Looking for Audio Interface

[byllsong]

Thanks guys.

[mojobone]

My experience has been that all interfaces are at least adequate, until you hear something better.

[byllsong]

My experience has been that all interfaces are at least adequate, until you hear something better.

[Kolstad]

ADC (audio digital conversion) is important in audio interfaces, but not everything. These days, as OS software developers work 24/7, the speed the companies update their drivers is important too. Focusrite is one company that are very quick to be up to date, in my experience.

Here's an interesting list from GS where you can see which type of ADC chips the various soundcards are using https://www.gearslutz.com/board/geekslu ... isted.html

As you can see, many soundcards have the ADC chip in common.

[Len911]

As you can see, many soundcards have the ADC chip in common.

Yes, but that is a component, not a complete design. That's like saying all daws are the same because they use the same OS. Or another example;
"Many of the microphones made in China, and nearly all the inexpensive ones, use a copy of the Neumann K-67 capsule. The original K67 is a wonderful design, and it can be found (with subtle variations) in the vintage Neumann U 67 and every U 87 ever made. But this capsule design has a sharp high-frequency peak that was intended to be paired with corrective EQ in the mic's circuit. Most inexpensive condensers copy the K67 capsule, but not the corrective EQ. The result is an overly bright, peaky-sounding microphone."

[mojobone]

Yep. Consider your Samson mic; the price difference between your CO1U and a regular CO1 is about 10-20 bucks, which means that's roughly how much they spent on a preamp, a clock and an A/D converter, plus markup. This isn't to say you can't make great music with it, only that there's possibly lots of room for growth, where it comes to sheer sonic quality, though the mic itself is pretty decent.

Some considerations when buying an interface:

The preamp: More gain is better; some interfaces are designed to accept a range of outputs from instrument level, through mic level to line level; these can sometimes top out at around 38-45dB, which will not be enough juice for some low-output dynamic and ribbon mics. (and particularly not for large-diaphragm dynamics like the Shure SM7B) 70dB is about as much gain as you could ever use, but the speed of a preamp is also important. (for catching really fast transients on real pianos and real drums, etc) You look for a high slew rate, if you can find a spec for that; a low noise spec is also desirable. Switchable input impedance is nice to have, but usually is only found on standalone preamps. Low-cut and polarity switches are handy, but you can usually do that in the DAW.

Phantom power: you want full 48V phantom power and you want it to be switchable, preferably for each preamp rather than for all at once or in banks. This is particularly important if you use ribbon mics, because applying phantom power can instantly kill them. (not all of them, but some) Some portable solid state recording devices don't have it at all, which means you can't use typical condenser mics. (though that's fine for non-active ribbon mics) For example, my Line6 X3L has a mic input and several preamp models, effects, etc. but without phantom power, it only works with dynamic mics. There are a few devices that output less than the full 48V and they'll work with some condensers, but you won't know which, 'til you try, and the audio might be compromised.

Power supply: an internal power supply and standard IEC power cable are preferred; a lump in the line is acceptable and a wall wart....you sometimes just have to put up with. Some interfaces are bus-powered; usually those don't have good noise specs, but there are exceptions, like Zoom's H4N, when used as an interface.

Connectors: DI inputs mean you won't need a direct box to hook up guitars, basses and typical keyboards and analog outboard hardware with 1/4 in outputs; MIDI ins and outs are also very convenient. Look for US made connectors, such as Neutrik; combo connectors are a compromise, mechanically, but they save space and provide flexibility. Another nice feature to look for is an insert, which allows you to hook up outboard gear like reverbs, compressors and EQs on the way into your DAW, which can save CPU horsepower. Another connector to look for is a word clock input; you may never need/use it, but it's an indication that the designers intended the device for at least semi-professional use. Both a wordclock input and output is even better.

D/A and A/D conversion/clocking: you may never use sample rates as high as 192kHz, but they're an important indication that the designers didn't skimp, here. Even better is if you can try 192kHz and it actually works, though depending on your monitor situation, you may not hear much difference, if any. Great low-jitter clocking is actually only important for D/A conversion, but consider that it affects your ability to hear the changes you make to your mix, while working in your DAW. Yeah, that's pretty important.