Looking to replace my aging pc and will also have to retire my 15yr old terratec DMX fire soundcard.
Can't afford a high end device, so mid range would be the option. I'd rather an external one this time. Have been looking at various audio interfaces on amazon such as Behringer and tascam. Any thoughts ?

Howdy Graham. I would avoid "Behringer and tascam" like the plague. Have a look at the Focusrite series of USB's. Rock solid drivers and mic pres.

http://us.focusrite.com/usb-audio-interfaces


You might even get a better deal on them, since they are based in the UK.


Regards,

Bob

Graham, how many inputs do you need? If two will do, I recommend the PreSonus AudioBox USB. Mine has proven reliable for over three years. The price has recently been dropped, and many bundled packages are available. Good luck with your search!

I'm very happy with my Focusrite interfaces. The link posted above shows the whole line so you can choose the one with enough inputs. I'm presently using the 18i8 on my main machine and the 6i6 on my laptop.

Focusrite.... what else needs to be said?

Thanks guys, obviously, I need a midi connection, but also audio connection to my small record deck, which I use quite frequently, and a line in for my mic which is a behringer.

I'm tempted by this one......... http://www.amazon.co.uk/Focusrite-Saffire-14-Firewire-Interface/dp/B0042DM2FW/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1427285828&sr=8-14&keywords=focusrite

Like the saffire 6 but not sure if this is available in the UK ?

I'm happy with my focusrite Scarlet 8i6. When you look for your pc, see if you can get usb2 ports as well as usb3. My laptop only has usb3 and although officially downward compatible this is not always the case. Also any usb1 components you may have will not work on usb3. There are not many usb3 sound cards out there, and not only are they expensive, but for the home recordist overkill.

I would have thought that firewire was on the way out.

I too would have thought the same Chris

It looks like focusrite are after Apple users with their firewire/thunderbolt approach.


Quote:
*All of Focusrite's FireWire interfaces are now fully compatible with Thunderbolt using simple FireWire to Thunderbolt adapter (not included). Focusrite fully supports the use of Thunderbolt with our FireWire interfaces. For more details visit the answerbase or read our compatibility article.

Fire wire is going the way of the dinosaurs. So get a USB based interface.

A good interface will give you the audio and midi inputs that you will need plus the outputs you need.

Some of the newer keyboards (midi) have a USB output and if that's the kind you have, you don't need the interface to have midi inputs.

My Focusrite has 2 audio inputs both low and high impedance, a midi in/out 5 pin connector, and 8 audio outputs that are all assignable.

I just got rid of a firewire card, since it was a nightmare in Windows 8.1 (Microsoft left out the legacy firewire driver, but it was worse than that).

FYI, the Saffire line and the Scarlett line are quite similar; the main difference is firewire versus USB.

Agreed with others. USB over firewire. Also make sure you have the inputs/outputs you want. I started with 6i6 and upgraded to 18i20 for not really a lot more money.

P.S. - I think Focusrite is out of the UK but they also have US operations.

Some TASCAM interfaces work great - avoid the US800 like the plague and do not expect any reasonable technical support from TASCAM if you buy one of their lemons like the US-800. Other TASCAM products have a great legacy. Which will you get if you buy one? That's the gamble.

Thanks for the input guys, I'm goin to go with the Focusrite, though havn't made up my mind on the model. Havn't bought the new pc yet, but will probably get one within the next few months

I Have a Tascam DR07 sound recorder which is amazing. Recording level set at just 2, it'll record from the back of a large hall, giving crisp clear sound.

I've been using Tascam products for 35 years (since the first Portastudio Model 144 came out). Rock solid gear. Their interfaces? Not so much.


Regards,

Bob

I had a nice Portastudio 4 track cassette unit in the late 80s. I loved it until I went digital.

I still have my Model 144. Bounce, bounce, bounce!

I also still have my old Tapco Model 6000R, which was the first mixer Greg Mackie ever designed. Still works.


Regards,

Bob

Stock photo of the 424 I had. Sold it in the 90's.

Found the 144 pics.... VU meters! oooohhh [/END THREAD HIJACK]

"Grandpa - tell us about the olden times, when you had to use VU meters!"

I liked VU meters, gave you a sense of being technical hee hee

You can still use them!

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MBP2

Holy crap, that's a lot of money.

I love VU meters, but I've learned to adapt to other means to monitor gain.

One such is used in the Focusrite 6i6 and 18i8 in which the rings around the gain knobs glow with intensity, turning full green, then red as the limit is exceeded and distortion would result. I thought I would hate this, but I love it now. In the corner of my eye, I can be aware of any red without actually concentrating on looking at it.

And of course, an alternative to VU meters is the colored column of LEDs.

The Audio Device Mullet :

What is wrong with the Tascam US800? Is it just you that got a lemon or have you actually come across many other complaints?

I have similar thoughts about the 18i8 and there's never any doubt which gain knob needs dialed down

Sound card advice?

Always follow suit and never trump unless you have no choice...... Oops!!! wrong card advice. (lol)

(Behringer).... I have plenty of Behringer equipment in my studio and have never had a problem. (knocking on wood)

My studio sound cards are Deltas and blasters. Wouldn't trade them for them for any other kind. Never had problem with any of them.

. Google tascam us800 memory leak.
. Windows only. Mac supposedly had no issues. Tascam fire sale priced them and dropped them from the product line while they carried on the 600, 1641, 1800, etc.

Tascam was one of the interfaces that when people came into the Cakewalk Music Creator forum with problems and said they had one..... the advice was to get rid of it and get a real interface.....same thing with the upgraded gamer cards and sound blasters of any model.

Some things you just want to stay away from when you're recording music and want to do it right, and effortlessly.

The US800 had actually really clean pre-amps, when it worked. There was a process you could go through to record/mix for about 1/2 hour, then shut your entire system, start back up the whole thing (turning on the US800 after fully loading windows), firing back up the DAW and getting back into it, which would avoid it just locking up your system, but it was a huge pain in the rear that was not worth it. The other thing that did work is that it truly worked as a very simple mixer without the PC connection.

-Scott

Hello I recently upgraded to audiophile 2015. I have some questions about `sound cards'.

Because of a short in the headphone out mini, I bought a cheap 24 dollar Turtle Beach usb thing that I wouldn't call a sound card. It's just an i/o as far as I can tell.

It did not seem to downgrade the output. It's a Toshiba Satellite L760. I was initially surprised at how decent the sound output of biab or other music files was.

So my question is this. Will buying a 149 dollar usb sound box make my biab real tracks sound any better? I do not need to record into the laptop. I use a mac/DP8, and a very good motu interface via PCIX to take care of that. The pc is just for gigs and practice. If I use an isolation transformer the ground hum from the usb i/o goes away. Other than upgraded i/o via quarter inch or XLR what would I gain with the Focusrite 2i2 or some other similar product? Thanks for your time.

Ron

If you are not recording into a laptop, NO. If you are recording into a computer, YES. Kind of...

The sound quality from the cheap cards is, for all intents and purposes, nearly identical since digital is digital no matter what the card. There might be some slight sonic differences due to various circuit designs in the amps.

The bigger gain with a dedicated "pro-quality" USB interface is that in a computer, it can use the ASIO driver to better handle the multi-track tasks and process the synths in a timely real time manner. Latency is reduced to imperceptible levels.

Thanks for taking the time. I was thinking that no sonic improvement might be the case but wanted to be sure. I used biab to play back tracks only. Everything else in mac realated apps and pro enough for my needs. Although one day I like a few channels of something from Cranesone or Appogee. Those were hot when I was putting my recording stuff together.

Ron