Upgrade Audio Interface: New AI or Analog mixer?

C

ciotevai

New member
Hello everyone. I have in mind to make the leap in quality by wanting to buy a new professional audio interface that can last me from here to 100 years.
As a budget I have €1000 and for now I have a UA Volt 276.
My requirements are:

- Record at the same time as my friends (a guitar, synth and drums)
- Usually use: two spaces for amplifier microphones. One space for the synth and three spaces for the drum microphones.
- Overfine audio quality. It must surprise me
- That the spaces for additional microphones/instruments can be increased
- Dual headphone input and that doesn't make strange noises.
- Be compatible with Ableton
- And I repeat: I would like it to be super reliable and that it can keep it for me for many years.

For now I was undecided on two products: the Audient iD48 or the M16 pocket.

Let me know, thank you very much!
 
Hi. I’m a little confused. The thread title suggests you are trying to decide between a computer audio interface or an analog mixer, but your first post suggests you are only weighing computer audio interfaces. If you are only looking for feedback about computer audio interfaces may I suggest posting in the Digital Recording & Computers forum?
 
I've moved it out of the analogue forum - the folk there have quite different ways of looking at things, and as sweetbeats says, you haven't mentioned analogue.
 
Let us dispose of one matter straight away? If Cioteval you seek an interface that will make a "night and day" difference from your Volt, you are, WTGR living in la-la land. No matter how much you pay for an AI I do not think you will detect ANY improvement in sound quality. I would even go so far as to say you could compare a Behringer UMC204 with Prism or RME box and find it hard to tel them apart. That assumes such factors as pre amp noise and headroom are ruled out but recording with say any decent capacitor mic and keeping to an average of -20dBFS...you won't tell! Maybe if you had a pro treated room and $10,000 monitors?

The most common answer to "best AI" is often "RME" and for sure that kit will meet your tongue in cheek requirement of "100 years of life" Not only is RME gear very reliable but it keeps going through decades of both Microsoft and Apple "orphaning" much other gear through OS changes. But it is perhaps out of your budget?

MOTU are close to RME in general terms I own an M4 and love it. The M4 maybe does not though have the connectivity you seek? M6?
Maybe it would be better to look for interfaces with some ADAT facilities? That future proofs you in that you can rapidly expand to another 8 mic/line pre amps. Look also at "interface mixers" by the likes of Zoom and Tascam and others. These mixers can form the basis of a very comprehensive "studio".

Dave.
 
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