Holiday 2009 USB and FireWire Audio Interface Buyer's Guide
Back in the good old days, if you wanted to make a professional sounding recording, it meant renting a studio with tons of bulky equipment. Nowadays, you can still rent a studio with tons of bulky equipment if you so choose, but you do have options. Thanks to computers, you can actually set up a home studio more affordably than ever before in which you could make quality recordings rivaling even the best studios of yore.
What is an Audio Interface?
One of the challenges of setting up a home studio is taking all those great analog sounds you are recording, and converting them into digital ones and zeroes that computers understand. An Audio Interface is a dedicated piece of hardware that converts an analog signal to a digital one, and then outputs the digital file to the computer.
Audio interfaces range from the very simple, with only one or two inputs and minimal control, to advanced rack systems with many inputs and even more ways to control your sonic output.
Why do I need an Audio Interface?
Depending on your needs, you may already have all you require to begin recording on your computer today. Almost every computer has a sound card that can act as an audio interface, and some laptops even come equipped with built-in microphones. Even if your computer does not have a built-in microphone, there are plenty of inexpensive USB microphones that can have you recording in no time.
This setup would be perfect for basic podcasting, recording song ideas, or using internet chat services like Skype or Google Voice.
Your computers soundcard does have its limitations though. Processing sound is pretty hard on a computers processor, and if the computer gets bogged up on a complicated sound file, you can be left with distracting pops, clicks and hisses. Most sound cards try to avoid this problem by buffering the sound to give a computer enough time to process everything. While this definitely does help minimize pops and clicks to some extent, it also causes a delay from the time you play the note to the time it comes out of the computer's speaker. In other words it has a fairly high latency, or delay. This means that real-time monitoring of your sound is next to impossible with a standard sound card.
And since most consumer sound cards can't handle more than two channels of audio at the same time, if you plan on recording more than 2 channels simultaneously on your computer, an audio interface may be necessary.
Bit Depth and Sample rate
Most consumer soundcards are limited to a bit-depth of 16-bits and sample rates of 48 kHz or less. In layman's terms, what this means is that with a basic sound card, your computer is capable of taking up to 48,000 'snapshots' of your audio per second, working with a pallet of about 65,000 sounds. While this is adequate for many consumer uses, keep in mind that the higher your sample rate is, and the more bit depth you have, the more accurate a representation of your sound will be recorded. With a 24-bit 192 kHz recording, your computer will take 192,000 snapshots-per-second, working from a sound pallet of over 16 million sounds. This would give you a fuller, more natural sounding recording.
How high a bit depth and sample rate you need depends on how accurate a representation of your audio you'd require. Recording a single grungy distorted guitar would not need as high a sample rate or bit depth as you would need to accurately record a symphony orchestra, where you would probably want to get as high a sample rate as possible to record every nuance of all the instruments. Nowadays, 24-bit 96 kHz has become a professional minimum recording standard, though some rather stunning low-fi recordings have been made at much lower sample rates and bit depths.
Different types of Audio interfaces.
B&H stocks dozens of Audio interfaces to suit many different recording needs, from singer songwriters looking to put together quick demos, to sound production houses looking to record professional sounding CDs or live shows.
When considering an audio interface, there are several questions you need to ask yourself.
How portable does your interface need to be?
Interfaces range from the Ultra-Portable, easily fitting in your pocket, to portable units that can be tossed in laptop bags, to rack mount units which are great for bringing portable studios on the road, as well as desktop units not made for lugging around.
How many simultaneous inputs and outputs do you need?
If you only plan on recording a voice and a guitar, you might be fine with two inputs and one output. But if you want to record an entire band, you may need many more, seeing as a properly mic'ed drum kit alone may need 4 to 8 inputs. Also, if you want to listen to your output through multiple monitors, more outputs will definitely be your friends.
What type of instruments will you want to use with the interface?
Some interfaces cater to one instrument over another. Some will have dedicated MIDI inputs for a keyboard controller. Some systems will have built in pre-amps to amplify the sound coming through them. Others are made primarily for a specific instrument or tool. Knowing what instruments you plan to use allows you to pick the system that has the right number and type of inputs for your needs.
Do I want a USB, or FireWire interface?
Almost every computer today has a USB 2.0 bus. FireWire is rarer. Looking at their specs, you'd think USB and FireWire are almost identical, with USB having a slight edge, transferring data at up to 480 Mbits-per-second vs. FireWire's 400 Mbits-per-second. However, in real world testing, FireWire has proven to be significantly faster than USB for sustained throughput.
There are other interfaces available, such as PCie or PCMCIA, but they are beyond the scope of this article.
Mac or PC?
While most interfaces will be compatible with both Windows and OS X, some interfaces will only work on one platform and not the other.
Portable units.
These units are powered by their USB or FireWire cables unless otherwise mentioned, which means you don't need to carry around any extra cables or be next to a power outlet when creativity strikes.
 For simple recording projects, the M-Audio Fast Track could be a great solution. It also has 2 inputs, 2 outputs, and it can record at24-bit, 48 kHz . It also includes 'Pro-Tools Essentials', audio editing software that allows you edit up to 16 stereo tracks and has many included effects to modify your recording.
 The Presonus AudioBoxUSB has an all metal chassis making it very durable to take on the road. It has 2 inputs, 2 outputs, and built in pre-amps. It includes 'Studio one Artist' software.
The Digidesign MBox 2 is a USB-powered Pro Tools LE system with 2 inputs and 2 outputs. Projects created with the Mbox 2 and the included Pro Tools LE can also be opened with Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools M-Powered systems, which is great when bringing your projects into a studio for further refining.
 If you want a portable system with many more inputs, take a look at the Presonus FireStudio Mobile. A FireWire interface, the FireStudio is a ten input, six output system, with two onboard mic preamps. It records at 24-bit resolution at up to 96 kHz. And the Firestudio delivers true 48 volts of phantom power allowing it to power even the pickiest condenser mic.
Record up to 8 simultaneous 24-bit 96 kHz tracks with the M-Audio Fast Track Ultra. This portable studio has 4 onboard preamps, both analog and digital I/O, built in DSP mixers and two completely independent headphone outputs for multiple headphone mixes.
 Another rugged portable option is the Motu UltraLite-Mk3. With 2 Mic/instrument inputs, and 6 analog line inputs, the Motu records 24-bit 192 kHz audio, and can also be used as a standalone mixer with effects.
Ultra Portable interfaces.
If you are looking for ultra portability but you don't want to sacrifice sound quality, you might want to consider these interfaces, which can easily slip in your pocket.
 First up, the Apogee One. This ultra portable USB interface can record one channel of 24-bit 48 kHz audio, either through its built in condenser mic, instrument input, and it has a high quality built in mic pre-amp for using with your favorite microphone.Its single multifunction knob can control all of the One's features. Note- Apogee One is Mac only.
One channels not enough for you? Then you might want to consider the Apogee Duet for Macs. Also highly portable, the Duet has 2 channels of high quality 24-bit 96 kHz audio, built in input and output LED meters, and is bus powered by the FireWire cable.
Controls for the duet (and the One above) are built directly into Apple's Logic Pro, Soundtrack Pro, and GarageBand software.
Desktop Systems
Looking to set up your studio in one spot, or don't expect to move around too much? Maybe a desktop system would suit your needs.
 The M-Audio ProFire 610 is a FireWire interface with 6 inputs, 10 outputs and 2 onboard pre-amps that records 24-bit audio up to 192 kHz, which is ideal for those striving for extremely high sample rates for their recordings. It has an onboard DSP mixer, and can work in standalone mode, where it functions as a pre-amplifier without being plugged into a computer.
 The Focusrite Saffire PRO 24 DSPFireWire interface has 16 inputs, 8 outputs and 2 pre-amps, records 24-bit 96 kHz audio, and has LED meters for each of the Analog inputs. The Saffire PRO 24 DSP has a Virtual Referencing Monitor, which can simulate, through a pair of headphones, what your mix will sound like in over 100 different listening conditions.
The Echo AudioFire 8 allows you to record and playback 16 channels of 24-bit 48 kHz audio, or 12 channels of 24-bit 98 kHz audio. The AudioFire 8 features 2 universal sensing inputs for Mic/Guitar/line, 6 balanced analog ¼" inputs, 8 balanced analog ¼" outputs and 2 unbalanced ¼' channel inserts, and 2 FireWire ports.
 Taking scalability into account, the MOTU 828mk3FireWire unit can act as both an interface with 10 channels of 192 kHz analog recording and playback, and 16 channels of ADAT digital I/0, or as a standalone mixer with effects. Additional inputs can be added by connecting additional Motu interfaces, such as the Motu 8pre.
For a singer songwriter looking to lay down some song ideas or simple demos, you may want to consider the Tascam US-100 for a simple desktop system. It has a ¼" input to plug in a guitar on the front and an XLR/¼" input for a microphone. It records at 16-bits and 48 kHz, but has zero latency hardware monitoring, so you can monitor your recording in real-time.
 Another option in the entry level home studio interface, the Lexicon Alpha Studio could be an inexpensive way to enter the world of pro level recording. It has 4 inputs and allows you to record 2 tracks at once, and even has a built in low noise mic pre-amp, which is impressive at this price point.
Need a couple more inputs on an inexpensive entry level system? The Lexicon Omega is an 8 input, 2 output USB interface and mixer that allows you to record up to 4 tracks at once. It also includes Cubase LE and Lexicon's reverb plug-in.
Rack Mountable interfaces
 If you want to record many simultaneous channels in a system that's incredibly easy to use, take a look at the Apogee Ensemble. With 36 channels of simultaneous audio, including 8 channels of 24-bit 192 kHz Analog Digital/Digital Analog conversion. 4 digitally controlled hi-gain pre-amps, 8 channels of ADAT I/O, 2 channels of S/PDIF coax and optical I/O, all in a powerhouse FireWire system. This one is exclusive to Macintosh computers.
For a modular system, you might look into the Motu 8pre. Recording up to24-bit 96 kHz audio, it includes a 16 channel MIDI interface,. But it can also be used as a microphone pre-amp expansion interface. Simply connect the 8pre to a Motu 828, 896, Traveler, or even another 8pre to add 8 pre-amps to your system. And it can add 8 more inputs to any interface or digital mixer that has optical I/O.
 With 26 simultaneous analog/digital I/O at 24-bit 192 kHz, 8 preamps, and onboard DSP mixer, the M-Audio ProFire 2626 could be ideal for a home studio. It has user assignable master volume control, you can chose which of your output pairs will feed your main monitors, which of the headphones it will control, or it can control all four output pairs to uniformly attenuate up to a 7.1 surround mix. It can also be used in standalone mode as an 8 channel pre-amp, and an 8 channel AD/DA converter and format converter. Compatible with Pro Tools M-Powered software.
A USB interface with 8 simultaneous 24-bit 96 kHz inputs/outputs and onboard DSP mixer, the M-Audio Fast Track Ultra 8r is a powerful inexpensive entry into rack mount units.
Specialty interfaces
DJ's might want to look into either the Audio 2 DJ or the Audio 4 DJ from Native-Instruments. Both of these systems are optimized to work with Traktor software, and were designed with a working DJ's needs in mind.
The Audio 2 is an entry-level solution with 4 channels of 24-bit 96 kHz audio with 2 stereo outputs. It's small, and at just 84 grams, extremely lightweight and easy to carry around. It does not have a dedicated headphone output though, so if you need headphones, you will need to use one of the two available outputs.
Moving a step up in Native-Instrument's product line, the Audio 4 DJ is made from aluminum, has 2 stereo inputs, and 2 stereo outputs, a dedicated headphone output, and gives you timecode control with the Traktor ScratchPro software (not included).
Guitarists may want to wait for the Apogee Gio Guitar interface and controller, which will be released soon. Designed to work with Logic Studio 9 and Mainstage 2 as well as GarageBand '09, the GIO allows guitarists to control a wide range of recording functions, hands free. Plugged in to Garageband '09, it can simulate a wide variety of stomp boxes and amps for many different recording options. It allows you to control effects in real time without a mouse. You can even attach an optional expression pedal (not included) allowing you to access effects like wah-wah and volume, as well as controlling effects parameters like the length of delay, or the speed of a tremolo. Pretty cool, wouldn't you say?
| 
