audio interface

[nullnaught]

Hello.

Can anyone recommend an audio interface for a pc preferably with rca outputs maybe also 1/4 inch? I have a guitar pedal and synthesizer that both have left and right 1/4 inch outputs.


Thank you everyone and have a nice day.



john

 

[DM60]

You want 1/4 inputs. Most interfaces have the XLR and the 1/4 together. You can see a 1/4 in the middle of the input. If the output is 1/4, and you need RCA connectors, just buy some adapters, just make sure they are mono and not stereo.

 

[Tadpui]

The Behringer U-Phoria UMC204HD has both 1/4" and RCA outputs. Same for the (more than 2x priced) Focusrite Scarlett 2i4. Although I'm not exactly sure what the flexibility of those 1/4" and RCA outputs are...not sure if they're fully configurable or if they're "dupes" of each other.

 

[ecc83]

Hi John,
Unless cash is really tight you are better off looking for interfaces with 1/4" jack connections for all I/O duties except microphone. Jacks are more rugged than RCAs and try to find balanced, TRS outs if you can.

It is a good rule of the projjy studio'ist to rationalize all connections on jack, saves hair when experimenting with gear. You will find any and all kinds of RCA/jack adapter cables on 'Zon for a very few $$s. Yes the cables are cheap but do the job for the home bod.

All that said, I have read nothing at all bad about the Behringer interfaces. (I had a BCA2000. Brilliant concept, never been equalled IMHO. Let down by crap drivers and poor reliability.)

Dave.

 

[nullnaught]

The Behringer U-Phoria UMC204HD has both 1/4" and RCA outputs. Same for the (more than 2x priced) Focusrite Scarlett 2i4. Although I'm not exactly sure what the flexibility of those 1/4" and RCA outputs are...not sure if they're fully configurable or if they're "dupes" of each other.

That is the exact model i was thinking of getting. I have another question to everyone here if they might know the answer. Here it is. A year or 2 ago i bought a behringer UCA202 for 29.99 american dollars. The item is not capable of recording in stereo. And the same with my guitar pedal which is a zoom G7.1ut. Both the cheap behringer and my guitar pedal will only record in mono. I use traction 5 as a DAW. Audacity less so. My thought is because it is so inexpensive and that is why no stereo. But i could be wrong. Thanks for your replies so far everyone.

i think i forgot to ask the question in all of that. What could be the reason i am only getting mono from the cheap behringer and my guitar pedal? I have a tascam 122L That works on one of my computersand that item does get in stereo. Is it possble to have the 29.99 dollar behringer to be in stereo ever?

 

[ecc83]

Ah! (sigh) STEREO! A simple little word but the cause of much confusion. Let me start with MY personal definition of what a stereo recording is?

It is made with an array, minimum two* of microphones that ultimately end up as two tracks that are reproduced by two speakers ("stereo" does not mean "two" nor are we so limited but for now, K.I.S.Sir? ).

In the rock/pop world a number, often QUITE a number of microphones are recorded to individual tracks and then after the event the real work starts of blalancing, panning, and otherwise moulding the multitrack takes into a meaningful, believable stereo "stage". This is "mixing" and it is a great skill and I don't have clue one!

So, the UCA202 is a TWO CHANNEL device and as such is perfectly capable of recording a stereo track IF you feed it signal of the correct sort. Say you had a mixer? You set up two mics as a stereo pair (Google "co-I" and "spaced pair" recording) feed the line out from the mixer to the 202 and setup a stereo track in your DAW. Job's a good'un.
Now, Plug a mic in one channel and guitar in the other and record two tracks. You will have vocals one side and guitar the other. You might like that but STEREO it ain't.

Bottom line. Any AI with two XLR inputs will allow stereo recording but YOU have to know how to set that up!

*Purist "classical" recordings can be made with just a pair of directional microphones. Figure eights are said to be best. In practice such recording are done with multiple mics and the result "approximates" a simple setup. Music critics have a lovely time deliberating over such mixes!

#Errors and omissions excepted#! I am but a solderer.

Dave.

 

[nullnaught]

Ah! (sigh) STEREO! A simple little word but the cause of much confusion. Let me start with MY personal definition of what a stereo recording is?

It is made with an array, minimum two* of microphones that ultimately end up as two tracks that are reproduced by two speakers ("stereo" does not mean "two" nor are we so limited but for now, K.I.S.Sir? ).

In the rock/pop world a number, often QUITE a number of microphones are recorded to individual tracks and then after the event the real work starts of blalancing, panning, and otherwise moulding the multitrack takes into a meaningful, believable stereo "stage". This is "mixing" and it is a great skill and I don't have clue one!

So, the UCA202 is a TWO CHANNEL device and as such is perfectly capable of recording a stereo track IF you feed it signal of the correct sort. Say you had a mixer? You set up two mics as a stereo pair (Google "co-I" and "spaced pair" recording) feed the line out from the mixer to the 202 and setup a stereo track in your DAW. Job's a good'un.
Now, Plug a mic in one channel and guitar in the other and record two tracks. You will have vocals one side and guitar the other. You might like that but STEREO it ain't.

Bottom line. Any AI with two XLR inputs will allow stereo recording but YOU have to know how to set that up!

*Purist "classical" recordings can be made with just a pair of directional microphones. Figure eights are said to be best. In practice such recording are done with multiple mics and the result "approximates" a simple setup. Music critics have a lovely time deliberating over such mixes!

#Errors and omissions excepted#! I am but a solderer.

Dave.

I tried that already and it did not work. When i feed a signal into the item one input at a time it does not recognize one of the channels.

 

[Chili]

Not knowing anything about Tracktion 5, I can't assist with how to set it up, BUT... for sure that is where your problem lies. You may not be creating the correct track for the input signal, Stereo or Mono. The choice depends on the input source, not what you want it be in the mix. After selecting the correct type of track, you have to be sure you are assigning the correct input source; Right or Left or Both from the uc202 or the Tascam 122.

Definitely go read the manual for Tracktion to see how to set up a track properly.

 

[ecc83]

I tried that already and it did not work. When i feed a signal into the item one input at a time it does not recognize one of the channels.

Sorry BWTGR, that ^ does not make sense to me. "Tried what" exactly?

Feed a signal into the left RCA of the 202, does that show up in the DAW? Now feed the SAME signal into the right RCA input. Again, can you see a meter signal?

I have a UCA 202 and can setup pretty much any test regime you like and report back with screengrabs and sound clips .

Dave.

 

[bouldersoundguy]

A year or 2 ago i bought a behringer UCA202 for 29.99 american dollars. The item is not capable of recording in stereo.

Sure it is. It's designed mostly for stereo capture of consumer type audio sources, like tape decks. Most likely you don't have the software set up for stereo recording or there's some other user error.

 

[ecc83]

I have installed the demo of Traktion2 ...WHAT a piece of ***t!

Well, to be fair I guess it is fine for its prime purpose, DJ'ing but after 10 minutes of struggle I could not make an audio recording. And WTF use are those tiny,tiny meters???

So, Audacity but then I learned something about the UCA 202. It can be setup for various input configurations (in Win7 at least) Attached is a screenshot of how to get it set for stereo 16 bit CD quality.

The signal source was the SCART* audio out of my FSTV playing Radio 3. The 202 level (in Win) was set at 3. This gives an average modulation at -20/24dBFS, bit low but "4" pushes very close to -3 on peaks and that is way too hot. Flipping over to R2 even on 3 it slams the meters. Never quite over but bloody close.

*Level specc' is a bare "0.5V". Don't know if that is an operating level or max op? In any case the 202 was quite happy with the feed, headphone sound was punchy but very clean,in fact I have rarely tried cans on my 202, quite impressed! Senny HD 448s.

Anfing else, just ask.

Dave.