Small Professional Vocal Studio Interface

O

Orson

Well-known member
Universal Audio or Audient.................which would have the best pre-amps and sound quality to be used with a quality mic?
 
I know Billie Eilish's brother recorded her stuff that made them millions with the universal audio.

Certainly if you want to impress clients then go for the high dollar stuff..If it's just you doing your thing my advice is go with Focusrite Scarlet or Behringer Uphoria...They play nice with both PC's n Macs and get you a great recording at a great value..Now if you are interested in UAD for their plugins OK maybe...but seriously great plugins in Reaper for the average schmo that will deliver amazing results. So here's the A /B Challenge I recorded the audio from some guys Youtube video who compared the UAD to the Focusrite...If I were to go by the comments the focusrite loses big time....but as I listened to the very first comparison...I absolutely could not hear a significant difference and which one was "better" is certainly subjective...but in this video he's telling you which is which...I'm pretty certain that if he asked the commenters to guess which was which without saying which one was which...the comments would be drastically different... so...for shit's n gigles I broke out audacity and recorded both off of his youtube video and turned them into waves ...here's the challenge guess which one is the Scarlet and which one is the UAD....

A and B

Good luck
 
This guy compares the UAD with the Audient and does do the A / B thing...The comments tell the story...it is subjective to the listener...

 
Billie's 4 grammy win rig

Love the disclaimer....

We cannot guarantee that with the same set of equipment you will receive a Grammy, but this is a great example of the fact that even the most expensive analog device does not affect the final result of the performer. It’s not that you need to worry about the technical side or money, but that you need to feel comfortable creating creative space and building cooperation with people whom you can fully trust. We wish you a creative upsurge, and in case of difficulties with mixing and mastering, we are always ready to act as support and provide the best result!
 
Thanks TAE. It is for ourselves only. A revamp and if I sell these, I could buy this decision time.(y)
 
I don't know how anyone could make a judgment with that guy's comparison with the hash going on with those vocal tracks. I don't know what he's got going on, and at first I thought maybe is was some artifact that cropped up from your transfer, so I sought out the original video, and sure enough it's present in there too. Maybe some plug in he's using, pitch correction or something, but to me, both sound like crap.

Oh well, the comparison is worth what I paid for it.


TAE said:
Certainly if you want to impress clients then go for the high dollar stuff..If it's just you doing your thing my advice is go with Focusrite Scarlet or Behringer Uphoria...They play nice with both PC's n Macs and get you a great recording at a great value..Now if you are interested in UAD for their plugins OK maybe...but seriously great plugins in Reaper for the average schmo that will deliver amazing results. So here's the A /B Challenge I recorded the audio from some guys Youtube video who compared the UAD to the Focusrite...If I were to go by the comments the focusrite loses big time....but as I listened to the very first comparison...I absolutely could not hear a significant difference and which one was "better" is certainly subjective...but in this video he's telling you which is which...I'm pretty certain that if he asked the commenters to guess which was which without saying which one was which...the comments would be drastically different... so...for shit's n gigles I broke out audacity and recorded both off of his youtube video and turned them into waves ...here's the challenge guess which one is the Scarlet and which one is the UAD....

A and B

Good luck
Click to expand...
 
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Orson said:
Universal Audio or Audient.................which would have the best pre-amps and sound quality to be used with a quality mic?
Click to expand...
Comparing the two interfaces - it's highly subjective as to which one would be the choice - they both sound good - the UA you are in their ecosystem and your plugins - the Audient you are using included plugins (if you using Logic) and third party plugins. The UA plugs are expensive - but very good - and you have a limit on the amount you can use - The included plugs (like Logic) are very good and you can supplement with Waves, Soundtoys, Fabfilter, Oxford etc..which also sound good - and you are theoretically limited only by your Ram and Processing power.

So it comes down to your Budget, Workflow and overall goal..
 
TalismanRich said:
I don't know how anyone could make a judgment with that guy's comparison with the hash going on with those vocal tracks. I don't know what he's got going on, and at first I thought maybe is was some artifact that cropped up from your transfer, so I sought out the original video, and sure enough it's present in there too. Maybe some plug in he's using, pitch correction or something, but to me, both sound like crap.

Oh well, the comparison is worth what I paid for it.
Click to expand...

Isn't amazing...he does the comparison and then the commenters comment...and of course the UAD sounds so clearly better by most listeners opinion.......but I don't think one said the recordings were both shit ;)

At the level most of us here are at in 2021 Good IS good enough...

If someone was to do this test. Take an audio clip digitally recorded with no effects in the most expensive studio in the world as the sample audio to be used.. Using the same cables going direct into both the most expensive interface you can buy and pretty much any one of the entry level interfaces that can take a stereo input and do the blind listening test. I am pretty darn sure if you brought in 100 sound engineers in to identify which was which for certain not all 100 would guess right..using lay people it would very likely be 50 /50 or thereabouts.

That's the point I am making... For most of us here we're just amateur's just trying to get our songs recorded and mixed. Gear Acquisition Syndrome paralysis stops us from doing what we really started out wanting to do...Get our songs recorded......If you've got a set up ( Mic, Mixer, interface) that can capture your performance digitally so you can mix it in your computer you've got all you need. I still fall into GAS paralysis wasting time looking at what might make it better, easier...when in fact what I have is1000 times better than what was available 40 years ago and produced billions of dollars worth of hits. Damn you Orson I wasted an hour looking at interfaces (GAS) when I could have been outside at least playing the keys and honing my craft!
 
Papanate said:
Comparing the two interfaces - it's highly subjective as to which one would be the choice - they both sound good - the UA you are in their ecosystem and your plugins - the Audient you are using included plugins (if you using Logic) and third party plugins. The UA plugs are expensive - but very good - and you have a limit on the amount you can use - The included plugs (like Logic) are very good and you can supplement with Waves, Soundtoys, Fabfilter, Oxford etc..which also sound good - and you are theoretically limited only by your Ram and Processing power.

So it comes down to your Budget, Workflow and overall goal..
Click to expand...
I usually stick to what I know. I have an Audient ID14 and was thinking of getting an Audient ID44 which would then allow me to get rid of other equipment to offset costs and improve things. So was just asking as I looked at other makes around the same price range. My set up is only for vocals and no instruments.
 
Fin and Billie....the first release was the Roland Quad Caprute $100used interface!, of the bedroom studio and the AT 2020 $80 mic..the Where Do We Go and Ocean Eyes... Yamaha HS5 adn a sub! not exactly expensive, just starting out with a 5 grammy album?

The next release, I think on sites show the second release using the Neumann TLM103 mic and UA interface. Theres a video Finn moved to a new room too after the success$$$ rolls in.

none of its my genre music, neither is Slipknot, but the stories and gear are always a fun read....

SOS-
While Finneas' and Eilish's music became more and more minimalist over time, Finneas' studio setup was minimalist from day one. "I moved to my own house early this year, and now work from a room there, but my setup is still pretty much the same as when we did 'Ocean Eyes'. I still use Logic, and at the time I had the Roland Quad Capture interface, a set of Yamaha HS5 monitors with a Yamaha HS8S subwoofer, and an Audio-Technica AT2020 microphone, which cost $80. Today I have the [UA] Apollo 8 interface and a Neumann TLM103, and Akai MPK249 and Nord Stage 3 controllers. I record everyone with the one microphone. Billie's vocals for 'Ocean Eyes' were recorded with the 2020, which sounds great. It's not quite as good as the Neumann, but I have never found a microphone that I like more than the 2020 that's less expensive than the Neumann. The 2020 is a really good starter microphone."

Billie Eilish

Teenage sensation Billie Eilish has taken the music world by storm — with an album recorded in her brother's bedroom.
www.soundonsound.com www.soundonsound.com
 
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CoolCat said:
Fin and Billie....the first release was the Roland Quad Caprute $100used interface!, of the bedroom studio and the AT 2020 $80 mic..the Where Do We Go and Ocean Eyes... Yamaha HS5 adn a sub! not exactly expensive, just starting out with a 5 grammy album?

The next release, I think on sites show the second release using the Neumann TLM103 mic and UA interface. Theres a video Finn moved to a new room too after the success$$$ rolls in.

none of its my genre music, neither is Slipknot, but the stories and gear are always a fun read....

SOS-
While Finneas' and Eilish's music became more and more minimalist over time, Finneas' studio setup was minimalist from day one. "I moved to my own house early this year, and now work from a room there, but my setup is still pretty much the same as when we did 'Ocean Eyes'. I still use Logic, and at the time I had the Roland Quad Capture interface, a set of Yamaha HS5 monitors with a Yamaha HS8S subwoofer, and an Audio-Technica AT2020 microphone, which cost $80. Today I have the [UA] Apollo 8 interface and a Neumann TLM103, and Akai MPK249 and Nord Stage 3 controllers. I record everyone with the one microphone. Billie's vocals for 'Ocean Eyes' were recorded with the 2020, which sounds great. It's not quite as good as the Neumann, but I have never found a microphone that I like more than the 2020 that's less expensive than the Neumann. The 2020 is a really good starter microphone."

Billie Eilish

Teenage sensation Billie Eilish has taken the music world by storm — with an album recorded in her brother's bedroom.
www.soundonsound.com www.soundonsound.com
Click to expand...
I don't like everything "they" do but I really like some of the stuff and she is waaaay more than just an emo singer...She and her brother are tremendously talented on several levels.
 
I found the whole Bedroom Studio thing.. going Grammys amazing and humorous.

in one video Fin might have said the Roland Quad Capture was for Ocean Eyes that got them the "deal" and then he used the UA interface on the actual album Where Do We Go....

then the next album is Lifes Blurry.. which was done in the new "bedroom" studio? I think.

I was listening to all the James Bond tracks, and I really like Billie/Finns 007 track, one of the best of all ..imo.
 
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That's if you believe the story. Bob Dylan said he was from nowheresville and didn't have family back in around 1961. But he was a hardware store owner's son etc etc
 
Is there an interface that actually sounds bad, ignoring those usb cables with an XLR? Some have better performance when you need a bit more gain, and others have more gizmos, but has anyone bought one and returned it and bought something ‘better’ that would be interesting to hear.
 
I did start off with a Scarlett 2i2. I was completely green and I did start having issues which I didn't understand. I did read somewhere that the Scarlett didn't behave 100% with Windows. At the same time I read that the new at the time Audients were great. They cost about £100 more and I thought 'this must be why'. So I purchased the Audient id14.

It wasn't ideal for my set up and later purchased a desk mic and mixer. I wish I had known more and purchased the Audient id 44 which would have done everything I wanted out of the box.
 
I suppose so much depends on what you need. My multi-input Presonus has a single mic cable in it most of the time, and maybe something in one of the jacks. It's now very rare when I need all it's ins and outs! I REALLY the Lexicon Omega I have - but they stopped doing drivers - a real shame.
 
Knowing a little more now.

I would want totally silent pre-amps because our set up is for vocals. Ease of use. 2 headphone sockets. Total flexibility.
 
Totally silent for one mic could be noisy on another? Using my usual mics - noise would not be an issue with my most expensive or cheapest interface. On the headphone front, a Behringer rack mount headphone amp gives of flexibility - I never find the headphone outputs on the interfaces very loud - OK for vocals but less good on say, saxophones or when using a loud guitar amp.
 
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