Tezza Posted February 26, 2023 Share Posted February 26, 2023 So, I am about to purchase a new audio interface. My current one is the Steinberg UR44. I've been whizzing around Google looking at the options and looking at the reviews on Youtube. I thought the choice would be easy but it really isn't. There are many new interfaces on the market but from my perspective, a lot of them don't provide what I need or seem to have dodgy drivers or unreliability, quite a few complaints by people out there. The UR44 has been great as far as latency, drivers and general reliability and it meets all my requirements but I think I might be able to get an interface with better sound quality. Looking at the specs, the UR series of interfaces, seem to be lacking a bit, in relation to the newer interfaces out there. Maybe some others are using different interfaces? I have a number of requirements and I am not sure whether there are workarounds. I was about to buy one only to find it had a severe drawback related to monitoring vocals. I am on windows 11. So my requirements are: 1. Must have an on/off switch I do other stuff on my computer that is not audio related and need to be able to turn off the interface when I'm not using it. Most of the options out there have no on/off switch. 2. Must have zero latency direct monitoring of some sort. 3. only require 2 X XLR inputs 4. A decent DI for using amp sims 5. Low latency drivers 6. Quality preamps 7. Reliability At the moment, the only interface I can find that meets most of the requirements above is the MOTU M4. The only worry I have with it is the driver reliability on windows. It also only comes with a 12 month warranty. If anyone has any other suggestions, that would be great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsinger Posted February 26, 2023 Share Posted February 26, 2023 I have the M4 on my DAW and haven't had any problems. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Tubbs Posted February 26, 2023 Share Posted February 26, 2023 I would think most any interface meets your 7 wants. The most important thing is money. for 3000$ you can get a racked lynx with all sorts of digital modules or go from 8 to 16 ADA for another grand. No pres, however. on a more affordable scale I think the Audient is a great line. Their new 2x2 unit ought to work fine for you. For about a tenth of the lynx cost. If Motu has worked out the kinks with windows, the motu mk 5 looks like a winner, tho it has a plethora of ins outs for about $600. I almost got a motu mk 5 but wasn’t sure how well that would work on pc. So nice to know about the 4 software, rsinger . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tezza Posted February 26, 2023 Author Share Posted February 26, 2023 7 hours ago, rsinger said: I have the M4 on my DAW and haven't had any problems. Are you on windows? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tezza Posted February 26, 2023 Author Share Posted February 26, 2023 7 hours ago, Alan Tubbs said: I would think most any interface meets your 7 wants. The most important thing is money. for 3000$ you can get a racked lynx with all sorts of digital modules or go from 8 to 16 ADA for another grand. No pres, however. on a more affordable scale I think the Audient is a great line. Their new 2x2 unit ought to work fine for you. For about a tenth of the lynx cost. If Motu has worked out the kinks with windows, the motu mk 5 looks like a winner, tho it has a plethora of ins outs for about $600. I almost got a motu mk 5 but wasn’t sure how well that would work on pc. So nice to know about the 4 software, rsinger . Thanks, I am looking at the smaller interfaces as I only really need 2 XLR inputs, I've never used the full 4 on my UR44. The lack of an on/off switch seems to knock a lot of these small interfaces out. I really liked the Audient stuff but alas, no on/off switch. Th MOTU boxes do have the on/off switch but as you say, there may be some problems with windows, I will buy new, so if there are problems at least there is a warranty, I guess that's one way to protect myself against that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Byron Dickens Posted February 26, 2023 Share Posted February 26, 2023 Focusrite. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tezza Posted February 27, 2023 Author Share Posted February 27, 2023 35 minutes ago, Byron Dickens said: Focusrite. Thanks for that, I initially dismissed the Focusrite boxes because they have no on/off switch but apparently the Scarlett 8i6 does have an on/off switch and so does the Clarett 2pre. I think I might have to accept that I need 2 interfaces, one for the studio with the on/off switch and one for when I'm out and about on the laptop where an on/off switch isn't important. A local shop has the Clarett+ at $689.00, which is a good deal, a little stretch for my budget but doable, the Scarlett 8i6 is about $450.00 which is within my set budget of approx $500.00. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluzdog Posted February 27, 2023 Share Posted February 27, 2023 Just my opinion but I wouldn't let an on/off switch preclude an otherwise great solution. You could always use a power strip, smart plug, etc. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Tubbs Posted February 27, 2023 Share Posted February 27, 2023 The Audient ID44 has a power switch on the rear, don’t know about the others. But as pointed out above, there are other methods for turning it on/off. That is hardly disqualifying in my mind, but if you need that feature … While real interfaces (as opposed to internal sound cards) aren’t designed for handling many of the video/audio codecs of the internet, I’ve never had problems. Except if I have the audio set loud and some of the windows sounds are too loud. good luck 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsinger Posted February 27, 2023 Share Posted February 27, 2023 20 hours ago, Tezza said: Are you on windows? Yes, the DAW is windows 10. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tezza Posted February 28, 2023 Author Share Posted February 28, 2023 On 2/28/2023 at 12:07 AM, bluzdog said: Just my opinion but I wouldn't let an on/off switch preclude an otherwise great solution. You could always use a power strip, smart plug, etc. Yes, I didn't know that you could get a powerboard for USB devices that has individual USB port on/off switches, thanks for that. With the audio interface though, I feel more comfortable with it going straight to the computer rather than through a hub. Because I use the computer for website building and graphic design a lot now, for me, having a way to turn off the unit is a deal breaker. I liked the SSL2 interface and wrote to Solid State Logic asking them to perhaps consider that home musicians buying these smaller interfaces are probably using their computer for other things as well, and would like an on/off switch. They said they would forward my comments to their Product Manager. I think it is always a good idea to provide feedback to these companies, even though I am aware of just being a small fish in a big pond. In my travels around the net, I see this is a common complaint amongst a certain group of people. Thankfully, there are still good options out there that have an easy way to turn the unit off. The Motu M series seems to be leading the pack at the moment for me. The more I look at this interface the more I like about it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tezza Posted February 28, 2023 Author Share Posted February 28, 2023 (edited) For those interested in purchasing a new audio interface, Julian Krause is considered by many as the god of audio interface selection. He conducts lots of independent tests of the different audio interfaces and there are some surprises about the manufacturers stated specifications, and how they stack up against his independent measurements. Personally, I like to see that the interface I am going to buy has the approval of Julian Krause although specs are not everything of course. Here is his general audio interface buying guide but he also has videos on his tests of specific interfaces. Oh wow! I just realized this is my 1000th post, do I get a lolly? Edited February 28, 2023 by Tezza 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tezza Posted February 28, 2023 Author Share Posted February 28, 2023 (edited) Different interfaces have different things that they are good and not so good at. I was surprised for example, that the Focusrite Clarett+ 2Pre has great dynamic range but quite weak preamp gain. The MOTU M series seems to do quite well at everything and other interfaces also have different areas where they are good and not so good.. Edited February 28, 2023 by Tezza Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bats brew Posted March 9, 2023 Share Posted March 9, 2023 my RME Babyface Pro has been rock solid for many years now. never an issue. great sounding neutral preamps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jesse g Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 On 2/25/2023 at 9:46 PM, Tezza said: So, I am about to purchase a new audio interface. My current one is the Steinberg UR44. I've been whizzing around Google looking at the options and looking at the reviews on Youtube. I thought the choice would be easy but it really isn't. There are many new interfaces on the market but from my perspective, a lot of them don't provide what I need or seem to have dodgy drivers or unreliability, quite a few complaints by people out there. The UR44 has been great as far as latency, drivers and general reliability and it meets all my requirements but I think I might be able to get an interface with better sound quality. Looking at the specs, the UR series of interfaces, seem to be lacking a bit, in relation to the newer interfaces out there. Maybe some others are using different interfaces? I have a number of requirements and I am not sure whether there are workarounds. I was about to buy one only to find it had a severe drawback related to monitoring vocals. I am on windows 11. So my requirements are: 1. Must have an on/off switch I do other stuff on my computer that is not audio related and need to be able to turn off the interface when I'm not using it. Most of the options out there have no on/off switch. 2. Must have zero latency direct monitoring of some sort. 3. only require 2 X XLR inputs 4. A decent DI for using amp sims 5. Low latency drivers 6. Quality preamps 7. Reliability At the moment, the only interface I can find that meets most of the requirements above is the MOTU M4. The only worry I have with it is the driver reliability on windows. It also only comes with a 12 month warranty. If anyone has any other suggestions, that would be great. Tezza, Check at the Focusrite Warehouse Shop on Reverb for B-Stock gear. You can get your Clarette at a great price here, plus the original warranty. https://reverb.com/shop/focusrite-novation-us-store Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tezza Posted March 14, 2023 Author Share Posted March 14, 2023 Thanks, but I am in Australia. Some of the prices are cheaper, but the postage to Australia seems to be a bit exorbitant and makes it no cheaper than buying from a local dealer and in some cases more expensive. $157.00 to post a small box from the USA to Oz? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jesse g Posted March 15, 2023 Share Posted March 15, 2023 On 3/13/2023 at 9:58 PM, Tezza said: Thanks, but I am in Australia. Some of the prices are cheaper, but the postage to Australia seems to be a bit exorbitant and makes it no cheaper than buying from a local dealer and in some cases more expensive. $157.00 to post a small box from the USA to Oz? Wow, that is tough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tezza Posted May 3, 2023 Author Share Posted May 3, 2023 So I tried a bunch of different ones. The one I'm sticking with for the moment is the Focusrite Clarett USB 4pre. I decided I wanted the 4 XLR and dedicated line in's and I managed to pick it up for a good price. The sound is taking a little while to get used to though. Soundwise, I preferred the Audient id14 but I will give the Clarett a bit more time, see if I can get used to it. Trying the different interfaces has been an eye opener for me. They all sound very different to me. The Clarett has all the connections I need and the sound is very revealing in the higher frequencies, not sure about the bass though, seems to be lacking a bit, I will try adjusting the monitors and see how it goes with recording. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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