USB Audio Interface Question (having researched already)

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stephen_s

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Hey there,

I've been enjoying reading all the info on the forums here and was looking for a little help. I know everyone asks these questions but I couldn't find a solution from looking at all the other posts on the topic.

I run Windows 7 and I'm looking for a usb interface that is USB 2.0, record 24-bit sound, have a Hi-Z input to record a guitar or bass direct in, have enough gain to use an sm57 microphone, and have 48v phantom power for a condenser mic to buy in the future. I don't need more than one mic input right now, as I only record one part at a time, but that's ok if a recommendation has more.

I considered the Tascam US144 MkII but apparently, from what I've read, it doesn't have enough gain to use a dynamic mic like the sm57. I considered the Phonic Firefly 302 but it doesn't have a Hi-Z input for guitar direct in. And I considered the E-MU 0204 but it doesn't have 48v phantom power.

I know you can't have everything, but I can spend up to $300 and I wanted to see if anyone could come up with an answer for my specifications. Thanks for the help!
 
Just get a Tascam US 1800 and have plenty of flexibility for the future as well. 10 preamps with 60db gain, 2 Hi-Z inputs, phantom power, 16 input tracks, 4 outs, $300. I'm the 1800 pimp on this site. lol. :D
 
We've been using the Phonic firefly 302 USB and it's a great little unit for the money and does a nice clean job with mics. For guitar, I'd always recommend going with a specialist DI/Pre anyway, as you really want to optimise that tonal quality. Most interface preamps at the lower end of the market are going to fall short of a specialist instrument DI.

We liked the 302 so much that we will upgrade to the Phonic 808 universal, now that we need more input options. We'll still hang onto the 302 as a handy portable/backup unit. If you have a bit more money to spend, by the way, the 808 might be the better choice first up.
 
If you have the $300 go ahead and get the TASCAM US-1800 or the US-800. If you don´t need all these ports, get the M-Audio fast track pro and get another toy with the savings...
 
Thanks a ton for the suggestions so far. The TASCAM US-1800 seems like a good option that I hadn't looked into, I'll add that to my short list. But if I did get the Phonic firefly with another guitar direct in/preamp, any recommendations for one of those units? And I did check into the M-Audio fast track pro but it seemed like some people had an issue with not enough gain for the sm57 as well. Any other suggestions would be great. Thanks!
 
Edirol Roland UA4FX should do it all. I think it's now bundled with Cakewalk Sonar LE X1. There is another Cakewalk product that is only 1-channel, check the specs, it might not do everything you need, but it just might..can't remember for sure. The UA4FX will.
 
The 1800 also comes with Cubase LE5. LE 4 was plagued with many issues, so in case you heard bad things about LE, LE 5 is quite stable.
 
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