Looking for an Interface if you recommend one

[68topls]

As the title says I'm looking for an interface for use with pro-tools and Logic. I have been a way for a while, and am slowly starting to do voice over work and spoken word (church sermons / speeches). Will expand to vocal recording, and demos. Also, will be doing some arranging / song writing. I'd like to start off small and am thinking of purchasing the mbox 3 pro or the Focusrite Liquid Saffire 56 Digital. (Is there anything newer and comparable out?) Don't need a lot of I/O. Like to do 24bit 192HZ, work with both Windows and Mac though Mac is my main system. (Both systems are recent within the last year). Previously I had an HD2 system and dig 003. Your help is much appreciated.

[Darryl Ramm]

Why oh why are you worrying about 192 kHz? and then talking about relatively low end interfaces? Worrying about 192kHz would be the last thing I'd put in an interface requirements list.

There are many really great interfaces out there from (my favorite vendors...) UAD, Motu, Focusrite, etc. (and Apogee... but they are Mac only). Focusrite and Motu have had some software issues recently, all vendors do. Once you narrow stuff down then troll thought DUC or those vendors forums looking for status on those issues.

Not much hard info to go on here about your needs, like portability? number of channels, number of preamps, digital interfaces, hardware monitoring, ITB monitoring effects, interfaces to live sound systems in church (e.g. is that direct mic feed? line in analog from a live mixer? Or S/PDIF, ADAT? MADI? AVB?) etc.

Start by writing down a list of features you need, and those you might want as nice to have and compare that to leading interface from those vendors I mentioned, that will let you triangulate a bit.

The Saffire 56 and Mbox 3 Pro span a large space, so that makes it hard for anybody focus on suggestions. There are also just so many really newer interface with lots more features from all the vendors I mentioned, but many of those use Thunderbolt (which may not be worth the hassle on Windows, or the higher cost unless you need those features).

We have no clue what Mac or PC you are talking about, do you have suitable Firewire IO on each? What about Thunderbolt, need to track through plugins or not (that pushes towards higher-end/newer Thunderbolt interfaces) etc. But for best portability/support you'll probalby be on USB2 at least for lower-end interfaces.

I'd stay away from the Mbox 3 Pro, I think you can do a lot better with non-Avid interfaces in that class.

Do you want a small portable systems for taking to church/locations and a larger system for studio/band tracking? You can for example if you don't need a lot of IO then you can do an awful lot with the very nice and very portable UAD Apollo Twin... or at lower end small interfaces from Focusrite.

[68topls]

So when I state I want 192khz I would like to be able to record in that format for the highest possible quality. 24bit / 96Khz is fine. I do not need anything portable. If the setup works well it will be duplicated in a remote location (church). I referenced the Focusrite Liquid Saffire 56 Digital only because it appears to be the latest firewire solution from Focusrite and was given rave reviews by peer who used one. MBox pro 3 because it would give me what I need now and be an easy upgrade to HD Native or something else later down the line and they are available for cheap on the used market.

For the home studio I'm looking for the best I can get around the $800 price range. I need 4-6 inputs with at least two of them being for mics, two for a stereo feed (at the church this is from their analog board & mix happens in their equipment) , 4-6 outputs with two of them being for monitors, two for headphone mixes. Midi if possible, no need for ADAT or SPDIF unless its included but great for expansion. I prefer not to use USB and was basically looking for a newer version of the 003 rack.

I do not record full bands at home. It's generally pre-production, demo stuff, touch ups of previously recorded work and composing. I think the largest I would record would be multiple vocalists with a guitar, keyboard, bass and add drums later.

I have firewire I/O on both systems but only the mac (new mac pro 3ghz 8 core, 64gb ram, 1TB Flash, D700) has thunderbolt. PC is a core I7 M series Lenovo Desktop with 1TB SSD, 32GB ram, firewire card. Not sure If I can get them to lay out money for a new mac but maybe a thunder bolt card would be OK. I would like to track with plugins on both systems.

If all goes well I would upgrade later on. Maybe the HD Native with Omni, Apogee Ensemble or Focusrite Clarett. I really like the Ensemble. Previously in my home studio I used a dig 003 rack plus (when they first came out) with good Mic-pres over ADAT. Then later on switched to a HD2 setup with a 192 I/O , etc.

[YYR123]

Apogee ensemble top of the world right now.....

Apollo next, twin cool but anything UAD is gonna need a quad, therefore Apollo

If your going focusrite go with the new clarett range, Saffire is pretty old nowadays

[Darryl Ramm]

192kHz is all dumb marketing wank, and really nothing to do with audio quality you can hear. Spend the money on better interfaces and especially preamps that you *can* hear. And if you want to track though plugins, uh you can really forget 192 kHz.

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On YYR123's comments....

Except that is all over his $800 budget.

And Apogee is Mac only and the OP has a PC as well as a Mac.

If only on a Mac I'd sure look at a Quartet (but $1,500 is already over budget) or if a larger budget then an Ensemble ($2,600).

One of my interfaces I most lust over now is the UAD Apollo 8p ($3,000). 8 nice preamps in 1U with Quad UAD DSP. Benefits there if you want to track through UAD plugins, but the down side of having those nice UAD plugins is uh... you start using them.

The UAD Apollo Twin Duo is $900 (the UAT Twin Solo is just too underpowered to want to mention), only two preamps, and again attractive if you want to run (yes a limited number) of UAD plugins and/or want to chain to other UAD interfaces in future. But it's thunderbolt and so not likely compatible with the current PC.

To go Thunderbolt on an existing PC you need to work out if the motherboard is Thunderbolt compatible. I strongly suspect the Lenovo desktop will not be.

MOTU have a lot of products, too many to get into here, but interfaces like the 828x ($850) have thunderbolt and USB2 and some nice features, but only two preamps.

I like that MOTU is pushing on AVB, for anything large/distributed (say at a live venue, larger church) I'd really give their stuff a look, especially in conjunction with a AVB capable live system.

I actually don't think the Focusrite Saffire 56 is still manufactured, Sweetwater are not stocking it. It may still be available from some sellers still. I'd also be much more tempted to look at their new Clarrett Thunderbolt interfaces, but again that PC thunderbolt compatibility question exits.

For tracking though native plugins the low latency capabilities of many of these new Thunderbolt interfaces is currently the place to be.

If you want the most IO bang for the buck at the low-mid end then Focusrite USB interfaces are worth looking at.

So right now, the big thing to work out for me would be can you get Thunderbolt at all on the PC... or give up on using the PC at all. And I think Focustite only support their Clarett Thunderbolt interfaces on the Mac (but their 8Pre ($1,000) and 8Pre X ($1,300) look nice... and would make nice ADAT preamps if you upgraded interfaces later).

So maybe all too hard and go back to USB or Firewire, but then I still think things like IO capabilities need to get looked at/nailed down.

And one kind of upset with Thunderbolt is things are about to change with Thunderbolt 3. That's just going to cause some mess/confusion on the computer and peripherals side. For example I don't think any vendors are even shipping or talking details about conversion cables yet. No you do not need Thunderbolt 3 in any sane audio interface, its more just a cabling/ease of use issue.

[68topls]

If I stepped my budget and PC usage was not an issue would you go with the UAD Apollo or ensemble 2? If I expand my budget to $1400 for the interface I could pick either one up used.

[Darryl Ramm]

Originally Posted by 68topls

If I stepped my budget and PC usage was not an issue would you go with the UAD Apollo or ensemble 2? If I expand my budget to $1400 for the interface I could pick either one up used.

That depends on what you want. And especially if you want to run any UAD plugins, if you like the UAD Console app, or you like the daisy chaining capability of the UAD Interfaces. If any of those really matter for you then go UAD.

OTOH the Ensemble is really nice, all Apogee Digital products tends to be. Lots of IO in that 1U box. I like the 8 preamps and two independent DI inputs for guitar/bass (so you are not losing two mic preamps for that). I should have made that clearer earlier.. so both boxes have lots of IO, but in terms of raw IO the Ensemble is a better deal than say the Apollo 8p (which was clearly brought to market in response to the Apogee Ensemble).

You can hang one Ensemble off another with ADAT but you can't daisy chain them on Thunderbolt like you can with a UAD Apollo (or Twin) ... something Apogee likely need to fix vs. UAD Products... but maybe they don't want to to protect their Symphony product line... which may need a bit of an update. OTHO you start running out of IO channels on Pro Tools with any of these non-Avid HD interfaces (all non-HD interfaces are limited to 32 IO max with Pro Tools).

I really can't pick for you. It depends on what you want to do. Both companies make really great products. Both the Apollo products and Ensemble have similar ADAT and S/PDIF digital capabilities. Stunning little 1U boxes. If you are thinking of those I would grab both product manuals and have a read. And if going Apollo, and intend to use the UAD Plugins you might be better off getting the Quad DSP versions of those boxes. But all that adds up. I am not sure what is available used or if you can get for the price you want.

[YYR123]

Originally Posted by 68topls

If I stepped my budget and PC usage was not an issue would you go with the UAD Apollo or ensemble 2?.

Yes, as Daryl said, and it depends if you want to track with plugs or you have hardware external

Both of them are top of the line....and you would not be dissatisfied with either.

Btw I don't think you will be able to get an Ensemble 2 used for $1400. They retail at $2700 and just came out 6months ago.