Best USB interface (price/quality)

[keithmantle]

To use with Audacity/Vista, thanks

[Didier]

To use with Audacity/Vista, thanks

Depending on which are your needs, there are a few ones in the Behringer range : http://www.behringer.com/EN/Category/Re ... spx?s=R200. May be not the best but certainly among the cheapest.
I have the UFO202 USB-Phono interface which works fine.

Didier

[tolo]

Keith...

I have an M-Audio Fast Track Pro that i don't use any longer. It is a great interface with all of the i/o's you will need - zero latency. Check it out here.

http://www.gear4music.com/Recording-and ... erface/6DE

Let me know what you think.

Best,

Tony

[donna plasky]

Hi, Keith. I recently purchased a Steinberg brand USB interface for $100 or £ 65. It is model CI 1. It says it is compatible with Windows Vista and Windows 7. It comes with two sets of audio software, and I think it is also compatible with Audacity. I have not used the interface yet, so unfortunately I cannot tell you what it's like. I'd be glad to circle back with you after I've used it.

Here is a link to the product description on the manufacturer's website: http://www.steinberg.net/en/products/audio_interfaces/ci_series/models.html

I am not trying to sell you one of these or anything; I just wanted to give you the name of this product to add to your list. I am a beginner, so all I know is what the salesman told me.

Another store recommended an interface called Alesis I/O 2 which cost the same, but it was out of stock everywhere I went. I think this Steinberg brand has more features than the Alesis one, for the same price, so I think I ended up with the right product for my situation.

Good luck with your purchase.

Kind regards,
Donna

[keithmantle]

Thanks for your reply Didier and Donna, Tony (above) has offered me his M-Audio fastrack pro, so i will be using that to start my recordings (hopefully), it looks a good unit for a beginner like me.

[Bojan]

As far as I understand, an audio interface, like the above M-Audio, transforms your analogue signal into digital format for processing in your PC for playing through you PC speakers or recoring through your PC. But if you want to use an audio interface to play live through an amp or a PA system, using your laptop as a processor, don't you need something else to transform the digital signal back into analogue ?

[keithmantle]

Hi Bojan, I am a beginner so can't answer that, maybe a member can throw some light on it, I will only be using it through my computer to record and hopefully put sound files on site. cheers Keith

[Phil McGarrick]

Hi Keith,
I recently sold my M-Audio delta 1010 and bought a PreSonus Audiobox USB
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/330705140564? ... _500wt_857

Mainly because I wanted to be able to do portable recordings with a lap top.
A great bit of kit at a very affordable price. Would definitely recommend it.

Cheers Phil

[Garystrat]

Hi Bojan

You are correct, the majority of "Digital Audio Interfaces" provide both input and output to speakers/headphones. A computer can only work with digital signals, so there is an ADC (Analogue to Digital Converter) and a DAC (Digital to Analogue Converter), the computer is performing its tasks between these two stages. In basic terms this is what an internal computer sound card does, but they are mostly designed to work at line level on both input and output, which is possibly not an ideal match for something like a High Z guitar output or certain types of microphone.

Most audio interfaces provide both ADC and DAC functionality in their own right, which means you don't actually need a computer sound card providing it is fully functioned (there are cut down ones that just provide input, like the IK Multimedia Stealth Plug). They normally connected using a USB connection or Firewire from the interface to the computer and are switched to the relevant device in software (effectively it becomes a dedicated sound card in its own right). It is also possible to use an audio interface in conjunction with the computers sound card, i.e. input via the audio interface and output via computer sound card, combinations can be switched in the computers input/output sound setup software.

When you go to the computers system sound settings, you will see all the usable audio devices and it is a question selecting the combination for your needs, in practice I tend to have everything set to go to the audio interface which is usually higher quality and more likely to provide better signal path matching. Both the input from the guitar and speakers/headphones are attached to the interface, the only audio connection to the PC is either USB or Firewire (although there are some new standards of connection coming along).

Audio interfaces are designed to match both instrument level (guitar) and microphone XLR connections (often with phantom power if required for the mic), normally Db switching and pots allows better control over the input signal level and they will have output level controls as well. On the older computer systems latency was a potential problem (the incoming signal was heard milli seconds slower when being converted back and forth by the ADC/DAC whilst being monitored) so it was common practice for them to be able to send the incoming signal to both the computer (for say recording) and directly to any external speakers/headphones (monitoring) attached to the audio interface in parallel.

Hope this helps.

Regards

Gary

[keithmantle]

Hi Keith,
I recently sold my M-Audio delta 1010 and bought a PreSonus Audiobox USB
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/330705140564? ... _500wt_857

Mainly because I wanted to be able to do portable recordings with a lap top.
A great bit of kit at a very affordable price. Would definitely recommend it.

Cheers Phil

Hi Phil, The M-audio pro just arrived, next stop download manual, I have been looking at a Soundcraft notepad 124 mixer and AV40 monitors, I'm only a beginner so don't want anything too complicated/expensive, what are your thoughts. Thanks Keith