Need a good Audio Interface with good pre-amps! Please Help!

[everyonehas]

Im trying to hunt after a audio interface. All it needs to do is record two rode nt5s for my guitar and thats it.
But i want really good quaility/really good preamps.
Any suggestions?

 

[Bobbsy]

Are you SURE you mean really good quality and really good pre amps?

THIS unit fits that description but sit down before you read the price!

 

[jonny deep]

Really good by whose standards? You'll find good preamps on the Focusrite Scarlett/Saffire range and I find those on my Roland Quad Capture give me good results, but these are quite entry level products and probably wouldn't be used in pro studios, where they'll have discrete preamps for different applications.

That said, the room, mic positioning, instrument used and performance all will contribute most to your recordings. Only once they have reached a certain standard will preamp quality give you any mileage.

 

[everyonehas]

Sorry just realised i've missed the main thing. I am willing to spend $500-$900 Australian moneys for one!

Yea bobbsy it looks lovely and all but i can't afford that unless your giving it to me! : P

Yea johnny i havent really gave much away in my original post. I have a lovely guitar brought two mics for it and want to record but i want a music quaility that people can enjoy and not think "oh that would sound better if the quaility was better!"

 

[Bobbsy]

That's a very reasonable budget and you WILL get something good for that.

I'd suggest you look at the RME BABYFACE. It sits in the middle of your budget, excellent build quality (like all RME stuff) and has excellent pre amps. Not needed right away, but should you ever need more inputs you can add a rack of ADAT pre amps later.

 

[Armistice]

What lovely guitar do you have?

 

[everyonehas]

Maton cw-80 1978

 

[everyonehas]

Bobbsy it seems like a great Interface. The only thing i don't like is you cant easily bypass the preamps incase i upgrade one day!

Just hard to work out whats the best vaule for money. I said my budget was $500-$900 but if that isn't going to improve my quaility from something cheaper then is it worth it.

 

[wheelema]

Sorry just realised i've missed the main thing. I am willing to spend $500-$900 Australian moneys for one!

Yea bobbsy it looks lovely and all but i can't afford that unless your giving it to me! : P

Yea johnny i havent really gave much away in my original post. I have a lovely guitar brought two mics for it and want to record but i want a music quaility that people can enjoy and not think "oh that would sound better if the quaility was better!"

I'm kind of pimping this box but it is very good and can be used with or without a computer.

 

[Ethan Winer]

You'll find good preamps on the Focusrite Scarlett/Saffire range

Agreed. I have a Focusrite Scarlett 8i6 that cost all of $250, and its two preamps are excellent.

--Ethan

 

[Doctor Varney]

I've had good clear results with a not-so lovely, (old bashed up) guitar going into the strip pre-amp of a Behringer mixer into an old E-MU/ Creative sound card which has no pre-amps of it's own. If that is possible, then I am sure any one of the popular pre-amped interfaces will delight you.

 

[Armistice]

Maton cw-80 1978

I have one of those, although it's not so old.

Matons, IMHO, are quite difficult to record well... depending upon what you're playing. Something about the tonality that can sound quite harsh if you're not careful.

You'll have to do your own experimenting with placement but I never get near the bottom end of the guitar when dual miking. I usually start with one mic aimed at the neck body join from up a bit higher on the fret board, and the second one can be anywhere. Lately I've experimented running it parallel to the fretboard up about the 7th fret or so. This seems a reasonable set up for two channels which are panned on top of each other, but probably not much good if you're going wide.

I also double track everything.

Frankly any of the options mentioned in your price range will do fine - there are bigger considerations in recording acoustic guitar.

Good luck

 

[Bobbsy]

I've had good clear results with a not-so lovely, (old bashed up) guitar going into the strip pre-amp of a Behringer mixer into an old E-MU/ Creative sound card which has no pre-amps of it's own. If that is possible, then I am sure any one of the popular pre-amped interfaces will delight you.

I know Doctor Varney isn't actually recommending the Behringer/E-MU set up but, just in case anyone is tempted...

The channel strips on any Behringer mixer certainly do NOT fall into the category of "really nice pre amps". Their sound is brittle, noisy at any reasonable gain level and easy to clip. (The one exception to this would be the new x32 digital mixer. The pre amps there are sweet!) As for the E-MU, Creative have all but stopped making and supporting the E-MU range. The last driver upgrade was almost 2 years ago--and that was a beta version. Check out the complaints on the Creative user forums.

Agreed. I have a Focusrite Scarlett 8i6 that cost all of $250, and its two preamps are excellent.

--Ethan

Agree that the Focusrite pre amps are extremely good for the money--though perhaps not in the same league as things like the RME. However a general question: Has anyone else noticed a relatively high level of complaints about Focusrite drivers lately? We've seen several here on HR, there have been a bunch on the Audition User forums where I hang out and it's also been mentioned on a live sound group I'm involved with. I checked the Focusrite forums and they seem to acknowledge something is up. Knowing Focusrite I have no doubt they'll get it sorted (unlike E-MU) but it might be a consideration if the purchase is imminent.

 

[everyonehas]

Thanks everyone! After your recommendations (especially Bobbsy) and research i have purchased the RME Babyface! Thanks!

 

[Doctor Varney]

I know Doctor Varney isn't actually recommending the Behringer/E-MU set up but, just in case anyone is tempted...

The channel strips on any Behringer mixer certainly do NOT fall into the category of "really nice pre amps". Their sound is brittle, noisy at any reasonable gain level and easy to clip. (The one exception to this would be the new x32 digital mixer. The pre amps there are sweet!) As for the E-MU, Creative have all but stopped making and supporting the E-MU range. The last driver upgrade was almost 2 years ago--and that was a beta version. Check out the complaints on the Creative user forums.

Exactly. But I am a crap guitarist so it's all I deserve.