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Let's figure out the best entry level audio interface! - Maybe a MEGATHREAD someday? There doesn't seem to be real concensus on the best audio interface for newbies. Obviously there are a variety of good options at different price points, but let's discuss the options along with the features. I've divided up some common suggestions by price point, and I'll be listing the pros and the cons, and continuing to update this thread with pros, cons, and additional hardware as I receive more input. I've focused on portable interfaces as they seem to be cheaper, and hence more suitable for someone just getting into reporting - tell me what I'm missing. RivensBitch's thread goes into interfaces in some detail, but the recommendations are somewhat out of date. Read it anyway, especially if you want to learn more about the different types of interfaces. If you've got experience with an audio interface, post your thoughts on it, and I'll continue to update the OP. If you're new and looking for an interface, feel free to post in this thread. Less than $150 USB 1.0 M-Audio MobilePre - ~$100 -Pros: Cheap -Cons: No MIDI; Some complaints about noise PCI M-Audio Audiophile 2496 - $100 -Pros: Decent quality card for MIDI, cheap -Cons: No preamps, no 1/4" ins $150 to $250 USB 1.0 Cakewalk UA-25EX - ~$250 -Pros: "Rugged" build quality -Cons: 48khz max sampling rate with both in and out enabled, USB 1.0? USB 2.0 E-MU 0404 USB 2.0 Interface - ~$200 -Pros: High quality sound, not a ton of complaints about it anywhere, also available in white for mac lovers -Cons: Knobs can be hard to make small adjustments on M-Audio Fast Track Pro Mobile USB Audio/MIDI Interface - ~$200 -Pros:It works, decent build quality -Cons: underpowered preamps; 48khz max sampling rate with box in and out enabled; some complaints about the preamp quality; crappy software options Firewire PreSonus FireBox 24-bit/96kHz FireWire Recording System - ~$200 -Pros: When it works, people like it -Cons: Underpowered preamps, lots of reports of random resets/problems/hardware death Focusrite Saffire 6 USB Audio Interface - ~$200 -Pros: Really well liked, not many complaints -Cons: Doesn't work well with Nuendo according to quite a few forum posts. $250 and above USB 2.0 Mbox 2 Mini - ~$295 -Pros: Pro-Tools, on the cheap. -Cons: Incompatible with 64-bit Windows or Windows 7, check your system's compatibility, it's also recommended to use a dedicated hard drive with pro tools; supposedly crappy preamp; no MIDI; supposedly terrible customer support Firewire Presonus Firepod - ~$400 -Pros: Lots of inputs, reportedly great sound quality, rack mount -Cons: Quite a few reports of unit death/problems, though less than the Firebox Alesis IO 26 - ~$430 -Pros: Lots of inputs if you need to record a whole band, quite well liked by those who like it -Cons: Occasional quality control issues, driver issues, picky with firewire cards Apogee Duet - ~$495 -Pros: Sexy looking, good customer service, reportedly fantastic sound quality, people who like it seem to LOVE it -Cons: Some reports of noisy/defective units, but it would appear that Apogee is good about replacing them; No MIDI; Only 2 ins; Mac Only What should I buy???? Read the thread. I've removed my recommendations because there's no clear "best" choice. If you still want to know, make a post here and give us some info on what you're trying to do. I found a kind of cool INTERNET WIZARD which serves as a good starting point, if anyone is at a loss. AriTheDog fucked around with this message at Apr 5, 2010 around 04:39 |
| # ? Mar 13, 2010 00:56 |
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| # ? May 21, 2013 04:08 |
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For those who need more inputs, the Alesis io26 firewire is probably your best option. It's got 8 XLR/Line inputs, 2 of which are switchable to Hi-Z. The preamps sound fine, and have quite enough gain on tap. It's only around $400, but I imagine you could find it cheaper. The major drawback is that this is the most fussy Firewire interface in the world. It worked alright on my old computer, which used the on board Firewire port, but would drop out every couple of hours and need to be re-connected. When I got my new computer I had to try 4 Firewire cards before I found one that worked... I even had to try 2 different texas instrument chipset ones, even though these are generally more reliable. Of the other 3 that I tried, I was lucky to get 2 minutes of connectivity for 20 minutes of loving around. Fortunately, now that I have a card that works 100% I am happy again. I am now recording in Windows 7 64 bit, with around 20ms total latency at 256 samples, without a hitch. And the firewire card that ended up working? A $17 thing off ebay. Perseverance paid off. edit: Amazon link http://www.amazon.com/Alesis-IO-26/dp/B000M49QS6
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| # ? Mar 13, 2010 02:42 |
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Can't have this conversation without mentioning Echo Audio, their stuff is such an incredible deal. I personally have their Audiofire12, and am planning on grabbing either their new pre8, or another 12 soon. Which is a great thing about their interfaces, they are designed to stack. They have tested 8 of the 12s on one fw400 port and had no problems. I have never had any problems with the drivers and the converters are top notch. Their pre8 is 499 I believe and the 12 runs for about 599. They are seriously awesome and deserve to be looked at at any budget, especially if you already have access to preamps, the 12 contains none so is constantly upgradeable. They can be hard to find though. The only place I know of that sells most of their line is Front End Audio. http://www.frontendaudio.com/SearchResults.asp?mfg=Echo I promise I am not affiliated with either company.
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| # ? Mar 13, 2010 06:19 |
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If you use a desktop PC, there are PCI options too, like M-Audio Audiophile 2496 - $100  Pros: -Good quality (though there's also a 192kHz version if you want to go a bit further) -Low latency -S/PDIF -Built-in MIDI (low latency as far as I can tell, and I haven't had any dropouts or anything) Cons: -Only 2 ins and outs -Desktop only I got one as my first proper interface, and while I'm looking to expand (will probably buy a couple more synths and a microphone at some point) it's worked well, and seems like good value  The USB MIDI I was using before was terrible and dropped out all the time, so having good MIDI is such a relief.
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| # ? Mar 13, 2010 10:20 |
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I've got some little dingy Behringer mixer with loving terrible preamps so I've been looking for an interface with some good, clean preamps. I was looking at the firebox but it doesn't seem so enticing now.
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| # ? Mar 13, 2010 10:33 |
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cat doter posted:I've got some little dingy Behringer mixer with loving terrible preamps so I've been looking for an interface with some good, clean preamps. I was looking at the firebox but it doesn't seem so enticing now. I've never used the firebox but I do use a firepod (now called the FP-10), which as far as I can tell is the same thing with 6 more XLR inputs, and I've never had a single problem with it in the 3 years I've had it (well, nothing that wasn't my own fault for not getting the latest drivers at the time). Maybe the firebox uses cheaper component hardware *shrug*.
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| # ? Mar 13, 2010 10:59 |
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A valiant idea, but I feel like the most useful application for a thread like this would just be a poll of how many people have used which interfaces and if they would recommend them to someone else. Aggregating reviews and trying to ascertain general opinion is extremely hit or miss, especially when you're only looking at price points where people with very little recording experience are most of the audience. With regards to the Home Recording Megathread, the list in the OP is from the first thread in 2005 so obviously it is way out of date. The thing is, even when it was first written the list didn't help people all that much. On any given day the best deal could be any of the above interfaces for someone just starting out, depending on your specific circumstances. You will find someone who loves each one and someone who hates each one if you ask enough people. As an example of incomplete information in online reviews, let's address the "E-MU 0404 won't output S/PDIF in Windows" claim that I'm guessing you ran across in a review or on a support forum. If you follow to the FAQs section of E-MUs site you learn this: E-MU posted:The E-MU 0404 USB is not capable of direct S/PDIF output using Windows applications that are not ASIO compatible. I realize it can be inconvenient in home studios, but this is true of most audio interfaces: the WDM drivers are worthless because WDM is worthless to the recording audience. None of the ones I've owned before the $1400 Fireface UC I own now (that RME wrote their own USB implementation for) have had WDM drivers that could reliably output general system sounds or work with most other applications, whether S/PDIF or headphones. Even Pro Tools HD interfaces have trouble with this in CoreAudio on a Mac. wixard fucked around with this message at Mar 13, 2010 around 12:47 |
| # ? Mar 13, 2010 12:45 |
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I've had two audio interfaces, one Firebox which had such a slew of problems that I could never recommend it, and a Mackie Onyx 400f to replace it which puts it to shame.
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| # ? Mar 13, 2010 17:34 |
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I had a Firebox for a while, and while it sounded OK it *literally* exploded after about two years. There was smoke. I think if you're on a Mac and you only need two in / two out, the Apogee Duet is what you want. The preamps and converters completely blow away everything else in the price range. $425 If price isn't a concern, anything from Metric Halo will do the trick. My buddy has a ULN-2 which is totally ridiculous. $1700.
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| # ? Mar 13, 2010 18:57 |
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I've added a few more devices. I'm going to try and stay under $500 here, since this is targeted towards people just getting started in recording.wixard posted:A valiant idea, but I feel like the most useful application for a thread like this would just be a poll of how many people have used which interfaces and if they would recommend them to someone else. Aggregating reviews and trying to ascertain general opinion is extremely hit or miss, especially when you're only looking at price points where people with very little recording experience are most of the audience. To some extent, I agree with you that aggregating reviews (from digital recording newbies) isn't great, there's really no other way to get an idea of common problems with cards. I'm reading a TON of reviews from different sources, and I don't list a problem unless I get several corroborating reports. Through this, I think I'm getting at least a picture of what products commonly have problems. The Firebox is a good example of this: I read many reports of the thing just dying, and here in this thread we have two people corroborating that it's lovely. That's why it's in there. Regarding the E-MU 0404, to be honest I was kind of desperate to find some other problems with it! It's extremely well liked across the board. As a newbie, I didn't really know much about what S/PDIF even was, so I threw it in. I appreciate the clarification, and I've removed it from the cons of that device. To clarify, what I'm trying to do here is figure out a good device without a lot of reported problems for newbies. I'm going for devices that would be good for someone without a lot of experience, and without a lot of equipment. Ideal devices have preamps, MIDI, hi-z inputs, xlr, etc - I'm not looking for perfect device, but I want something that can do a wide range of tasks so newbies can plug in a mic or a guitar, or a MIDI keyboard, without having to buy extra gear. I'm also trying to focus on less expensive stuff, so someone just getting into recording doesn't blow $500 on something that they aren't going to really use.
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| # ? Mar 13, 2010 21:19 |
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The Focusrite Saffire 6 USB Audio Interface is looking interesting. I can't seem to find audio specifics on their site. Is it 96khz? Supports ASIO drivers? Work well with reaper and poo poo? Assuming anyone here has even used one, apparently it's pretty new. The site raves on about the aim being to get their supposed award winning mic preamps onto a small and cheap kind of all-in-one device. Anyone know if this is crap? I've never used focusrite preamps so I dunno if they usually suck or not. If if turns out to be good and I can finish my EP (My behringer mixer doesn't get usable dirty guitar recordings, they all just sound like a toy guitar) I will have done so on less than $1000 of gear which is pretty sweet. I'm a thrifty bedroom engineer/producer!
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| # ? Mar 15, 2010 09:58 |
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.jpg) TC Electronic Desktop Konnekt 6 - $199 Pros: -Two inputs, one mic/line/instrument, one line/instrument -Direct monitoring -TC quality (good pre, good converter, 24bit 95kHz) -Firewire, bus powered, AC adapter included for those with 4 pin FW -Huge volume knob and monitoring controls -Includes Cubase LE4, and TC's M40 native reverb plugin Cons: -Only one mic pre -Not rackmountable -No MIDI I own a Konnekt 48, and the only real complaint was driver issues with the initial release when Konnekt first came out a few years ago. I can safely say that today the drivers are rock solid on both Mac and PC platforms. I cannot overstate what a good value this is at $200. TC has always been ahead of the pack in terms of quality in their digital converters and even their preamps. It's not quite at the level of an Apogee, but IMO it's at least as good as MOTU if not a little cleaner. I bolded the Cubase LE feature because I think this is a big deal for an entry level audio interface. Software can be a huge expense, and if you're just starting out even the LE version of Cubase can be VERY useful in helping you learn the ropes and figure out what you might actually want in a DAW.
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| # ? Mar 15, 2010 19:15 |
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Surprised nobody has mentioned this yet. I've always used a Zoom H4 which works just as well as an interface as a portable recorder. I'm pretty sure when it came out it was the only portable recorder that did this but I think a lot of the others do too now. Edit: here are some pros and cons + also a recorder, and can use its built in stereo pair for input + or the two xlr/line inputs, each with phantom and separate preamps + USB powered + ASIO driver works pretty well - only runs at 16bit 44 or 48 kHz for some reason (although it will record at 96k 24bit). That's not too much of a problem for me, if I'm recording something which actually needs 24 bit resolution I won't do so in my bedroom anyway. ssam fucked around with this message at Mar 15, 2010 around 19:20 |
| # ? Mar 15, 2010 19:16 |
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 Mackie Onyx-i 820 - $499 Pros: -It's a firewire integrated mixer with a lot of cool routing options -Talkback mic and monitoring control section, useful when tracking someone in the other room -Great preamps, great EQ with sweepable mids on the first 2 channels. Switchable pre/post EQ for the firewire sends -Works with Protools m-powered Cons: -More complicated than a simple interface, so there's a larger learning curve
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| # ? Mar 15, 2010 19:28 |
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RivensBitch posted:I bolded the Cubase LE feature because I think this is a big deal for an entry level audio interface. Software can be a huge expense, and if you're just starting out even the LE version of Cubase can be VERY useful in helping you learn the ropes and figure out what you might actually want in a DAW. Along these lines, I noticed that zZounds has a package deal with the Focusrite Saffire 6 and Ableton Live Lite 7. I'm pretty much the target audience of this thread, a beginner looking for my first interface, so that seemed like a pretty tempting deal, especially because the live performance capabilities of Ableton are appealing to me. I don't know if the software is always packaged with the interface or if it's just through zZounds but either way, just thought I'd let people know!
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| # ? Mar 15, 2010 19:40 |
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Barn Door posted:I've had two audio interfaces, one Firebox which had such a slew of problems that I could never recommend it, and a Mackie Onyx 400f to replace it which puts it to shame. Lately, I've been feeling very creative with my acoustic guitar and so I'd like to record it. Do I really need to spend $500 for something with good quality pre-amps and Windows 7 support?
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| # ? Mar 15, 2010 19:41 |
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RivensBitch posted:I bolded the Cubase LE feature because I think this is a big deal for an entry level audio interface. Software can be a huge expense, and if you're just starting out even the LE version of Cubase can be VERY useful in helping you learn the ropes and figure out what you might actually want in a DAW. The E-MU interfaces also all come with Cubase LE and Sonar LE, both of which are very featureful for lite versions. (and in general, E-MU interfaces seem very solid for entry level devices) There's also Reaper, which is a very capable DAW for $60, so software really doesn't have to be a big expense at first in any case. That TC interface does look pretty hot, though as you pointed out it only has one mic preamp. This might not seem like a big deal to a beginner, but there are a LOT of times when you'll want to use two mics -- double-micing an acoustic instrument, one mic pointed at a guitar + one to sing through, recording two people simultaneously, etc. Something to think about in any case.
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| # ? Mar 15, 2010 19:46 |
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Zakath posted:
I can't speak for everyone's Firebox, but I had a huge problem with it being bus powered. My computer in particular has extremely dirty firewire power which resulted in an awful hum on literally anything it ever recorded. It did have an AC adaptor, but when I used it all I heard was a different hum added ON TOP of the firewire hum, as if the firewire power was not disconnected upon connecting the adaptor. I picked up my 400f new on ebay for $500, but it seems like they are more expensive now. The difference between these two interfaces in my situation was so drastic that the 400f was worth substantially more than the price difference would indicate; my Firebox recordings were nearly unusable from awful hiss and hum, whereas the 400f's noise floor is virtually inaudible. I have little to no experience with any other interfaces, sorry! As far as Windows 7, I have no idea. I am using XP. I have one annoyance with the XP drivers - playing audio from multiple programs is impossible while recording. I should probably update the drivers now that I'm thinking about it.
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| # ? Mar 15, 2010 22:09 |
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As for interfaces I've actually owned: M-Box classic - Great preamps for the price, had some odd issues with XP drivers a while back that cause some buzzing at lower latencies, but now things work really well. I still own mine even though I have better interfaces because the utility of having a 2 input USB interface is worth more to me than the $100 I'd get if I sold it. M-Audio 2496 - Still installed in my desktop, I use this whenever any of my portable interfaces are tied up at a rehearsal space or gig, or I'm just too lazy to hook everything back up. The drivers for this sucker have been rock solid since day one, it's MIDI ports can handle more bandwidth than any of my USB or firewire interfaces. I've mainly used this with mixers or other audio interfaces, and it's never let me down. Digi 002R - I was disappointed with the lack of direct monitoring. When using it in protools there's a "low latency monitoring" mode that corrects for this, but that didn't help when using it with Ableton Live or similar. I had a ton of noise and dropout problems, and was told by DIGI that my Athalon processor in my toshiba laptop was not supported, so I ended up only using it with my desktop. I'm leaning towards Toshiba as the problem here, but still a bummer. Onyx 1620 w/ FW - Had terrible problems getting this to work on the same Toshiba laptop. This could have been Toshiba's fault just as much as Mackie, at the time Mackie didn't have Vista drivers, and Toshiba only supported Vista for the lapop. I had XP installed and had working drivers for all hardware, but the Mackie would consistently give a intermittent and LOUD "BZZZ" no matter what latency I was at. Again, probably Toshiba's fault. TC Konnekt 48 - Rock Solid. Awesome built in digital mixer and router. Sounds amazing, and I'm doing some seriously hairy stuff at low latencies with my MacBook Pro. I'm talking, 8 realtime audio inputs, all with tons of plugins, playing back backing tracks, recording at the same time, all at 6ms of latency and not so much as a single hiccup ever. My only complain? The preamp gain knobs have died after a few months of ownership. But TC is shipping me a replacement unit, should be here in a few days. (there are a few more that I've used a lot even though I never owned, so I'll post those in a bit. I could also talk about the protools HD system I owned but that isn't exactly entry level). RivensBitch fucked around with this message at Mar 16, 2010 around 00:10 |
| # ? Mar 15, 2010 22:43 |
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Has anyone tried the FireStudio? I use a FireBox and haven't had any real problems with it other than the preamps being relatively weak. The Studio looks like the same thing with allegedly better preamps and trading some of the outs for ins, which would be fine with me since my main issue is I need more inputs. Plus it sounds like I could daisy chain them an still get some use out of the firebox. The Firestudio Project looks like it might last me longer in terms of my growing needs though. 
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| # ? Mar 17, 2010 07:02 |
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I use a Presonus Firestudio Tube edition, and have a Mackie Onyx 1220 connected to it. I have enough hardware synths and FX boxes to need the in's, believe me. Anyhow, it's solid, sounds good, and has some excellent preamps.
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| # ? Mar 17, 2010 08:57 |
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Computer Jones posted:If you use a desktop PC, there are PCI options too, like I think it would be hard to beat the 2496 paired with a DMP3 mic pre for an ultra low cost stereo recording setup. Very flexible and high quality for $250. thegreatcodfish posted:Can't have this conversation without mentioning Echo Audio, their stuff is such an incredible deal. I personally have their Audiofire12... This is encouraging because the AF12 is my next planned purchase. Also just FYI bhphotovideo.com in NY has it for $525 and their service has been excellent in my experience.
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| # ? Mar 20, 2010 06:30 |
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Ferrous Wheel posted:Has anyone tried the FireStudio? I use a FireBox and haven't had any real problems with it other than the preamps being relatively weak. The Studio looks like the same thing with allegedly better preamps and trading some of the outs for ins, which would be fine with me since my main issue is I need more inputs. Plus it sounds like I could daisy chain them an still get some use out of the firebox. The Firestudio Project looks like it might last me longer in terms of my growing needs though. I just picked up a FireStudio to replace my MOTU Ultralite (I'd much prefer the Ultralite but hosed if I can get it to play nice without BLASTING WHITE NOISE RANDOMLY AT FULL VOLUME ON ALL OUTPUTS), and I haven't recorded anything through it but already I miss not having as many outs. I think it'll be limiting if I want to take it on the road and run my set through external effects.
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| # ? Mar 27, 2010 00:10 |
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I'll be honest now (I may have made a bad mistake out of ignorance) and I'll be back in a week with my honest results: I ordered a Lexicon Lambda, because the price seemed right and the features looked pretty good. Then, AFTER I bought it, I noticed the avalanche of complaints that it doesn't work in a 64-bit OS. Whelp, I bought it for my Vista Home Premium 64-bit desktop and my Windows 7 64-bit Home Premium laptop. I bought it on the 25th of March, 2010. I then saw that Lexiconpro had released new Windows XP/Vista/Win7 drivers on March 24th, 2010. Do I dare hope that they work in the 64-bit environment? I do hope so. If not, I'll have to return it and look for something else. This week I installed the following on my new Dell Studio 15 1557 laptop (Core i7 720QM, 4 GB RAM, etc.) with Win7 64-bit Home Premium: Reaper 64-bit 3.35 Waves Mercury Bundle AmpliTube 3 EZ Drummer Superior Drummer 2 some other VST plugins Sound Forge 10 All the software seems to be working quite well, so the big question is does the new driver release from the 24th address the 64-bit problem? I'll come back next week when I get mine and post results, but if any of you have already tried it, please tell me what to possibly/probably expect. In terms of usage, I play guitar and bass and I sing. I want to program drums via VSTi MIDI sequencing and then record my performances like this: EZ Drummer and Superior Drummer for drums Guitars through the interface into AmpliTube 3 Bass through the interface with my Sansamp VST Bass preamp pedal and some outboard gear Vocals w/dynamic mic into either the interface or a preamp then interface into laptop. Various other VSTi stuff to taste. ..and if I just can't get it with AmpliTube, I can mic up various tube amps, outboard preamps, into the interface for my go-to meat&potatoes tones. I live in an apartment so I am hoping to get good results with AmpliTube3. The Lambda won't be here until probably next Thursday so I won't be able to assess it until next weekend. edit: Get the new drivers here: http://www.lexiconpro.com/product.php?id=8#downloads I hope I didn't waste a lot of time and money. But if wishes were horses... Dr. Faustus fucked around with this message at Mar 27, 2010 around 08:34 |
| # ? Mar 27, 2010 08:20 |
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Dr. Faustus posted:Waves Mercury Bundle Isn't Waves Mercury like over $7k? Sure sounds like a shitload of money to me.
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| # ? Mar 27, 2010 21:23 |
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plester1 posted:Isn't Waves Mercury like over $7k? Sure sounds like a shitload of money to me. Well of course, that's why I'm noe broke. It's all about priorities and stuff.
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| # ? Mar 27, 2010 22:54 |
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but why would you pay extra for all those surround sound plugins and then get a $150 interface with only two outputs?
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| # ? Mar 27, 2010 23:04 |
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Let's figure out the best entry level audio interface!
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| # ? Mar 28, 2010 01:40 |
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RivensBitch posted:
drat, I'm gonna have to take a closer look at this. I was looking to get a preamp and a monitor mixer/volume thingie to use with my 2496 - but this looks very tempting.
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| # ? Mar 28, 2010 10:23 |
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Yeah, the TC Desktop Konnekt 6 thing looks pretty great. I'll be updating the OP when I get a chance, haven't forgotten about this thread.
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| # ? Mar 28, 2010 17:33 |
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Speaking of TC, What do you guys think of the Impact Twin?
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| # ? Mar 29, 2010 19:13 |
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Hi all, I got my Lexicon Lambda and I'm experimenting with it. I'll hopefully be back tonight with some clips to share, after I finish my current reinstall of my laptop. Google turned up many many forum posts of Lambda owners complaining that it simply won't work on a 64-bit OS, as recent as last month. But Lexiconpro released new XP/Vista/7 drivers on 3/24. they do give an error during install on my Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit OS (running Reaper64) and after some ASIO driver tweaking I'm having success. Again, I hope to have some quick clips of EZ Drummer+AmpliTube3 to share, here and in the AmpliTube3 thread. First impression is that Lambda, with the new drivers, might be a real contender for a great entry-level interface at $150.
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| # ? Apr 4, 2010 20:27 |
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  I realize it's not in production anymore, but if you can ebay one, it's a solid beginner interface. M-AUDIO FIREWIRE 410 It is going for about $150.00 USD on ebay right now. Pros: -S/PDIF in/out -MIDI in/out -8 1/4" line outs -2 Nuetrik combo inputs on the front, both with phantom power. You can hit a button on either one of these inputs to use either or both of the 2 line inputs on the back. -2 Headphone out's with volume control knobs -I've abused the hell out of this thing and have had it for about 4 years now. It still works like a champ. -Has a Windows control panel app to control everything on the interface, and lets you play with some neato routing options. -ProTools M-Powered -Works as a full-fledged windows sound card. That means you can play counter-strike using it! -2 Firewire ports for daisy-chaining. I think this might be a standard firewire device feature, but I'm not sure. Cons: -Driver installation is a little bit of a pain, but nothing too bad -It's advertised as 4 in 10 out (hence 410), but thats a little bit of a lie. You can use either the combo inputs or the line inputs, or a combination of both at the same time. You can NOT use 4 at the same time; the max is 2. Along with this, the 2 headphone outs are counted in the 10, so you only really get 8 outs. This shouldnt ever really be a problem though. -Annoying rear end blue LED that stays on all the damned time. I hate it. ================================================================================== I've used it with Sonar, Reaper, and PT 7.x and never had any problems. It has m-audio Octane pre's which are actually pretty decent in my opinion. This, coupled with a MIDI drum kit, 2 57's, and an NT1-A has allowed me to record pretty much anything I could think of, and it all sounds pretty good to boot. I've had zero latency issues (besides the initial set up), even when recording two tracks and playing back 6 more loaded down with plug-ins including EZ-Drummer and Guitar Rig. I would definitely recommend this to anyone as an interface, unless you need more than 2 inputs, but if you're just starting out you really shouldn't need more than that unless you're tracking drums, in which case you should probably just get a 003 and call it a day. Especially for ~100 bucks on eBay, you can't beat it. I give it 9 out of 10 really expensive mics.  Click here for the full 766x1024 image.
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| # ? Apr 4, 2010 21:16 |
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h_double posted:but why would you pay extra for all those surround sound plugins and then get a $150 interface with only two outputs? This is a big lol. I feel my scooby senses tingling. I understand why the dell since the macbook is still on core 2 duo. At least send that lambda back and get some echo audiofire shizzle. What monitors are you using and did you spend anything on room treatment before dropping 7k on plugins? tingle tingle. Rkelly fucked around with this message at Apr 4, 2010 around 21:42 |
| # ? Apr 4, 2010 21:38 |
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I need enough inputs to record a live drum kit which means seven or eight microphones because in lieu of good spaces to record I close mic everything with two condensers for the room, which usually means I'm stuck with the 1010LT, right? I guess I could try to bounce it all down at the mixing board, but I like microscopic control after the fact of each source, which has come in handy the one time I recorded my kit and the floor tom had a buzzing bolt on the rim and now you can't hear it at all even though the tom is loud as hell in the mix! Anyway I'm guessing the M-Audio 1010LT is my only entry-level bet for that amount of inputs bit I'd love to be able to get whatever is the next step up in the future when I upgrade everything...
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| # ? Apr 4, 2010 22:21 |
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Schlieren posted:I need enough inputs to record a live drum kit which means seven or eight microphones because in lieu of good spaces to record I close mic everything with two condensers for the room, which usually means I'm stuck with the 1010LT, right? It only has 2 pre's on board, so you're going to need to buy 6 more to record more than 2 mic's at the same time. To be totally honest, if you're looking at needing that many inputs, just drop the cash for a 003, because you're going to wind up spending a ton of money to get pre's for the rest of those inputs. Also, it looks like the other 8 inputs are RCA, and as far as I'm aware(I could be totally wrong on this), most pre's are 1/4inch out so you're going to have to get 1/4->RCA adapters.
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| # ? Apr 4, 2010 22:34 |
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Schlieren posted:I need enough inputs to record a live drum kit which means seven or eight microphones because in lieu of good spaces to record I close mic everything with two condensers for the room, which usually means I'm stuck with the 1010LT, right? It's a pain in the rear end to nail and you'll have less control, but you can get a killer drum sound with 3 or 4 mics. 2 overheads in an x/y, kick, snare optional. If you're working with a kit bigger than 5 pieces or so, disregard this. The 003r is a good option, or a used 002r. If you want to save a little more money, check out the MOTU 8pre. $550 new, but there's one on ebay right now for $450!
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| # ? Apr 4, 2010 23:42 |
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invision posted:It only has 2 pre's on board, so you're going to need to buy 6 more to record more than 2 mic's at the same time. To be totally honest, if you're looking at needing that many inputs, just drop the cash for a 003, because you're going to wind up spending a ton of money to get pre's for the rest of those inputs. Also, it looks like the other 8 inputs are RCA, and as far as I'm aware(I could be totally wrong on this), most pre's are 1/4inch out so you're going to have to get 1/4->RCA adapters. I use a mixing board for pres, have the 1/4" to RCA cables required, and have never, ever figured out how to use the two inputs with pres on the 1010LT. The mixing board was $150 used, the 1010LT was $125 new or something like that (student discount). DaFuente posted:It's a pain in the rear end to nail and you'll have less control, but you can get a killer drum sound with 3 or 4 mics. 2 overheads in an x/y, kick, snare optional. If you're working with a kit bigger than 5 pieces or so, disregard this. I've read that about getting good sound with less microphones, but I am just not willing to shoot in the dark over and over with mic placement, press record, walk to the kit, gear up (gun mufflers, earbuds, all while making sure not to get the cords snagged on anything)(which happens all the time and pulls poo poo out of your ears and drives you insane), play something, take off all the gear required to play the kit, to then don the cans to see if what I got was good or not, over and over until I've placed the mics well. Not to mention that decent microphones are required - already sort of beside the point in an "entry-level hardware" thread - and most people don't put drums in the mix the way I like them in any event. So I go super-lazy and do what gives me the most control for the least amount of effort. If I were doing this professionally, yes I'd certainly learn a bit more about the rooms in which I record and the best placement for everything, but seeing as how it's also my duplex, I don't have a lot of space, and each time I record I have to walk around and do a bunch of poo poo myself, so it doesn't make any sense to be picky when I have lazier solutions which give me quality of sound good enough to fool anyone but fellow music-makers. I've only once had an issue with cymbal phasing which really sucked and forced me to bounce them down to mono and then simulate stereo with panning, but again, I'm not a professional so I can't afford to sweat it too much, unfortunately (or maybe fortunately). That MOTU 8pre looks like the best next-level upgrade though, thanks for the recommendation, I'll definitely check it out. 003r or 002 is ridiculously not entry level, however, even accounting for the ability to get rid of the mixing board... sort of (the eq on the board is great as is the ability to track while monitoring with zero latency, an ability I'm not sure exists on any of those options).
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| # ? Apr 4, 2010 23:59 |
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So I bought the saffire usb 6 for $299AUS, let's hope it isn't complete balls. I'll write something up once it arrives.
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| # ? Apr 5, 2010 00:22 |
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| # ? May 21, 2013 04:08 |
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I'm considering selling some things and picking up the Desktop Konnekt 6 but I have some questions. Right now a Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium for audio output and a Line 6 UX1 for the occasional guitar recording I do. I've been making more music with Ableton lately and I think it's time I finally got some studio moniters. I'm planning to pick up a pair of Rokit 5's in a few weeks. I also use a pair of HD595's. I'm very happy with the sound quality of the X-Fi but I've never been to happy with the audio quality of the UX1, neither the inputs nor the outputs. I want to be able to easily control the volume of my headphones and the monitors separately as well as get a nice line in from my guitar (or mic up my amp if needed). I also use this computer for gaming and general music listening so it's important that I can still do these well too. Will the Desktop Konnekt 6 do all of this well or do I need to keep the sound card and pick up an interface for recording? If I keep the sound card is there a cheap way to control the headphones and monitors separately?
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| # ? Apr 5, 2010 01:50 |
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