looking for a solid recording interface that will last

  • Thread starter Thread starter santiu
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santiu

Rock-scientist
Hi all! I'm looking to purchase a solid recording interface. Something that will last me a long time and will still be useful if/when I ever want to expand/upgrade.

I think I'd like to go with firewire and have as many inputs as I can get. I use a macbook pro right now.

any suggestions? I was hoping to spend <$550, but if there's good reason to spend more, i'm open to considering it.

What do you guys think of the MOTU 8pre?

thanks in advance for any help :D
 
are there any others out there i should consider in that price range (I don't mind buying used).

I figure having lots of channels and good software/driver support are the most important since I can always upgrade/add pre-amps and ADCs given that the interface can support it.

thanks for the help.
 
Anything else that offers you the expandability of the 8pre (the Focusrite Saffire Pro and Presonus Firestudio come to mind) is going to cost around 700. All 3 of these units offer ADAT lightpipe in, which will allow you to get an additional 8 channel pre-amp with digital out down the road to add to your channel count. The only downside to the 8pre is that you only have two outputs, so there's not much in the way of routing with it. Also, the focusrite saffire pro might have slightly better preamps, but for the price, it might not make a difference.
 
I ended up getting a MOTU 828mkII used. In fact it just arrived last night. Boy, upgrading to this interface also has some learning associated with it! My old setup was just an analog mixer down to stereo into a Lexicon Lambda (which is only 2-channel). Never had to worry about assigning inputs, busses, and outputs on the computer side. Since the phones and main output are linked on the Lamda, sound always came out. I think the fact that the 828mkII acts as a standalone mixer made things more confusing to me, that and the fact that the phones and main output don't have to be the same. Took me an hour just to get that all that sorted out and get a simple 1 mic recording to record, and then play back into my headphones. Also decided to switch to Logic, which I find less intuitive than what I was using before (garage band :p)

Gotta say, it sounds really good though. I don't know if it's the converters, or the pre's being better than what I had before. I played around with recording drums using just XY overheads last night into the built-in pre's on the MOTU. Awesome! Crystal clear. Can't wait to play around more this weekend!
 
Ahhhhhhhh the 828MKII rules. It'll be my next interface once my Deltas decide to die (could be never :confused:). Congrats! Hope it keeps working great for ya!
 
I posted not realizing he already got an interface. I'm glad he didn't get the Firestudio!
 
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