Soundcard Advice

C

curtislholt

New member
Hello everyone,
So with christmas coming up I am going to treat myself and buy a new soundcard. So originally I was going to buy a Behringer UMC404HD since it has the 4 inputs in case I ever want to record drums however things have changed and I will only really need to be recording guitar for basic demos. After a bit more looking I came across the Focusrite Scarlett Solo 3rd Gen. Will that give me better audio quality will it be better than the Behringer??

Also does anyone have any other suggestions for soundcards since I only really have very basic knowledge
Thanks for the help :)
Regards
Curtis
 
I wouldn't expect a real audible difference between any of the audio interfaces ("soundcards") in that price range. There may be some differences in the duration of driver support, direct technical support response times, etc., but these are commodities built to solve the same problems and sell in volume.

Personally, I have always liked having 4 mic inputs, moving from 2 pretty quickly. (But, I have to admit it's possible it's also prompted me to buy more mics than I need :).) In any case, I would not get the Solo simply because it just limits you to a single mic and a plugged in (direct) guitar. Buy an interface with 2 mic inputs and the ability to switch to INST input if needed. Direct monitoring can be useful for some use cases (though I've gotten by without it).

Read reviews, and make sure what you're getting is compatible with your computer hardware and operating system.
 
I agree with the others. One mic input will soon cause you frustration.

I have just bought the UMC 204HD and my initial checks show it is of much the same sound quality as my Native Instruments KA6, an interface that has been around a few years now and has a very good reputation.

I also know of several audio people I respect that have one of the Behringers and are very pleased with them. It pains me a bit to say it and does, I am sure hiss F'rite off mightily but the 204HD is CHEAPER than the Solo and much more versatile.

Dave.
 
I own a Berhinger UMC204HD as well and have been using it for about 3 years. It has been virtually trouble free and has more features for the money than anything else out there. The pres are transparent and damn near noiseless. The drivers are nothing fancy but very stable. The monitoring function has a mono switch so you don't have the problem of hearing yourself in only one ear when using only one mic. A simple but very necessary feature you'll find missing on a lot of under $200 interfaces. As a bonus, it has a MIDI interface and even FX send and returns on board (uses trs to ts y-cables) so you can use outboard gear. Only caveat is the push button switches will get dirty/scratchy after a few years and you will have to blast them with some deoxit (or whatever electronics cleaner you choose) once in a while.
Behringer may not be the dearest name in the business, but the UMC line of interfaces are very well made.
I would imagine the UMC404HD to be the same with, obviously, more of everything.
 
To further alleviate some concerns over Preamp quality (mainly noise floor), this guy tested a handful of pres in different interfaces. It may surprise some people that the Midas pres on the Behringer actually perform slightly better than the Focusrite. ;) (though the difference is negligible).

YouTube

(Noise comparison at 3:03)

This guy also has a video on the UMC202HD, The little brother of the UMC204HD and UMC404HD. He does very in depth videos.

YouTube
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top