How Many Audio Interfaces Do You Own?
I remember a time when I had only had one audio interface. From a Soundblaster Live bought as soon as it was released in 1998 because it had s/pdif inputs so I could transfer recordings to and from a Fostex D5 DAT machine for editing in Sound Forge through a Digi 001, which I absolutely loved, to a Digi 003R. The interfaces got better, the data connections changed, but there was still only one interface at a time.
These days, I have four permanent interfaces, and I get others that pass through the studio as well. Of these ‘keepers’, there was always a reason that I decided they were needed. So why do I have four interfaces, and is this normal? I decided to ask around the team. How many interfaces do other people have, and what are they all for? But let’s start with me.
Julian Rodgers - 4
I’ve had the Red4Pre for some years, and it’s my daily driver. I chose it with a view to it being the centrepiece of a Dante-based studio, with additional Dante hardware to provide extra inputs and headphone monitoring. That didn’t happen for a few reasons, and being exclusively a Pro Tools user, when the Pro Tools Carbon was released, I recognised it as being exactly what I needed. Effectively zero latency while tracking and, with ADAT expansion, enough IO for the kind of band recording I do.
Near zero latency tracking has always been a priority for me. Having worked with TDM systems for years, none of the workarounds for managing latency in native DAWs have really worked for me, and prior to having the Carbon, I was a UAD user. The Apollo Twin Duo was bought because of the potential for a latency-free tracking experience, and access to the UAD ecosystem was, of course, a welcome benefit, though I always found the necessity of having to use the Console App less than ideal. It works, but there is no comparison with being able to work entirely inside Pro Tools with the Carbon.
The Apollo is also a useful mobile interface. I used it for this for some years, and my Apollo Twin bears all the scuffs and scratches of an interface that has seen the inside of too many laptop bags. However, an interface that needs mains power isn’t the most convenient option when all you need is to record a voiceover. For this reason, I picked up a Focusrite Scarlett Solo as a truly mobile interface. Bus-powered over USB, it’s much more portable than the surprisingly heavy Apollo Twin.
In spite of my four interfaces, I can see a refresh coming. I don’t need the Red 4 Pre and the Carbon. The Red 4 Pre is a wonderful device, but day to day, I only use a couple of channels. One rather silly thing is that I keep it largely for access to reliable loopback in hardware. That’s a waste of a 58 in/64 out interface! The Carbon is rather too Pro Tools specific for my Loopback needs. Loopback can be done with an Apollo, but I’ve always found setting up virtual channels in Console rather unintuitive, and my 3rd Gen Scarlett Solo doesn’t support loopback at all, though the newly released 4th Gen does. These look very interesting.
I can see a clear-out coming. I only need the Carbon and a good quality small interface with hardware loopback (I don’t enjoy using software-only loopback). The combination of a preamp with enough gain for my Beyer m201 VO mic coupled with hardware loopback for podcasts and screen capture is more than covered by the new Focusrite Scarletts or maybe even a Vocaster. So my conclusion has to be that 4 interfaces are too many (and I haven’t counted the stuff that isn’t staying…). One multichannel interface for tracking and one mobile interface for content creation is all I really need. So, how does this compare to the people on the team when I asked about their interfaces?
Robbie Dwyer - 2
Robbie follows exactly the pattern I was talking about. He has an Apogee Ensemble (as it happens, it’s Russ’ old unit), and the Ensemble is pretty similar to the Red4Pre in terms of IO and quality. One significant difference is that the Apogee supports a small number of DSP plugins, and using Apogee’s Dual Path technology, you can get a good, near-zero latency tracking experience.
The desktop Apollo units are a popular choice for mobile use, being bag-friendly and offering a different but just as effective low-latency option. We shouldn’t overlook UAD’s Unison feature, which can bring a great tracking experience, particularly for guitarists.
Steve DeMott - 4
3x Metric Halo (2x ULN-8 3d, 1x MIO 2882 3d)
Steve also has four interfaces, but in his case, his three Metric Halo interfaces take advantage of their ability to link together to expand the system. Although there are three boxes, it’s one system, much like having additional IO in an HDX system.
His addition of a MOTU M2 is an alternative to the ubiquitous Focusrite Scarletts we’ll see in these lists. I’ve never used the M2, but these little interfaces look great, and having seen them in the flesh, I can vouch for the build quality. They are well built and have loopback.
James Richmond - 4
James started his response with an admission he had been cutting back on interfaces a bit lately! He’s got a lot of interface in his studio, mainly due to his preference to have all the hardware and synths in his studio permanently patched. Although he’s recently disposed of a Focusrite Red 16 Line and a UAD Apollo X8, his combination of an Avid MTRX II and a DAD AX64 give him huge IO and complete routing flexibility. The SPQ card calibrates his monitors, allowing him to retire his Trinnov. It’s not a budget solution, but it has to be said it’s immensely powerful!
A desktop Apollo fulfils the mobile interface role. They really are a popular choice, and for mobile capture, interviews, and the like, an ultra-reliable Sound Devices Mix Pre 6 II fulfils that role.
Russ Hughes - 5
Pro Tools Carbon
Zoom F2-BT
Russ has five devices. He’s a fellow Carbon user, and he has been public in his relief to be free of latency and additional software layers when using Pro Tools. Opinions are split on this device between people who haven’t used it and think it’s unnecessary and feel they can do the same using something else for less money and people who have tried it and know it’s worth it!
The EVO 16 Russ uses outside of Pro Tools for use with a native DAW. Russ is, after all, a Studio One user and for use as a core audio device for video and screen cap work. He has a Zoom portable recorder for capture, used with a lavalier mic for interviews and the like. The Focusrite is useful to throw in a bag when XLR inputs are required on his MacBook Pro on the road. The Eleven Rack is something he’s had for a long time, and the Eleven Rack is a product that has had a remarkably long run. For near-zero latency guitar use, it still stands up today, though having a Carbon, which has switchable impedance instrument inputs and can run Eleven II as an AAX DSP plugin; I wonder whether he already has a replacement in his studio?
Mike Thornton - 3
Focusrite Scarlett 2i2
UA Apollo Twin Duo
Mike is a longtime HDX user, and his Avid Omni was finally replaced by a MTRX studio to accommodate his upgrade to Dolby ATMOS. Incorporating system sounds into an HDX system can be tricky, and while he was using his old cheesegrater Mac Pro with his Omni, Mike had an ingenious solution routing system audio via the Mac’s optical output into his Omni. When that computer was replaced, Mike’s initial workaround was to use a second interface for Core Audio duties. However, Mike found the analogue path less satisfactory than the optical SPDIF path he had been used to with his HD Omni and found that he could use Dante Virtual Soundcard to get non-HDX audio into his audio monitors via his MTRX Studio. However, prompted by the discussion around this article, Mike is currently investigating whether it is viable for him to replace this with the new Thunderbolt module for the MTRX Studio. Maybe he will simplify his setup further. Mike is another person on this list who uses a desktop Apollo for mobile work, in his case, the same model as me, the Twin Duo.
Graham Kirkman - 2
Focusrite Scarlett 2i2
Graham Kirkman has taken the Focusrite Red 16 Line option, which has been so popular for those moving to Atmos. Although he now has a Focusrite R1 monitor controller to complement it, one of the features that made the Red 16 Line so popular for Atmos was that it was one of the relatively few interfaces that could act as a monitor controller for Dolby ATMOS. He keeps things in the Focusrite family with the Scarlett 2i2 as a mobile/backup option.
Rob Walker - 3
Rob Walker uses a Merging Anubis as his interface and monitor controller, now rebranded as the Neumann MT48. These are really interesting interfaces. Impeccable quality and their use of RAVENNA AoIP technology make them a scalable solution. His backup interface is a Steinberg UR28M, a new one to me. I was familiar with their top-of-the-line AXR4 thunderbolt rack mount unit, but this is a desktop USB interface. Rob’s mobile solution is the extremely classy Sonosax SX-M2D2. This unit has two very high-quality mic pres and converters, which he uses into a laptop or iPhone for remote/no mains available recording.
Luke Goddard - 3
Luke tries all sorts of hardware while creating for the blog, but his everyday interface is an Audient iD44. These sturdy little interfaces have a dedicated following, and with their build quality and practical features, it’s easy to see why. As a spare interface, he uses the extremely modest Presonus AudioBox Go. As well as being a spare, this is used as a problem solver when things get complicated, particularly when he’s setting up to deliver online training. He has a Zoom F4 for mobile capture.
Conclusion
If there is a conclusion to be reached here, it’s that one size doesn’t usually fit all, but two interfaces and a capture device seem to cover all bases in most cases. A larger interface either for multitrack capture or to accommodate atmos monitoring, a secondary interface that can be used remotely and as a backup seems wise, and a hardware recorder is extremely useful for those times when you really don’t want to be weighed down by a laptop.
I think I’m going to be rationalising my interface situation. What about you? How many interfaces do you have, and is that too many or not enough?