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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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What's the difference between the Focusrite and the Behringer UM2? What makes the higher price worth it?
A couple things I notice -The dials on the Focusrite input adjustment have a ring that lights different colors for different level input signal .. kind of a simple (but effective) input meter that the UM2 does not have on the front of it. -192 kHz vs 48 kHz -The Focusrite 2nd input has a Line/Instrument switch (for plugging guitar in directly, or plugging it in via FX/etc (different level of input signals) -IMO a better build quality, especially on the dials. That said the UM2's first input can be Line or XLR .. the basic Focusrite (SOLO) unit appears to be XLR only on that input. So stereo signal connection may be easier to accomplish on UM2. If you were comparing UM2 to the 2i2 (and not the SOLO) then the stereo connection mentioned above does not apply at all. 2i2 link $99 The 2i2 is better in many more ways
Last edited by rharv; 05/29/20 11:27 AM.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!
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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 667
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OP
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Joined: Apr 2002
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Well, I do have stereo outputs on my Line 6 XTLive. Might be cool do do some stereo recording.
Band-in-a-Box® for Windows
Version 2026 (1224)
64-bit operating system, x64-based processor
RealBand 2026 (4)
Windows 11 Home
Intel(R) Core(TM) 5 120U (1.40 GHz)
12.0 GB (11.7 GB usable)
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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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Yeah, I don't think I could get by with a single input device.
I would regret that decision.
The 2i2 is a nice unit. I have one for 'in the field' recording use.
Grab it and go type stuff.
I have Behringer preamps and Focusrite preamps.. I wouldn't call the Behringer ones noisy or anything (they work fine), but the Focusrite preamps are cleaner to me. I use them whenever possible.
Another caveat/tradeoff is the Behringer headphone out is louder then the Focusrite headphone out, which simply means I have to turn the headphone dial up more on the Focusrite.
Funny part - my main system sends two of the Focusrite outs to a Behringer headphone amp so I can have multiple sets of headphones. <grin>
I have nothing against either brand, just my opinion on quality.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!
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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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Joined: Apr 2020
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Apprentice
Joined: Apr 2020
Posts: 259 |
Funkifized, going back to your "do I need softsynths" question, are you primarily using RealTracks or MIDI? If Realtracks, then softsynths won't help, but they definitely will if you need better quality sounds from MIDI arrangements.
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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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Joined: Apr 2002
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OP
Journeyman
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 667 |
I'm using Real Tracks, but I would like to write parts that sound decent. Can't get a good guitar groove the way I like it or horn parts that I could chart with what comes with BIAB. Writing my own bassline comes to mind, or arranging unison lines between guitar and bass(or anything, really). Can't arrange tunes by The Meters with no unisons between guitar and bass, or Tower Of Power horn parts with decent sounding unison lines.
Last edited by Funkifized; 06/08/20 07:00 AM.
Band-in-a-Box® for Windows
Version 2026 (1224)
64-bit operating system, x64-based processor
RealBand 2026 (4)
Windows 11 Home
Intel(R) Core(TM) 5 120U (1.40 GHz)
12.0 GB (11.7 GB usable)
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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 1,971
Expert
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Expert
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 1,971 |
This thread is nearly five years old. Too much has changed.
While any current Mac or Windows laptop from anyone can run BIAB without breaking a sweat, this is not true for many other types of applications we might run.
Those of us who deal with AV and AI find that only the most powerful computers we can buy will do the job in a reasonable time period. My Mac Studio M2 Ultra renders AV ok—I’m not crunching animation files. A 2 hour video with multiple edits and special effects might take 8–15 minutes to render and perhaps another 10 minutes to export. Considering that my 2010 iMac would take a week to render that same file, this is pretty good and what I’ve come to expect.
Recently, I picked up some fairly sophisticated AI tools. Holy cow! Having done stem splitting in the past, I hadn’t really considered how long that simple task took—should’ve paid attention. I was surprised how much horsepower is required to render some of those files. A 4 minute project I was working on a few days ago in ACE Studio AI took 15 minutes to render and nearly 45 minutes as four tracks. Yikes! I may have to buy the new Mac Pro rumored to ship in a few months just to keep up.
BIAB 2025 Audiophile Mac
24Core/60CoreGPU M2 MacStudioUltra/8TB/192GB Sequoia, M1 MBAir, 2012 MBP
Digital Performer11, LogicPro, Finale27/Dorico/Encore/SmartScorePro64/Notion6 /Overture5
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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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Yikes! I may have to buy the new Mac Pro rumored to ship in a few months just to keep up. Yes, it's the same 'rinse and repeat' scenario. The software pushes the hardware limits, and when the hardware catches up, the software pushes the hardware limits....
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
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Yes, it's the same 'rinse and repeat' scenario. The software pushes the hardware limits, and when the hardware catches up, the software pushes the hardware limits.... Ain't that always the truth! That's why I'm glad BB is "lightweight" so to speak, and will happily run on a decade-old machine.
I work here
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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 1,971
Expert
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Expert
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 1,971 |
Yes, it's the same 'rinse and repeat' scenario. The software pushes the hardware limits, and when the hardware catches up, the software pushes the hardware limits.... Ain't that always the truth! That's why I'm glad BB is "lightweight" so to speak, and will happily run on a decade-old machine. Knowing that one user is still running macOS 10.6, that means any Intel based Mac can run BIAB. Some are 19 years old.
BIAB 2025 Audiophile Mac
24Core/60CoreGPU M2 MacStudioUltra/8TB/192GB Sequoia, M1 MBAir, 2012 MBP
Digital Performer11, LogicPro, Finale27/Dorico/Encore/SmartScorePro64/Notion6 /Overture5
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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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Knowing that one user is still running macOS 10.6 Make that two - though I'm using a 2010 Mac for that
Last edited by Simon - PG Music; 03/12/25 10:30 AM.
I work here
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Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.
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Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Windows Special Offers End Tomorrow (January 15th, 2026) at 11:59 PM PST!
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Season's Greetings!
Wishing everyone a happy, healthy holiday season—thanks for being part of our community!
The office will be closed for Christmas Day, but we will be back on Boxing Day (Dec 26th) at 6:00am PST.
Team PG
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