mark skinner 672 Posted May 20 I've lost my single high Z input. Shorting out. I'm wanting to replace it with something in the Focusrite price range and am really leaning towards the UA Volt 2 . I only need 2 in for my needs but , would prefer L/R line inputs also. I can do the research but wondering just How Important is the quality of the interface as far as playback and tracking "sound quality" I found some drivers for an old M-audio Fast track I used in XP , so I'm not in a Real hurry , but I don't want to buy something I'll regret later. Thanks for any help or suggestions.. mark Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Alan Tubbs 71 Posted May 21 The audio quality is completely dependent upon your audio interface - not just for output but the quality of recording. in general, similarly priced units preform similarity. There are only so many ways to make a dollar preamp, and only a couple of chip manufacturers so everyone’s interfaces use the same designs and parts. Drivers are different, but most are competent these days. a $100 interface is pretty good these days but have one pre and maybe only one record channel. The least expensive “ pro” unit is a pci unit from lynx that costs &250 to $400 a channel. Burls go for $2500 for stereo input and as much as output. more typically, I use an audient unit. Good quality ( Burr Brown chips) solid drivers. You can find their cheaper units reasonable if a few dollars higher. I’ve used Tascam which are fine, as were Roland interfaces. one caveat is to use a responsible dealer. If you do have driver/software problems just switch to another company that your computer plays nice with. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jackson white 241 Posted May 21 Maybe open it up and re-solder the connections to the board for the input jack? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rsinger 162 Posted May 21 I'm using a MOTU M4 with my DAW and it's been working fine in a home studio setup. MOTU has an M2 as well which is a little less expensive. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DeeringAmps 1,791 Posted May 22 RME Babyface Pro? Top $ for the 2 in “class”, but comes with RME drivers. It’s all about drivers, drivers, drivers… t 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mark skinner 672 Posted May 22 22 hours ago, Alan Tubbs said: The audio quality is completely dependent upon your audio interface - not just for output but the quality of recording. Thanks Alan , I guess that was really my main question. I am hearing a difference with the old one I have hooked up now and my normal Roland one , but nothing drastic. I haven't checked out audient yet. Thanks. 21 hours ago, jackson white said: Maybe open it up and re-solder the connections to the board for the input jack? I carefully opened , cleaned and dried the boards , jacks etc. I didn't see anything visually wrong , I'll try re soldering . Maybe the jack itself can be replaced. @rsinger I'll check out motu as well , Thanks. @DeeringAmps I'll leave the pro gear for the pro's. Thanks for weighing in .. mark 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Alan Tubbs 71 Posted May 22 One thing about audio quality the differential between pro and consumer tools these days is it ain’t as large as the old days. A modern cheap interface is a lot closer in sound to the big boys these days. You can do quality work with most modern units. You could in the past too but you needed skill and experience to get good sound from 1/32 of an inch of tape and it still wasn’t the same. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jackson white 241 Posted May 22 45 minutes ago, mark skinner said: try re soldering you mentioned "shorting", but the jack itself is likely ok, all you might have to do is lightly reflow the connections to the board. ime they can get torqued when jamming cables = micro cracks. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mark skinner 672 Posted May 22 (edited) @jackson white I re soldered the connections. I honestly think it helped but still happening , but not as frequent. I started doubting my new guitar cable and the interface gain knob. I hooked up some outboard gear and fed everything to both the 1/4" and XLR input. Everything pointed to the 1/4 , but I did find a workaround for now using the XLR in going from an outboard preamp. I'm sifting thru interfaces , there sure are a Lot of choices. Thanks ..mark Edited May 22 by mark skinner Share this post Link to post Share on other sites