Audio Interface that isn’t a massive pain in the @rse?

The Lounge General Discussion
1

Hi all,

I’m contemplating changing from my Focusrite 18i20 (also connected to a Berhinger ADA8200 for 8 more ins / outs).

I absolutely hate the Scarlett mix control software, it’s a pain to use, very confusing / not at all intuitive, and the unit crashes a lot and refuses to work at 96Khz.

Can anyone recommend an audio interface with lots of line ins that is reliable with an INTUITIVE and flexible routing software?

I’m on Mac if that matters.

Thanks,
Paul

2

I have an RME Fireface 400 for like ten years now and never had a single issue with it. It’s rock solid and sounds great. Plus the TotalMix software is super flexible. And RME are still releasing updated drivers and support new OSes.

They are definitely not the cheapest but you get what you pay for. :slight_smile:

1 Like
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MOTU ultralite MK4

Easy to save and recall (from the hardware itself) routing presets.

And the 2018 units have the newer DAC. Sounds fantastic.

3.99ms rtl at 64 samples, 48khz in Live. Less at 96khz

2 Likes
4

If I were being honest about my favorite piece of gear I would have to say my RME Babyface because I never have to worry about it. Like ever. It does exactly what it’s supposed to do (beautifully I might add) and does it like a champ. And your interface is the last thing you want to worry about.

TotalMix is not exactly the most intuitive but once you got it (good YT tutorials) you have incredible power there (def with your ADA8k).

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I have a motu 828x for sale on reverb, make an offer!

The mixer capabilities are quite good, and it can be controlled from an iPad app

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Anything RME

7

Yup, one vote from me too for RME.

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Anything decent seems to come with a load of DSP bs. Then they want a down payment for a house for it. Does no one make a simple high quality reliable rack mount interface?

8-10 line in
4-8 line out
1 ADAT in & out
1 spdif out

Simple.

9

RME is solid

10

Get an RME and never ask this question again

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RME Fireface UC. Get it and be surprised. Worth every Cent.

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I’m going to say Audient id22. Sounds really great and I preferred the software to the RME Babyface.

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Hi @Munro
Download and install Scarlett Mix Control 1.10b3 from the link below if not already present.
http://beta.focusrite.com/releases/scarlett_mixcontrol/

I would run at 48k unless 96 is absolutely needed. This way you get the full eight inputs from your ADA8200.

1 Like
14

Focusrite Clarett 8Pre USB fits the bill here and uses the newer Focusrite Control software. It’s much cleaner than Scarlett Mix Control.

https://focusrite.com/usb-c-audio-interface/clarett-usb/clarett-8pre-usb

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The behringer can’t operate at 96k.
It’s a behringer after all

16

Ah, yes, good spot. Another +1 for the Focusrite Scarlett Octopre if staying with the 18i20. Otherwise a Clarett 8Pre USB + Clarett Octopre will be a big improvement.

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Depends on your workflow but after going through similar issues with interfaces on mac (with ableton, cubase, logic) I ended up with Steinberg/Yamaha’s UR824 with two ADA8200’s - might be worth a look - gives you:

-rackmount

  • solid drivers (not one crash in 3or4 years)
  • up to 24i/o with 8 pretty decent pre’s on the UR824 for mic’s
    -simple intuitive (transparent in use) mix software that provides simple dsp verb/eq for basic sweetening while zero latency hardware monitoring
  • don’t know what your routing needs are but adding patchbay eg behringer PX3000 (or two) I’ve found to produce less headaches than software routing

depends on your current/future i/o needs and if your likely to want to add analogue mixer in future. If not rme babyface is as xidnpnlss said a very good option I also auditioned, along with some focusrites. RME sounded best, UR824 close second, Focusrite options cheaper but weren’t in the same league. Price on UR824 similar to babyface but more i/o theres also a UR824/cubase pro bundle thats good value if you happen to want it.