I’ve posted this before (or near enough). I’ve over a dozen interfaces but will list the ones I’ve been using for the last 3 years.

MOTU 828mkII FireWire. I bought one of the very last units made 16 years ago. Like any FW interface, it’s old, slow and obsolete. Fortunately, Thunderbolt supports most of the FW spec and through a couple of Apple adapters and knowing which MOTU drivers to download, it works as new. RTL is horrible but CueMix and being able to run a 32 buffer without breaking a sweat, if I need 20 extra inputs and another MIDI interface or have to hook up an ADAT etc., it’s there for me.

MOTU MIDI Timepiece AV USB. Has the 2.0.1 firmware chip and 1.32 USB chip. 8 !/O over USB 1.1. I know which drivers to use. Again, if I need it, I have it.

Both of the above work great on my iMac Pro and my M1.

The following are all built on the same CL chip family. The mic pres, all other inputs, headphone outs, DAC, MIDI are all on the same chip.

MOTU M2 (2 I/O + MIDI) Loopback enabled with drivers. No In/Out Mix/Blend knob. This goes in my briefcase when needed — unless it’s the 6 channel Mackie.

MOTU M4 — 4 I/O + MIDI version of the M2 but has the Mix knob for I/O monitoring.

Mackie FxPro6v3, FxPro10v3, FxPro12v3. The 6 and 10 fit into a briefcase, the 12’s a bit big but I use if for live gigs only. Different analog I/O/Effects/Aux routing depending on the model. All are 2Out/4In over USB — even the 33 Analog channel version. All have the Mix knob for I/O Monitor blending.

Day to day:

I’m using the M•Audio AIR 192|14. 8 Out 4 In over Fast USB 2 (4 Out 8 In analog but who’s doing that?). 4 Mic/line/instrument combi-jacks + 2 DIs + 2 Line Ins + MIDI + 2 independent headphone outs. In/Out Mix/Blend control. Core Audio only (no drivers) on the Mac. $329 at Sweetwater, can be found $300 or a little less if you shop around. Can also be found used.
[url= https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/AIR192x14--m-audio-air-192x14-usb-audio-interface] https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/AIR192x14--m-audio-air-192x14-usb-audio-interface[/url]

Upside for me: Top mounted controls on a desktop style interface (what a concept!) except headphone trim pots on front. Actual DIs with trim pots and both jacks on front. No mixer (typical for all inexpensive interfaces). USB outs are hard panned 1, 3, 5, 7 L; 2, 4, 6, 8 R. You have the option to monitor the Outs Mono or Stereo. Ins from your DAW are always Stereo. Mic pres can handle a Shure SM7B without a Cloudlifter — I use CL-Z anyway since it gives me a bit more headroom and works nicely on my ribbons.

Downside— Combi-jacks and Line Ins are on the back; MIDI is on a dongle–really? 3-segment meters aren’t enough.

I have other interfaces but this one is my day to day. I was hoping that, when MOTU introduced the M6, they would have also introduced an M8 along the lines of the AIR 192|14. Those twin DIs are the feature that sold me.

Is the AIR 192|14 The best possible? Specs say so but that doesn’t mean anything if it doesn’t suit my needs.

Had I known that we’d be three years into lockdown, I would have ordered a sample of that chip used in my AIR and breadboarded my own interface. I’d have done the Mic Pre gainstaging differently and used meters with more segments 6–8 if I could find the right ones and would have MIDI on proper DIN5 instead of a dongle.

As more noise is being generated about 32 bit float, I’m hoping to see a new interface chip this year that supports it, seeing that there are a number of field recorders that do. Remote recording pays some of the bills around here and I’m already doing field recording at that bit depth. I made the switch in my DAWs a few years ago which simplified my life a lot.


I take music merchant “reviews” with a pillar of salt and you should to. Listening tests are useless when a) all of it is pretty good and b) the reviewer’s job is to sell product.

BIAB 2023 Audiophile, 24/60 Core M2 Mac Studio Ultra/8TB/192GB Sonoma, M1 MBAir, 2012 MBP
Digital Performer 11, LogicPro
Finale27.4, Dorico5, Encore5, SmartScorePro64, Notion6, Overture5