Finding the proper audio interface for your studio can be a daunting task. I know because I’ve bought and returned about four of them in the past month. The people at my local music shop love / hate me at this point but I am determined to get the right setup for my studio. I have specific needs and ideas that require the right audio interface to get the job done. With so many different audio interfaces on the market I’ve had to test my way through the pros and cons of many devices and this article is an attempt to share that knowledge with you.
In starting this discussion I assume that you have found the need for an audio interface in your studio. Your laptop wasn’t engineered to rock a club as much as it as built to store data and most stock sound cards are weak in performance and signal strength because they share the same resources for processing with the rest of the machine. The 1/8th inch output on most computers will suffice for casual listening and the beginnings of a project but if you plan to produce and possibly release music professionally then you need to upgrade to something better. The first reason to upgrade to an audio interface is to really hear the sounds you are producing in Reason, Ableton, Logic, Maschine or other DAWs. An audio interface will add processing power and a DAC (digital to analog converter) to your setup and your sounds will come across much clearer. This is especially true when you have projects with multiple tracks which take up much processing power.
The second reason to invest in an audio interface is to record sounds that happen outside of your computer. This includes record players for sampling, sythns, drum machines, Kaoss pads, guitars or any other instrument. In preparation for this discussion I’ll ask: how many things do you want to record (at the same time) into your computer? This is probably the most important question to ask because it will greatly affect the price range of what you purchase (two inputs can be fairly inexpensive, more inputs gets pricey.) Another consideration is whether or not you will use microphones in your setup. Mic pre-amps come in a range of quality and this variable will affect the cost of your purchase as well.
In my own search for an audio interface I came across a few unexpected hurdles on the way to a proper interface. The first was going for a low-priced ($150) interface and thinking it would suffice next to my pro-end monitors and DAW. You get what you pay for was the lesson there. The second mistake I made was buying a mixer that boasted great performance with it’s built-in USB audio interface. Given that the company has a great name I figured it must be a good piece of gear. Well it turns out the mixer itself is incredible but the interface that comes inside is a bit lacking and only offers 44.1/16-bit sound – a problem for those of us running at higher rates that provide cleaner sound. With both of these devices I also encountered latency problems which felt very obvious with using Maschine.
The biggest lesson learned from this experience was to find that there is no all-in-one magic piece of gear for under $500. You really need to invest in a dedicated, high-quality interface to make the investment worthwhile. You can get something decent for a couple hundred dollars and you’re more likely to spend a few hundred to get the things you really need.
After buying and returning a few pieces and researching quite a bit I came down to three interfaces that seemed to offer what I needed and those pieces were:
- the Apogee Duet 2
- Native Instruments Komplete Audio 6
- Focusrite Saffire Pro 14
Priced at $595, $299 and $249 (respectively), they are three great sounding interfaces with a lot to offer for the price. The Apogee Duet 2 is the obvious winner in terms of sound quality (Apogee’s Digital to Analog converters and preamps are legendary) but for durability, input/output options and great sound I think the Komplete Audio 6 and Saffire Pro 14 are both really nice pieces of gear. Something I had not thought about until experiencing it for myself is – they all have slightly different sound and despite what I had read it really came down to the sound of the device with my own ears.
Apogee Duet 2
Audiophiles have been eagerly anticipating the release of this box which is due on shelves any day now. Apogee is known for very high end Digital to Analog (DAC) converters and preamps and the Duet 2 is no exception. The original Duet is known to be one of the best values for sound quality and Apogee claims they have rebuilt the device from ground-up. “The Duet 2 mic preamps feature a new design, all new components and seamless click-free transitions as the gain increases and decreases throughout the incredible range of 0-75dB. This unprecedented feature allows you to dial in the perfect level while delivering ultra-low noise and smooth, crisp detail. Most importantly, the Duet 2 mic preamps are optimized for any sound source and the Duet 2 AD/DA converters are an all-new design and deliver the purest recordings and best listening experience possible.”
Apogee One
I should also mention that if you are looking for clean sound but don’t need much in the way of inputs / outputs, you should listen to the Apogee One which offers an awesome mic, one input and Apogee DAC sound for a mere $250. I have one at my work computer and along with some Grado headphones it’s delightful.
Komplete Audio 6
Native Instruments have just released a new six-channel audio interface aimed at studio musicians that has a sweet price point for the features included. As a follow up to the highly-popluar Audio Kontrol 1, this new interface provides more connectivity, increased performance and a lot of cool features for an interface priced at $299. “It provides everything you need to record, play and perform music, with four analog ins/outs, digital in/out, MIDI and low-latency performance — all in a sleek, rugged metal casing,” say Native Instruments on their site. The unit also comes with 24-bit/96kHz Cirrus Logic converters and +11dBu analog output stages for clean and powerful sound. Both Apogee and N.I. offer a nice, big assignable knob on top of their devices which allows for easy volume control. The Komplete Audio 6 comes bundled with some nice software including (you guessed it) Komplete Elements as well as Cubase LE 5 and Traktor LE 2.
Focusrite Saffire Pro 14
If you have a firewire port on your computer this piece is the winner in terms of value for the price. It has 8 inputs, 6 outputs and very low latency (thanks to the firewire connection). The packaged MixControl software took some getting used to but seems very powerful for a packaged tool. Focusrite is also known for high-end preamps and you get two of those on this piece as well. “The two Focusrite preamps ensure low noise and distortion, whilst quality digital conversion and JetPLL™ jitter elimination technology ensure pristine quality as your audio flows between the analogue and digital domains.”
