My second attempt at home recording setup. Please read, advise, suggest, critique, etc.

C

chipee

New member
To start, the new MacBook Pro with m3 is likely my first purchase. A version with 16GB/512GB storage, and Logic Pro installed (also not 100% committed to the DAW choice. Now the interface is where I really don’t know what to do.

I want something basic, but of good quality.
Won’t likely be doing huge projects with high track counts and excessive plugins.
Considering the UAD Apollo Solo thunderbolt version.

Any input about this choice or other suggestions is appreciated. Has anybody been able to try the newer Mac models with different hardware yet? Is it at all possible to use my scarlet 6i6 2nd gen for this setup, or would that be a silly or limiting attempt?
 
I have an M2 pro Mac mini, and it's plenty more than I need...

With regard to interface, you don't need one. At least not in the traditional sense.
My POD Go has replaced my old PreSonus with just a USB connection, and I run everything through it including VOX. I also have an old 12 channel mixer that doubles as an interface.

In other words, in my opinion, interfaces just complicate things. If you have a lot of external gear and want to mic your amp or acoustic, I recommend a mixer. However, I've grown quite fond of just being able to "plug-n-play" with the POD. Line6 CATALYST amps also function as a USB interface, but the POD is better.
 
If you're just looking to do audio, the MBPro M3 is probably way more than you need, especially if, as you say, you won't be doing large track counts and excessive plugins. I would actually be looking to save some money if you can find a deal on a M2 version, and then used that for upping your interface selection. People are doing a lot of recording with much less computer power (unless you need it for something else like video rendering).

My absolute minimum is a 2 channel, as you can at least record in stereo. Even that is limiting if you EVER want to record drums. You may say that you only need 2 channels, but if you're investing significant money, you are putting huge limitations on your future. You are buying a computer that is over spec for basic audio, but limiting yourself on the interface. I don't agree with Japov's POD Go for an interface. It may work for his situation, but the majority of people recording are using interfaces for a reason.

The Twin X has the option of adding an 8 channel ADAT preamp at a later date if you need to expand your horizon.
 
Thank you both for responding. There are a couple minor features on the new laptop that i like, and I didn’t see a huge price difference when looking at m2 machines that were comparable. Perhaps I’m looking in the wrong places.
TalismanRich, you’ve definitely given me something to think about regarding interfaces. Can of worms time. Yeehaw
 
TalismanRich said:
If you're just looking to do audio, the MBPro M3 is probably way more than you need, especially if, as you say, you won't be doing large track counts and excessive plugins. I would actually be looking to save some money if you can find a deal on a M2 version, and then used that for upping your interface selection. People are doing a lot of recording with much less computer power (unless you need it for something else like video rendering).

My absolute minimum is a 2 channel, as you can at least record in stereo. Even that is limiting if you EVER want to record drums. You may say that you only need 2 channels, but if you're investing significant money, you are putting huge limitations on your future. You are buying a computer that is over spec for basic audio, but limiting yourself on the interface. I don't agree with Japov's POD Go for an interface. It may work for his situation, but the majority of people recording are using interfaces for a reason.

The Twin X has the option of adding an 8 channel ADAT preamp at a later date if you need to expand your horizon.
Click to expand...
I'm curious...
My POD can do a lot more than my old interface... so can my mixer. So, what am I missing? What's the "reason"?
 
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I’m my humble opinion, one needs at least an 8 channel interface. What if you’re recoding live drums, or recording just a few people together in a room, say like an acoustic unplugged situation?

Even with two acoustic guitars, and both players doing some vocals with a lead singer, you’re using 7 mics. One for the main vocalist 2 for the guitarist/vocalists and 2 mics per guitar. Right there you’ve used 7 of 8 inputs.

Only two inputs severely reduces your options.

The computer stores and processes your musical information, the interface controls what is actually going into your computer to begin with.
 
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The real issue is the hard drive - mac's affordable drives are 500Gb, and 1Tb is crazyily expensive. My new mac mini is a great swap for the PC, with a few annoyances. you MUST have a fast external drive for the samples we all collect now, but so many packages insist you store stuff on the internal drive, and it fills up surprisingly quickly. I tried to install everything onto the drives I attached but there is a bottleneck somewhere. My old PC never glitched, and I never had to faff with buffer sizes. Drives that were fast enough, now are not with the mac. It's mean moving often used packages to different drives, which has helped quite a lot - but macs seem speedier when each of the sockets goes to one destination. Using hubs to give more USB is where the delays begin. fast SSDs, or just decent spinners - both get throttled back when they have to share one USB. If you test the speed it's great, but if you test again when another app is using the other drive, it slows down. I don't regret the swap to mac for Cubase - and it runs fine on a macbook with reduced sample package count - but half a Tb is really not enough if you want to be external drive free.
 
rob aylestone said:
The real issue is the hard drive - mac's affordable drives are 500Gb, and 1Tb is crazyily expensive. My new mac mini is a great swap for the PC, with a few annoyances. you MUST have a fast external drive for the samples we all collect now, but so many packages insist you store stuff on the internal drive, and it fills up surprisingly quickly. I tried to install everything onto the drives I attached but there is a bottleneck somewhere. My old PC never glitched, and I never had to faff with buffer sizes. Drives that were fast enough, now are not with the mac. It's mean moving often used packages to different drives, which has helped quite a lot - but macs seem speedier when each of the sockets goes to one destination. Using hubs to give more USB is where the delays begin. fast SSDs, or just decent spinners - both get throttled back when they have to share one USB. If you test the speed it's great, but if you test again when another app is using the other drive, it slows down. I don't regret the swap to mac for Cubase - and it runs fine on a macbook with reduced sample package count - but half a Tb is really not enough if you want to be external drive free.
Click to expand...
Yep, 1tb is an essential but expensive upgrade -- so spend your money on that rather than on an m3 chip, which is not really worth the money for home recording.
 
A google search where I typed “best 8 channel interface” brought up this as the first entry


emastered.com

Best 8 Channel Audio Interfaces

Confused about all the options for audio interfaces? Read this article to find out the best 8-channel audio interfaces for your studio needs.
emastered.com emastered.com

I endorse none of these units, have no experience with any of them. It’s just what came up.
 
Like RFR, I went with 8 inputs. I have the Tascam 16x08 but I run PC with USB. I've also got a Zoom R24 with 8 inputs. There were a few times I wish I had a second Zoom so I could record 16 tracks.

The reason I mentioned the UA Twin is that is has all the UA goodies, is available for Thunderbolt, which theoretically is much better for latency, and it accepts ADAT, so you could put a Berry 8200 preamp, Tascam Series 8p Dyna or a Clarett OctoPre and have 10 channels to record.

The other Tbolt interfaces that are in the same price range are from Motu and Presonus. I haven't used any of the interfaces personally, but I have heard better things about the UA in general.
 
The Scarlett is fine if it's working and you don't need USB 3.1 /TB 4 speeds on the roundtrip. I'd set up and start recording and *then* worrying about whether the interface is limiting - it rarely is, until you get to inputs. The 6i6 does lack ADAT so if you need more than 2 mic preamps, I'd simply shop for something that has ADAT, unless you know you're going to be using over 4 mics (next step up from 2) from the get-go, or just don't want to be bothered with another piece of hardware. An interface with 8 mic pres you don't use is going to take up a bunch of desk space. If you've got a rack, that's not an issue, of course.

I've been a Logic user for a few years now and think it's just fine. The regular updates at no cost over everything since High Sierra on a 2010 MacBook Pro (retired for some years) have been nice.

I see folks wasting time over-analyzing gear when just about anything made in the last 10 years is more than adequate for home recording, and you've certainly got the computing hardware.
 
I guess I forgot about you having the 6i6. It certainly will work fine. It's got midi if you need that option, plus line inputs so you can add in channels from a mixer for some expansion. Probably 85-90% of home users are using USB interfaces. Get the computer and DAW, plug in the Scarlett and start recording.
 
Thanks again, all. I didn’t mention that I came in a little gun shy because of my last attempt at this. Computer and interface didn’t cooperate and I had the hardware that everyone was saying should be seamless and simple. It wasn’t. Apple was no help, nor was Focusrite.
 
chipee said:
Thanks again, all. I didn’t mention that I came in a little gun shy because of my last attempt at this. Computer and interface didn’t cooperate and I had the hardware that everyone was saying should be seamless and simple. It wasn’t. Apple was no help, nor was Focusrite.
Click to expand...
Well, Focusrite is compliant with Apple's MacOS "core audio" so all you have to do is plug it in, and then set the device as the input/output in your system Settings and DAW settings/preferences. You may need a new cable as the latest Macs can be a little short in USB-A jacks. I have a Mini with a base that it sits on that adds several jacks, But you should be fine if you just get cable for your interface like this:

Getting a different interface is not likely to change the basic setup fundamentals. So, come back here with your questions if you can't get up and running, or a user forum for Focusrite products - manufacturers tend to be slow to "crickets" for questions that are probably answered online, at least in my experience.
 
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