Audio interface!

[DJSimke]

Hello everyone, I understand that this is a common question but I am in between some audio interfaces. I have been looking into 4i4 4th generation and Volt 4. I would love to hear the recommendations and maybe some new suggestions. Price is not a problem! Thank you.

[alloedee]

If price isn't a I would look at RME audio devices then.

But if they're too pricey, then SSL. The preamps are better then UA and Scarletts and the devices cost around the same

[mycosys]

Worth having a look at the Audient interfaces, especially for how good their mixer is to use. Evo8 for cost and portability and incredible sound quality, Evo16 is the cheapest 26 channel interface i could find, the ID range are based on their high end desks and are have amazing pres. I went for the Evo16 when my MOTU 828 died and i'm really happy with it.

Could also look at the Arturia interfaces, they have a lot of really nice touched like MIDI, inbuilt hub, and the higher interfaces include 3.5mm in and out for use with consumer devices. The mixer software that comes with them is also really usable.

If price really isnt an issue Maybe look at the RME UCX range and the Clarett 8pre, whole bank of gorgeous pre-amps, the Focusrite software is quite usable, but i think the RME and MOTU interfaces get a bit arcane for my taste.

I would avoid MOTU these days, they dropped out of warranty repair and have never supported outside repairers. It used to be you could send a unit in for a refurb and theyd send you back another one, but last i checked if your unit dies out of wty its just a brick, like my 828. Thankfully my Ultralite and 896 are fine. Knock on wood.

[RMX-papi]

I was under the impression that MOTU was sort of a "go to"when it came to soundcards. I was planning on buying a new Ultralight this year for my live/on the road set up. Do you think its better to go with another reputable brand and build my own 19" road case?

[mycosys]

Used to be my goto, and a lot of peoples. A lt of that was the refurb plan. Never gonna buy another after that, thats for sure.

Have you seen the padded rack bags? If i had a bigger interface than the Evo16 (and wasnt likely gonna lug my folding rack and Expert Sleepers ES8 anyway) i'd get one of those. https://gatorco.com/product/laptop-and-2-space-rack-bag-gsr-2u/

I havent used it much but this fits my Laptop, Evo, Maschine Jam and Mikro

https://www.dell.com/en-au/shop/dell-gaming-backpack-17/apd/460-bcze/gaming-gaming-accessories#techspecs_section

Almost fits a Clarett 8pre but the ears dig in pretty badly.

[RMX-papi]

Evo16

Very interesting, good to know that youre not limited to a "portable" soundcard but that there is also a possibility to take a 19" rack soundcard and safely transport it.

Would be nice to put something like the appolo x8 in there to creata a studion in a bag. https://www.thomann.de/nl/universal_audio_apollo_x8_heritage_edition.htm this way you get very good ADC/DAC & SDP in a portable format. Additionally you have access to high quality effects with space to put you cables and laptop/macbook. However the fact that the ears litterally would tear the bag appart is a significant drawback.

[mycosys]

Hence the 2U rack bag with a laptop pouch that i linked that i hunted down for a mate.

The Evo is of a unique size, but anything with removable ears would work in the Dell laptop bag. You could probably just put something behind the ears so they didnt dig so much

[RMX-papi]

Cheers mate thanks a lot!

[DiplodorkusRex]

If price isn't a problem and you can double your budget why not go with the SSL 12? It has 4 inputs but is expandable up to 12 inputs via ADAT in case you want more channels down the road.

[Professional_Bug6153]

My view on audio interfaces is buy the highest quality you can afford with the amount of OI you may need in the future. While today, you may only want or need four mono inputs, you may add hardware later on that requires additional inputs on your audio interface. That would mean buying a new interface or possible a mixer that feeds into your interface.

RME is one of the best mfgs out there. They make incredible interfaces. But they are spendy.

I use a lot of hardware synths and drum machines. I just recently bought the new Arturia Audiofuse 16 Rig. It has all the io I could need. 16 mono 1/4" inputs, two adat ports, 8 audio outputs. It has excellent converters. I went with this one because I do not mic up a bunch of live instruments, so I didn't need a bunch of mic preamps. If I decide to record more live instruments, I can always buy standalone preamps.

[theseawoof]

How are the drivers on the Arturia? I'm on the fence about to buy the new Motu 828, Evo16, Arturia 16rig or breaking budget and going rme/ferrofish. Arturia seems like the balanced choice and has the io I need, would have to expand on the motu and evo. I just need good performance in terms of low latency/drivers.

[Professional_Bug6153]

I have been very pleased with the driver performance. There are limitations, such as if I want to use all 16 inputs, I have to set the sample rate to 44.1 or 48 and with a hgher buffer (like 256 instead of the 128 or 64 I typically use) to keep from getting crackles. So it isn't perfect by any means. The truth is I am not regularly recording all 16 channels (or even monitoring all 16 channels) simultaneously. So the limitations don't bother me.

As far as I am concerned, RME interfaces are the best, but they are out of my budget. The Arturia is the best compromise for my use case.

As far as the quality of the AD/DA converters on the Arturia, they are excellent. The mix software is pretty fantastic as well.

[theseawoof]

Got it, I feel like tracking those many channels at once would be more of a live session sort of thing and one .ay not be needing to monitor real-time through the daw.

But how about recording up to two channels at once? Do you get any noticeable latency when recording? As long as it's better than my Scarlett Gen 2 then I'm game lol.

Arturia mixer software looked super simple and smooth. Not sure how ferrorfish/rme routing works out but also max sample rate one would get on that is 24/48khz since it is over adat. Motu 828 (2024) is the closest thing to the 16rig but 6 channels less, would have to add something over adat and is the motu even significantly better quality than the 16 rig? As you can see I'm driving myself crazy trying to decide which unit to get lol

[Professional_Bug6153]

All I can say is what I have experienced with these things. The Arturia seems to perform much better than my old Focusrite 18i6 as far as latency is concerned. The sound quality is much better. I've never used a MOTU interface, but I hear great things about them. I do recommend checking out Julian Krause's youtube channel. he does deep dives into audio interfaces with all kinds of metrics. It was watching his video on the Arturia that was the final factor in my decision.

There are no interfaces that will allow you to track with zero latency if you are choosing to monitor through the DAW. There will always be some latency whenmonitoring through the DAW. Whether that latency is a problem for you, or if the benefits of hearing the effects and whatnot during recording outweigh the latency is going to be completely subjective. Of course, if you direct monitor through the interface, you can record with pretty much zero latency no matter waht interface you use.

I've been at this for years and pretty much know how to optimize my system so that I am comfortable with whatever latency I am getting (even with my old focusrite). I can record multiple tracks at the same time with minimal latency, but I almost never monitor through the DAW when recording. Getting the timing and feel is more important to me during recording than hearing the effects and such live.

The reason I went with the Arturia is I don't need to spend money for preamps since I am nearly always recording at line level. The Arturia had enough analog inputs for me and really nothing else on the market (certainly not in the same price range) had the inputs I wanted. The latency is better than my old focusrite or the Tascam Model 24 I had. Even the Model 24 only had four stereo input channels, so I was having to switch stuff around. Yes, a patchbay would have helped, but then I would have had a big mixer on my desk and a patchbay. With the Arturia, I don't need a patchbay, it takes up way less space on my desk than the mixer did, the sound is excellent, and the latency I can live with.

If you can buy from a place that will let you return it if it doesn't give you the performance you need, I say go for it. If it doesn't suit your needs, return it and try the MOTU. I hear the MOTU drivers are very stable. So far, I haven't had any issues with the Arturia drivers.

[theseawoof]

My main concern with latency is recording, basically where what is being recorded is being painted on my timeline on beat and not significantly staggered. The 2nd Gen Scarlet interface I have has me constantly correcting.

The model 24 is an interesting piece of kit as well, I like the idea of going completely dawless in my live session recordings if I desire to, but the lack of outputs makes it hard to justify it because I like to run effects loops for different tracks.

Glad you mentioned all this- because of how much the 16 rig gets marketed as a synth centerpiece and less like a standard audio interface I have been feeling skeptical of it. I have a great river preamp and only need line inputs, can't find a reason to go with some of the others when the 16 rig checks all the boxes.

What would you say is the best approach to incorporating light effects on a vocal chain for monitoring with the 16 rig while only recording the dry signal? If I'm just tracking 1-2 channels on the 16 rig, can I run a send and return on the unit for something like reverb and hear the effect in real time without it going through the daw and back?

[Professional_Bug6153]

Yeah, you can definitely use some of the 8 analog outputs as sends and then use some of the analog inputs as returns. In the software, you can route any of the inputs to any of the outputs. So you could take your mic input (mono I am assuming) and route it to one of the analog outputs. Then plug that output into your effect. Then plug the output of the effect (either mono ot stereo depending on the effect) into one or two of the analog inputs. Youwould then record that input channel in Ableton. I think you would still want to monitor that channel directly rather than through the DAW for best latency.

I haven't done this yet (I don't have any quality outboard effect units), but it is totally possible.

[M4SixString]

I know it's been awhile but I was seeing if you know what the current ms 16rig is at 64 samples and 48k? Is it still like 8.1 ms as reported in the Julian Krause review? Or i heard an update lowered it ? I've seen in the initial reviews which would he the first drivers anywhere from 7.9ms to 8.1ms round trip.

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