RE; USB AUDIO INTERFACES THAT ARE MULTICLIENT> (mc).

1..Note , this list is not complete i’m sure and ymmv , and i recommend renting any interface for a month to see how well any interface works with your rig. Before buying…cos There are so many configs of pc’s.
Here is mc defined >>>

https://www.sweetwater.com/insync/multi-client/

2..Heres an example of how pg user ‘mountainside/jeff’ uses mc in pracrice to quote him >>>
“In practice, I am typically using BIAB, RB and Cakewalk all at the same time, transferring tracks back and forth. One thing I have found is that you have to be careful with how your sound cards and USB ports are set up. Never checkmark to allow anything to have "exclusive" control of anything.” << nice jeff.

3..Heres a list so far in no particular order >>>
..audient
..rme
..behringer umc
..ssl
..motu 828MK3 and micro Lite (what bout m.2//m.4?)
..focusrite generation 3
..native instruments komplete i believe << check on this.
..now please add your own mc device.

if your unsure if your device is mc capable email the manufacturer of your device.

4..AS I SAID THIS LIST IS NOT FINALISED AS THE INDUSTRY IS ALWAYS CHANGEING WITH NEW PRODUCTS ALL THE TIME !

best
om
ps to pg...make this a sticky that can be amended over time ??

Thanks for the list justanoldmuso! This is a very helpful post!

Jerry.
thanks.

here is a very interesting comparison done by julian krause..who does very detailed technical analyses of usb audio interfaces.
at the link below at 10mins or so is a very interesting
table // technical analysis of various interfaces.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KL_HZZwRJnQ

dotted thru the vid are various technical other tables.

i would suggest anyone in the market for an interface check out julians vids on YT which impress me and are very detailed.

i'm trying to get info currently on more interfaces also that are multi client.

i suggest as always renting an interface for a few days to see if its copacetic with ones recording rig.

best/ymmv

om

UPDATE Jan 2023.

note..i recommend renting before buying to see if the interface works with your particular rig and win version OR contact the interfaces manufacturer if more clarification needed.

ive found out the following asio interfaces also support multi client asio.

1. motu m4 and m2.
(looks like m2 is MClient asio..but no blend feature.)
2. ssl 2/2+ interfaces.

as usual ymmv etc etc.blah blah lol.

heres a sweetwater shootout tween various usb interfaces
with live instruments n' vocs. (note all might not be MClient). personally i found its a tad of a wash listening to the various live examples....but you form your own opinions...

https://www.sweetwater.com/insync/best-audio-interfaces-shootout/

NOTE >> if you anticipate using a dynamic mic like a sm7b
that requires lots of mic pre gain you might assess if the usb interface your thinking of buying has a powerfull enough mic pre..OR use something like a front end booster eg a cloudlifter or for budget in line booster i understand klark teknik make one.


btw if anyone knows any win usb audio mixers that are asio multi client ..it might be of interest to pg users.
so far with the most in depth googling i'm having great difficulty finding this info.

happiness.

om

re : Allen Heath Zedi10 fx.

apparently this 4x4 usb audio mixer is multi client asio on pc.

its 24 bit/96khz.

https://www.allen-heath.com/ahproducts/zedi-10fx/


as always try/rent before buying as so many pc configs.
see user manual on above site for further info/specs etc.


happiness.


om

BIG TIP.

some cheaper usb audio interfaces dont have mic preamps with enough gain to drive some dynamic mics. i recommend googling in line mic booster.
ive been testing out a fethead with an older interface. works great and results in me not haveing to put the interface gain up as high.
rather impressed. but as always ymmv blah blah.

in summary if you find you have to really crank the gain on the interface mic pre you might look at a fethead or equivalent if your getting problems.

an update on my audient interface.
..not one prob ever.
..great drivers.
..latency of 4 millisecs reported and i could get lower but dont bother.
one tech review i saw on the net mentioned the audients low 0.6 millisecs
internal latency. i believe it as ive not had latency issues. but note my new mini pc has one of the lowest dpc latencies for a pc. one major problem is that some people arent aware of the importance of useing preferably a low microseconds dpc pc for music production.
if the reader of this is thinking about a new pc a great resource that checks out dpc latencies of lots of pc's is notebook check.
just google notebook check dpc latency and the resulting display will show a table of dpc latencies from high to low.
..one thing i really like about the audient is it has 48v switches on each channel via a small app. some gear doesnt have such a feature but just a global 48v for all channels.
..imho the audient mic pres are impressive when i compare them to songs i once did in commercial studios.

ps...i forgot to mention..another thing that has impressed me re audient is how quickly they got back to me when a couple of times i needed clarification on something.

happiness.

om

Good to see you again muso !! let's hope we get that new RealBand soon.

Intruding on an old and great tip ...

RME is mentioned. What I don't see is focus on it's four outstanding features. This should absolutely be one of the first products you check out.

1. Most audio manufacturers buy 'packaged' audio device drivers from various software companies. RME writes it's own drivers permitting recording latency down to 3.2 milliseconds and 32 sample buffer ... even on USB 2. Their high end units have both Thunder Bolt and USB ... but there is no difference in performance.

2. RME's digital mixer, TotalMix, is the most comprehensive imaginable permitting every hardware and/ or software input to be routed to any output individually or combined.

Google Barry Johns Studio Talk 'RME - Simply The Best' on YouTube and his multi-part introduction to TotalMix.

3. RME includes a 'real time' audio analyzer app, DIGICheck, with programmable options for full frequency range, Peak and RMS metering and phase coherency.

4. RME has never abandoned a product due to ongoing Operating System changes, i.e., Win 7 to 10 to 11, etc.

And disclaimer, I have no association with RME other than having been a satisfied customer for over 15 years.

Just learned I can't edit a post on this forum ... which I would have done if I could have!

Here's a recent video demonstrating RME across their line features and setting up a unit that functions 100% as a stand alone recorder if not connected to your computer. Very good demonstration of RME TotalMix.

RME UCXII Interface

DFT.

without a doubt rme and drivers are superb.
but the music industry has a problem...viz lots of people have meagre earnings from the music biz.

eg a slew of plays paying 10 bucks to a muso.
in summary thus small project studios just dont often have the budget.

in my case...and im sure lots of musos are in a similar situation..much as i would like various gear..i have family responsibilities.
actually im happy with my chosen budget interface cos
i get only 4ms latency and its multi client.
the songs in my sig used it..now maybe you will think the songs are junk...lol..but ive had various likes and messages from net people i dont know.
sweetwater.com has a section with audio examples of various interfaces for various budgets. i had trouble telling the difference frankly.

to summarise i think more musos would like to buy high end gear if they had income from their songs.

re the interface market its interesting to note well known big studio audio console manufacturers have started offering
interfaces....from my marketing background i suspect this is because the market for these lovely consoles has shrunk.

happy new year.

om

OM ... I want to thank you for bringing the issue of multiclient asio to the forum's attention. I sincerely hope I've not offended nor been insensitive or in anyway disdainful of other multiclient asio interfaces. It's true that even RME's entry level Baby Face is several times the cost of many very good 2 channel interfaces ... and that the overall industry continues to bring forward better products at ever better prices on a regular basis.

It is also true that 'you get what you pay for,' and it is often difficult to get in the weeds and truly understand what it actually is you've paid for. As someone who had purchased four or five interfaces my studio outgrew for one reason or another before I happened across RME, I just wanted to share here my experience for others to consider when they investigate purchasing a multiclient asio interface.

Happy New Year and Happier Music Making!

DFT.

sincerely i appreciate your comments.
you are obviously very knowledgeable.
let me say one problem im always faceing in purchasing new gear is how quickly tech gets obsolete.
the fact that older rme gear is still supported from what ive read is impressive.

frankly my current interface was what i call a temporary buy as i expect further interesting developments re usb interfaces. but frankly its surprised me day in and out nary a problem and no driver issues....just works.

fyi ive made more than a few suggestions to manufacturers of interfaces. it will be interesting to see what namm brings.

i wish you a great happy new year

om

another interesting interface ive found.
sterling audio h224....80 bucks.
see you tube for more info.
looks like big bang for the buck.
but global 48v phantom i believe ?
not per channel ?

i havent used it so do your own review.. but lots of nice features.
if anyone knows if its drivers are multi client please post back....as icant find this info.

happiness

om

UPDATE FOR LOW GAIN MIC PRE's IN INTERFACES.
(MARCH 2024)

i mentioned before how to solve the issue of some sound interfaces not having enough gain in their mic pre's for low output dynamic mics.
(i.e. use an in line booster product between the mic and the interface.)
but i notice now a trend to actually build the boosters into the dynamic mics themselves.
Here's some budget ones to consider.
(see you tube for reviews).

..sterling audio p30. about 80 bucks.
..se electronics dynacaster dcm 6. about 200 bucks ?
And I believe Logitech has one ?
and of course there is now a version for the sm7b.

I heard the p30 on a singer. sounded nice to me.
and the dynacaster sounded good too. but do your analysis. didnt have time to hear sm7b or logitech.
i heard one of the above either p30 or dcm (forgotten where on you tube) put up against a very expensive
mic costing over 3 g's . sounded good to me but do your evaluation.
if anyone knows more mics with built in boosters please post back.

another option for low output mics to interfaces is to firstly plug the mic into a mic pre.
so mic >> mic pre >> interface idea.
eg you could use a cheap art tube mp or another mic pre.
(NOTE. please dont yammy on me about the 50 buck art being only for bass players…lol.
ive used very high end pre's and compared vocals to the art...if you doubt me further just go on gearspace.com and look for a hilarious thread where an audio engineer posts blind tests audio examples of the art viz other mic pres...and then reveals later which examples were art. its an entertaining thread for one of those rainy days…many people got it wrong…lol.)


Now go make some great vocals.

om

Re sterling audio audio h224 interface…

There is an interesting video i found comparing on you tube the h224 and focusrite….

It seems the very inexpensive h224 might have several advantages.
see the vid…



lots of other videos on you tube too including sound examples.

NOTE…i dont know if it's multi client.
but for someone getting into music production not wanting to spend oodles…it might be of interest.
The sound examples I heard were impressive.

as always/caveats …ymmv…blah blah..youll have to test one etc.
Most gear shops have a 30 day policy.

happiness.

om

FYI: Both +++ Guitar Center +++ and +++ Musician's Friend +++ have the Sterling H224 audio interface on sale for $79.99.

The included software package is serial numbers for a trial version of Steven Slate plugins, as well as the full versions of Bitwing 8 track DAW and Two Notes Audio Engineering "Torpedo Wall of Sound" speaker and microphone plugin.

Thanks Jim.

ALL.
MORE INTERFACE INFO. MAR 30. 2024.

1..AN INTERESTING TEST OF HIGH END VERSUS LOW END INTERFACES.
Can you hear the diff ?

800 buck interface rig versus 9000k interface rig.
(people who might find this interesting are people needing an affordable lots of inputs solution.)



2.FOCUSRITE GEN 4 2i2 versus AUDIENT ID14.
plusses and minuses of each. notice the headphone out comments etc.



3..A KRAUSE REVIEW OF THE WELL REGARDED SSL2 INTERFACE.
(I love this guy's detailed reviews….notice his comparison charts of various interfaces.)




I'll post more interesting vid links on interfaces as I find them.

happiness

om

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT.

HERITAGE USB AUDIO INTERFACES.

(way above my pay grade…. but might be of interest to other tech geeks like me…lol)

I can't find out much about these new interfaces except..
..1073 style high gain mic pres. 70 db gain range i understand.
..on board dsp.
..and apparently in addition to running its own plugins it also will run third party plugins ?
..expandable.
..midi i/o.

note you will need to do your own due diligence re these high end very interesting interfaces.
as i said above my pay grade but i get gear lust occasionally…lol.

Here's the web site for further info....i dont know if the range are multi client.

https://heritageaudio.com/i73-pro-edge/

also google you tube vids eg...
namm 2024 introduction.




happiness.

om

Hmmm, proof that you shouldn't take anything you see on YouTube as gospel.

I have a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 4th generation interface and it has more than enough power to drive headphones. I rarely have the volume past the 50% point, anything more than that is too loud. And I'm in my 60s, my ears aren't as good as they used to be

BA.

interesting comments...thanks.
from my checking it seems it depends on impedence of the headphones being used.?
i just checked audioscience review which publishes extensive detailed test charts.
maybe your phones match well with the phone out ?
but others dont ?
julian krause also has reviewed the 2i2 with detailed unbiased charts.
i'll post the link after breakfast...!ol

best

om

Not really interested in his review, but maybe others are

My main 'phones are Sennheiser HD598, but I have a few other sets that all perform equally well.

BA...fyi.
might be interesting to others.
frankly i'm agnostic....lol. I don't care what people use.
all interfaces are decent these days.
anyhoo the tech changes rapidly.
frankly my next interface will have 2 sets of speaker outs.

1..audioscience review (see conclusion.)

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/focusrite-scarlett-2i2-audio-interface-gen-3-review.10187/

notice in the conclusion the comment about the headphone amp.

krause review 4th gen. ( notice his comments about gen 3...also see his previous review of gen 3.)
once again he comments on the phone output.
including test charts....it depends on the users phones.



happiness.
om

While we're at it ... here's a video on what you might not know you are missing in an audio interface and why those who do know elect to purchase more expensive units.

Why this audio interface costs $1,000.

I'm not sure if I can contribute much to this discussion other than to say my Tascam 208i is the hub of my audio system and has met all my needs for at least 9 years now; with zero problems across many OS updates including Win10 and Win11.

I regularly record bass, keys and drumpad with it. The firmware is stable, the software is robust, I can't detect any latency issues and it has all the ins and outs I need. It's also reasonably priced. In short, it's a mature and proven product.

208i

DFT.

As I said upthread, RME is a great product.
ive seen many positive reviews of the RME product range. They also roll their own drivers….AND KEEP THEM UPDATED !
which, in this age of obsolescence is very very laudable.

in fact having found a musos real interface needs in the past often in the past ive tried to point the muso to a higher end interface like RME DFT because i realised the muso might outgrow the cheaper interface. but often budget plays a part. thats life.

One of the reasons I started this thread was to hopefully help the person new to music production who often goes and buys any interface only to realise after a short while it doesnt meet their needs. Another reason I started this thread was to inform on the various market offerings out there and get recommendations and opinions from users like yourself.

In addition fyi , I have made suggestions to more than one interface manufacturer.
Just one example is a lovely collegial exchange of ideas I had with a very nice product manager for a well known brand. in summation they loved the ideas of offering more i/o on their gear eg xtra phone and speaker outs plus higher gain range mic pre's also niceties like variable input impedences on mic pre's to address the fact that certain mics like to 'look into' certain impedences etc etc …plus 48v switches on each input. but it often came down to...
'the market might not bear added cost of such features'.

finally when ive tried to point a muso to 'really what they need' ie a high end interface often the same muso gets various contrary opinions pointing out that a less expensive interface will suffice. …c'est la vie.

happiness.

om

BT...thanks for your contribution.

Yes, the impedance of the headphones makes a difference in the volume. The lower the impedance, the greater the volume. It's interesting that some of the high-end headphone interfaces like my Grace m900 prefer higher impedance cans, which I use, sort-of. My Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro are 250 ohms, not at all high but high enough that some headphone amps won't give enough volume.

I just checked mine (Sennheiser HD598), impedance is 50 ohms. The 2i2 has no problem driving those, as I said I rarely run the volume more than 50%.

It makes sense that lower impedance would be louder, basic ohms law.

Right, very close. It's like Ohm's Law but applied to alternating current.

Here are some more higher end interfaces with videos.
(as always if you need multiclient drivers check with the
manufacturer as things are fast moving.)

1..antelope zen go..



as always very detailed test charts ... .and summation at the end.

Here's the web site….the company also has other interesting products that might tickle your fancy.

https://en.antelopeaudio.com/

2.Universal audio Products website.(various interface products at various price points.)
too much to list.

https://www.uaudio.com/audio-interfaces.html


3..ps. note re the highly regarded ssl…for ssl fans… ssl12 also available,

https://solidstatelogic.com/music-and-audio-production/audio-interfaces

and one of many reviews…



notice the interesting extra features of the 12 viz the 2.
(see the video above.)

I'll add more interfaces for people to consider when I have time.
I might be able to stretch my budget to a 12…lol.

as always caveats/ymmv/rent before buy is recommended blah blah.

happiness

om

More interfaces.
(IF YOU WANT MULTICLIENT CHECK WITH MANUFACTURER)

Note….if your looking to buy a new pc or use an existing pc for music production you might find these tips informative before going ahead and possibly getting problems…



https://www.pgmusic.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=795663#Post795663

………………………………………………………………

1..ART INTERFACES.

https://artproaudio.com/product/usb-ii/

and

https://artproaudio.com/product/usb-iv/

notice their mention of the use of transformers.

art also has usb mixers and other products that might tickle your fancy....see their web site

2..ARTURIA INTERFACES.

https://www.arturia.com/products?categories=audio

one review of many…on their inexpensive fuse interfaces.
(see website for further interesting interfaces in the range.)



(notice the wrap up comments…eg headphone power.).. see the arturia web site for more interfaces and products that might tickle your fancy.

happiness
om

Tascam interfaces.
(to anyone new to music production tascam products have had a large impact on the creator market for many years.
notice Bass Thumper's satisfaction re his interface upthread.
I have also been a user of various tascam products at various times.)
note..due to the extensive range of tascam products i would simply suggest the reader visit tascams web site….

https://tascam.com/us

interfaces at various price points…

https://tascam.com/us/category/audio_interface

see the net and you tube for reviews of the interface that tickles your fancy as well as videos.

happiness.

om

FURTHER CONSIDERATIONS RE BUYING A USB AUDIO INTERFACE.

(this is more aimed at users new to music production…. based on many years of buying interfaces for myself, and seeing typical mistakes made by others in buying etc etc.)

1..just because a friend is happy with an interface doesnt necessarily mean you will be.
2..there are so many differently configured pc's out there that what might work on one pc might not on another.
3..just because someone on the net says 'i'm happy with xyz' doesnt necessarily mean you will be particularly if you have different feature set needs.
4..if you're baffled why an interface doesnt work on your pc but does on someone's pc you know…it could be simply that your friend has a pc that's been specifically optimised for music production or custom built by a manufacturer for music production and tweaked or your friend isnt on the net whereas you are and thus your running special protection mechanisms that take pc resources away from the primary task of music production.
There are many reasons…
regarding buying or optimising an existing pc for music production have a leisurely read of this…

https://www.pgmusic.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=795663#Post795663

5.so youve been on one or more recording forums and are baffled by the many different usb audio interface recommendations. For example, start a thread on a forum…
'I'm a new user…what do you all recommend as a usb audio interface'....youll get a load of different answers and opinions from studios large and small…. thus its important to assess your OWN feature set needs which might be completely different from people recommending a product on the thread you started.
6..as i said in the highlighted thread above to save disappointment its imperative imho to try and test the interface via renting (very inexpensive) for a week or get a 30 day return.
The gear shop I deal with has a no questions asked return/money back policy.
7..it's very important to do one's homework prior to purchase. and really research the many many interface offerings on the market versus your needs so you dont miss the best product for you…and i would suggest not to rush into a purchasing decision. The interface, and I can't stress this enough is 'THE HEART OF YOUR STUDIO', i.e. in the same way people take their time re-buying a house to live in…same goes for an interface so buying mistakes arent made.
Another reason to 'try before buy'.
8..some people are swayed by user ratings. i suggest you do your own testing and research because your pc might be different in how its configured or they are using hot shot pc's that cost oodles versus your old clunker that might need optimising for music production.
9..A BIG FOCUS in your product search should be interface DRIVERS and their performance.
just because someone on the net gushes about their interfaces drivers…maybe your system is different. you won't know till you test ON YOUR PC.
10..i can't stress enough that the combo of pc and interface deliver very low total latency.
please read up carefully on the net about how to get a very low latency music production environment...
and/or see my link in this post.

as you can see the purchasing decision re an interface should not be made without considering various factors. Finally, one's budget should be considered.
as ive been in tech for many years I typically buy in the middle price range…as i'm always concerned about rapid changes in technology/obsolescence …just something to consider....also if i see price drops on a product...and its not a rule..but i will ponder if a new product version is coming out.

Now you might want to know where you might look at lots of different interfaces.
There are many sites on the net that sell a plethora of devices where you can research devices with also interesting articles and/or blogs….eg…

https://www.sweetwater.com/c695--USB_Audio_Interfaces


https://www.zzounds.com/cat--Audio-Interfaces--2418



https://www.musiciansfriend.com/audio-interfaces


and many others on the net….also try your local gear shop if you have one nearby.

I hope the above helps someone.

happiness.

om