New interface options, IO and Pro tools - please chime in!

[RedEyeJedi]

Hi guys

So im having some thoughts about my Interface and IO setup lately and would appreciate some direction

Currently, i own a ULN-2 Interface which is super amazing and love it to bits - however, i feel that there is not enough I/O... i get frustrated with having to keep going to the back of my rack to change mic or line cables etc.
I would like to have dedicated mics plugged in and lines for guitar and bass always plugged in, with a stereo in out loop to my AXE FX.

My requirements are:

• min 2 preamps (more is a bonus but not necessary)
• min 4 additional line ins/inst
• good pres and converters - rivallin the uln-2 but will accept a little lower
• Stability for mobile live recording
• expandable down the line
• Compatible and stable with latest OS (yosemite) and Pro Tools 11 (NB!!!)
• Under $1500 total
• 2 headphone outs would be a super bonus and a nice mix software

ultimate would be to get a 2882 but i cant afford that at this stage.
So far i have narrowed my choice down to these options

1) Apogee Ensemble - old silver one... fits within budget and above reqs.

2) RME fireface UC.... a little off about USB connection but - perhaps someone can chime in about that?

- From the above 2 which do you think is a better option ? they both quite old, i am looking for long term stability on future OS's and Pro Tools updates
It seems that Since APOGEE have teamed up with AVID, apogee might be a good option, provided theyt dont drop support for an oplder out of production interface

- What else would you recommend?

Much appreciated in advance! :)

Dave

[nst7]

Apogee have teamed up with Avid for the new Avid branded interfaces, but that's about it. I wouldn't expect much support for their discontinued Ensemble.

For that reason, I would recommend the RME. They're very good with reliability and support.

[Wall2Wall]

Instead of settling I always found it best to wait until I had the funding for what I wanted. Blackface UA Apollo 8p or 16 would fit from your description. But double the price. An option would be to put the $1500 down and pay the rest monthly, as gig $ come in, from a Sweetwater or credit card.

[RedEyeJedi]

Originally Posted by nst7

Apogee have teamed up with Avid for the new Avid branded interfaces, but that's about it. I wouldn't expect much support for their discontinued Ensemble.

For that reason, I would recommend the RME. They're very good with reliability and support.

hmm ja RME sounds like a good option... Do you know if the Pres hold up to the Ensemble? (and ULN-2 - but i doubt it)

also the Fireface UC is an old USB2 interface? i dont suppose that should be a factor should it? (the USB-2 i mean )

[RedEyeJedi]

Originally Posted by Wall2Wall

Instead of settling I always found it best to wait until I had the funding for what I wanted. Blackface UA Apollo 8p or 16 would fit from your description. But double the price. An option would be to put the $1500 down and pay the rest monthly, as gig $ come in, from a Sweetwater or credit card.

hmm nice suggestion - but not an option unfortunately, as i stay in South Africa, so cant get credit purchases from online merchants... the price of the unit in south africa will also be much much higher (gear is super RipOff here )

[V5V]

Originally Posted by RedEyeJedi

Hi guys

So im having some thoughts about my Interface and IO setup lately and would appreciate some direction

Currently, i own a ULN-2 Interface which is super amazing and love it to bits - however, i feel that there is not enough I/O... i get frustrated with having to keep going to the back of my rack to change mic or line cables etc.
I would like to have dedicated mics plugged in and lines for guitar and bass always plugged in, with a stereo in out loop to my AXE FX.

My requirements are:

• min 2 preamps (more is a bonus but not necessary)
• min 4 additional line ins/inst
• good pres and converters - rivallin the uln-2 but will accept a little lower
• Stability for mobile live recording
• expandable down the line
• Compatible and stable with latest OS (yosemite) and Pro Tools 11 (NB!!!)
• Under $1500 total
• 2 headphone outs would be a super bonus and a nice mix software

ultimate would be to get a 2882 but i cant afford that at this stage.
So far i have narrowed my choice down to these options

1) Apogee Ensemble - old silver one... fits within budget and above reqs.

2) RME fireface UC.... a little off about USB connection but - perhaps someone can chime in about that?

- From the above 2 which do you think is a better option ? they both quite old, i am looking for long term stability on future OS's and Pro Tools updates
It seems that Since APOGEE have teamed up with AVID, apogee might be a good option, provided theyt dont drop support for an oplder out of production interface

- What else would you recommend?

Much appreciated in advance! :)

Dave

Some time ago I thought I might like an ensemble so I starting shopping for a used one. I found half-a-dozen or so locally, but three or four of them had some kind of fault. That made me wonder if the reliability of that unit is poor or if it was just the luck of the draw at the time I happened to be looking.

[edwinh]

Originally Posted by RedEyeJedi

Hi guys

So im having some thoughts about my Interface and IO setup lately and would appreciate some direction

Currently, i own a ULN-2 Interface which is super amazing and love it to bits - however, i feel that there is not enough I/O... i get frustrated with having to keep going to the back of my rack to change mic or line cables etc.
I would like to have dedicated mics plugged in and lines for guitar and bass always plugged in, with a stereo in out loop to my AXE FX.

My requirements are:

• min 2 preamps (more is a bonus but not necessary)
• min 4 additional line ins/inst
• good pres and converters - rivallin the uln-2 but will accept a little lower
• Stability for mobile live recording
• expandable down the line
• Compatible and stable with latest OS (yosemite) and Pro Tools 11 (NB!!!)
• Under $1500 total
• 2 headphone outs would be a super bonus and a nice mix software

ultimate would be to get a 2882 but i cant afford that at this stage.
So far i have narrowed my choice down to these options

1) Apogee Ensemble - old silver one... fits within budget and above reqs.

2) RME fireface UC.... a little off about USB connection but - perhaps someone can chime in about that?

- From the above 2 which do you think is a better option ? they both quite old, i am looking for long term stability on future OS's and Pro Tools updates
It seems that Since APOGEE have teamed up with AVID, apogee might be a good option, provided theyt dont drop support for an oplder out of production interface

- What else would you recommend?

Much appreciated in advance! :)

Dave

I've seen used 2882s in your price range. My personal preference is Metric Halo, so I'd recommend you stay with them. The reliability, and customer service are hard to find elsewhere. Plus, with the upcoming 3d card, it would be a future proof investment.

But great music is made with all kinds of gear. See if you can find someone who owns what you are looking at, so you can get a sense if there are any workflow issues you might have.

[RedEyeJedi]

Thanks man... i have kept the ULN2 for now.. it will be a nearly impossible unit to part with :O so perhaps a 2882 will be the best option!

ill start looking around!

[mesaone]

Saving up for the interface you want is the way to go.... Don't abandon the idea of purchasing a 2882 because it is out of your price range now. They do go on sale for like $1400.

[VRW]

Originally Posted by RedEyeJedi

My requirements are:

• min 2 preamps (more is a bonus but not necessary)
• min 4 additional line ins/inst
• good pres and converters - rivallin the uln-2 but will accept a little lower
• Stability for mobile live recording
• expandable down the line
• Compatible and stable with latest OS (yosemite) and Pro Tools 11 (NB!!!)
• Under $1500 total
• 2 headphone outs would be a super bonus and a nice mix software

As you seem to be on Mac (Yosemite) you really should check out the brand new Clarett series from Focusrite!
Those offer excellent audio quality, Thunderbolt connection (latency below 1ms), lots of connections (ADAT, SPDIF etc) and much more.
The series start with a 2 mic pre, followed by a 4 mic pre, an 8 mic pre and finally the top of line unit with 8 mic pres and lots of high end
stuff aboard. Even the top of the line model is available for $1299.- from Sweetwater (under $1500.-).
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Clarett8PreX

This is the 8 mic pre model for $999.-.
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Clarett8Pre

The 2+4 mic pre models are not out yet but will be released soon for sure.
http://us.focusrite.com/clarett-range?rd=1
(you may scroll down for the smaller units)

There you can check out the prices for the smaller units as well.
https://www.gearslutz.com/board/prod...nterfaces.html

I personally think those are great value for the price. Focusrites are one of the most widely used interfaces worldwide for a good reason.

I am aware of that this thread had been posted some time ago but if you haven´t got a new interface until today you may check out the
Claretts as well.

All the best to you!