Recommendations for simple no-nonsense audio interface that just works? (Win 10)
- Thread starter creativeforge
- Start date
Pier
Senior Member
Wow those interfaces look great and the price is very competitive.
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.
PaulieDC
Too much gear, not enough composing. Oy vey.
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!
Pier
Senior Member
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.
tav.one
Life is Good
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.
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/
OP
OP
Hi Bill, are you a user? I'm looking it up. pre-amps? Latency 2.5 ms?
jonvog
Member
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...
OP
OP
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.
vicontrolu
Senior Member
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.
OP
OP
vicontrolu
Senior Member
Saw that already, looks very good on paper. It's missing some ASIO stress test though 
OP
OP
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.
pderbidge
Senior Member
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.
OP
OP
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.
Last edited:
pderbidge
Senior Member
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?
Architekton
Active Member
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
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 lolHere 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.
