Here at Production Expert, we often get questions like “What is the best interface?” Unfortunately, the answer to this question can only be “it depends”. In this article, we look at ways to help users research your first or next acquisition and get the answers you need to make an informed decision.
The problem with such a broad question like ”What is the best compressor plugin?” is that the answer depends on your situation, what you are trying to do with it, what type of material you are working with. This is because the answer to this question will be different for someone working on voiceovers, to someone wanting to process the bass in a drum and bass track. In addition, when it comes to computer software, knowing what DAW, like Pro Tools, Studio One or Logic Pro you are using and on which operating system, like macOS or Windows and the version of both the DAW and OS and also very helpful to narrow the field down as not all software, will work on every computer or in every DAW.
When it comes to hardware like an audio interface, there are literally hundreds of interfaces out there, desktop, rack-mounted, 2 inputs to 64 inputs, ones with mic preamps, ones with just line inputs, others with digital inputs, some that only work with Pro Tools HD cards, the list goes on…
So staying with interfaces for a moment, a question that asks “ Which interface do you recommend that has at least 4 mic inputs, 8 outputs, has USB-C connectivity, is compatible with Pro Tools running on macOS Mojave?” is a much easier question to answer and gives the people you are asking the context to help give you a much more useful answer and we could direct you to our article What Are The Best 1U Audio Interfaces With A Minimum Of 8 Analog Inputs You Can Buy Today? This article covers a range of interfaces from the likes of Antelope Audio, Apogee, Behringer, Focusrite, Merging Technologies, PreSonus, RME, Slate Digital, Tascam and Universal Audio, with a price range from $400 to just over $3,500.
That last point highlights another key criteria that should be in your question, irrespective of what you are looking for, the budget you have to spend on what you are looking for. More of that later…
How Do I Narrow Down My Question?
Research Is Key
Firstly look at your setup. What equipment do you already have? In the case of the interface question, you will probably already have a computer, and probably a DAW, so that will already narrow your choices down. If your computer does not have Thunderbolt connectivity but does have USB-2 then there is no point at looking at interfaces that do not have USB-2 connectivity.
Do your research, you may not understand all the terms that are used and so may not fully appreciate what you need. Do not be afraid to acknowledge that you don’t know everything, we don’t, we are learning new stuff every day as we go about doing what we do.
Use Search Engines
Use search engines like Google. Put targeted questions into Google like “best 1U audio interface USB 2, 8 inputs” and see what comes up.
One word of advice when using Google is to consider how well respected the source is. There are now thousands of people offering ‘reviews’ of products, opinions on what is best and unfortunately, a lot of them are not trustworthy. Some sites and YouTube channels don’t actually tell you very much about the product because they haven’t spent time using the product.
Using Google can be incredibly helpful but it removes the ‘gatekeepers’, the people who have the experience and knowledge to sift the wheat from the chaff.
Workflow
Next, look at your workflow, what are you trying to do with this tool? In the case of the interface, as a singer-songwriter, what you need from an interface will be very different from someone wanting to mainly record electric guitar. For the singer-songwriter, we would direct you to our article Experts Pick Of The Best Desktop Audio Interfaces You Can Buy For Your Studio Today.
For the guitarist wanting an interface that is targetted at recording an electric guitar then we would direct you to our article Audio Interfaces Designed Specifically for Electric Guitar Recording - Check Them Out Today.
Even though a number of the guitar-centric interfaces are also desktop interfaces the feature sets are more suited to one workflow than the other.
Talk To Friends
Talk to friends, ask people who are doing similar work to you what they use and why they choose what they did.
With the cottage-isation of our industry so that more and more of us are working in isolation. This is really important. It gives us a perspective of what is happening in the real world and helps with our mental health as well.
Make A Friend In Your Dealer
Another source of help that with the increase of online shopping has tended to take a back seat is your local dealer. Going into a store and talking about what you are trying to do and getting great advice can be really beneficial. Just one word of warning, remember most dealers don’t carry every model from every brand so their advice may not be complete, but building up a relationship with a dealer has so many benefits including when things go wrong.
Listicles
‘Listicle’ type articles like the ‘10 best widgets for trimming your nails’ can be helpful but again look at who is writing these and how much experience they have.
Remember that some people are trying to catch people asking “What is the best interface?” and provide simple answers without looking at the background and workflow. One of the best interfaces in a listicle may not be the best interface for you because it doe not have the features and connectivity that you need.
This is why we try to define the application when we create our listicles and also our best 10 interfaces might not be someone else’s best 10 interfaces.
Here at Production Expert, we have loads of resources to help you. For example, we have a number of Buying Guides covering topics like buying microphones, control surfaces, Studio Starter Kits for under $1000, Sound Furniture and Outboard Rack Units and Cloud Based File Transfer Services.
Then we have a wide range of ‘listicles’ including a new series from expert Ronan MacDonald including The 7 Best Acoustic Drum Kit Plugins You Can Use On Your Tracks and 6 Common Beat Making Mistakes And How To Avoid Them.
Conclusion
If you are looking for a piece of hardware or software then please don’t ask a broad question like “What is the best interface?”. No one can answer that question with anything like a useful answer.
Instead, consider what you need this item to do, do your research, take into consideration what you already own and what this new item will need to work alongside.
Talk to your friends, visit and make friends with your local dealer.
Use Google as a research tool but take into consideration the sources that you find and determine if they are trustworthy and have the experience to give valid advice or not.
At the end of the day, however well you define the question, the answer is always an opinion, it isn’t and can never be a definitive answer. You will also need to choose who you trust to give you the most informed and balanced answer.