No audio interface can ever actually change the whole world. But in spite of its slightly sensational title this article looks at some of the interfaces which made a real difference to the people working in audio at the time. So many audio interfaces, however good, however inexpensive and however feature-rich, are basically new alternatives of old ideas. There’s nothing wrong with that but here are some of the interfaces we think are important milestones in the development of the modern audio interface.

Soundblaster Live 1998

Creative Labs were hugely significant in bringing a whole generation of aspiring young engineers to computer-based production. I should know. I was one of them. At a time when duplex operation (being able to record and play back at the same time) was a headline feature the Soundblaster Live brought DSP effects, digital IO and more to a standard PC. “Proper” DAWs existed but at a time when a Pro Tools Mix system cost $8000 the possibilities provided by a PC and a Soundblaster were irresistible, especially if you already had the PC.

Digidesign 001 - 1999

So many people who are now in their third decade of Pro Tools use started that journey with the Digi 001. This PCI card with a breakout box provided 18 ins and 18 outs via a combination of analogue, ADAT and spdif. Two mic preamps on board but with some imagination full band recordings could be, and were, made. Check out the video above. I sent off for a copy of this on VHS!

I found using an external mixer, In my case an Allen and Heath Mixwizard 16:2, and using the ADAT inputs on the PCI card to carry sounds from my Alesis QS7 synth, which being Alesis had ADAT outputs meant that I could run a respectable number of simultaneous inputs. Other PCI/breakout box interfaces existed at the time. The M-Audio Delta 1010 being a notable example but in those pre-Pro Tools 9 days, if you wanted to run Pro Tools without spending Pro money you needed a 001.

Digidesign mBox - 2002

We take it for granted today that digital recording and production is totally portable. This wasn’t the case in 2002 when a laptop powerful enough to be used for audio recording was a recent development. The ideal example of the excitement and novelty such freedom represented is perfectly illustrated in the 1 Giant Leap project. An album and DVD release created by taking a laptop around the world creating a collaborative record by bringing the studio to the musicians.

The USB audio spec was relatively new, for example the aforementioned 1 Giant Leap project didn’t use a USB interface, they used a Digigram Pocket VX PCMCIA card. The mBox was a huge hit not because it was a USB interface, though this was a new class of product, but because it was the cheapest way to access Pro Tools. 24 mono tracks in a native version of Pro Tools, 2 Focusrite-designed preamps and a very ergonomic package. USB bus power, zero latency hardware monitoring via a mix control and even TRS insert points made this first mBox the one which set the standard and got many, many people into Pro Tools.

Universal Audio Apollo - 2012

When I first saw the press realise for the original Apollo interface I confidently announced to my friend that I’d just found my next interface. As it happens I never bought that Apollo as they subsequently released the Twin which was (and remains to be) a better fit for with my needs. The idea of bringing the DSP plugins from UA’s PCI accelerator cards into the interface, bringing a low latency tracking experience which was DAW agnostic was something of a masterstroke. The subsequent rollout of Unison combined with the news that existing users already had the hardware necessary to access it meant that the ecosystem was in place for a huge number of UAD-based studios to be created with one of the most tempting collections of premium plugins to run on them. The criticism that running the Console application alongside your DAW was inconvenient has since been addressed with the release of LUNA, UA’s DAW which brings a genuinely seamless experience when using UAD.

Focusrite Scarlett - 2011

Sometimes products don’t need to break new ground. They don’t always need to do something new. Sometimes they just need to do it better. This is probably why the Scarlett 2i2 is so popular. It’s inexpensive, it’s well designed, it’s easy to use, it works and it sounds good. What more do you need? As a result this little red box has become the USB interface against which others are judged. Still in production, the current unit is remarkably similar to the original first generation box. The control software may have changed, the gain taper of the controls is less ‘top heavy’ than it used to be but the proposition is essentially unchanged. Clean, fuss-free audio input and output from an inexpensive, confidence-inspiring box which just works.

RME Babyface - 2011

In truth we could have nominated any of the RME line, partly because they all enjoy a reputation for faultless quality and reliability but also because the thing which sets them apart from other, equally well designed hardware is the quality of their drivers. An audio interface is nothing without a good driver.

Unlike the UA Apollo, which uses DSP to run plugins, the RME uses DSP to run Totalmix, their super-flexible mixing application which allows routing of almost anything to anywhere and the addition of utility processing such as EQ and reverb. The current UCX II half rack interface shows what this combination of hardware and software is capable of today but we’ll nominate the original Babyface, which did for USB 2 interfaces what the original mBox did for USB 1.1 interfaces 10 years before.

Blue Yeti USB Microphone - 2009

OK, this is an interesting one. Having an audio input courtesy of the mic and an audio output via the headphone output means that it does qualify as an audio interface, though admittedly one with limitations. The Yeti was part of the first generation of USB microphones and was the one which really gained traction amongst the YouTuber/Podcaster community. If you were using built in mics or cheap computer accessories for capturing your voice over then using a dedicated mic like the Yeti represented a huge improvement in audio quality. The fact that the Yeti was also visually distinctive and styled with a retro aesthetic tied in well with the rather US-specific tradition of having a mic in shot on a short desk stand in the way in which old-school late night talk show hosts used to do.

In short, in 2009 the nascent YouTube scene needed an upgrade in audio quality and the Blue Yeti was the right product at the right time, and YouTube being what it is, the product advertised itself by virtue of being on screen all over Youtube.

2009 was a long time ago and much better mics exist for this purpose today. Take a look at our 6 suggestions for USB mics in 2022 or if you just want the same mic as everyone else so you look like a proper YouTuber just get an SM7B - but don’t forget the Cloudlifter you’ll inevitably need too!

Audient EVO16 - 2022

A seventh entry, not part of the 6 because it’s too soon to say whether it will change the world, let’s consider interfaces which might change the world in the future. This is by definition, speculation but the frontrunner for us is probably the EVO 16 with its SmartGain feature. We’ve written about this elsewhere on the site and while there’s nothing mind-blowing in itself about gain which sets itself, this does perhaps point towards a change in attitude on the part of equipment designers towards automating basic functions which can be automated and leaving the operator just to make the creative decisions. I can turn a gain knob to the appropriate setting but if it can set itself, why would I? And novice users don’t necessarily know what an appropriate setting is and don’t necessarily care. That is controversial to some but why should it be? If we can have automatic gain, automatic EQ, automatic compression, why not automatic mixing? As long as we can tweak the results would that necessarily be so bad?

What Audio Interface do you think had the biggest impact on recording and production? Share your thoughts in the comments.