Interfaces

[Orson]

We are new and have a Scarlett 2i2 interface. We purchased it because people said it was good and people used in in Youtube videos etc.

Today I was just looking at other stuff and saw that some people were using interface's that cost over £800 for single microphone vocal work

Is there really that much difference between these little boxes of tricks? Even the really expensive ones still used usb2 connections which I found strange. I thought usb 2 had been superseded long ago.

 

[keith.rogers]

I'd sure the people that spent 800 quid would tell you there's a difference. And, Ok, there's probably a measurable difference but one that is not likely to be audible (IMO) in most *home* (emphasis on home, i.e., a converted bedroom, corner of a basement or loft) type of recording spaces.

And, you almost certainly need a pretty good mic to hear it then (again IMO - not ever used one of those spendy interfaces).

USB 3.0 is just starting to show up in the higher end stuff for the most part, or at least the upper tier of products. The slow adoption is the due mostly to the fact that it costs more and there's no benefit, again, for most home recording scenarios. USB 2.0 is more than fast enough for the interface's bandwidth needs.

If your computer even has one USB 3.0 port, I'd stick the external drive where I put my projects on it. That's going to be moving some data back and forth. (Well, TBH, that's exactly what I did, and that did make a noticeable difference in eliminating hiccups.)

N.B. Anyone who has spent a crapload of dimes on their interface can write my fussiness off as sour grapes . I just know the interface isn't going to make a difference in my recordings...

 

[Orson]

The more I get into this the more i believe there is a snob factor where you must brag what gear you have. I can understand a studio spouting the top notch gear to get clients as nobody would turn up if the studio said they had a Blue Yeti microphone as part of their kit. But £2500 for a mic and £800 for an interface and what about if you can't sing or play a note?

 

[jamesperrett]

I could justify spending a bit more on an interface as a manufacturer like RME designs everything themselves (Focusrite buy in much of the technology from others) and the RME drivers are very stable with some of the lowest latencies in the business. If you want mastering quality A/D and D/A conversion then you are going to need to spend a bit more money too.

However, the Scarlett is plenty good enough for most things (provided it has enough inputs and outputs) and there are plenty of other upgrades that you can do before you need to upgrade your interface.

 

[DM60]

I think for the most part, everyone is spot on. There are some higher end interfaces that do more than just AD/DA. Like Universal Audio, DigiGrid, that really bring some muscle to the table for special purposes.

But for most of us, as stated, other than a Blue Yeti (those I think are really on the bottom), can use most of the entry level (to me ~$200) and get very good results. Main items are, phantom power, good pre-amps and quality gain, needed inputs (like for live recording or even real drums), stable ISO drivers (really important).

You hit those marks, you have a nice interface.

 

[jimmys69]

I'd sure the people that spent 800 quid would tell you there's a difference. And, Ok, there's probably a measurable difference but one that is not likely to be audible (IMO) in most *home* (emphasis on home, i.e., a converted bedroom, corner of a basement or loft) type of recording spaces.

And, you almost certainly need a pretty good mic to hear it then (again IMO - not ever used one of those spendy interfaces).

USB 3.0 is just starting to show up in the higher end stuff for the most part, or at least the upper tier of products. The slow adoption is the due mostly to the fact that it costs more and there's no benefit, again, for most home recording scenarios. USB 2.0 is more than fast enough for the interface's bandwidth needs.

If your computer even has one USB 3.0 port, I'd stick the external drive where I put my projects on it. That's going to be moving some data back and forth. (Well, TBH, that's exactly what I did, and that did make a noticeable difference in eliminating hiccups.)

N.B. Anyone who has spent a crapload of dimes on their interface can write my fussiness off as sour grapes . I just know the interface isn't going to make a difference in my recordings...

Naw man, you are correct. For most home situations a $200 two input interface will likely give decent enough results. Hell, I just tested a $30 Behri U-Phoria UM2 that I bought my son for his gaming. It actually had quite clean preamps. Not enough gain for say an SM7B, but fine for most applications.

I use two $800 Steinberg interfaces that have high clean gain and many outputs and options. Add to that a my one beloved Vintech X73i Neve clone preamp.

Those are not needed for just doing some vocals. More about drums. Although, I would recommend a nice preamp if one gets more serious. Decent smaller versions with the higher gain circuitry in the $500 range are out there.

I started my home studio with a Lexicon Alpha. What a piece of shit... But that was like 10 years ago technology...

Even my next step up to the Tascam 1641, and then 2000 model, still recorded 16 tracks seamlessly with USB 2.0.

I have a system now built that has USB 3.0 for everything, but even flash drive downloads are just a bit slower with the 2.0 ports.

I would agree to use the 3.0 USB for data transfer if you only have one. Never use an interface and data transfer on the same USB controller. I didn't catch if you were using a laptop or desktop. Desktops are easy upgrades if extra ports for USB controller. Most any interface should still keep up with 2.0. Unless it isn't supported. Which I haven't heard of - yet.


The Scarlet 2i2 is spec'd at 50 dB of input gain. That is reasonable for most situations but if you push a preamp hard, it will tend to start to getting noisy. Hence using a better mic preamp through the line inputs if you need it.


Think about it. My Steinberg UR824's are about $100 per input channel. My X73i was like $1700 for one channel. And it sure does sound better. But I am more of a production studio kind of a thing where every $1000 investment equates to maybe 2% final quality of recording.

Room treatment is the cheapest bang for buck you can ever invest in if you do it right. Meaning no foam Auralex stuff.

Get the room right first then the rest gets easier. Well, unless you just don't care.

 

[jimmys69]

I found this post I somehow missed actually sending.

There is no bragging. We all start from somewhere. You have a decent interface that will likely do what you need it to do.

Pay close attention to the sound of your room. That is really key to getting good quality even with cheap gear. Been there and it never ends finding the holy grail. Though I am content now and confident with my gear.

 

[Toastedgoat]

Enjoy your interface, I take it you bought it to make music, or something, at your home. It’s perfect for that. Don’t worry about spending money on XYZ etc.

 

[skwee]

I've had the pleasure of recording albums with top notch classical engineers in amazing halls, and also been stuck down in someone's scary basement studio surrounded by foam. Both scenarios turned out well for probably 98% of the people that heard them. I would never say that your tools don't matter, but it would seem that the overall baseline quality of tools these days is so high, that most people would never tell the difference in the end.

Consider that a $199 Focusrite interface and $200 Røde condenser and even a free DAW like Garageband are far more powerful and consistent tools than the Beatles ever had. And I believe the same company's preamps are involved on that Focusrite that they had.

Most important is documenting your artistic work in a clean, consistent way--and if you can work your way up with equipment, great!

 

[jimmys69]

I've had the pleasure of recording albums with top notch classical engineers in amazing halls, and also been stuck down in someone's scary basement studio surrounded by foam. Both scenarios turned out well for probably 98% of the people that heard them. I would never say that your tools don't matter, but it would seem that the overall baseline quality of tools these days is so high, that most people would never tell the difference in the end.

Consider that a $199 Focusrite interface and $200 Røde condenser and even a free DAW like Garageband are far more powerful and consistent tools than the Beatles ever had. And I believe the same company's preamps are involved on that Focusrite that they had.

Most important is documenting your artistic work in a clean, consistent way--and if you can work your way up with equipment, great!

WORD! Or plus 1 ^^^

 

[CoolCat]

I think a interface with a AC wall wart power is a good idea.

The USB2 powered units work fine for most the time but they can be limited in sharing the current, and when all things are running, headphone amp, phantom power, A/D electronics...all on the 5vdc, 500ma USB2 it could be minimal.

Why not have both? Several simple 2 Input / 2 output units will offer both USB & Wall power...that's best of both worlds and might save you money from buying a outboard preamp for more Mic gain.

I guess with USB -C and 3etc, all this old USB2 500ma folklore will be dead, as USB-C offers up to 900ma or more per Wiki. Still a wall wart can even offer more of a power buss.

This Behringer $129 Wall Wart is 1000ma...or USB power option for traveling, 500ma.