need if I don’t need more ins.
So, that being said, I’d say it’s best to start spending time, not money. Whenever you get a feel for things, bump it up to something reasonable but nicer.
My first audio interface was M-Audio’s Fast Track Pro. Later, I moved on to an M-Box 2 Pro. I also own an Alesis MasterControl studio interface- I usually record in Cubase 4 and then imported them to Pro Tools 8 LE.
I use a Tascam Fireone. I love the transport controls, and the balance know between input and playback is just what I need. What I didn’t need was the broken second headphone amp. I went out and bought a 4 channel amp, to run from the line out. I love it other than that. It does the job.
I have an Audiophile USB. It’s really great for someone who makes music with VSTs – too bad it’s not balanced on the outputs. As for the future, I will up buy a Saffire, or something with good DSP&ultra-low latency (it will take some time untl I make that kinda money, so who knows what audio gear will be out on the market by then?)… or just save cash for a UAD…
On a wishful note, I’d really like to see the audio industry take the accelerated path that GPU took some time ago. I’m not a CUDA or DirectCompute specialist, but the nature of audio streams seem to me (at least partially) processable on the GPUs. Think of that, in a few years: 12 core CPUs, 16 nm, hyperthreaded, working together with some GPUs (as coprocessors or something… I bet OpenCL can be used for some audio processing), and some AD/DA box with the I/O outside the computer.
This would practically extend to infinite the plugins that we could use, and who knows what innovations could be possible with a setup like this?
If there are GPU/parallel computing specialists reading this… please make a more documented post, I’m really curious what are the realities of this situation, because even today the CPUs are very powerful, and the recent GPUs (DirectX 10-11 generations) are plenty powerful also… if someone would try this and succeed we would have some extraordinary allies in the modern GPUs…
My travels have taken from the original MOTU 2408 to the MOTU 1224, then on the Apogee Rosetta 800 and now the Metric Halo ULN-8. The Metric Halo unit is by far the best sounding, most powerful, and most flexible interface I’ve ever seen.
As a matter of fact, please Google “gpu audio processing”… great things await us
M-audio MobilePre USB. I use it because of my live setup, and it’s portable and USB-powered.
Alesis Multimix 16 Firewire … It can run a live PA mix for my whole band, plus capture 16 separate digital audio channels for capturing multi-track recordings. It has a lot of routing options as well, allowing me to run a headphone mix for doing overdubs with the band with almost no discernible latency.
The preamps are pretty damn clean as well.
Its too bad Alesis discontinued the firewire version of this gem. I’m not sure I’d buy the USB version, as I’ve had nothing but problems with USB audio interfaces over the years. The upside is that you can snag used Firewire versions on eBay in the $400 range (I got mine for $380 on eBay), while the newer USB versions sell for $600 or more new.
Presonus Inspire 1396. I actually got 2 of them for a deal, and they both can be used at the same time, giving me 4 XLR or 1/4″ as well as 4 RCA ins (8 total ins) for the grand total of $50 off ebay! The pre-amps sound pretty good by themselves (I can go off-site and get a good sound), its very portable (i use a Macbook as my platform) and the software interface is straightforward and stable.
PreSonus Firepod.
8 channels.
decent preamps. haven’t really used any other ones, so I can’t compare much.
the thing is a bonafide workhorse. We’ve been using it for 4 years to crank out band demos and other recordings. Run it straight into a Macbook Pro via Firewire, record into Logic Pro.
Daisy chain two of them together for 16 tracks of fun. Definitely a wise purchase back in the day.
Plurgid’s interface sounds dope as hell.
MOTU UltraLite:
Ugly, but small and powerful. I use it as a component of beat making and using Ms. Pinky by Cycle 74. I plug my MPD 24 into it and punch away. The thing has way more inputs than I’ll ever use, but it’s nice knowing that if I ever wanted to host a show with it I could. It has 2 PreAmped(switched) Mic/Instrument inputs and 10 1/4″ outputs and 8 1/4″ inputs as well as a left and right S/PDIF in/out. It also sports MIDI ins and outs, 2 firewire ports (for daisy-chaining), headphone output, an onboard mixer and it can run on phantom power attached to a computer (I’ve never plugged it in). Save up for it though it’s around $5-600.
I’m going to have to second what Chris said.
I’ve had mine for four years as well. Setup couldn’t be easier, and the thing is totally reliable. I’ve done countless demos and polished recordings on it, as well as hauled it out to do live recordings to my Macbook Pro. Done all into Logic on Digital Performer. Definitely worth the money. I’ve also got Presonus’s BlueTube Pre as well and am loving it. Definitely a solid choice for a first interface or for expansion.
Digidesgn MBox 2 Pro. I got it so I could futz with sessions recorded at the studio I use, which records at 88K. It seems fine, but my quibbles are low headphone output, hard to read labeling on the buttons and an overall aesthetic of LAME. I mean, they could have made it look just a little bit cooler.
I just picked up a Focusrite Saffire Pro 24 about a month ago. It’s a beautiful interface for what I need, not too many ins or out but it sounds great and was definitely a step up from my kore 1 controller/audio interface.
I use a apogee ensemble at home in the little studio
a duet with the laptop if I have to go and record out of the house
and a DJ8 with my live set, to get music out of traktor scratch pro and Ableton
My main two interfaces are both Focusrites, one Saffire Pro2626 and one Saffire Pro1010. They are basically the same when it comes to the preamps, which are derived form the popoular and well sounding green series. As for those two they also do a great job. My philosophy rather then already “coloring” my recordings from the start (i’m not saying this is bad, just not my thing) is to get a signal as clean as possible and that’s what they do. They are connected via FireWire, so i have 16 identical analog mic inputs which I need for larger drum setups. On top they are clocked via SPDIF, and offer MIDI. I admit that the drivers provided by focusrite could be a little better, but unlike some other users i read about, I never had such major issues like dropouts or clicks in my recordings. Since they are no longer manufactured I will really try to hold on to them as long as possible, cause there really isn’t any interface on the market with that many inputs, especially not 8 mic pres that can be daisychained to make a bigger setup…!
cheers
Oh right, I forgot:
M-Audio FW-410 just to be able to use Pro Tools if needed. I’m a Logic user but once in a while there are certain things that the Digidesign DAW is just better…!
FW-410:
- Cheap
- Reliable
- Sufficiant routing options for headphones etc.
- One BIG issue: No balanced outputs for my speakers, so lots of interference from phones/powercables etc…!
over and out
I use a MOTU 24i. Before that I was using a MOTU 2408mkii. Before that was a Tascam USB 2×2. Before that was a Tascam 4 track tape recorder.
I’ve gone through a significant number of interfaces for having recorded so few songs. But I love my Apogee ONE. Like an Apple slogan, it just works…
I use the M-Audio FW410 @ 48kHz with a buffer of 512 samples. I only use the SPDIF output (and also headphones) as my monitors have SPDIF input and great D/A converters.
Edirol UA-25EX. Simple, reliable on OS X, built like a tank.
Started out with one of these…..no complaints there. Now I run focusrite saffire pro 40 and a mackie 1604 vlz3 pro. The quality is just awesome. had it for a while and haven’t looked back.
I do think however before spending crazy amounts of money you should start with the sheer basics to see if you’ve got something. Then upgrade slowly getting used to the equipment and its quirks, plus its always a good idea to go back to remaster your tracks given the change to audio and gives you good ear practice.
Anybody uses Native Instruments ?
I have bought a Native Instruments Audio Kontrol 1 and a half year ago and still use it. It’s great and very precise at details. I haven’t tested it yet at 192khz recording but the sound quality is great. Almost all my audiojungle items have been mastered with it. And I get 9ms audio latency !
audiojungle.net/user/artweb11/portfolio
MOTU UltraLite, I like it.
I use a Line6 UX8 into a laptop via USB, i brought it as for its price it does exactly what i need it to do. I record bands with it for demos and releases. The packaged PodFarm is a great bonus and gives the flexibilty between live mics and recording straight in from the guitar.
I have had no problems with it, sounds very clean and runs like a dream, you also get the options of phantom power on all 8 inputs, low/high pass cuts on all of the inputs, the VU metres are also a huge bonus.
the one thing that i currently dislike about it is the fact that you cant expand it in anyway, so im limited to just the 8 inputs. at the moment.
i used to run a presonus firepod, that was awesome very warm sounding. If presonus offered the software solution along with the metres i would have chosen that over my line6.
M-Audio Fast Track Ultra 8R (USB 2.0)
I wish I had thrown in a few more bucks and bought myself the M-Audio Profire 2626 (Firewire). Mixing drumkits with only 8 inputs is a little difficult at times. No other complaints.
M-Audio interface because of protools.
Echo AudioFire.
If you’ve never had the pleasure of using an Echo product, you don’t know what you’re missing. Ever since i first bought an Echo Mia sound card, i’ve sworn off every other brand for interfaces.
http://www.echoaudio.com/Products/FireWire/
M-Audio Profire 2626
I used to have a Firewire 410, and I liked it enough to upgrade. It has pretty much every input under the sun, and its rack mountable. 8 XLR inputs means I can record drums and worry about phase later.
M-Audio Audiophile 2496 PCI. I’d like to get an M-Audio ProjectMix I/O, but they have been out a long time and I get the feeling something better is coming from them.
I think I win the prize for using the OLDEST audio interface so far
fast track ultra
RME FireFace 400 or well, the integrated soundcard of my pc.
Edirol UA-25. As said before: Built like a tank!
Last week I bought an Zoom R16, just for fun. It’s a HD recorder, Interface and controller in one. For that money it’s a damn good product! No midi, but I don’t use that. 8 inputs, I mean 8x XLR or Jack! 16 track recorder.
I also have a Focusrite Saffire Pro 24, preamps are better.
I use yamaha N12 digital mixing console..
I’m so happy with it.. Clean pres, integrated transport button, n also can be use for digital summing..
The transport button can remote play,stop,record,etc on cubase.. It have 8 balanced channels and 4 unbalanced channels,so i can record drum with this stuff.. I’ve bought it 1 year ago, and still work very well.. One reason that make love this stuff,it is made in indonesia.. My lovely country.. Cheers!!!
emu m1212 and behringer ada 8000 – very happy with both, transparent and more i/o than i will ever use – patchmix dsp is unbelievably flexible (once you get your head around it)
Tascam 144
Presonus Firepod – pretty baddass 8 ch with midi and spdif ins/outs
(my only issue with it is the gain knobs – they snap into position not smooth)
mbox2 mini if space is limited or if I have to grab stuff from pro-tools to get into logic.
Current interface setup: M-audio Profire 2626 combined with an API a2d 2 CH preamp/ADC/wordclock.
And now a short story about interfaces:
I started with a TAPCO Link.USB and loved it actually. Never hand any problems with it and for my purposes it worked great.
Moved to an Mbox2 so I could use pro tools, and wasn’t all that happy with it. poor signal strength and it had compatibility issues with my motherboard that were reported to digidesign, but not verified by digidesign. Which basically means I’m out of luck as far as support goes. This was especially frustrating because I had, through an extremely lucky series of events, purchased an API a2d and was unable to do serious recording because of crashes. it was a very discouraging time for me.
After hating my life because of random computer shutdowns and program “poofs” my wonderful girlfriend bought me and imac to ease my pain. I’m not here to open up a can of “mac vs. pc.” I think both are great and have definite strengths. after 11 years as a PC user and 1 year on a mac, I have concluded the pros and cons really balance each other out.
However, a mac has hardware standardization going for it though which lends itself to being a good candidate for a spoiled drama queen of a program like Pro Tools. Also, imacs are very quiet. also a big plus for recording.
I finally settled on a M-audio Profire 2626 because of the expandability and the reported preamp/converter quality for the price. I’m very happy with it, for the most part. There are still compatibility issues with my firewire chipset on windows (when I boot to windows to use Reaper). It gives me the dreaded BSoD at the moment. It has worked great in OSX though. No complaints there.
Advice:
You computer setup is just as important as your interface. If you find an interface that you like, make sure you look at the manufacturer’s support forums and search for every identifier your system has. In other words look for your model of motherboard, video card, wireless, etc. If you don’t see any major issues cropping up you are one lucky fella (or lady).
Bottom line, if you’re fortunate enough to be in a position to purchase both, get your interface FIRST and seek out the best computer for it afterwords.
Also, make sure you get what you need instead of trying to be future proof. if you can take a deep look inside your soul and admit you’re not going to do much more than track at a time – that is wonderful news. Then instead of wasting your money on extra channels you can put it towards 2 channels that are wonderful, or set some extra money aside for a nice preamp.
Hi, i have just got a ZOOM R-16 for my Macbookpro into Logic, and now I´m thinking that it could have been better Alesis multimix 16 firewire, i saw it for the same price as the R-16, would it be a big difference with the preamps and also one is USB and the other Firewire? anyone?
tc electronic konnekt 8, according to most pros you can’t beat the quality without spending 3-4 times the money.
Line 6 – Toneport UX2. Sounds great for the money. And the included amp modeling packs are really great, although I rarely use anything other than the “Studio Vocal” – which I highly recommend.
I use M-Audio MobilePre USB for my music creativity outdoors and M-Audio Fast Track Ultra in studio. Both are absolutely the best choice for the money they cost. Really great quality and comfort to work with.