Studio Monitors and Audio Interfaces

[riqui.alves]

I read some articles on the internet saying that using an audio interface's output into studio monitors give us better results in terms of sound quality instead of just plugging directly in my computer phone jack, so I've been using my Tascam 16x8 phone output into my monitors for mixing and mastering. The thing is, now I'm moving my computer and audio monitors to another room, and my audio interface is going to keep there and I won't be able to use it with the monitors. I thought of maybe buying another small audio interface, but where I live music hardware is very expensive and I don't think it's worth buying another interface only for that purpose. That being said, is there any external sound card or anything similar to give me the same results with the monitors?

 

[Mickster]

These days even the cheapest audio interfaces perform pretty well. That said.....it depends one what you need for inputs...etc. Perhpas you can buy used equipment somewhere?

Mick

 

[Orson]

You can buy sound cards but I think the motherboards sound improved so much that sound cards are probably obsolete except for special circumstances. Creative were one such company.......... https://en.creative.com/

An interface can go from $50 to $1000 or more. It depends on what you are aiming to do.

 

[Papanate]

I read some articles on the internet saying that using an audio interface's output into studio monitors give us better results in terms of sound quality instead of just plugging directly in my computer phone jack, so I've been using my Tascam 16x8 phone output into my monitors for mixing and mastering. The thing is, now I'm moving my computer and audio monitors to another room, and my audio interface is going to keep there and I won't be able to use it with the monitors. I thought of maybe buying another small audio interface, but where I live music hardware is very expensive and I don't think it's worth buying another interface only for that purpose. That being said, is there any external sound card or anything similar to give me the same results with the monitors?

You are going to have two rooms? One with the Tascam - and one with the computer? Which one gets the monitors? In general music does sound a bit better through an interface - and you get them pretty cheap - For example a Behringer U-Phoria UM2 is only $49 USD - and would better than your computer audio. In terms of monitors - I don't know what your situation is - do you need another pair for the computer room? Logitech Z213 multimedia speaker system are only $29 on Dells website.

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[rob aylestone]

I had a 16x8 for years - it has dedicated sockets on the rear panel for your amplified speakers leaving the headphones free for other things and the quality is really good. Having said that, the headphone quality is also good.

 

[riqui.alves]

You are going to have two rooms? One with the Tascam - and one with the computer? Which one gets the monitors? In general music does sound a bit better through an interface - and you get them pretty cheap - For example a Behringer U-Phoria UM2 is only $49 USD - and would better than your computer audio. In terms of monitors - I don't know what your situation is - do you need another pair for the computer room? Logitech Z213 multimedia speaker system are only $29 on Dells website.

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These behringer interfaces used to be very cheap here, but the vallue of the dollar here is really high now and they got very expensive. And yes, I'll have to rooms, one for mixing and other for recording. I'll leave the tascam in the recording room because I use it to record acoustic drums and I don't feel like unplugging everything, I'll only take the studio monitors there.