Best audio interface under $300

[trueparadox]

Saffire 6 USB is USB 1.1 which is a little bit outdated, just to notice.

Good point. However, with so few ins you don't need much bandwidth. But yea, the Scarlet is probably the Focusrite way to go (or, rather, the recommended 24 pro i wants it).

[Uncle E]

How do you A/B soundcards? Genuinely curious....

In this case, we had two computers set up so we could A/B them. We used a Universal Audio Apollo 16 as the reference. The Duet iOS sounded most like the Apollo 16 and the UR22 sounded second most like it. Surprisingly, the differences were not at all subtle.

[tylenol]

Since all offer a similar set of features (Scarlett, audiobox, Kontrol6, etc) you may have to look ofr the one with the best drivers.

Agreed, but, something else to consider is bundled software. My Kontrol 1 came with a Native Instruments single synth that I was able to swap for ACE. That added real value to the NI interface over other brands. Don't just look at whether you need the software, but also whether it's the kind of thing that you can trade to others for something that has more value to you.

This was a great deal when it existed, but they dropped the bundled synth deal well before even the end-of-life for kontrol 1; now there's just some misc stuff plus a small voucher. That said, I'm pretty happy with my audio kontrol 1 and probably will replace it with a kontrol 6 if it dies.

[thecontrolcentre]

I'm pretty happy with my audio kontrol 1 and probably will replace it with a kontrol 6 if it dies.

Me too. In fact I'm very happy with my AK1.

[UltimateOutsider]

While I like (and used to own) the Komplete Audio 6, it simply did not work well on my laptop. When plugged into the USB 3 ports, audio crackled terribly (this is a common issue with the KA6), and when plugged into my laptop's only USB 2.0 port, the KA6 wouldn't wake up when my computer resumed from sleep. I had to unplug/replug it every time.

I also considered and almost bought the Steinberg UR22, but I have heard of similar USB 3.0 issues with it (although apparently not as common as on the KA6), and there is also a known noise issue with certain hardware batches (which Steinberg has offered to fix for free).

I ended up buying a Roland Duo Capture Ex. It had all of the features I needed (and none that I didn't), and it's been rock-solid on my laptop, no matter which USB port I use. The Quad-Capture model's 50-70 bucks more and includes some additional features.

I did a feature comparison worksheet of USB interfaces with at least 2 analog ins and outs at the time; just helped me to see all the features I cared about side-by-side.

[Kaine]

While I like (and used to own) the Komplete Audio 6, it simply did not work well on my laptop. When plugged into the USB 3 ports, audio crackled terribly (this is a common issue with the KA6), and when plugged into my laptop's only USB 2.0 port, the KA6 wouldn't wake up when my computer resumed from sleep. I had to unplug/replug it every time.

Just as a note to anyone seeing this that is having similer issues, the USB3 problem was fixed for most users in a firmware update a while back so worth updating. The USB 2 awake from sleep issue is really common to a lot of a USB interfaces and can be fixed in windows power options where you can disable "USB Sleep" from taking place.

[artevo]

I have only had my Presonus USB Audiobox about 4 months now but it sounds awesome and I have no complaints. Should you need them, it has two 1/4in/xlr mic ins on the front, 1/4 in outs, midi in & out and phones on the back, its powered by USB and it cost me $170 CDN taxes in.

It also comes bundled with a full copy of Presonus Studio One Artist DAW. I have the pro version and love it.

Hope this helps.

[killmaster]

anyone have any experience with the Scarlet 2i2?

I really like mine even though the first one I got was defective. if I had it to do over, I'd probably get the Presonus equivalent cause it has midi and studio one artist which I ended buying anyways.

but all in all I really like the 2i2

I think they released one similar that is IOS compatible, but I haven't opened an app that doesn't detect the 2i2. Focusrite does not guarantee compatibility.

[sbrennt]

I was in the same spot about a year ago. Almost got into the focusrite Saffire and Scarlett stuff, but i ended up getting a Native Instruments Komplete Audio 6. I personally love it. Its 96khz/24bit , and NI is know for their high performance DJ interfaces. Preamps are fairly good too. thats my recommendation. The big knob on top is a life saver for my monitor volume as well. couldn't live without it.

I hear great stuff about focusrite though as well... just don't buy anything that does less than 96/24.

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/KompAudio6

[rod_zero]

What is missing about this topic is a place with info about driver stability or performance. Would be nice to have somewhere to see records for many interfaces.

So far I have seen steinberg, roland and focusrite get the best review in the low end market. All of them seems to have some issue or another but the dirver development is constant.

[ezelkow1]

For the scarletts, does anyone know if it supports running in both asio and wdm/dx at the same time? This seems to be hit or miss with cards. For example with my KA1 I can have ableton going using the ASIO driver at one time, while another time playing a youtube/tutorial/whatever video with a video player since its using the windows driver.

Apparently alot of cards cant do this, so as rod_Zero said, driver performance info is a must since not all drivers do the same thing

[NER]

Steinberg UR22 maybe?

It has a hi-z input impedance of 470K ohms, which isn't high enough to properly record dry guitars, which requires around 1M ohm.

[EdSevered]

Hello,
Disclaimer: I am a newb, so you can take what I say with a grain of salt.

After spending a great deal of time recently researching this very topic, I picked up a new TC Electronics Desktop Konnekt off of eBay for < $150. I absolutely love the features and sound quality, it is attached to a pair of Event ALP5 monitors and I use a pair of Audio-Technica ATH-50m headphones. I have not tried the preamps, yet, but by all accounts TC has an excellent reputation for their preamps.

Hope this helps someone. -Ed

[rtech1]

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[Uncle E]

A used RME HDSP 9632 PCI will crush most audio interfaces under $300. Great drivers and audio quality.

It'll certainly be excellent for latency, drivers, and stability. Its audio quality may not be up to the level of modern interfaces.