Recommend me an audio interface.

[platzangst]

It's probably going to be a little while before it becomes critical, but I probably ought to start getting an idea of what's out there in order to not be caught flatfooted when the time comes.

In simple terms, my computer system is showing its age, and though I'm not looking forward to the expense of replacing it, at some point it'll have to be done, and I'll have to reconsider my audio interface strategy.

Up to now, my strategy has been to use a Sound Blaster Platinum X-fi card. The reason I've used this over any other thing is that it does what I want, and has been situated very conveniently for my setup. It's an internal motherboard-mounted PCI card BUT has a front-mounted I/O section that sits where you'd normally mount a CD drive or some other peripheral. So, right on the face of my tower case are a series of jacks for different inputs. There's a quarter-inch mike or guitar cord jack, there's an optical in/out for digital, there's an SPDIF in/out with RCA-style jacks, there's a stereo pair of RCA line-ins. You will note that there is no mention of professional-level balanced jacks for professional-level audio gear.

This is where the conundrum comes in. From what I can tell, nowadays PC audio comes in two types: stuff intended for home use, or stuff intended for pro use. There's little in-between, if any. I don't want to limit myself to fumbling around with 1/8" jacks on the back of my tower, but I also don't really need a suite of very pro jacks and outboard processing. I use the interface mostly for:

• Plugging a quarter-inch jack in for guitar work.
• Plugging a mic in that has a quarter-inch jack.
• Plugging in a stereo line RCA pair for sampling from LPs and CDs and other home audio sources.
• Sometimes, taking in digital signals from a DAT machine, Minidisc or CD player.

In all truth, just on a physical level I'd stay with the Sound Blaster (in fact, the one I'm using now was extracted from my previous machine and installed when my current machine was new), except as you might expect, Creative doesn't support the thing anymore, and ever since I upgraded to Windows 10, the thing has been buggy and finicky and I don't see it surviving to be useful if and when I transition to a newer machine.

So what's my options? Am I just going to have to resign myself to kludging together adapters for the pro inputs, or is there anything out there that is a simpler, not-really-pro-but-not-just-home-audio solution that I haven't found?

[visheshl]

It's probably going to be a little while before it becomes critical, but I probably ought to start getting an idea of what's out there in order to not be caught flatfooted when the time comes.

In simple terms, my computer system is showing its age, and though I'm not looking forward to the expense of replacing it, at some point it'll have to be done, and I'll have to reconsider my audio interface strategy.

Up to now, my strategy has been to use a Sound Blaster Platinum X-fi card. The reason I've used this over any other thing is that it does what I want, and has been situated very conveniently for my setup. It's an internal motherboard-mounted PCI card BUT has a front-mounted I/O section that sits where you'd normally mount a CD drive or some other peripheral. So, right on the face of my tower case are a series of jacks for different inputs. There's a quarter-inch mike or guitar cord jack, there's an optical in/out for digital, there's an SPDIF in/out with RCA-style jacks, there's a stereo pair of RCA line-ins. You will note that there is no mention of professional-level balanced jacks for professional-level audio gear.

This is where the conundrum comes in. From what I can tell, nowadays PC audio comes in two types: stuff intended for home use, or stuff intended for pro use. There's little in-between, if any. I don't want to limit myself to fumbling around with 1/8" jacks on the back of my tower, but I also don't really need a suite of very pro jacks and outboard processing. I use the interface mostly for:

• Plugging a quarter-inch jack in for guitar work.
• Plugging a mic in that has a quarter-inch jack.
• Plugging in a stereo line RCA pair for sampling from LPs and CDs and other home audio sources.
• Sometimes, taking in digital signals from a DAT machine, Minidisc or CD player.

In all truth, just on a physical level I'd stay with the Sound Blaster (in fact, the one I'm using now was extracted from my previous machine and installed when my current machine was new), except as you might expect, Creative doesn't support the thing anymore, and ever since I upgraded to Windows 10, the thing has been buggy and finicky and I don't see it surviving to be useful if and when I transition to a newer machine.

So what's my options? Am I just going to have to resign myself to kludging together adapters for the pro inputs, or is there anything out there that is a simpler, not-really-pro-but-not-just-home-audio solution that I haven't found?

M-Audio M Track Duo Usb interface

[avasopht]

Avoid m audio. They're trash now and you can always get much better for the same price.

What's your budget?

[platzangst]

Avoid m audio. They're trash now and you can always get much better for the same price.

What's your budget?

Less than the computer? I don't have any fixed price as of yet. We're still in the factfinding stage. A couple hundred ought to be do-able, more possibly if it gives me exactly what I want with a minimum of fuss. I'm not gonna spend 5 grand on any interface that doesn't cover my needs.

I looked at the M Track Duo, for example. Maybe I'm just ignorant about how jacks are configured these days, but: you don't just jam a 1/4" plug in those, right? You need some kind of adapter - or do you? The issue isn't so much about price as it is how much fiddly rigamarole do I have to go through to use it like I use my current system.

[RobC]

Go to audiosciencereview. They review plenty interfaces, and you'll find something perfect for your needs.

[avasopht]

With that budget, you can get a Presonus 24c, MOTU or SSL 2.

It all depends on how many headphone sockets you want, and what you want at the front or back.

In terms of plugging your jack in, if the input is balanced it won't matter if the input is unbalanced. Most interfaces will have a high Z button if you want to plug in your electric guitar directly (if that's what you meant with the fiddling).

[platzangst]

In terms of plugging your jack in, if the input is balanced it won't matter if the input is unbalanced.

I'm more concerned with it actually physically fitting in the thing. Look, again, I may be way out of touch, but right now my 1/4" plug fits in a 1/4" hole, a simple round metal ring. Not this rounded T shape with an indented ring around it. Does that actually work? That would make my search substantially easier, if true. But I haven't needed a new interface for at least a decade and at first glance this looks more elaborate than a simple phono plug - which is why I keep mentioning adapters.

EDIT: Okay, now that I've had a better look at the Presonus, it does indeed look like the center will accommodate a 1/4" jack. What does it say about marketing that it's taken this long for me to find a clear, straight-on image of a device so that I can tell these things?

[Dabbler]

M. audio fast track pro

[jam-s]

I'm more concerned with it actually physically fitting in the thing. Look, again, I may be way out of touch, but right now my 1/4" plug fits in a 1/4" hole, a simple round metal ring. Not this rounded T shape with an indented ring around it. Does that actually work? That would make my search substantially easier, if true. But I haven't needed a new interface for at least a decade and at first glance this looks more elaborate than a simple phono plug - which is why I keep mentioning adapters.

EDIT: Okay, now that I've had a better look at the Presonus, it does indeed look like the center will accommodate a 1/4" jack. What does it say about marketing that it's taken this long for me to find a clear, straight-on image of a device so that I can tell these things?

Those combined XLR+TRS sockets have been around for 20+ years and are the de-facto standard for professional audio equipment for at least 10+ years now. So yes, your guitar/mic will fit in there.

[PhillipOrdonez]

Look into the excellent Audient ID offerings (can't speak for their evo line), they got optical input as well. Idk if all have this but mine has line and mic input on the back and instrument input on the front, as well as two headphone outputs for 1/4 and 1/8 jacks. Plus a bunch more useful features you'll find if you do a little research.

[challism]

I had an M-Audio interface for about a decade and it was OK. It was two channel and one channel stopped working pretty quickly, but the other channel lasted for years and years. Anyway, it finally died.

So now I've got a Hotone Jogg. I've had it for a few years now. I love it and would highly recommend it. It's basically a USB audio interface stomp box. Great for guitar/bass or any instrument with a 1/4" jack. https://www.hotoneaudio.com/products/us ... rface/jogg

I've heard great things about Focusrite Scarlett and would like to pick one of those up in the future.

[bxbrkrz]

If you build your pc, based on your minimalist needs, you may not need an audio interface at all.

https://pcgearlab.com/motherboard/best- ... roduction/

[platzangst]

If you build your pc, based on your minimalist needs, you may not need an audio interface at all.

https://pcgearlab.com/motherboard/best- ... roduction/

An interesting article, but those are unlikely to be suitable, because 1) the ports would be all on the back, inconvenient to access; 2) the ports are 1/8" jacks, I'd need adapters; 3) there's only optical outs, no optical input; 4) this article only talks about outputs in general, not inputs. My setup isn't that minimal.

[Overtherainbow]

not sure about the jacks but:

M-audio is fine, is definitely not "bad"

around the ¬$100 range Focusrite Scarlett is king because it has the lowest noise and lowest signal roundtrip with a decent preamp for the mic. Amazingly, it has been on the market for about a decade, if not more, and it's still better than the Volt nonsense UAD released just recently, which is x2 or x3 times more expensive.

a step up from that would be a Focusrite Clarett+ (around 380-400 clams).
I had a UAD Apollo Twin (which was ¬1100) and I sold it almost immediately because of how weak the preamp was, the high roundtrip latency compared to even the $100 scarlett, the absolute gimmick that is the "built-in" memory on the thing (it already chokes on 2 of any of the native VSTs) and the constant f&*%ery with the operating system sound output

recap:

UAD < dog poo < M-audio < Focusrite

[platzangst]

Those combined XLR+TRS sockets have been around for 20+ years and are the de-facto standard for professional audio equipment for at least 10+ years now. So yes, your guitar/mic will fit in there.

Which shows you how long I've been using this Creative soundcard.

[Aosta]

not sure about the jacks but:

M-audio is fine, is definitely not "bad"

around the ¬$100 range Focusrite Scarlett is king

a step up from that would be a Focusrite Clarett+ (around 380-400 clams).

for Focusrite, they make excellent products.

[robussc]

I’m in love with my Focusrite Scarlett 18i20, but possibly overspecced for the OPs needs?

[Goriila Texas]

Get RME whatever you can afford and never worry again about soundcard issues.

[pushedbutton]

Never had any trouble with my Focusrite Scarlett

[Bes]

UAD < dog poo < M-audio < Focusrite

wasn't there a thread here just recently saying the UAD Volt's were amazing? i know they're more expensive but my (~10yo) focusrite drops connection with the PC whenever it gets knocked so i was thinking to get a UAD with the in-built 176 comp

[bxbrkrz]

If you build your pc, based on your minimalist needs, you may not need an audio interface at all.

https://pcgearlab.com/motherboard/best- ... roduction/

An interesting article, but those are unlikely to be suitable, because 1) the ports would be all on the back, inconvenient to access; 2) the ports are 1/8" jacks, I'd need adapters; 3) there's only optical outs, no optical input; 4) this article only talks about outputs in general, not inputs. My setup isn't that minimal.

I understand.

[Steedus]

To keep it on the basic (and therefore cheaper) side these are fantastic audio interfaces. Audio interfaces aren't the same as using a soundcard I know (I used to do it that way too), but these are far from Pro devices, so I think they should be friendly enough.

https://focusrite.com/en/usb-audio-inte ... arlett-2i2

https://www.arturia.com/products/audio/ ... /minifuse2

They're both about (AUD) $260 in Australia - not sure about other countries.

The Arturia has a few more features on the box, but I don't know that you'll find one with S/PDIF (optical) input in the budget range.. ?

[platzangst]

The Arturia has a few more features on the box, but I don't know that you'll find one with S/PDIF (optical) input in the budget range.. ?

Cheaper is better, but as I said, I have a certain amount of give if I can get everything I want. To put things in a bit of perspective: When I bought my current computer, I spent probably more than I needed to, and sank some money into a CPU and other features that weren't the bleeding-edge top of the line at that point, but were considerably over what the average Best Buy mass-market computer towers were equipped with. I bought way more computing power than I needed at that time.

This computer is over ten years old. It's lasted me through Windows version updates, Reason updates, and a host of other changes, going from overpowered to average-powered to "currently adequate but showing its age". The Windows update dialogues tell me it won't work for Win11. That alone wouldn't make me change, but the writing is kind of on the wall. I may string this box along for a few more years, but at some point I'll have to upgrade.

When I do, I will probably get an overpowered computer, as I did then, so that it will last as long as possible. In the same vein, I am not entirely against the idea of spending some extra in order to get an interface that will last me for a good long time. I don't want to just carelessly spend as much as possible, but I am willing to pay for convenience and longevity. That Creative X-Fi was not exactly cheap when I first got it, but I have wrung every penny's worth of use out of it at this point.

And so my budget is flexible in that way: if I at least know what devices have all the ins and outs I want, I can judge whether it's worth spending some more for features I don't really need now but might serve me well in years to come.

EDIT: Thanks for that Arturia link, which as I was browsing around actually found an image of someone plugging in a phono jack. Other companies could learn a lot from that kind of presentation.

[Overtherainbow]

wasn't there a thread here just recently saying the UAD Volt's were amazing? i know they're more expensive but my (~10yo) focusrite drops connection with the PC whenever it gets knocked so i was thinking to get a UAD with the in-built 176 comp

hey man!

everything I'm saying here is just an opinion based on my (obviously salty) previous experiences with UAD, but not with Volt per se and of course, where a man puts his well-earned money is only the man's business.

Let me start by saying I don't think there is a good "knock-proof" audio interface

1) Based on real-use reviews, Volt pre-amps seem weaker than those of scarlett 2i2 by an unknown margin - I can assume this because the $1100 Apollo Twin amps couldn't compete with the $400 Clarett+ 2Pre - they were just levels apart in favor of the focusrite. I also find it amusing that some reviews will praise the volt amps and how it's the next best thing in text, and then still rate them lower than scarlett:

preamps.png (31.44 KiB) Viewed 2661 times

rating.png (187.74 KiB) Viewed 2661 times

2) latencies:

roundtrip ms.png (519.94 KiB) Viewed 2661 times

3) in videos like this

the guy will have you listen to recordings from both scarlett and volt (via a UAD microphone, suspiciously enough), and tell you how volt sounds more real and "organic" and scarlett more "digital" when with my ears I can hear the exact opposite - the compressed harshness of the volt. Debatable.

4) UAD is extremely good at marketing and selling gimmicks. Their 710 twin-finity is a brazen example. If they could have real "analogue 1176" in a sub-$200 device, even if functional just as several presets, who'd be buying the 1176? Come on now guys.

5) The part that irritated me the most about UAD is their savage marketing tactics. In order to install the software freebies, for example, you will have to install ALL of their VSTs at once without an option to pick and then there's no un-install interface, so you will have to manually delete all the demo garbage from the system directories one by one. The year is 2023.

BUT

You do get some UAD software freebies and a few months of free Spark subscription I think. The UAD software is good, but expensive.

I'll try and stay away from this topic now,

Cheers

[selig]

I’m a UAD and Focusrite fan, but don’t have direct experience with the Volt line. IMO the most important thing based on what you’ve said is a guitar input which most of the stand alone interfaces offer these days. This is different from a line input because the impedance must be matched for guitars etc. Most interfaces have a switch for using guitar/pickups instruments, so any option will likely be a bit of an upgrade from your current setup I would imagine!