The headphone amplification was also improved. It can drive higher-impedance headphones with lower noise and distortion. Gain-hungry headphones like the Sennheiser HD600 can be more easily driven without needing an external headphone amplifier.

Bundled software includes Presonus Studio One Artist and Studio Magic Software Suite, Ableton Live Lite, so you'll have plenty to get you up and running no matter what your audio interface needs. The Clarett+ 8Pre is the bigger brother to Focusrite's Scarlett 18i20, for those of you with more moolah to throw at your studio. One limitation is the mixer app, which may need a more user-friendly interface. The fact that phantom power is only controlled via the app is also a negative and increases your reliance on the high learning curve software. It has enough inputs to record a full band on its own. Additional inputs can be patched in via ADAT for 18 simultaneous inputs. The 20 outputs can route to outboard gear or additional monitoring in your studio. If you're a fan of the UA sound, you'll love the software bundle that's included with the Apollo x8 interface. The Realtime Analog Classics bundle includes legendary name compressors and amp simulations.

HDSPe AES

Most recording of raw sound is done with a microphone of some sort. The microphone turns physical sound waves into an electrical signal. And that electrical signal is often referred to as analog sound or an analog signal.

You should take into account the type of input and output ports an audio interface has in addition to their number. Two different types of audio connections, the XLR and 14″, are typically included with audio interfaces. The majority of audio interfaces offer both in combination. However, some audio interfaces only offer output or input ports that are 14″ or XLR. If you find yourself recording entire groups together, or recording live performances, its not too farfetched to think you might need 16 channels ( or more). The Focusrite Scarlett 4i4 is a mid-entry powerhouse with features carried over from their upper-tier Clarett line. It's a best buy audio interface if you need a compact, USB powered 4 channel audio interface. It has enough inputs for multiple performers, including MIDI. Tech Specs The 16A is no different. With a self-noise level of -110dB THD+N and a dynamic range of 123dB (A-weighted, 20Hz-20kHz), the 16A’s 16-channel analogue I/O provides some of the cleanest audio available, and an extra 16 channels of digital I/O through ADAT optical ports brings your total channel count to 32 x 32. MOTU supplied the 16A ultra-fast Thunderbolt connectivity (in addition to USB 2.0) to go with this remarkable array of high-quality I/O, so you get epically low system latency as well. In almost all cases, this is achieved through a combination of using the built-in analog inputs and using multi-channel digital inputs that are built in to the device. The most common digital input you’ll see is ADAT (Alesis Digital Audio Tape). It’s just a digital connection that allows 8 digital audio channels to be sent simultaneously.When you decide to buy an audio interface for your audio setup, you can use this as a guide. You will already be able to identify the kind of audio interface you require for your setup once you have finished reading this. Because of my current workflow of using analog summing emulator plugins like Waves NLS and Brainworx BX_Console, I've been wanting a more "hands-on" approach to my mixing. At first I considered getting analog summing mixers but found they would be limiting. I was completely satisfied with the plugin emulations. So I decided to shop for a new interface and a DAW controller.

But digital audio is different. A digital audio signal is a collection of information that can be used by a computer (basically, just a long string of 1’s and 0’s). SSL 12 is a 12-in/8-out interface, with four XLR combo mic/line inputs with high gain ‘SSL-designed’ mic preamps (including a +48v option for using condenser mics). Two inputs at the front can be poached for recording hi-Z instruments like guitars, bass, or vintage instruments. You get four balanced outputs and two sets of headphone outs. The extra eight inputs come by way of an ADAT connection. Many of them include digital input channels to their devices, such as SP/DIF or ADAT in the channel count, even though these would require another piece of hardware acting as an audio interface (EG, some mixers and mic preamps also provide A/D conversion) to allow them to be used. So, a "16 channel audio interface" might only handle 8 analog inputs. This Behringer X Air XR18 is a little different than a lot of the interfaces I recommend in that it serves as both a mixer and an audio interface. It’s at its best when used for recording live sound. The US-16x08 offers 16 mic and line inputs for your computer with clear sound quality and advanced features to manage big sessions. Eight Ultra-HDDA microphone preamps provide clean and quiet operation while delivering up to 56 dB of gain. An additional eight balanced line inputs are provided, two of them switchable to instrument level for direct guitar or bass recording. Eight balanced line outputs are also available, two with a level control on the front panel for monitoring.This of course begs the question, how to you get that digital audio? Getting Digital Audio Into Your Interface