# Please recommend an audio interface and DAW for beginners.



## arta (Dec 30, 2016)

Currently I use FL Studio with the included ASIO4ALL software interface. PC is an all in one Dell XPS 27 running Windows 10. It does fine until I have a bunch of instruments loaded up, then it stutters and drives the CPU usage sky high.

For the new year I want to try either the Focusrite Scarlett 2I2 or Native Instruments Audio 6 (USB3 VA Thunderbolt port). They come highly recommended on Hip-hop/ EDM forums but I wanted your take. Also what DAW would you recommend that's easy to use?


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## tack (Dec 30, 2016)

What's your budget? Will you do any recording? Given you're asking on VI-C I gather your focus is MIDI?


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## Vastman (Dec 30, 2016)

Ni audio 6 is usb2...
U ask a huge couple questions and DAW wise, everyone has their own luv...

We need loads more info to help you effectively... Type of music, personal skills and proclivities, expected in /out needs, budget, etc..

DAW? Use sonar platinum... Like most, they offer a free 30 trial... You should try a variety to see what resonates


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## gpax (Dec 30, 2016)

You should also look into the Audient iD4 or id14 interfaces. Their converters are top notch.


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## Tysmall (Dec 30, 2016)

Steinberg ur22, it's cheap but the drivers are pretty bad - i get audio cuts that fade in and out like once every hour.
FL 12 has put image-line near the front, I'd argue to put your money to samples instead of another daw. The only problem is that nobody serious uses it so you can't share project files or anything. It's a great daw to learn on imo though for an array of reasons, and once you learn one it's not hard to learn another.


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## arta (Dec 30, 2016)

Sorry, I forgot I was on a different section of the forum.

I'm making movie style soundtrack, old school and some new school hip-hop, R&B and dancehall. I'm the type of guy that loops Howard Shore's soundtrack for Silence of the Lambs and then jumps into Pete Rock and Wutang, so I'm not just making bass heavy trailer music, if that helps. I need to cover quite a bit.

The hip-hop stuff is to sell on the side, the orchestral music is for a sci-fi story I'be been writing for a couple years.

I'm basically learning about music creation from online forums and tutorial videos. I already have the Dell XPS and just obtained two Tannoy Reveal 802s this week. Budget for audio interface is $250 right now.

My PC has USB3 and a Thunderbolt port. The Focusrite is highly recommended online but I swore the NI Audio 6 has a thunderbolt port, like the Resident Audio interface.

Mixing skills? Beginner for about a month jumping from Logitech THX speakers to JVC headphones. It's a drag, hopefully this studio monitors will help once I improve my skillset.

No recording planned as of now, just composition, but online guides say to choose an interface that has one more input than you have just in case.

Please let me know what other info I can provide to help.


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## vewilya (Dec 31, 2016)

Well. I have a Focusrite Claret 8pre which I absolutely love. It's not in your proposed budget but you could try their Scarlett MK II product line. Motu's MicroBook's are also in that price range as are some Audient's iD14 I believe. There's some good reviews of these online. Pro-Tools-Expert is always a good source of information as is SoundonSound. Good Luck and a Happy New Year!


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## Emmanuel Rousseau (Dec 31, 2016)

I previously had the RME Fireface 800, great unit. But I switched about two years ago for an Audient iD22 and absolutely love this thing. The iD14 is great too, if you don't need the extras from the big sister.

Good preamps, good converters, good look, good headphone amp, good price !


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## AVaudio (Dec 31, 2016)

Another vote on the Focusrite Scarlett range, affordable and with nice preamps. I strongly recommend Reaper as a DAW. It seems complicated in the beginning, because it has a different approach compared to the Protools or Cubase, but the performance and freedom it's unparalleled IMHO. Also, the low entry point should not misguide you, it's as powerful (or more) than any of the expensive DAWS.


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## chimuelo (Dec 31, 2016)

This is really old but and will be used but a used Scope card for 32bit PCI Slots are incredible deals.
They were the studio in the box in the new millennia.
You can route audio anywhere via ADAT or AES/EBU Analog SP/DIF.
The DSP chips allow the CPU to take no hits as they perform all calculations.
The Synths FX and mixers are excellent.
Tangerine Dream used them live, and lots of guys use the newer XITE-1 DSP Rack.
It's worth looking into as the experience and workflow are real time and unique.


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## Vin (Dec 31, 2016)

NI KA6 is an excellent interface; you can consider Steinberg UR12 as well.

Mixcraft is an excellent DAW for beginners, very intuitive. Steinberg Sequel and Presonus Studio One Artist would be good alternatives.


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## Karsten Vogt (Dec 31, 2016)

I can't recommend the NI KA6. Mine was just crap; tried all drivers, latest firmware, but to no avail. Never again. I switched to RME Babyface and I never looked back. I'll vote for a Focusrite interface, too.

DAW-wise: try some DAWs. I don't think that any other recommendation can be taken serious. Find the DAW that suits you and your workflow.


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## vewilya (Dec 31, 2016)

Most DAW's have a reasonable trial period. Logic being an exception here. I work on Logic and Digital Performer and Pro Tools for mixing and delivering. It's fair to say that all these DAW's are excellent and improving with every update. Features that might be missing in one are being added sooner or later. I am sure Cubase, Studio One, Reaper and all the others are just awesome tools as well. Pick what suits your workflow and feels good and intuitive to work with.


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## tack (Dec 31, 2016)

AVaudio said:


> I strongly recommend Reaper as a DAW.


I use Reaper too, but I don't think I could recommend it to a MIDI-focused composer whose topmost requirement was ease-of-use.

The price is hard to beat though.


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## pixel (Dec 31, 2016)

Focusrite all the way and Audient too. Great drivers, performance and design 
I have 2i2 at home and I'm not limited by this interface in any way (sound quality is superb in this price range).


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## tack (Dec 31, 2016)

pixel said:


> I have 2i2 at home and I'm not limited by this interface in any way (sound quality is superb in this price range).


I've been looking at the 2i2 for someone else, but I've been reading a lot of poor reviews. Driver quality problems, high-ish latency, poor mic preamp gain (only up to 45dB) and clipping occuring at high gains, actual damage to the unit while swapping mics with phantom enabled, warranty service issues (at least in Canada). Looked like a perfect low-cost option but I admit those reviews have warned me off. Thoughts on those criticisms?


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## Symfoniq (Dec 31, 2016)

I'm about to sell a Steinberg UR44. It's been a great interface, but I found a deal on a RME Babyface Pro that was too good to pass up. The UR44's latency is nothing to write home about, but in my experience the drivers have been extremely stable.


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## AVaudio (Dec 31, 2016)

tack said:


> I use Reaper too, but I don't think I could recommend it to a MIDI-focused composer whose topmost requirement was ease-of-use.
> 
> The price is hard to beat though.



I proposed Reaper because I firmly believe that if a person starts with a limited DAW, whenever that person has learned enough to feel "limited", he/she would have to change and get a more powerful one anyway. There are lots of videos on Youtube to kickstart Reaper for midi usage. 

Probably Ableton is going to be easier, that's for sure.


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## paulmatthew (Dec 31, 2016)

I'd start with a focusrite Scarlet and maybe Ableton Live or Studio One . I have cubase and learning it was s lot easier with knowledge learned from Ableton . I do not suggest Cubase as a starting DAW


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## Nick Garrett (Dec 31, 2016)

Symfoniq said:


> I'm about to sell a Steinberg UR44. It's been a great interface, but I found a deal on a RME Babyface Pro that was too good to pass up. The UR44's latency is nothing to write home about, but in my experience the drivers have been extremely stable.


UR44 does what it says on the box. But the Yamaha USB Driver doesn't like certain versions of the Geforce graphics driver. Strange conflict indeed.


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## arta (Dec 31, 2016)

Among Reaper, Studio One and Ableton, which is the easiest to switch from FL Studio's grid based system?

As for the interfaces, I'm almost settled on the Focusrite. A poster above suggested the Audients which are now below $300 on Sweetwater and Reverb.com, so I'll check to see which has better latency, converters, etc.


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## Ryan (Jan 1, 2017)

Get a second hand RME Babyface or a Fireface UC. You won't regret it!


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## SBK (Jan 1, 2017)

You will see big difference in Cubase or Reaper for adding much more plugins that all other DAWs
Focusrite or Audient are good choice too!


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## Michael Antrum (Jan 1, 2017)

Studio One is widely regarded as a very easy DAW to pick up. I switched from Logic Pro when v 3 came out and I haven't looked back since. I believe that there is a trial version so you can give it a good go before committing. There often is a sale or cross grade offer on. Presonus also seem to be very proactive in updating it, which is more than can be said for some other developers. 

I also have Ableton, but it doesn't get that much use. Ableton is more grid like for sure, but if we all liked the same thing would it all be boring !

(Whatever DAW you decide on, you might well save a few quid by having a look on KVR audio's website under the classifieds.)

As for an interface, you could also check out the Roland Quad Capture & SPL Crimson alongside the Audients or the RME Babyface. As long as you stay with some of the major brands, don't get too hung up by the converters, I can't tell the difference in a blind test between different interfaces, and I'll bet most people here couldn't !

Gearslutz has a 'what interface' thread every 15 minutes or so, so like me, you should, go over there, read a hundred differing opinions, and then come back more confused than before. RME are famed for their PC drivers, but it's a more expensive option. Difficult to go too far wrong at entry level TBH.


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## Allegro (Jan 1, 2017)

Different people, different advice. Here is mine as far as DAWs are concerned:
Download Trial/lite versions of every major DAW: Live, Cubase, Logic (if you have mac), Studio One, Sonar, Reaper, Reason Bitwig and so on. Watch some quick start tutorials and spend some time (a month or so) trying out every DAW you have in mind. Once you like the workflow and make up your mind, learn that DAW inside out and don't switch DAWs again.
This method worked for me personally.


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## EC2 (Jan 1, 2017)

I won´t comment on the DAW issue, because that´s highly subjective. Follow the advice from above and try out as many as you can get your hands on.

Regarding audio interfaces I will strongly recommend Audient iD 14. Sonically it is way beyond it´s price point, and it is extremely well built. The advantage over its little brother iD4 is the optical input. With an ADAT extension like the ASP 800 you can easily extend your I/O capabilities with 8 more channels. That´s really helpful for tracking a drum kit or a string section. And did I already mention how good it sounds?


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## Bunford (Jan 1, 2017)

arta said:


> Currently I use FL Studio with the included ASIO4ALL software interface. PC is an all in one Dell XPS 27 running Windows 10. It does fine until I have a bunch of instruments loaded up, then it stutters and drives the CPU usage sky high.
> 
> For the new year I want to try either the Focusrite Scarlett 2I2 or Native Instruments Audio 6 (USB3 VA Thunderbolt port). They come highly recommended on Hip-hop/ EDM forums but I wanted your take. Also what DAW would you recommend that's easy to use?


If I was starting now, I would cut some of the cheaper stuff as they last you a few months before you will want/need to upgrade so it's a bit of a false economy to go to cheap.

A good solid selection in my opinion would be to buy a used MOTU 828Mk2 (USB or FW versions available) and either buy Reper or Studio One Artist (with the aim of upgrading to Studio One Pro in time).

This would be a solid setup giving you tons of features and options, no easily upgrade able to a pro setup when you're ready.


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## synthpunk (Jan 1, 2017)

I really like the audient as well. Or save for a uad Apollo twin



EC2 said:


> I won´t comment on the DAW issue, because that´s highly subjective. Follow the advice from above and try out as many as you can get your hands on.
> 
> Regarding audio interfaces I will strongly recommend Audient iD 14. Sonically it is way beyond it´s price point, and it is extremely well built. The advantage over its little brother iD4 is the optical input. With an ADAT extension like the ASP 800 you can easily extend your I/O capabilities with 8 more channels. That´s really helpful for tracking a drum kit or a string section. And did I already mention how good it sounds?


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## tack (Jan 1, 2017)

Ryan said:


> Get a second hand RME Babyface


Even a secondhand Babyface would be over budget, but if you can stretch the budget to accommodate, I agree with Ryan that this would definitely be worth it. The Babyface is basically a zero-problem interface.


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## Symfoniq (Jan 1, 2017)

Nick Garrett said:


> UR44 does what it says on the box. But the Yamaha USB Driver doesn't like certain versions of the Geforce graphics driver. Strange conflict indeed.



Odd. I've not encountered this (first with a GTX 770, now with a GTX 1070).


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## Nick Garrett (Jan 1, 2017)

Symfoniq said:


> Odd. I've not encountered this (first with a GTX 770, now with a GTX 1070).


I know. I often think it's just to upset me personally.


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## Tysmall (Jan 1, 2017)

Nick Garrett said:


> UR44 does what it says on the box. But the Yamaha USB Driver doesn't like certain versions of the Geforce graphics driver. Strange conflict indeed.


I've never even looked into it ... that must be why I get problems. Thank you. Are there any known workarounds?


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## iMovieShout (Jan 9, 2017)

In the UK, I have a Steinberg UR824 for sale (new and unregistered). Going for GBP515 (normal price is around £570'ish). We purchased 3 of these for our studio, but have ended up using only one of these, as it has enough inputs and outputs for our needs, and we decided to keep our Apollo 8 DUO. Steinberg is excellent quality for transparent sound with slightly wider stereo spacing than we found with Apollo and Focusrite. 
We've found the UR825 to be good value for sound that can cost a good £1000+.

If interested take a look at my eBay listing: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/192074142017?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2648


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