Audio interface selection HELP

[kindou]

I've been researching audio interfaces for months now and have almost decided what I want to purchase although I have come down to 3 or 4 options. I'll be using either a new iMac (most likely) or possibly even a Mac pro. I'll be using logic as my DAW. It is possible I'll be using a fractal axe fx for my guitar effects processor. So what I need help with is, should I either:

1. Go all out and spend a fortune on an interface with premium ad/da converters and pre amps like the metric halo ULN-8. Thus avoiding having to add converters and pre amps for a long time.
OR
2. Spend a decent amount on an apogee ensemble and possibly add coverters and pre amps in the near future.
OR
3. Buy a cheaper audio interface merely for the inputs and buy superior ad/da converters and pre amps right off the bat.
OR
4. Whatever you think is a better option

Keep in mind I SERIOUSLY want to avoid selling and buying equipment to upgrade in the future, and although I'm somewhat a beginner at recording I take my sound quality seriously and want to record an album. Any help would be greatly appreciated!! WHAT MAKES sense most financially, and sound quality wise.

 

[robdean]

My advice would be to accept that your equipment should evolve with your technique and experience, and should be chosen by ear not by abstract hardware specification. What a real pro will typically do is spend the minimum required to get the job done sufficiently well.

If you are relatively new to recording and want to produce an album, you'll have many much more significant choices and challenges ahead of you. Picking the perfect pre-amp or ADC/DAC won't make a bad album much better, or the wrong choice make a good album bad. In fact, given your level of experience it won't make much real difference to the effectiveness of the album (unless you are an absolute sound engineering prodigy and have been gifted a superb recording space alongside access to the best microphones etc).

I know that I may seem not to be directly answering your question, but there is an answer here: spend less, listen more. Grow your knowlege until you really understand the limits of your equipment, like an aerobatic pilot knows the limits of the plane. Then you'll know which of those limits is the one holding you back, if indeed the limit lies in the hardware. I've certainly learned more over the years seeing what a brilliant guest engineer does with my familiar second-rate hardware than I've learned when I've been the engineer and the 'guest' has been a bunch of high-end state-of-the-art audio gear.

 

[secondhand]

What robdean said is really good advice. I'm in the same boat too and have been doing a lot of research and talking to friends who know more than me. I came to the conclusion that there are so many pieces to the puzzle that it's stupid (and impossible) for me to go out and buy the best of everything when I'm not at the level to use it to the fullest. Like the OP, I don't want to keep buying and upgrading but I've come to terms with the fact that I will have to do that anyway so I'm just going to try and get good stuff all around to start with and then upgrade slowly when the need for it is there.

I'm currently looking at either the Mbox or the Presonus Firestudio, both of which seem good enough for the level of an intermediate/advanced engineer and come bundled with programs and plugins so there's no other expense there. I like the idea of having Pro Tools but I've also heard good things about Studio One and you can get the Firestudio with the Waves gold bundle now so that's also weighing in on my decision.

If anyone has any other good suggestions please let us know!

 

[Klarky]

I agree with previous replies, I have been chipping away and trying to getup to speed with new technology is a mission. Regardless of what kind of music your into producing remeber all the songs that have stood the test of time - most of them were not recorded with the the latest and most expensive converters, if they even existed back then, I know some of my best work has been done on the fly in 16bit or on tape, and thats part of developing your craft. Ive read and seen by well known artists and done some things in recording studios, bending all the rules on hardware, mics etc, saying less is better.
I would say don't spend the big bucks, spend your hard earned money on stuff that is proven and works. The gap between what you can buy that is say 4 / 5 yrs old and the new is not that great, but research it to be sure.
In the end if your song is a hit remember it will be compressed to Mp3 leaving only the melody and beat and the only person who will remember the nuences in the mix will be you whilst you were on that final mixdown.