# Recommendations for simple no-nonsense audio interface that just works? (Win 10)



## creativeforge

I found myself stuck a few days ago trying to carry a virtual lib for a gig. But I'm trying again, this time it would be through a recent laptop. I just need to find a basic 2 channel soundcard that just works. (NO M-AUDIO NEED EVER come to my door again. My experiences with M-Audio have been as frustrating as anything - #driversupdateswoes). 

I thought I'd save some time and create a better shortlist if I asked people here. It would be for live music, virtual pianos (probably UVI's Model D) and a synth or two. Latency is important, durability, AD/DA converters quality, and price as well (under $150 USD). Ideally something that is not overloaded with features I won't need for live gigs. I have a Saffire Pro 24 DSP in the home studio for bigger projects.

So far I've looked at the Scarlett 2i2, the Steinberg UR22C (although the UR22MKII dropped in price at Sweetwater) and I glanced at the Zoom offereings (U-24 and U-44). 

Thank you in advance for any tip, recommendations, feedback!


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## Anevis

creativeforge said:


> I found myself stuck a few days ago trying to carry a virtual lib for a gig. But I'm trying again, this time it would be through a recent laptop. I just need to find a basic 2 channel soundcard that just works. (NO M-AUDIO NEED EVER come to my door again. My experiences with M-Audio have been as frustrating as anything - #driversupdateswoes).
> 
> I thought I'd save some time and create a better shortlist if I asked people here. It would be for live music, virtual pianos (probably UVI's Model D) and a synth or two. Latency is important, durability, AD/DA converters quality, and price as well (under $150 USD). Ideally something that is not overloaded with features I won't need for live gigs. I have a Saffire Pro 24 DSP in the home studio for bigger projects.
> 
> So far I've looked at the Scarlett 2i2, the Steinberg UR22C (although the UR22MKII dropped in price at Sweetwater) and I glanced at the Zoom offereings (U-24 and U-44).
> 
> Thank you in advance for any tip, recommendations, feedback!



I can only recommend the UR22MKII. I've bought it some time ago and work perfectly. Easy installation, barely any. No issues so far and work fine. It has two channels so it could be a good way for you to go.

From what I've heard Scarlett 2i2 isn't bad either.


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## Loïc D

I have a 2i2 first gen and it works perfectly.


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## synkrotron

I have had great service from both my Roland QUAD-CAPTURE and OCTA-CAPTURE (x2) interfaces.

The QUAD-CAPTURE is no longer available and the current run of Roland interfaces are the Rubix. Here is the Rubix 22 which is a 2 in, 2 out interface, powered by USB, which is real handy when wanting to go "off grid."

https://www.roland.com/uk/products/rubix22/
cheers

andy


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## Kony

Surprised to hear about your M-Audio driver woes. I have the Fast Track Ultra - built like a tank with 8 pre-amps (one per audio input channel). Works okay as an audio interface on W10 here, even though driver support stopped at W7.

Also have the 2i2 2nd gen - no complaints although I get very rare occurrences of bit rate anomalies with Cubase 9.5 which are easily fixed. There is a new driver but I haven't updated yet.


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## creativeforge

synkrotron said:


> I have had great service from both my Roland QUAD-CAPTURE and OCTA-CAPTURE (x2) interfaces.
> 
> The QUAD-CAPTURE is no longer available and the current run of Roland interfaces are the Rubix. Here is the Rubix 22 which is a 2 in, 2 out interface, powered by USB, which is real handy when wanting to go "off grid."
> 
> https://www.roland.com/uk/products/rubix22/
> cheers
> 
> andy



Thanks Andy, so how do you connect your USB controller to it, if it uses USB as well? Brain fog...


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## synkrotron

creativeforge said:


> Thanks Andy, so how do you connect your USB controller to it, if it uses USB



Does you laptop only have one USB port?

If so, then that is a problem, although I would have thought that would be the same for all of the audio interfaces mentioned here to date.

What is your USB controller?

I use my QUAD-CAPTURE with my Surface Pro laptop, which only has one USB port so I therefore have to use a MIDI keyboard that has either a standard 5 pin DIN connection or a more modern 1/8" TRS connection, which will usually comes with a TRS to 5 pin DIN adaptor. I then connect it to my QUAD-CAPTURE to the MIDI in connection, as show in that picture you have posted.


I should mention one thing that if latency is critical then it would be important to get some additional input here before opting for the Rubix. The Roland interfaces are not quite as good as the more expensive interfaces such as the RME Babyface Pro.

https://www.rme-audio.de/babyface-pro.html
But, again, the other interfaces mentioned here may also struggle with latency compared to the RME option.

All I know is, that with my setup, which I do not use for live work, I am happy. And my youngest son has a Rubix 44 which he uses in conjunction with his MIDI drum kit and he finds it okay when used with an older i7 laptop.


cheers

andy


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## synkrotron

Here a picture of my mobile setup which comprises the Surface Pro, the QUAD-CAPTURE, which is connected to the Surface Pro with a USB cable, and an Arturia Keystep, which is connected to the QUAD-CAPTURE with a 5 pin DIN MIDI cable. The Arturia keyboard is powered by a USB charger battery.


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## Living Fossil

creativeforge said:


> So far I've looked at the Scarlett 2i2, the Steinberg UR22C (although the UR22MKII dropped in price at Sweetwater) and I glanced at the Zoom offereings (U-24 and U-44).



You can't go wrong with the Scarlett 2i2.


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## creativeforge

synkrotron said:


> Here a picture of my mobile setup which comprises the Surface Pro, the QUAD-CAPTURE, which is connected to the Surface Pro with a USB cable, and an Arturia Keystep, which is connected to the QUAD-CAPTURE with a 5 pin DIN MIDI cable. The Arturia keyboard is powered by a USB charger battery.



Thanks Andy, I've been out of the loop for a while and last time we had 5 pins for MIDI. With the Saffire, it's firewire. But I always plugged the keyboard in the soundcard (5 pins). So this made my mind pause for a few minutes trying to visualize what it would be like. I used a Yamaha P-115 and also a M-Audio Code 49.

My laptop has 2 USB ports, one used for a wireless mouse. So I should be good. I'm trying to envision the signal trajectory from the USB keyboard, to the DAW and the audio interface from the DAW both using a USB port.

I'll consider a more costly card, although I haven't discarded most of the rest under $200, except the Steinberg UR series which has many customer reviews that talk of drops in the sound, or in the actual function of it, specifically after Windows 10 updates. Not the UR-C, but previous models.

Thanks!


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## creativeforge

Living Fossil said:


> You can't go wrong with the Scarlett 2i2.



Thanks for the recommendation. How do you find the mic pres on this one? I know I said I'd use it "only for live gigs" but who knows...


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## Living Fossil

creativeforge said:


> Thanks for the recommendation. How do you find the mic pres on this one? I know I said I'd use it "only for live gigs" but who knows...



In relation to the price you pay they are excellent. 
Clean & neutral (which i'd always prefer over any suboptimal coloration).
They have a kind of a "sweet spot" which is worth to be explored.
(Compensating some dB-s of gain in the DAW instead of forcing the interface's gain knob too much will deliver much better results, in my experience [usually i'm recording with Neumanns or/and AKG mics])

It's really solid quality in my opinion.


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## DerGeist

LowweeK said:


> I have a 2i2 first gen and it works perfectly.


18i8 here and also rock solid.


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## brynolf

Yep, those Scarletts are top sellers for a reason.


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## ed buller

Scarlett

e


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## Pier

I'm happy with my Audient iD4. At 64 buffer I get about 5-6ms of input+output latency. Drivers have been stable for me on Windows 10.


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## Solarsentinel

Not the same budget but there is the RME Babyface pro. And, it just works... and really well.


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## synkrotron

FWIW, I mentioned the Babyface Pro in post #7

But I don't own one so could not really offer an opinion.

@Solarsentinel and @hbjdk , do you own a Babyface Pro?


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## Maximvs

I have recently purchased a Focusrite Clarett 4 Pre USB and I am extremely happy with it, I used to have drivers issue with an old M-Audio fire wire sound card and also with a couple of USB 2 soundcards but Focusrite is rock solid and the software that comes with the interface is a joy to work with... I am considering getting A Scarlett Solo 3rd generation for my laptop due to the quality and size...

Cheers,

Max T.


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## bill5

creativeforge said:


> So far I've looked at the Scarlett 2i2, the Steinberg UR22C (although the UR22MKII dropped in price at Sweetwater) and I glanced at the Zoom offereings (U-24 and U-44).


You would be in fine shape with any of those. Behringer 204 as well.


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## Loïc D

MOTU has just released 2 new budget interfaces M2 & M4 (2i/2o and 4i/4i), with midi, lcd display, class-compliant USB and Sabre DAC.

(I still have a good old 828mkII that’s rock solid - on Mac)


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## Pier

LowweeK said:


> MOTU has just released 2 new budget interfaces M2 & M4 (2i/2o and 4i/4i), with midi, lcd display, class-compliant USB and Sabre DAC.



Wow those interfaces look great and the price is very competitive.



LowweeK said:


> I still have a good old 828mkII that’s rock solid - on Mac



I had the 828mkII ages ago. It was rock solid but the DA converters were not great... A couple of years later I switched to an RME and it was like my ears had been cleaned.


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## PaulieDC

I've owned a ton. The FocusRite Scarlett and PreSonus AudioBox iTwo and Steinberg UR12 I've used all sound and work great and have good mic pre's. Pick your favorite color, lol. The PreSonus iOne or iTwo connects the easiest to an iPad if that's a need. BTW, the iOne has a single XLR but it's still a two channel AI for mixing and composing. I'm about to post a request for people to vote over at PreSonus on a request I put in for a new product, a compact AI with no mic pre's. I just want a small mobile sound card and don't want to spend $649 on the Apogee Duet!


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## Pier

PaulieDC said:


> I'm about to post a request for people to vote over at PreSonus on a request I put in for a new product, a compact AI with no mic pre's.



I still have an old Echo Audiofire 2 collecting dust which is exactly that. Awesome 2+2 channels of ADDA and nothing else. Unfortunately 1) it runs on Firewire and 2) Echo doesn't make drivers anymore for either Windows 10 or macOS.

IMO the best minimalistic interface these days with good audio quality without breaking the bank is the Audient iD4. I've heard past Audient Windows drivers were not great but so far I've had zero issues.

You could look into the world of audiophile DACs but I don't know how the latency would be for music production.


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## tav.one

creativeforge said:


> NO M-AUDIO NEED EVER come to my door again.


I totally agree with the feeling, but please make an exception for their Sputnik microphone if you ever come across one, that is the only piece of M Audio I've allowed in my studio. Its one of the best pieces of gear I've owned and its heavily underrated. Very unlike M Audio.


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## bill5

LowweeK said:


> MOTU has just released 2 new budget interfaces M2 & M4 (2i/2o and 4i/4i), with midi, lcd display, class-compliant USB and Sabre DAC.
> 
> (I still have a good old 828mkII that’s rock solid - on Mac)


Great info here, interesting. FYI to anyone else interested they go for about $170 and $220 respectively...


Specs 
M2: https://motu.com/en-us/products/m-series/m2/specs/

M4: https://motu.com/en-us/products/m-series/m4/specs/


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## creativeforge

bill5 said:


> Great info here, interesting. FYI to anyone else interested they go for about $170 and $220 respectively...
> 
> Specs
> M2: https://motu.com/en-us/products/m-series/m2/specs/
> 
> M4: https://motu.com/en-us/products/m-series/m4/specs/



Hi Bill, are you a user? I'm looking it up. pre-amps? Latency 2.5 ms?


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## jonvog

Scarlett 18i20 1st gen user here. Had a lot of issues over the years, but at some time they released new drivers, no it works more stable. Nevertheless: after reading a lot into the topic, the moment the scarlett stops working, I gonna get an RME. Never met a single person let down by this company and their products. Those are a bit more expensiv, but if it saves you a lot of headache down the road, it could be worth it...


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## creativeforge

jonvog said:


> I gonna get an RME. Never met a single person let down by this company and their products. Those are a bit more expensiv, but if it saves you a lot of headache down the road, it could be worth it...



I'll have to switch my thinking for a bit and look beyond my initial goal. RME on the road, solid? Audient also looks good on paper, I read positive reviews.


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## vicontrolu

Waiting for reviews on the latest motu interfaces. They look great and if drivers deliver, they could be a great alternative to RME's babyface, if you dont need that many IOs.


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## creativeforge

Here's a clear basic overview presentation of connections...



And of course, Sweetwater's presentation:


For text:

MOTU M2


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## vicontrolu

Saw that already, looks very good on paper. It's missing some ASIO stress test though


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## creativeforge

Yeah, well, it's thin out there right now for these units. I think I will let them be reviewed and tested more too. I'm not that technically knowledgeable so I seem to respond to empirical experience reviews better.


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## pderbidge

creativeforge said:


> Latency 2.5 ms?



the 2.5ms latency is based on 32 Sample Buffer size. I'd be more curious as to how it performs at higher buffer counts. 

The standout features of the Motu seems to be
1. Beautiful LCD Metering. Better than anything out there right now. Probably the most standout feature.
2. Independent Phantom Power switch and Independent Monitoring switch. Also a standout feature in this price range.
3. 60db of preamp gain which should run an SM7B without need of a Cloud Lifter although it might still help.
4. High Quality ADDA converters.
5. Allows both Mono or Stereo Monitoring. A must have feature these days IMO.

As long as the drivers are stable, and I believe they are given the Motu reputation, then I think this might be a better option than the Audient ID4 unless you find the Audient knob useful for assigning to some of your DAW parameters, which is unique to Audient and pretty cool. Also the Audient DI is supposed to be top notch.


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## creativeforge

pderbidge said:


> As long as the drivers are stable, and I believe they are given the Motu reputation, then I think this might be a better option than the Audient ID4 unless you find the Audient knob useful for assigning to some of your DAW parameters, which is unique to Audient and pretty cool. Also the Audient DI is supposed to be top notch.



MOTU drivers should be good, but the Audient windows drivers I'm not sure. Audient windows drivers: I read somewhere (surfed too much to remember) that the best practice with the drivers is to install them first BEFORE plugging the unit. Then once it's done, plug the unit. 

I'll have to check this closely. I was pretty much set on the Scarlett 2i4 Gen3, but the features you point out also appeal to me... those meters, phantom on two channels, MIDI I/O (old synths here), and MOTU converters are highly rated. Not in store yet in Canada (Long & McQuade), though.


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## pderbidge

creativeforge said:


> MOTU drivers should be good, but the Audient windows drivers I'm not sure. Audient windows drivers: I read somewhere (surfed too much to remember) that the best practice with the drivers is to install them first BEFORE plugging the unit. Then once it's done, plug the unit.
> 
> I'll have to check this closely. I was pretty much set on the Scarlett 2i4 Gen3, but the features you point out also appeal to me... those meters, phantom on two channels, MIDI I/O (old synths here), and MOTU converters are highly rated. Not in store yet in Canada (Long & McQuade), though.


I had read the same about Adient drivers in the beginning but also read that the newest drivers are very solid and that the Latency is on par if not better than the Focusrite. One good thing about the 3rd gen Scarlett's is that even the line inputs in their combo jacks are decoupled from their preamp. This means if you are connecting outboard gear, such as a high end preamp , that the signal will not pass through another preamp like it did on 2nd gen (which is a good thing) so even the 2i2 3rd gen would be a good choice for people with external preamps and outboard gear. I'm not sure if Motu or Audient does this or not. The Motu M4 has dedicated line inputs on the back so that makes it a safer choice than the M2 for those with outboard gear until we know if their combo jacks are wired the same way as the new Scarlett's or not. I'm sure the issue is overblown but at the same time why pass your signal through another electronic component like the preamp if you don't have to?


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## Architekton

I have RME Babyface PRO in studio and its working flawlessly, best drivers on the market! Only problem I have with it is TotalMix FX software, its pretty complicated, at least to me. :D


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## SBK

wanted also to say about the Motus' interfaces. Although I do not know their stability and heard rumors for their support 10 years ago that it is not good


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## bill5

creativeforge said:


> Hi Bill, are you a user? I'm looking it up. pre-amps? Latency 2.5 ms?


I am not, window shopping only  But the appeal of the MOTU name at such an affordable price has my attention. I'll wait for word from the brave souls who take the plunge though. I'm trying to convince some friends to get one lol


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## Vashi

synkrotron said:


> Here a picture of my mobile setup which comprises the Surface Pro, the QUAD-CAPTURE, which is connected to the Surface Pro with a USB cable, and an Arturia Keystep, which is connected to the QUAD-CAPTURE with a 5 pin DIN MIDI cable. The Arturia keyboard is powered by a USB charger battery.



Hi, could you give a review on the modulation strip on your Arturia Keystep? Does it work as well as an actual mod wheel? I tried the keys at a shop (probably the best among the mini keyboards) but wasn't able to test the modulation and pitch blend strips.


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## creativeforge

bill5 said:


> I am not, window shopping only  But the appeal of the MOTU name at such an affordable price has my attention. I'll wait for word from the brave souls who take the plunge though. I'm trying to convince some friends to get one lol



Or if you uinderstand German maybe?


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## robgb

The Behringer MIDAS interfaces are great and VERY affordable.


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## Hywel

Pier Bover said:


> I'm happy with my Audient iD4. At 64 buffer I get about 5-6ms of input+output latency. Drivers have been stable for me on Windows 10.


+1


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## synkrotron

First of all, apologies to @creativeforge for going off-topic and for posting a tune of mine with relation to the question asked.



Vashi said:


> Hi, could you give a review on the modulation strip on your Arturia Keystep? Does it work as well as an actual mod wheel? I tried the keys at a shop (probably the best among the mini keyboards) but wasn't able to test the modulation and pitch blend strips.



Hi Vashi 

I think that like the "mini" size of the Keystep keyboard, the ribbon strips are more of a personal thing... Some will love them, some will hate.

Personally, for what they are, I think they are okay and behave much like wheels. So the pitch bend strip returns to zero when released and the mod strip stays where you release it.

One thing to get used to is that whereas a with a wheel you can see where you left it, you can't with strip. Also, you can go from minimum throw to maximum within a touch... It instantly jumps, whereas with a wheel, even if you make a rapid movement, you still take a bit of time to go from min to max.

I will post a piece of mine which I created using the Keystep to play my Mutable Instruments Elements Eurorack module. I patched up the mod and pitch bend strips to suit and you can get an idea of what is possible. Not a great piece and I'm not a great keyboard player but I think it worked out okay with regards to the modulation and pitch bend:-




I hope that helps,

cheers

andy


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## Vashi

synkrotron said:


> I hope that helps,
> 
> cheers
> 
> andy



Yes, it was very helpful. Thanks a lot!


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## creativeforge

synkrotron said:


> First of all, apologies to @creativeforge for going off-topic and for posting a tune of mine with relation to the question asked.
> 
> I will post a piece of mine which I created using the Keystep to play my Mutable Instruments Elements Eurorack module. I patched up the mod and pitch bend strips to suit and you can get an idea of what is possible. Not a great piece and I'm not a great keyboard player but I think it worked out okay with regards to the modulation and pitch bend:-
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I hope that helps,
> 
> cheers
> 
> andy




Don't you worry.  I also enjoyed the little Fódla ditty. Thanks!


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## vicontrolu

Latency figures are there. Cant wait for some real vi-world user experience with ASIO and windows10


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## creativeforge

vicontrolu said:


> Latency figures are there. Cant wait for some real vi-world user experience with ASIO and windows10




HOLY SMOKES!!!


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## Kony

That looks really good - if I hadn't bought a Scarlett a few months ago, I'd have bought the MOTU.


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## bill5

vicontrolu said:


> Latency figures are there. Cant wait for some real vi-world user experience with ASIO and windows10



Rick Moranis lives!

Good review, though I could have lived without the attempts there at being a comedian. It is definitely promising esp for the price.


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## 2chris

I have NI's Komplete Audio 6, and I like it. I bought it used for $100. It's durable, has nice pre's, low noise, and it looks nice enough. I've had Steinberg and Scarlet cards, both were good.


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## Thomas Kallweit

Interesting thread.

I'm on my way to get a new audio interface for my notebook. So thanks to all hints here.

Actually focusrite has a BF sale til 2nd December 2019
https://store.focusrite.com/en-gb/categories/black-friday-2019
(Scarlett 2i4 2nd Gen; 18i20 2nd Gen + 6i6 2nd Gen)

I think I will get the Scarlett 2i4 2nd Gen. Only pitfall seems with this that some people had problems with the windows sleep mode, but most seem to be happy customers.


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## creativeforge

Thomas Kallweit said:


> Interesting thread.
> 
> I'm on my way to get a new audio interface for my notebook. So thanks to all hints here.
> 
> Actually focusrite has a BF sale til 2nd December 2019
> https://store.focusrite.com/en-gb/categories/black-friday-2019(Scarlett 2i4 2nd Gen; 18i20 2nd Gen + 6i6 2nd Gen)
> 
> I think I will get the Scarlett 2i4 2nd Gen. Only pitfall seems with this that some people had problems with the windows sleep mode, but most seem to be happy customers.



Thanks for the tip about the BoyFriend sale! Actually the same guy who did that review above (Podcastage), has done a review on the 2i2 Gen 2, and his tests show the Gen 2 pres to be slightly quieter than the Gen 3. And the Gen 3 has the AIR button which boosts the signal to give it more "presence." The Gen 2 doesn't have that. Could be a good buy!


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## Thomas Kallweit

I hope so. I'm too a bit frightened to get something stable after all these years. Being a happy user of the old M-Audio 1010 Lt still, but there's no Win 10 support anymore. So the counter goes tictoc. For the notebook I have the UA-25EX - was ok, but still old now.


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## creativeforge

Thomas Kallweit said:


> Actually focusrite has a BF sale til 2nd December 2019
> https://store.focusrite.com/en-gb/categories/black-friday-2019
> (Scarlett 2i4 2nd Gen; 18i20 2nd Gen + 6i6 2nd Gen)



They are basically selling 2i4 for the price of a 2i2! Hm...


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## Thomas Kallweit

Complicated for me, too. But I absolutely share your initial posting-motto btw - if it would work then...
let's go 
In my case I hope it fits to make a reliable live performance without crashes.


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## NekujaK

Thomas Kallweit said:


> I think I will get the Scarlett 2i4 2nd Gen. Only pitfall seems with this that some people had problems with the windows sleep mode, but most seem to be happy customers.


I can't comment on sleep issues with Focusrite, but am chiming in to say that it's generally highly recommended for machines that are dedicated to audio or video production to disable any extraneous Windows features that run in the background, including sleep mode, screensavers, auto update, etc. You can find plenty of Windows optimization guides on the web that discuss this. On my studio PCs, Windows is stripped down to the bare minimum services, processes, and bells-and-whistles to optimize performance for DAWs and NLEs.

My overall point being, sleep mode won't be an issue if it's disabled


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## barteredbride

Anyone heard much about the new Steinberg ur22c?

Its only 150€, so is in the price range of the OP.

I'm looking at the the UR44c, so i'm interested to hear thoughts.


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## creativeforge

barteredbride said:


> Anyone heard much about the new Steinberg ur22c?
> 
> Its only 150€, so is in the price range of the OP.
> 
> I'm looking at the the UR44c, so i'm interested to hear thoughts.



I just started watching this review by Julian Krause, who had reviewed the UR22 first gen.


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## Sly

I have an M-Audio 2x2M that works great however I did previously experience similar issues. My laptop also had other performance issues. My solution was to completely clean up and optimise the laptop and never let it near the internet unless I have to download something too big for transfer by stick, I also have Windows automatic updates turned off so I have effectively baselined the system. Everything works fine now, and the laptop is single use to run Cubase. The 2x2M is running through a powered USB hub btw.


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## AllanH

I bought a Motu M4 and hooked it up yesterday. So far I'm thrilled. The software seems solid, the build is excellent, and it works well with Cubase. I've run a couple of my projects through, and after a bit of Cubase reconfiguration, it works as expected.

Entirely subjectively, but I'd say that my LSRs sound substantially better with the M4 than my previous interface. By "better," I mean far more clarity and separation.


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## creativeforge

AllanH said:


> I bought a Motu M4 and hooked it up yesterday. So far I'm thrilled. The software seems solid, the build is excellent, and it works well with Cubase. I've run a couple of my projects through, and after a bit of Cubase reconfiguration, it works as expected.
> 
> Entirely subjectively, but I'd say that my LSRs sound substantially better with the M4 than my previous interface. By "better," I mean far more clarity and separation.



Great! Good to hear from someone here about this unit.  So one question was asked about the knobs, and the XLR inputs - are they sturdy or wobbly when you plug a cable in?

I suspect they will promote these babies at the NAMM, maybe there will even be updates and discounts...


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## AllanH

Mine is sturdy. I have not noticed any wobble as I plug things in. Two subtle but valuable other bits of data: it has rubber feet and does not slide around, and the dials have a rough surface (as can be seen here on the volume dial). The dials move smoothly.


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## creativeforge

AllanH said:


> Mine is sturdy. I have not noticed any wobble as I plug things in. Two subtle but valuable other bits of data: it has rubber feet and does not slide around, and the dials have a rough surface (as can be seen here on the volume dial). The dials move smoothly.



Thanks Allan, it's probably going to be my next audio interface. Sometime in 2020, when funds are available.


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## Quasar

AllanH said:


> I bought a Motu M4 and hooked it up yesterday. So far I'm thrilled. The software seems solid, the build is excellent, and it works well with Cubase. I've run a couple of my projects through, and after a bit of Cubase reconfiguration, it works as expected.
> 
> Entirely subjectively, but I'd say that my LSRs sound substantially better with the M4 than my previous interface. By "better," I mean far more clarity and separation.


A three month bump. I've been looking for an inexpensive unit for a portable setup too, and, in terms of specs/price, the M2 and M4 look really attractive, EXCEPT many Windows users seem to be reporting random, chronic connection drops, a deal-killer. Don't know how common or rare this is, and wonder if we'll see some driver or firmware fix...

Can I ask if you're on Windows? And if you're still thrilled these months later? Have you noticed any issues?

There's also the new SSL2 and SSL2+ getting rave reviews and worth looking into. Audient has a new entry-level EVO line as well, undercutting their own iD14 and iD22... So many choices and options to consider. I'm torn between just getting the most budget 2i2 (tried and true for what it is) or saving my pennies for the Babyface Pro (has everything I want, but or course radically pricier), and then there is everything in-between in the $100 to $300+ range.

On forums like Gearslutz, one camp says that unless you're spending thousands of dollars, these are all about the same, so just get the cheapest interface that has the feature set you want and it will be good enough. The other camp says stuff like: "The Burr Brown converters blew my Focusrite out of the water," and I don't know who or what to believe.


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## AllanH

Quasar said:


> A three month bump. I've been looking for an inexpensive unit for a portable setup too, and, in terms of specs/price, the M2 and M4 look really attractive, EXCEPT many Windows users seem to be reporting random, chronic connection drops, a deal-killer. Don't know how common or rare this is, and wonder if we'll see some driver or firmware fix...
> 
> Can I ask if you're on Windows? And if you're still thrilled these months later? Have you noticed any issues?
> ...



I have had no issues. The M4 has been rock solid from day one. I haven't even looked to see if there are newer drivers. Every so often Cubase spikes, but as it's far less frequent than with my previous audio interface, so its a vast improvement. I'm still thrilled and have used it 100s of hours.

I'm on Win10, i6700 with 32 GB of ram and SSDs. I use it with Cubase, Kontakt, Falcon, Play, and 20 to 50 tracks at 48k. The M4 easily drives my 250 Ohm headphones. Very happy.

EDIT: I've also used it with the Spitfire player with no issues related to the M4. Pianoteq, Garritan CFX and Miroslav. [and probably more]


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## PaulieDC

Solarsentinel said:


> Not the same budget but there is the RME Babyface pro. And, it just works... and really well.


Now that I bit the bullet and got one, I'm ticked I didn't do this way sooner. Recently I saw a Christian Henson vid, he now uses it for his travel rig and loves it.


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## X-Bassist

Hate to be a downer but I have a Scarlett 6i6, the Roland interface mentioned, and a stack of others in my closet because I’ve had problems with all of them once ou get into bigger sessions. With a smaller session they may work fine.

But after finally biting the bullet and getting an RME UC (I’m in film and use the extra outs for surrounds) I don’t think I’ll ever go back to anything else. The interface and control software is great, but most of all it’s because of the software driver. That sillly little piece of coding that no one seems to get right besides RME. Changes my big sessions from barely playing with a 1024 buffer to playing okay at 256. I’ve even done some simple recordings at 64 and it’s worked well.

Yes, it was $700 used, but I’ve spent more than that on all the interfaces in my closet. i just wish I had done this when I was first looking years ago.


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## Quasar

X-Bassist said:


> Hate to be a downer but I have a Scarlett 6i6, the Roland interface mentioned, and a stack of others in my closet because I’ve had problems with all of them once ou get into bigger sessions. With a smaller session they may work fine.
> 
> But after finally biting the bullet and getting an RME UC (I’m in film and use the extra outs for surrounds) I don’t think I’ll ever go back to anything else. The interface and control software is great, but most of all it’s because of the software driver. That sillly little piece of coding that no one seems to get right besides RME. Changes my big sessions from barely playing with a 1024 buffer to playing okay at 256. I’ve even done some simple recordings at 64 and it’s worked well.
> 
> Yes, it was $700 used, but I’ve spent more than that on all the interfaces in my closet. i just wish I had done this when I was first looking years ago.


This is the rabbit hole I've been going, not down, but up (in terms of price). The UC is I think 11 years old now, but the reviews are 100% stellar. On the other hand, you can watch a video review of the whatever newest $189 2X4 box and note that the buttons are squishy and the knobs are loose... I don't care if the knobs are loose. But what this signifies is that it quite possibly won't work terribly well for very long and will end up in in a closet just as you describe.

I have RME PCIe on my main stationary rig, and don't even think about instability anymore. I get less than 10ms RTL in Reaper at 128 and can seamlessly load at least a few dozen tracks with oodles of VIs and effects. So it might make sense to save-up and get something like a UC or a Babyface Pro for portability. RME–besides the famous driver stability–seems to be the only company offering quality in terms of build, preamps/ADDA and latency for ITB. The Audients, for instance, seem to be terrific in terms of converters, but not so great for latency.

I guess you get what you pay for, and there is no window shopping away this truth. Still, I may try the M4 with the idea of returning it if I have issues, even though returning things isn't usually my style. I just want a simple box that I can carry with me that works pretty okay.


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## haydn12

I picked up the M4 about a month ago. It's been working great with everything I've thrown at it. I'm working at 128 in Cakewalk by Bandlab for prog rock music. I did have to bump up to 256 for my orchestral templates but I also have about 20 VSTi's in use. I was also looking at the RME but couldn't justify the cost. Ended up picking up a subwoofer and Furman Power Conditioner with what I saved.

Jim


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## SlHarder

Motu M2 working great for me. Lots of power for any headphones, 44.1 256 is solid, low noise inputs, same Uac as their $2k units, value for money invested.


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