Been out of the game a long time... need advice about an audio interface

lurgan liar

lurgan liar

Jimmy Page XXVIII
Hi guys.

I used to practically live on this forum many years ago but for one reason or another i kind of lost interest in recording. I moved house, my RME Fireface 800 got broke and i couldn't afford to have it repaired and ever since then i never really got back into it ...

But i have moved house now and I have a loft conversion which i plan on turning into a recording studio... I plan to record mostly myself on guitar, banjo, mandolin. I will occasionally mic up my piano which is down stairs. I will also have a midi keyboard.

As i said previously I had a RME Fireface 800 which got damaged. I now need a new interface. something a bit smaller as my needs have now changed. I will no longer need so many inputs and outputs for recording a full live band set up.

I really am in need of some advice as i have basically been out of this game for a long time now and i'm sure there are many new audio interfaces out there that i know nothing about.

If anyone can offer me any advice about an inexpensive audio interface that would fit my needs it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Eamon
 
Look who it is!
What do you need Mo? Three simultaneous mic inputs or just two?

If two is enough look at the Scarlett 2i2.
 
Ah man was looking for ya on facebook there but couldn't see ya ... i would probably just need 2 simultaneous mic inputs for now ... i'll be able to splash out a but more next year if i decide to get back into it .. but for now .. i just need somethin decent on a budget .... i'd like to be able to mic up the guitar and have another mic for vox simultaneously ... also an input for the electric ..and i want a midi keyboard as well ... need as much help as i can get ... as ya can see my last post on the forum was 4 years ago lol
 
You could look for something with 2 mic inputs to cover stereo instrument recording, and SPDIF so you can add 2 more preamps later without too much expense or fuss.
That's probably easier than finding something with 4 mic inputs.

Honestly though, pick up a tascam us800/us1800. Might look overkill at a glance but they're very well priced and get great rep around here.
Gives you no shortage of mic/line/instrument inputs.....Just incase some idiot drummer turns up. :p
 
Steenamaroo said:
You could look for something with 2 mic inputs to cover stereo instrument recording, and SPDIF so you can add 2 more preamps later without too much expense or fuss.
That's probably easier than finding something with 4 mic inputs.

Honestly though, pick up a tascam us800/us1800. Might look overkill at a glance but they're very well priced and get great rep around here.
Gives you no shortage of mic/line/instrument inputs.....Just incase some idiot drummer turns up. :p
Click to expand...

I am using this a part of a portastudio setup with a inexpensive laptop. for about $300 this really is a good place to start. You won't outgrow it very quick, will get you decent results and is a pretty damn good interface for the money.

Others recommend as well, but about $100 more than a 2 channel, you get 14 inputs, plus the two digitals (16). 8 pre's that are decent, pretty good starting point.
 
probably a daft question man but is that USB 2. better than Firewire ? ... what is the latency like ... and will it work with the old PC that i used to use . with the fireface i used to be able to record a shit load of mics simultaneously with it with no drop outs... and i used to be able to have a lod of plug ins going as well
 
DM60 said:
I am using this a part of a portastudio setup with a inexpensive laptop. for about $300 this really is a good place to start. You won't outgrow it very quick, will get you decent results and is a pretty damn good interface for the money.

Others recommend as well, but about $100 more than a 2 channel, you get 14 inputs, plus the two digitals (16). 8 pre's that are decent, pretty good starting point.
Click to expand...

Thanks ... for that kind of money it really does look like a bargain ... definetly well worth considering... My RME Fireface 800 is going to cost £350 but to be honest i just want something cheap and cheerful to get me up and running again in the next few months ...
 
lurgan liar said:
probably a daft question man but is that USB 2. better than Firewire ? ... what is the latency like ... and will it work with the old PC that i used to use . with the fireface i used to be able to record a shit load of mics simultaneously with it with no drop outs... and i used to be able to have a lod of plug ins going as well
Click to expand...

Is it still the old pentium 4? I wouldn't want to push it too hard but it should be more than capable of recording a handful of tracks at low enough latency.

lurgan liar said:
Thanks ... for that kind of money it really does look like a bargain ... definetly well worth considering... My RME Fireface 800 is going to cost £350 but to be honest i just want something cheap and cheerful to get me up and running again in the next few months ...
Click to expand...
Sounds like the job. :)
Try your luck selling faulty + sold as seen on ebay. You'd probably get a tonne for the fire face handy enough.
 
Yeah man still the only pentium 4 .. never had any bother with it before ... tell me this that focusrite scarlett doesn't have midi ... i' never really got into using midi before man ... i'd like to get a keyboard on the go with some hammond organ sounds, pianos synths etc etc ... is there any other interface out there with midi for the same sort of price range ..
 
If you think 2 mic preamps would be enough, go for the scarlett and a midi (usb) keyboard. ;)

Tascam have some older 2 mic-pre interfaces (us122) but I've no idea what the quality is like. Never used them.
 
usb keyboard ... wow i really am a newb lol.... i feel like Marty McFly in Back to the Future 2 here lol ....

what is the latency like with a usb keyboard man if any?

really i just want to spend as little as possible at the minute so i can get this wee studio up and running in the attic and i can blow a few cobwebs off me coz i haven't done any recording in years .. and then once i have a few more quid together i can start to worry about more inputs and rack gear and so on ..

appreciate the help man
 
lurgan liar said:
usb keyboard ... wow i really am a newb lol.... i feel like Marty McFly in Back to the Future 2 here lol ....

what is the latency like with a usb keyboard man if any?

really i just want to spend as little as possible at the minute so i can get this wee studio up and running in the attic and i can blow a few cobwebs off me coz i haven't done any recording in years .. and then once i have a few more quid together i can start to worry about more inputs and rack gear and so on ..

appreciate the help man
Click to expand...

No worries mate. (Great film!)
I'm not sure latency is a big concern with USB midi.
Maybe best to see if someone else backs that up first, though?
 
So Steen... (sorry to head your thread off topic here OP...) is your studio your business / livelihood... or just a part thereof and you do other stuff to keep the wolf from the door? Just curious...:confused:


OP - I haven't experienced any latency with a MIDI keyboard, but I don't play much keys...
 
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