Lets have real talk about audio interfaces

[lobanov]

May I ask what you are recording?

Do you intend to use software synths? If not, you might be able to forget about latency if you simply do direct monitoring (unless you want to hear the input run through software effects).

+1

@Dasheesh: You tell about using your comp during travels, in trains etc. Why does the latency bother you? If you don't record, don't play MIDI keyboard you could forget about it, use the internal souncard or any external interface and any good closed headphones.

P. S. Synths aren't a problem if you don't play MIDI keyboard.

[do_androids_dream]

behringer has no standards..

A viewpoint from the past in fairness. They've very much redeemed themselves in the last few years to become one of the best companies out there - especially for musicians on a budget.

I paid £90 for a UMC204HD - It's more like a £200 + interface. It sounds just as good as my old Echo Mia and Echo Gina 3G interfaces (which were great interfaces). Build quality is excellent - all metal construction. Knobs/smoothness of pots are much higher quality than anything in the same price range. Rock solid drivers on W10.

[sqigls]

I've had an RME Fireface 400 for 15 years now, it's been slammed all across the world, gigged the absolute fudge out of it. 15 years heavy studio and touring use, not a single problem ever. Before that it was a Multiface on my Windows machine. Solid.
I'll pick up a Babyface Pro next.

[Dasheesh]

behringer has no standards..

A viewpoint from the past in fairness. They've very much redeemed themselves in the last few years to become one of the best companies out there - especially for musicians on a budget.

I paid £90 for a UMC204HD - It's more like a £200 + interface. It sounds just as good as my old Echo Mia and Echo Gina 3G interfaces (which were great interfaces). Build quality is excellent - all metal construction. Knobs/smoothness of pots are much higher quality than anything in the same price range. Rock solid drivers on W10.

I'm looking, whats the latency like if you don't mind me asking?

[Dasheesh]

Guys, I travel with a 49 key portable keyboard and my laptop as a hired gun. I play the keyboard. I bought a mackie a few years ago, and the drivers were trash and they didn't care to fix them, so I sprung for a focusrite vrm box and they immediately stop selling it after those drivers didn't work. I wound up getting frustrated and just using asio for all, which does the job. Reaper handles the latency really well. The latency only shows up in recording and it's only 27 ms, so it's easy to fix in post. anyway, I am so frustrated with these companies taking my money and running away. I'm really liking what I'm seeing and hearing from the zoom, but if some of these cheaper options work I'll listen. I'm scared to spring on another mackie or focusrite and i'm hearing bad things on other forums about them anyway. I might consider the behringer, it's catching my eye.

[JCJR]

As was mentioned, the sticking point is if you want to do softsynths. Even stupid long latency is transparent for multitrack audio recording because decent daw software can completely compensate for latency and stitch together perfect multitrack playback timing sync.

But latency has to be unreasonably short before it feels right to me playing thru a softsynth in realtime. IMO 10 Ms feels too sluggish for that. For me needs to be 5 Ms or less before it feels right and even modern fast computers seem to have trouble with that because windows and macos are not "hard realtime operating systems". Fairly modest CPUs can do hard real time with the right OS. For instance korg Kronos is a real time os running on the equivalent of a $150 netbook modest CPU ram and SSD and seems to have decent timing.

But another apparent modern problem dunno if it affects all daw software-- I'm retired and basically like reaper fine but probably to better coddle softsynths, midi playthru latency seems related to audio latency. Big audio latency seems to also cause big midi playthru latency. Bummer.

Back in the 1990-2000s on incredibly slow computers by modern standards could get rock solid 24 track audio playback with "transparent" 200+ Ms audio latency, plus "instant fast" midi playthru because at the time softsynths didn't exist and software didn't have to worry that maybe your midi controller needs to be synced with audio buffer to control softsynths. Delaying midi thru apparently even if controlling external hw synths.

If it got annoying enough maybe I would see if some other modern daw software can still have fast din midi even with big slow audio buffer settings.

But if you want low latency softsynth playthru it's gonna cost some money spent on fast CPU and good interface.

[thecontrolcentre]

I've had good experience with NI Audio Kontrol 1 ... low latency, solid build, good quality audio (running fine under Win 8.1). Id buy the Komplete Audio 6 if I was going to replace it. I like having the extra outputs for cue mixes.

[Septimon]

I have very good experience with Focusrite (Scarlett and staffire). Sound quality, latency and support is excellent. They still Provider drivers for a 10 year old interface.
MOTU is also a recommendation latency-wise.

[Dasheesh]

i don't understand why things have to be so damn complicated, it's about good in house drivers, and why aren't more developers taking advantage of usb3? it's been sitting there for years now. is it really that much more expensive to make the things with usb3? i'm about to shell out on this zoom i think. hearing good things on the forums any way.

are roland still making those sweet boxes? people took those things to the grave with them. people really loved those old roland boxes... wonder if the new ones are any good? gonna have to do some research.

[jackoo]

focusrite has noise problems

Never had any noise problems with Focusrite. Works ok here
What sort of noise were you hearing?

[tapper mike]

Core Audio (Wave RT) works @20ms no problem for me (Yes it's a windows 10 driver that hasn't caught on with most daws) Extermally I use Yamaha Stienberg ASIO with my Yamaha THR10-C to produce 07ms. Seriously it's the little amp that does it all

[Dasheesh]

focusrite has noise problems

Never had any noise problems with Focusrite. Works ok here
What sort of noise were you hearing?

the last time i bought a focusrite they immediately stopped selling and supporting the product because the drivers didn't work, it was a waste of my money, also read around the internet and all you see is people unhappy with focusrite. i'm staying away.

thanks for the yamaha suggestion mike. sounds good. i'll look into it.

[deastman]

If you don’t want to pay RME prices, I’ve always found MOTU to be really solid. There’s also that Arturia box, although I’ve never heard of anyone actually using one aside from YouTubers who probably got them for free.

[Septimon]

If you don’t want to pay RME prices, I’ve always found MOTU to be really solid. There’s also that Arturia box, although I’ve never heard of anyone actually using one aside from YouTubers who probably got them for free.

MOTU is a good Choice. Latency was around 4ms with an Ultralite mk3 on a macbook pro like yours. They also have Interfaces with less inputs.

Latency with a Zoom TAC-2 (thunderbolt) was 2ms but they are Mac only.

[Septimon]

read around the internet and all you see is people unhappy with focusrite.

Didn‘t get that Impression at all.