KVR Audio

Nicksaf · Post by **Nicksaf** » Mon Feb 27, 2012 2:45 pm

What interfaces are better in the sense of preamps, for mic recording?

I'm looking for one good bang for the buck interface. Among them is the Steinberg CI1, Roland Duo, TONEWEAL UT-24...

And a bit off topic, how big is the impact of an audio interface on sound quality and stability of vsti's?

Thanks!

Daniel_Che · Post by **Daniel_Che** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 7:17 am

Metric Halo 2882 2D, best pres for the buck!

Steplton · Post by **Steplton** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 7:57 am

Roland Quad-Capture.
The best Roland preamps: the same as in V-Studio 700.
Extremally low-latency VS Streaming driver
DI Functionality
Ultra-low jitter
Auto-sens
...and more.

I use this sound card and am very pleased.

kelvyn · Post by **kelvyn** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 8:20 am

I would say (although it's not answering your question) your best bet is to purchase a separate microphone pre...

stanlea · Post by **stanlea** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 9:12 am

kelvyn wrote:I would say (although it's not answering your question) your best bet is to purchase a separate microphone pre...

Agree... sound quality of soundcards is always a compromise. A good recording chain should be :

microphone -> preamp -> AD converter -> internal audio interface (MADI, ADAT, ...)

But of course the sum of parts is often more expensive.

I'dd add to the list the RME audio stuff, with good preamps.

flugel45 · Post by **flugel45** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 9:27 am

If you're asking if one is significantly better-sounding than the others, the answer is no.

And even if the answer was yes, do you also have mics and monitors that will do the pres justice? Because if any of those fall short, then what would be the point?

IMO, your main priority should be an audio interface that has stable drivers and runs reliably on your system.

If you have talent, you can make money with any decent audio interface. Eventually, you can upgrade to better mics, outboard pres, etc....

Of course, if you can't make good recordings with a so-so interface, the best interface or mic-pre in the world isn't going to help you.

(Sorry if that sounds harsh, but if you're talented, none of the above will matter, will it?

)

Nicksaf · Post by **Nicksaf** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 1:46 pm

Hey thanks for the replies! These are great options but not for my money or purposes.

flugel45 no you don't sound harsh at all, instead very reasonable. You are absolutely right.
I just want descent quality for my vocal recording(mostly covers of songs,maybe own projects here and there),nothing fancy for seriously recording huge projects.
I'm not a trained singer therefore i don't need a pro grade equipment cause i'm not trained enough for it, but can and enjoy singing,(not karaoke lol)and recording through a webcam is discouraging. i do have a good dynamic mic(unused) but don't want connecting it to a soundcard to be a mess, i need it to sound good but again nothing fancy.

Also a card that will allow VST instruments to run smoothly more or less. So the few options i mentioned here are the direction.

Could be cool to get opinions on those:
M-Audio FastTrack II
Steinberg CI1/CI2
Roland Duo Capture
TONEWEAL UT-24
Tascam US 200
Mackie Onyx Blackjack

Thanks again!

chokehold · Post by **chokehold** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 1:57 pm

You do know that VST instruments "run" on your computer, not the sound card?

sata_fortuna · Post by **sata_fortuna** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 2:09 pm

for home recording focusrite interfaces are very good for the money.
if you just want to record some vocals check the scarlett 2i2, very cheap and good preamps.
easy to use and so on.

Nicksaf · Post by **Nicksaf** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 2:11 pm

Yeah i do. Wouldn't a card with good ASIO drivers impact on vst performance?

Nicksaf · Post by **Nicksaf** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 2:12 pm

sata_fortuna wrote:for home recording focusrite interfaces are very good for the money.
if you just want to record some vocals check the scarlett 2i2, very cheap and good preamps.
easy to use and so on.

Thanks i'll check...

tehlord · Post by **tehlord** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 2:27 pm

Nicksaf wrote:Yeah i do. Wouldn't a card with good ASIO drivers impact on vst performance?

Yes, not massively, but the difference between the best and worst drivers could well be 10-15% cpu power depending on the speediness of your CPU in the first place.

Nicksaf · Post by **Nicksaf** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 2:31 pm

What about crackling and other unwanted sounds? I have them occasionally on my on board card, will i have an improovement with it if i upgrade?

sata_fortuna · Post by **sata_fortuna** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 3:26 pm

Nicksaf wrote:What about crackling and other unwanted sounds? I have them occasionally on my on board card, will i have an improovement with it if i upgrade?

if you are using asio4all, then it may be of some help due to a more stable driver, but the procesor will be the same, so you can still spect some trouble.
try with a higher buffer size.

Nicksaf · Post by **Nicksaf** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 3:34 pm

Well then it will better, im at maximum buffer now, still crackles.

Good audio interfaces from the PREAMP perspective?