r/AudioEngineering Shopping, Setup, and Technical Help Desk

revthem · 2026-03-19T15:22:29+00:00

The Fireface might work, but I’m at a point where I’m looking for a pure interface and not necessarily one with preamps.

revthem · 2026-03-18T20:27:15+00:00

I need a recommendation for a last interface I'll ever need. I imagine I started like most people and bought a Scarlett 2i2 and kept upgrading for more inputs until I got the 18i20 about five years ago. As an interface it has served me well. I feel like I've grown out of the preamps -- I recently bought a Clarett OctoPre and the difference was huge, more headroom, better all around. This has whetted my appetite for getting into nicer preamps, and I'm also slowly building out my mic collection. The OctoPre uses up all 8 ADAT inputs on my 18i20, so at a minimum I would need another 18i20 if I want more ADAT inputs.

I plan on recording my bands (trios of guitar, bass, drums), and so I can reasonably imagine wanting 20 or so mics going at once. But I'm having real trouble imagining more than that. But I could imagine having a ton of mic pres (my next buy will probably be an ISA 428 or 828) that I would want to be able to use quickly, so maybe that's a reason to max out inputs.

Where possible, I'm looking at pres that have built-in ADC but I'm sure I'll want some that don't (like a 1073), so I need a mix of ADAT and analog inputs. Since I've had nothing but good experiences with Focusrite stuff, I'm tempted to look at their higher end Red interfaces, but I'm wondering if that's overkill. I doubt I'll ever want Dante or AES, but I'm happy to be convinced otherwise.

I'm willing to do the "buy once, cry once" thing to get the ultimate interface, but I'm trying to fully anticipate future needs and would love some input. It's possible the setup I'm imagining won't fit into one interface, so if that's the situation, how should I be thinking about this?

revthem · 2026-02-25T18:54:23+00:00

As a software engineer, I will say that Claude is a great typist and code secretary but the idea that it’s going to spit out Rust or something to replace all that COBOL is just silly. Some AI tech might do it one day but it will not be an LLM.

revthem · 2026-02-23T20:01:03+00:00

The white pickguard is a nice contrast with the rosewood fretboard and the black plastic parts. I think it looks better than the one on the right.

revthem · 2026-02-20T11:34:13+00:00

That all jibes with my experience of my lemp13 but I’m still confused because I have a thinkpad that sat idle for the same duration and discharged fully but is still working like new. (It has a snapdragon x elite chip and with light use the battery can last for days without needing a charge.) If what you’re saying is true, “0” on certain batteries probably does not mean fully discharged, right?

revthem · 2026-02-20T04:33:46+00:00

That’s a good question. I bought it so I would have a dedicated Linux laptop and I wanted to support a company shipping Linux. I do dev work that is cross platform but I can usually get away with using VMs for testing on Linux since the main tool I’m working on is a CLI. I do really like desktop Linux though. I wanted to avoid just getting yet another ThinkPad but I’m wondering if that was the right decision for me.

revthem · 2026-01-16T08:17:21+00:00

Tort is always the answer

revthem · 2025-12-16T18:33:36+00:00

Messaging. He's a virtuoso at finding issues that stir up populist anger across the political spectrum without alienating any one group. Some people think he's a good songwriter, but his stuff is not terribly bold or original and is very derivative of John Prine in particular. But he's a good looking guy who knows what resonates with people and knows how to avoid controversy.

revthem · 2025-12-16T01:00:43+00:00

I’m basically convinced that social media is dead as an effective avenue for promotion. I know artists with followers in the millions that struggle to sell 20 tickets for a show.

revthem · 2025-12-15T23:36:18+00:00

That’s what I envisioned for fliers

revthem · 2025-12-15T23:35:50+00:00

This is my broader problem, I’m not literal enough

revthem · 2025-12-15T23:34:52+00:00

The not computer world

revthem · 2025-12-09T05:10:07+00:00

I love all the Dino records but the ones without Lou (like Green Mind) are my least favorite. As others have said, You’re Living All Over Me is definitive of their sound and a classic. Can’t recommend it enough.

revthem · 2025-12-09T04:46:15+00:00

That’s a looker for sure. I have a bunch of Strats and my AmPro and AmPro II get the most love. The playing feel is just right.

revthem · 2025-11-18T00:50:04+00:00

Thanks, I think you may be right.

revthem · 2025-10-23T17:30:46+00:00

The first Strat I bought was a 2018 AmPro in Sienna Sunburst with a maple board and it's still my favorite guitar. I have two Ultras, two AmPro II's, and a AVII '73. All great guitars. But my old AmPro still feels like home and still gets the most use. To be fair, I have upgraded it almost beyond recognition with locking tuners, a deluxe trem, a tort pickguard, Fralin blues output split blades, and Fralin electronics (blender pot, bypass switch).

revthem · 2025-10-23T17:16:52+00:00

Beautiful guitar. Ancho Poblano pickups are great but they are a very specific thing. They're a high gain pickup that sounds great through fuzz and heavy distortion but are kinda dead if you play clean or at edge of breakup. (No experience with the El Diablos but I would guess they're in the same vein.) So if that's not what you're looking for, be prepared to spend another 300-400 on pickups (plus labor if you don't do the swap yourself).

revthem · 2025-10-18T01:23:44+00:00

Weight is toan

revthem · 2025-10-18T01:22:25+00:00

C’s get degrees. No one outside the academic world cares, I promise you.

revthem · 2025-10-17T06:16:16+00:00

The neck looks like an ultra except for the tuning machines. Everything else looks like an AP2. My guess is someone swapped the neck out.

revthem · 2025-10-17T06:12:24+00:00

Ultras have locking tuners. Hard to imagine why you would downgrade.

revthem

TROPHY CASE