Audio Interface

songsj

Member
Guess Ill try this here, got no responses in the Tascam section,
I'm looking at audio interfaces to use with Reaper, Would like opinions on the following,
Tascam 16x08
Scarlett 18i20 2nd Gen
Behringer Uphoria comparable model to above.

Looking for the usual, clean pre's and trouble free operation with low latency round trip.
This is for home studio use. Mostly vocals with backing tracks, some instrument recording.

Thanks
 
Never seen any complaints on either Tascam or Scarlett interfaces.The Behrs are a cheap entry-level option.
 
I may be helping answer my own question but one thing that used to be true about outboard gear was that units with internal AC power supplies were of higher quality. One way they get manufacturing costs down on gear is to go with a cheaper more compact external AC/DC conversion. Internal supplies were also less susceptible to noise. Not sure if that applies here but this used to be the case. That being said a plus to an external is if it goes out you can easily replace it. Internals usually leave you with a large paper weight unless you are really good at repairing electronics yourself. I'm leaning towards the Scarlett 18i20 2nd gen even though I am a Tascam fan
 
Focusrite Scarlett |

Gets a very good reccy there ^. The F'rite also has ADAT capability, nice future-proofing. I am not an 'automatic' fan of Focustrite, their lower range models are not good VFM IMHO compared to say Steinberg's UR22 but that bigger job looks very good.

All that said!! IF I were looking for that kind of connectivity and that sort of money AND I was thinking long term, I would live on beans on toast for a year, walk everywhere and buy RME! (mind you, 'er indoors might have a bit to say!).

Just a thought? I would email F'rite with your computer speccs (printout from Speccy or similar) and make DDamn sure you have the PC grunt.

Dave.
 
All three are great products...

I have heard zero complaints about the Uphoria line here at HR.com and the reviews at sweetwater and guitar center are pretty glowing.

The Behringer audio interface products are a fantastic value and provide you everything the average Homewrecker needs from an interface to achieve great recordings. You won't go wrong any of three but the Tascam 16/8 and BEHRINGER U-PHORIA UMC1820 are $200 less than the focusrite. I just don't personally drink the focusrite brand name koolaid...When I am ready to pull the trigger I've decided at least for now on the Behri UMC 1820 but I won't be buying till after NAMM this January...just want to see if there is anything coming down the pipe that I might want instead.
 
All three are great products...

I have heard zero complaints about the Uphoria line here at HR.com and the reviews at sweetwater and guitar center are pretty glowing.

The Behringer audio interface products are a fantastic value and provide you everything the average Homewrecker needs from an interface to achieve great recordings. You won't go wrong any of three but the Tascam 16/8 and BEHRINGER U-PHORIA UMC1820 are $200 less than the focusrite. I just don't personally drink the focusrite brand name koolaid...When I am ready to pull the trigger I've decided at least for now on the Behri UMC 1820 but I won't be buying till after NAMM this January...just want to see if there is anything coming down the pipe that I might want instead.


Yes, because I hate their (lack of) business ethics I keep waiting for some operational horror story about the Behringer interfaces but the bloody things just seem to go from strength to strength!

Personally I would not buy anything 'this year's new and shiny' ESPECIALLY if it needs software!

Err! Apples and oranges chaps. The first two interfaces, the Tassy and the F'rite have 8 mic inputs and the Focusrite ADAT to boot.
AFAICT the Berry just does 4 in 4 out? They do not seem to have an ADAT AI at all? Odd when the ADA8200 gets a generally good rep?

OOOooop! Just seen the 18 whatsit!



Dave.
 
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How many people need ADAT these days?

Internal vs external power supply, don't think its a big deal these days, what can be is power supply vs USB-only power, which depending on your computer, may not be sufficient to drive phantom power for a bunch of mics.

I got turned off to Behr from the mixer I bought (and returned) several years ago - noisy weak preamps. I know the current crop are better, and I even have a couple of cheap Behr pedals on my pedal board.
My Tascam US600 has been flawless since I bought it and no complaints on the mic preamps or the headphone output, for me at least.
 
Yep The Behri 1820 has 8 and is expandable for @ $200 to 16 preamps

She's a beauty!

USB Interface with Plenty of I/O
If you need lots of I/O for your home studio, the Behringer U-PHORIA UMC1820 USB 2.0 audio interface is worth a look. With 18 inputs and 10 outputs, the U-PHORIA UMC1820 gives you plenty of options for connecting your synths and outboard gear. Add eight Midas-designed mic pres and high-resolution 24-bit/96kHz converters to the mix, and you have yourself a complete studio in a box. Not enough I/O? Connect a Behringer ADA8200 to the U-PHORIA UMC1820's ADAT input and expand to a total of 16 preamps.

image_71499.jpg
 
If you ever get into using outboard hardware, you will need an interface that allows you to COMPLETELY bypass the AI's preamps. I have collected some really cool preamps over the years, and still like their coloration. To accommodate their use, I got an Audient ASP880 interface. It has 8 superb preamps and converters, but each preamp has a bypass switch (blue A-D button) that allows you to bypass that particular channel and patch in your outboard gear. It is the single best new feature I've added to my studio in years. The 880s are very pricey in the US, but you can get a much better deal buying from a UK online dealer since they are made there. I paid about $400 less this way, even after the import duty.

s-l1600.jpg
 
How many people need ADAT these days?

Internal vs external power supply, don't think its a big deal these days, what can be is power supply vs USB-only power, which depending on your computer, may not be sufficient to drive phantom power for a bunch of mics.

I got turned off to Behr from the mixer I bought (and returned) several years ago - noisy weak preamps. I know the current crop are better, and I even have a couple of cheap Behr pedals on my pedal board.
My Tascam US600 has been flawless since I bought it and no complaints on the mic preamps or the headphone output, for me at least.

NEED ADAT Mike? Probably not many all the time but 16 mic input AIs are rare and expensive and I would guess 8 mics is plenty for most bods in the HR scenario but, nice to have the expansion option? I have never looked into the matter but you could probably hire in a tasty (RME?) ADAT pre for the eventuality?

I too was hissed off with Behringer at an early stage. Their BCA2000 was a brilliant concept and worked well WHEN it worked. B awful drivers and worse electrical reliability. But I have since bought several Berry products including the X802 mixer and I have to say they are very good for the money. I have not seen a review of the latest AIs they have spawned (only trust SoS) but, *&^%$ their eyes, they seem to attract nothing but good comments (btw, is TAE on a drink from Bellringers?)

Dave.
 
Forgot: Onboard mains supply V wall rat/line lump...Yer pays yer money a bit. The two power systems each have conns and pros.

It is almost certainly cheaper to make gear with a low, 12V say supply than have mains inside. The reason being you avoid a lot of safety legislation (some countries insist on a mains switch e.g.). Then in production and testing staff are not exposed to lethal voltages and this is both safer and means staff need less training and expertize (pay'em less!) . ALL your lethal stuff is in a separate 'box' and that can easily be made very safe and meet all criteria.

Power supplies, especially 50/60Hz ones are a source of noise. Switch mode PSUs can of course be very noisy but that tends to get dealt with under EMG regs'. Easier to lose the noise if it ain't there!

Case needs to be some 10% at least bigger

Removes a source of heat, especially 50Hz supplies and the latter of course need voltage selection.

OB mains supplies become attractive for heavier current pulls where an external supply would start to get pretty big. Might also not be a suitable (cheap!) common supply available and making them 'in house' would be expensive, might as well put it in the kit.

People (especially certain reviewers!) like to see an IEC connector so good for sales but I doubt there is any technical advantage?

Last, BNL, do not forget that a 'lump' powered AI at 12V input can be run from a car battery..Have laptop/mac, Chelsea Tractor, and 12V RME, can LOCATE!

(actually I think most RME kit has OB supplies but YKWIM!)
Dave.
 
How many people need ADAT these days?...
Well, I use it!

Maybe there's some confusion about it, but in the Focusrite, it allows me to expand my 4 mic pre Saffire Pro 26 to 12 using a Behringer ADA8200. This can be pretty darn useful if you want to (affordably) expand your AI to record a full band, for instance. (The thing I find curious is that the Uphoria 404HD doesn't support ADAT!) However, it's something I lived without for many years, and never knew what it was before I started trying to figure out how to get more simultaneous tracks into the computer without starting all over.

The Scarlett line reviews seem mixed, but I like my previous gen model which is more closely related to the 18i8 Scarlett. I've always been a fan of having dual headphone outputs right on the AI for sanity checking late night mixes when I can't turn on the monitors (and probably should be sleeping), but of course you could get a headphone amp to achieve the same thing.

But, that Behringer seems like a steal - almost too good not to give it a shot anyway.
 
If you ever get into using outboard hardware, you will need an interface that allows you to COMPLETELY bypass the AI's preamps.
View attachment 101119

Interesting subject I had not ever really given any thought to...great discussion on it HERE AT GEARSLUTZ I'm a newb on this topic but based on the discussion at GS line inserts that bypass the volume knobs also completely bypass the preamps within most interfaces thus a clean signal where the volume must be controlled from an external preamp / mixer. As such whatever color you want to send in you can through the line inserts...least that was my takeaway of 5 minutes of breezing through the post there..
 
Is TAE on a drink from Bellringers?

30 years sober man :guitar: My day gig is helping people around the world get stoned. I am a Quartz kitchen counter top material swami.

In the end I'm just a musician that LOVES to play and I want to sound as professional as I can on a tight budget and time schedule.

It's crazy but 22 years ago I built my first computer with the dream of being able to record my music into that silly p133 with an awe32 soundblaster card...Voyetra software and sound fonts ugh! and I did...sort of not so much....Spent over $3200 on that first set up..... flash forward to 2017...HOLY SHIT 1000 times more powerful, 1000 times the options for under $1000...Pretty damn cool where we have gone.....

I'm a fan of Behringer interfaces because I see them as a product that far exceeds mine and 99.9% of what the average homewrecker needs to get a decent track down at what I believe to be the best value on the market today.
 
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30 years sober man :guitar: My day gig is helping people around the world get stoned. I am Quartz kitchen counter top material swami.

In the end I'm just a musician that LOVES to play and I want to sound as professional as I can on a tight budget and time schedule.

It's crazy but 22 years ago I built my first computer with the dream of being able to record my music into that silly p133 with an awe32 soundblaster card...Voyetra software and sound fonts ugh! and I did...sort of not so much....Spent over $3200 on that first set up..... flash forward to 2017...HOLY SHIT 1000 times more powerful, 1000 times the options for under $1000...Pretty damn cool where we have gone.....

I'm a fan of Behringer interfaces because I see them as a product that far exceeds mine and 99.9% of what the average homewrecker needs to get a decent track down at what I believe to be the best value on the market today.

Well done! I too have been TT (well, Red Bull & Joe) these 12 years. I really meant is your obvious enthusiasm in anyway rewarded? I take it not. No offence intended.

Yes, since the release of the X32 Behringers have gained a lot of cred but it will always sit uneasy with me so long as they make virtual clones of 'our' guitar amps!

AND! I shall have something to say about bypassing pre amps but after reading those links.

Dave.
 
Pres and 'derived' line inputs...

I am going to discount the tests done in that link because they are not double blind. For those that don't know? You cannot get valid data comparing stuff by yourself (except for your own taste) . The kit needs to be setup by a third party and switched over in complete ignorance of the sample you are listening to. You also need a H of a lot of 'events' to get a statistically valid result, at least 25 per sample I think but I am NO mathematician!

Mic preamps: The vast majority in budget AIs are of the 'hybrid' design using one or two discrete transistors and an opamp. If of the simplest design, these can add a bit of distortion at the highest gain setting but IF being used as a line stage you would hardly be likely to do that! Consequently, the pre amp will probably have a distortion specc' below 0.01% and very low noise. Almost any pre amp driving that will add more noise and distortion and of course, if you chose an external pre for 'colour' or 'attitude' these are really just euphemisms for distortion. 'Nice' distortion some say but an inaccuracy at the end of the day which even quite cheap AI pres do not suffer from!

We are now well into an era of 2nd and 3rd generation AIs and almost all have stupendously clean mic amps. Slapping a 20dB attenuator affront of that is going to change the signal diddly squat.

Of course! IF you are using a Grace M101 and a Royer ribbon it would be a bit daft to stuff it through a 50quid Behringer AI but I am not at all sure you would really notice the diff with a 'proper' line input?

Dave.
 
Anyone here know what is a good sale price on a Tascam 16x08. I know 299.00 seems to be the everyday price I want new not used or refurbished.
 
Anyone here know what is a good sale price on a Tascam 16x08. I know 299.00 seems to be the everyday price I want new not used or refurbished.

I don't remember seeing it for less. Get a Guitar Center 10% or 15% off discount (Tascam will probably show as excluded), but you can usually get the discount by calling.
 
Dave, I apologize for owning one of those Bugera clones! If I had known you worked there prior to my last post I would have never admitted I owned one. Blackstars are very cool amps, but the Beri model was almost half the price. It’s just a 5w job that I use for recording. The only other Beri product I own is an ADA8200 which I don’t use anymore since my AI’s no longer have ADAT interfaces. I don’t think too highly of the older Beri products but I haven’t tried any of their newer products. But hey, the Bugera has lasted about a year so far. It’s not something I would ever take out of the house and bounce around.
 
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