# Best Recording interfaces under $500?



## MikeCassidy (Mar 20, 2012)

Hey fellas,

I'm looking to invest in a new interface. I don't need anything particularly special, just one that gives me great sound quality as well as durability. I don't need multiple inputs as I will most likely just be recording guitar/bass.

I've been looking into the Apogee duet, as I've heard really good things about them.

Thanks!


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## KingAenarion (Mar 20, 2012)

MikeCassidy said:


> Hey fellas,
> 
> I'm looking to invest in a new interface. I don't need anything particularly special, just one that gives me great sound quality as well as durability. I don't need multiple inputs as I will most likely just be recording guitar/bass.
> 
> ...



You don't get much better than the Apogee Duet in that range (just remember it's Mac Only).

Although I thought they were closer to $600... unless you're not talking new?



Here are 10 other recommendations for you to research off the top of my head.

These aren't in any particular order.

1) AVID Mbox 3. The new ones are surprisingly good. Decent pres, decent AD/DA and pretty good drivers.

2) M-Audio Profire 610. Never heard people complain about M-Audio drivers. Ok Pres, reliable AD/DA and firewire.

3) TC Electronic Impact Twin. Newer Interface, so reliabilty and quality are still in doubt stage. It IS TC Electronics though, so they have a pretty good track record. This has some good features (including ADAT for an extra 8 I/O if you want to in the future.)

4) Mackie Onyx Blackbird. Not bad, but some of Mackie's stuff can be a little iffy. The Pres are actually quite nice, the AD/DA is pretty good, but the drivers are a little shaky from what I've heard.

5) Steinberg UR28M. Steinberg are great. Reliable, and this one sounds really good. Friend has one and the pres are really nice.

6) MOTU 4Pre. MOTU stuff is great. Great Drivers, great AD/DA, pretty sweet pres. 

7) MOTU Audio Express. Another great one. Both of these have BOTH Firewire and USB. The differences are slight, different number of combination inputs, MIDI or not, number of Headphone sockets. For $550 the Ultralite Mk III has more I/O (10 ins and outs total including SPDIF), but it's all balanced line level so you'd need more Preamps if you want to take advantage of the ins.

8) M-Audio Fastrack C600. This is a great new interface. The Fastrack Pres, AD/DA and Drivers aren't as good as the Profire stuff, but this device is quite cool. Has transport control which is always nice, and looks nicer on a small desk.

9) Focusrite Saffire Range. The top of the range Interface (Saffire Pro40) is $500. 8 pres, ADAT I/O which give you up to 16 I/O and yea. I have the preamp only version and the pres are pretty good. Not the greatest, but they're clear and warm.

The Pro24 DSP and Pro24 are also nice, they have less Pres, but still have the built in ADAT. The DSP is a nice touch, particularly the VRM stuff (look it up).

Quite a few people seem to have issues with Focusrite's drivers though, so fair warning.

10) Presonus Interfaces. They aren't the worst. Certainly better than Tascam  or those new Behringer pieces of shit. They do however have quite a few driver issues... They're preamps are nice, the AD/DA is fine. I know a lot of people who've had average experiences with them, but some haven't had any issues.


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## MikeCassidy (Mar 20, 2012)

Exactly the reply I was hoping to get!

Thanks a lot!


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## WesleyG (Mar 20, 2012)

Extremely helpful thread!


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## Jahanasaurus (Mar 20, 2012)

Also the Focusrite Scarlett range are all extremely good and well priced (upgrade from sapphire?) .

I opted for the new Akai EIE I/O. 4ins 4 out, but it was VU meters, which just look freaking gorgeous! They're also pretty great interfaces too!


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## WesleyG (Mar 20, 2012)

Jahanasaurus said:


> Also the Focusrite Scarlett range are all extremely good and well priced (upgrade from sapphire?) .
> 
> I opted for the new Akai EIE I/O. 4ins 4 out, but it was VU meters, which just look freaking gorgeous! They're also pretty great interfaces too!



Dude that thing is sweet looking! How is it? Gimme some deets!


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## KingAenarion (Mar 20, 2012)

Jahanasaurus said:


> Also the Focusrite Scarlett range are all extremely good and well priced (upgrade from sapphire?) .
> 
> I opted for the new Akai EIE I/O. 4ins 4 out, but it was VU meters, which just look freaking gorgeous! They're also pretty great interfaces too!



Focusrite Scarlett's are a lower quality. They're USB and I imagine they're trying to compete with other cheap interfaces.


The Akai is good, but I'm not sold on the Pres


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## Larcher (Mar 20, 2012)

kingaanerion is like the recording guru i swear


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## KingAenarion (Mar 20, 2012)

Larcher said:


> kingaanerion is like the recording guru i swear








Not really, I just have a good memory.

There are much better Engineers and far more knowledgeable people on this forum. There are also particularly people with far more mixing experience than I. As a session musician I have a lot of tracking experience, and I have a lot of experience with Jazz... but when it comes to more advanced stuff with large mixes, I still have a lot to learn.


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## pawel (Mar 20, 2012)

I have been a happy user of the PreSonus Firestudio Mobile. No driver problems on the Mac, sounds good, bus powered, good set of features (i.e. it has MIDI which I thought would come in handy). I would recommend it, although the Duet does seem to be the way to go if you have a Mac don't need some of the extra inputs.


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## Thep (Mar 20, 2012)

Definitely go for firewire interfaces if possible. I'd recommend staying away from Tascam, Line 6, and Lexicon interface.


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## torqueofficial (Mar 21, 2012)

Which one do you guys think has better preamps, MOTU 4pre or M-audio Profire 610?


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## 4Eyes (Mar 21, 2012)

you might consider NI Komplete Audio 6, it's decent, sturdy design, has stable drivers (no problems on Win7 x64), great sounding. like all USB interfaces might have problems with powering via USB, you can use powered usb hub to avoid problems with pops and cracks in the sound.


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## Refractor (Mar 21, 2012)

Having owned the Focusrite stuff in the past which is under $500 range, I would definitely reccomend it. The preamps are good, pretty clean and plus mine had no stability/driver issues and ran like a breeze!


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## KingAenarion (Mar 21, 2012)

torqueofficial said:


> Which one do you guys think has better preamps, MOTU 4pre or M-audio Profire 610?



I would personally go MOTU over M-Audio. Better AD/DA and better control software.


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## Triple7 (Mar 21, 2012)

focusrite saffire pro 24.


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## mgh (Mar 22, 2012)

if you have a Mac and can afford it, and only need the couple of inputs, then yes the Duet will be great. as always, if driver efficiency is important to you, check out DAWbench Universal Suite - Results Database : In Progress


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