sound quality of different audio interfaces?

  • Thread starter Thread starter hoboeperson
  • Start date Start date
H

hoboeperson

New member
i record vocals and am only going to connect 1 microphone to my computer, i was thinking of the AVID recording studio which comes with pro tools SE and a maudio fast track mkii. (50$ on sale) or i could buy a worse mic and save up more and get an mbox mini. i don't really care about hw many inputs since I'm just recording vocals. will i notice a difference between song quality? if i do, will it be a BIG difference? and what usually do people look for in interfaces aside from how many inputs there are. thanks
 
Both of those interfaces will suffice. You should truly invest in a better microphone.
 
the keyboard and drum pad I'm getting is simple and only usb (akai mpk mini). i don't need anything more than that. all i need is 1 input thats xlr with phantom power and the avid recording studio for 50$ is fine i guess. why is the mbox mini so much more than the fast track if they sound the same? I'm pretty sure its because of contraction and an extra input
 
That's cool.

The two main differences I see are that the maudio has rca (Read:unbalanced) outputs, and it only has one input.

That's probably where the extra money goes.
 
Last edited:
The difference will most likely be in the preamps, not conversion.

I remember reading a GearSlutz thread comparison between a cheap Behringer converter compared to an expensive Lynx. More people chose Behringer. :D
 
so im not really gonna see a noticable difference in sound quality so i should maybe go with the fast track and get a good mic?
 
The two main things to look for in terms of sound quality are the pre amps and converters
 
hoboeperson said:
so im not really gonna see a noticable difference in sound quality so i should maybe go with the fast track and get a good mic?
Click to expand...

Yes. This exactly. From the sound of it you are probably at the beginning stages of your recording journey and you will benefit more from getting a nice Ldc and an mbox fast track. How will you be mixing? Do you have monitors? Or just hifi speakers
 
Okay well I would look for an interface where it has to outs for monitors..
 
CrowsofFritz said:
The difference will most likely be in the preamps, not conversion.

I remember reading a GearSlutz thread comparison between a cheap Behringer converter compared to an expensive Lynx. More people chose Behringer. :D
Click to expand...

Their is no comparison to the quality of the benchmark DACS I have now to the 200 dollar interface I started out with.
 
dzara 4 said:
Their is no comparison to the quality of the benchmark DACS I have now to the 200 dollar interface I started out with.
Click to expand...

This is often said but we never get any .wavs to harken unto?

Dave.
 
Me again!
I can never see the point of a one mic input AI? Unless you are REALLY strapped or all you ever want to do is VOX for the Tooob!

Anyone with the slightest glimmer of interest in sound recording will surely want to try some stereo? A pair (don't have to be matched) of modest SDCs in a CO-I configuration can give startlingly realistic results and to some extent negates the horrors of the rooms we are mostly all cursed with.

And yes, I agree that you will not notice very much difference between AI's, even VERY expensive ones until the support equipment AND ROOM are of equal value.
If you want a strong suggestion, the Native Instruments Komplete Audio 6 is one of the best AI's under £300 or even more, some say.

Dave.
 
you make a lot of sense here. I didn't even know they made one channel interfaces.
ecc83 said:
Me again!
I can never see the point of a one mic input AI? Unless you are REALLY strapped or all you ever want to do is VOX for the Tooob!

Anyone with the slightest glimmer of interest in sound recording will surely want to try some stereo? A pair (don't have to be matched) of modest SDCs in a CO-I configuration can give startlingly realistic results and to some extent negates the horrors of the rooms we are mostly all cursed with.

And yes, I agree that you will not notice very much difference between AI's, even VERY expensive ones until the support equipment AND ROOM are of equal value.
If you want a strong suggestion, the Native Instruments Komplete Audio 6 is one of the best AI's under £300 or even more, some say.

Dave.
Click to expand...
 
Ah! Slight missunderstanding there Chuck'. I do not know of any AIs with fewer than two CHANNELS but several have only one mic input.

Apart from stereo this would also bugger one for singer/guitarist.

Dave.
 
Gotcha and I agree. Honestly the prices are so darn low on entry level stuff that it doesn't make sense to scrimp. If you get into recording at all you will want the flexibility. Guitar and vocals is a great example. Having a friend over is another. I have the saffire pro 24 - it's not the greatest interface in the world but I get low latency, it has 2 combo mic inputs, 2 more line inputs and 8 channel optical. Lots of flexibility... I don't recall it being terribly expensive. All of the firewire seem to be very finiky about chipsets. The built in on my desktop and laptop don't work at all with this or the firepod. The solution was a card costing around 30 bucks with a TI chipset.

ecc83 said:
Ah! Slight missunderstanding there Chuck'. I do not know of any AIs with fewer than two CHANNELS but several have only one mic input.

Apart from stereo this would also bugger one for singer/guitarist.

Dave.
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top