KVR Audio

dickiefunk · Post by **dickiefunk** » Wed Jun 20, 2018 8:19 pm

Hi,

I’m looking for a decent IOS mic to plug straight into my iPad to use with Auria Pro. I would like to record acoustic instruments and vocals.
I have heard good things about the Blue Yeti Pro and Lewitt DGT 650 and am torn as to which mic to go for?
It is important to me to have something with as low self noise as possible and am wondering if there is anything better than these two mics?

What would you recommend?

mindnoise · Post by **mindnoise** » Thu Jun 21, 2018 12:00 pm

if you have the dough, go for the Lewitt definitely! Much more detailed recordings.

Also the Mikme is a great mic and with the new 0.54.4 Firmware you can use it as USB-mic on the iPad.
I have it and its great. You can also record wirelesslessy over BTLE. (but wait until August to get it, they have something cooking).

dickiefunk · Post by **dickiefunk** » Thu Jun 21, 2018 12:57 pm

Hi,

Thanks for the recommendation. Yes I have been leaning towards the Lewitt.

I already own a few studio condensers ( Audio Technica AT4040, Miktek MK 300 & JZ V11 ) which are all decent mics.

Would I get better audio quality and lower noise if I used one of these mics with an interface like the Steinberg UR22 mk2?

mindnoise · Post by **mindnoise** » Thu Jun 21, 2018 1:48 pm

Don't know if the UR22 is a better solution. If the mics have a high output level it might be worth it.

There is this nice video by Gaz Williams, recording an entire track with the UR22:
https://sonicstate.com/news/2015/12/07/ ... interface/

But IF any new interface, I'd get the new Steinbverg UR-RT2 / 4 interface with the NEVE transformer preamps. They will be considerably better than the UR22 and with dedicated iOS-Support.
Also 3x more expensive but still cheaper than the Lewitt.

Also worth considering is that you have to carry more stuff around when using an additional interface, in case you want to be ultra mobile.

BTW, I am using the K-Mix.

dickiefunk · Post by **dickiefunk** » Sat Jun 23, 2018 10:35 am

Thanks for the suggestion. The new Steinberg interfaces look very good but out of my price range. I've been offered a good deal on the Lewitt DGT650 (less than half price) so Ideally I'd like to spend around £150-£200.
I've been looking around at various interfaces and the specs on the Audient range look to be in a different league to any other interface I've seen within this price range!
Now that I'm considering possibly going the interface route I quite like the idea of having midi aswell (which the Lewitt has).

The various interfaces that I'm interested in are :-

Zoom U-44
Mackie Onyx Producer 2x2
Tascam US 2x2
M-Audio M-Track 2x2M
Presonus Audiobox iTwo
Roland Rubix 22
iConnectivity Connect Audio 2/4
Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 2nd Gen
Tascam iXR
IK Multimedia iRig Pro Duo
Presonus Studio 26

mindnoise · Post by **mindnoise** » Sat Jun 23, 2018 11:58 am

for £200 the interface you name can' beat the Lewitt for sure.

In that price range I can suggest checking out:
Apogee One €299
Audient iD14 €224

Here's my take on the other interfaces

iConnectAudio 2/4+ is sturdy build but nothing special soundwise to speak of - sounds on par with my Mac mini onboard sound. But they are dedicated to iOS. Features tons cool stuff for iPads like Audiostreaming and MIDI Routing. I own it and the iConnect MIDI2+. Served me really well.

DON'T get the Presonus Studio 2|6, the sound is really worse compared to the Studio 6|8 which actually sounds an ounce _better_ than the Presonus Quantum. I compared all three directly, so I can tell. Very sturdy and easy to use interfaces with neutral sound.
The difference to the Audiobox is that the Studio series can generate Control Voltage to control analogue synth (Using DC-coupled converters). So, if you don't need that feature the Audiobox might be the better choice.

On Focusrite I like the preamps best but the sound from Saffire to the new Clarett is mostly the same across the entire range, which is very 2-Dimensional for my tastes.
Also I read about some problems with the 2i2 2nd Gen.

IKM basically has good stuff but not so great build quality. The Pro Duo eats batteries like a hungry wolf when using Phantom Power - about 2 hours of battery life. Soundwise it's good.

M-Audio is cheap plastic build equally to IKM and really mediocre sound and I don`t think they are even USB-Class compliant (aka iPad compatible). They make great keyboards but that's it.

Tascam, esp the "US" series, Zoom "U" have proven their quality for their price range.
Roland I cannot tell.

so far

dickiefunk · Post by **dickiefunk** » Sat Jun 23, 2018 5:02 pm

Yes the Audient and Apogee interfaces appear to be in a different league regarding audio quality!

I really like the look of the Audient iD14 apart from no midi. The Presonus Audiobox iTwo looks like a good budget option and possibly the Tascam iXR and IK iRig Pro Duo.

So, I'm torn between getting the Lewitt at well below half price (but the specs don't look great and apparently the mic has a self noise of around 25-30dB!!??). Or, should I get the Presonus Audiobox iTwo?

mindnoise · Post by **mindnoise** » Sat Jun 23, 2018 6:57 pm

if you need MIDI the iXR or Audiobox seem like a good choice. The iTwo has only 35dB Gain though, the iXR has 63dB Mic Gain, so my choice would go with the iXR. But you are not as mobile with both, as you would be with the Lewitt, as you most probably will need some sort stationary power supply. Otherwise, I would opt for the iD14.

But whatever you choose, I highly recommend getting Brusfi from Klevgränd. It is a great App for reducing background noise in acoustical recordings. It's on sale right now for €10 (usually €18 or so) but it's in a league with the big DAW plugins (Sonnox/ Izotope) for the one thing it does.

dickiefunk · Post by **dickiefunk** » Sat Jun 23, 2018 9:45 pm

I hadn’t heard of Brusfri but have just bought it as it’s on offer. Will give it a thorough try out over the next few days.

I’m liking the idea of the Tascam iXR because it would be more flexible for recording options. I could plug my Rode NT55’s for some jobs or use either my Audio Technica AT4040, Miktek MK300 or JZ V11 for solo vocals etc. All of my mics are high quality with low noise and high output so I would guess they would work well with the Tascam iXR.
I’m sure the Audient ID14 would be a step up in audio quality from the Tascam. I already own an Audient Mico in my studio and it is the cleanest and most detailed preamp I’ve owned ( and I’ve owned some costing 4x the price ). However I’m not sure I could live without midi options.
I’m guessing that I would get at least as good audio quality (perhaps better) using the Tascam iXR with my mics compared to the Lewitt DGT650?

mindnoise · Post by **mindnoise** » Tue Jun 26, 2018 1:09 am

Hopefully you get lucky and your mics play nice with the iXR and you don't get impedance problems, or such things

Blue Yeti Pro, Lewitt DGT650 or ??