Best budget usb soundcard for recording in 2022 ?

[VELLTONE MUSIC]

i've got no idea what's inside these interfaces,but obviously is cheap enough so developer to make money
If I buy it for 100 euro manufacturing probably cost 20-25 euro max:)
Whatever stellar technology they use it cost like 5-10 euro to build each part.
I seriously doubt convertor in such price range to do same job as one in expensive device,but even it does probably there is another parts which can't be replicate for 5 euro like preamps.
Don't wanna think it cuz will decide not buy anything hahahaha
Sometimes is better to leave you imagination to paint nice pictures
Every developer say their cards are the 'best' in category.
What category?
That's most overused and mediocre advertisement ever
There is not a single demo or review of product,which to show serious real time recording,which to inspire me enough so to say i want this quality record and i want it now
Some of demos i listened sounds really cheap
Which makes me thinks that we buy a shhhhhh for 100-200 eu :):)
But i'm gonna buy it anyway hahaha
Cheers

[vurt]

my 8 channel focusrite wasn't much more expensive, is it high end studio quality? no, i didn't expect it would be, no valves n tubes, just plain old transistors and capacitors...

but it records clean (unless i don't want clean) and clear, no hiccups and stuttering, no noticeable latency or at least no show stopping latency like i used to get many years ago, tripping myself up as notes sounded seconds after i played them.

i don't do vocals admittedly, no one needs to hear that but guitars both electric and acoustic as well as many acoustic percussion and such instruments and it sounds more than good enough.

what those higher end things offer, isn't often better "quality" but a certain character to the sound, this is what people are looking for when going higher bucks, a certain characteristic within the sound.

you are not making money from music im assuming? and don't have the kind of job that gives you tons of throwaway cash to spend?
so like me, you are looking to get the best you can without leaving yourself hungry.
many people, including people who do make money from their music or mixing, use even cheaper gear than me, because in the end the only things that matter are the music and the skills.
you could give some top act from your chosen genre, your equipment, and provided it works, they can produce a decent piece using it.

on the other hand, you can take someone with no clue, in to every studio in the world, big and small, and you'll get shit.

[vurt]

and im obviously being very seriously above, as im not really known for writing novella in posts

[Unaspected]

and im obviously being very seriously above, as im not really known for writing novella in posts

It was a good post. I agree with everything said.

Other than no one needing to hear your vocals.

[vurt]

and im obviously being very seriously above, as im not really known for writing novella in posts

It was a good post. I agree with everything said.

Other than no one needing to hear your vocals.

its a bit george formby.
so with my tracks, id sound like a very poor man's "the fall"

[VELLTONE MUSIC]

my 8 channel focusrite wasn't much more expensive, is it high end studio quality? no, i didn't expect it would be, no valves n tubes, just plain old transistors and capacitors...

but it records clean (unless i don't want clean) and clear, no hiccups and stuttering, no noticeable latency or at least no show stopping latency like i used to get many years ago, tripping myself up as notes sounded seconds after i played them.

i don't do vocals admittedly, no one needs to hear that but guitars both electric and acoustic as well as many acoustic percussion and such instruments and it sounds more than good enough.

what those higher end things offer, isn't often better "quality" but a certain character to the sound, this is what people are looking for when going higher bucks, a certain characteristic within the sound.

you are not making money from music im assuming? and don't have the kind of job that gives you tons of throwaway cash to spend?
so like me, you are looking to get the best you can without leaving yourself hungry.
many people, including people who do make money from their music or mixing, use even cheaper gear than me, because in the end the only things that matter are the music and the skills.
you could give some top act from your chosen genre, your equipment, and provided it works, they can produce a decent piece using it.

on the other hand, you can take someone with no clue, in to eves :)ry studio in the world, big and small, and you'll get shit.

Strong post
I just realize i've got zero knowledge about technology inside and that 'best' in the category could be something 'best' for young artist enthusiasts,but i just spend too many sound design hours and have bit different understanding about the sound at all today and honestly the more i compare the more i feel confused what i am looking and listening
Incoming audio signal is coded to zero-one bits then converted again so 'best' should be very precise and accurate representation right?
Do somebody know how to measure this representation reading technical data of the dac or listening available demos,cuz honestly i don't?
Did you compare your live sound to what you record and play later,before to buy yoyr card and do you know it's even close representation of your real sound with dac for 5 euro?
I was electronics seller for couple of years and most of stuff i sold was 'best' :):)
Just disappointed that the hype sell as always,not serious stuff to prove best,that's it.
Cheers

[Logga]

Do somebody know how to measure this representation reading technical data of the dac or listening available demos,cuz honestly i don't?

There are some people who put a lot of effort into analyzing and measuring the performance of audio gear. Take a look at AudioScienceReview. The owner also has a , where he explains things in a more accessible way. Another Youtuber who measures gear and takes it apart is .

If you think that measurements don't tell you how something sounds, that's fine, I won't try to convince you otherwise. I'll just say that it's been discussed to death already and leave it at that.

[BertKoor]

Measurements show things you Iikely won't pick in a blind A-B test and you need to tell which is closer to theoretically perfect.

Moderate interfaces have a frequency response which is flat within 0.1 dB from 20 to 20.000 Hz.
Studio monitoring speakers cannot rival that.

[darrensensei]

I bought the Behringer 2 midi Uphoria as a cheap unit I could take to school and get kids recording, and it has ended up that I now use that at home and take the Presonus Studio C to school instead because I find it is easier on my vocals and clipping. I have had pretty average experiences with previous Behringer audio interfaces, but I now promote them to my students as a cost effective unit to get started.

[Unaspected]

Since Behringer acquired Midas, I imagine they have interfaces with their preamps now - which should sound pretty good. Definitely a viable option and highly affordable.

[VELLTONE MUSIC]

Do somebody know how to measure this representation reading technical data of the dac or listening available demos,cuz honestly i don't?

There are some people who put a lot of effort into analyzing and measuring the performance of audio gear. Take a look at AudioScienceReview. The owner also has a , where he explains things in a more accessible way. Another Youtuber who measures gear and takes it apart is .

If you think that measurements don't tell you how something sounds, that's fine, I won't try to convince you otherwise. I'll just say that it's been discussed to death already and leave it at that.

Measurements between similar devices doesn't answer the simpe question how bad is conversion of low cost interface compared to hi end
Julian Krause make nice videos,but compare graphics are misleading ,like less preamp noise is better?
Better for what?
Harmonic exciters was invented when engineers discover that the more they eliminate the noise the less music remains...
Start to think that the entire idea of producing like pro for 100 euro is bad idea.
Apollo solo page is all about stellar conversion of it's dac.
Volt1 page didn't mention anything about that,but gives you sweet like lollipop plugins till the end of october.
Two days ago i was on buy button with 200 euro imagine how advanced are new models and technology,now i think that unless i spend 400-500 euro nothing 'PRO' will came out from my records...
Will spend few more days trying to convince myself low cost interface worth it,if can't will save another 200 for affordable hi end
Cheers

[Logga]

Measurements between similar devices doesn't answer the simpe question how bad is conversion of low cost interface compared to hi end

"Low cost" and "high end" are market terms, not technical terms. So you can't do a comparison, unless you define them concretely (product A vs product B). I think there's a correlation between price and performance on average, but in the end it's not guaranteed that an expensive product performs better than a cheaper one.

So the only way to know for sure is to measure whatever you're interested in. Subjective accounts based on listening have some value too, but measurements are more objective and more reliable, especially when discussing this over the internet.

Anyway, I refer you to the links I posted earlier. There's a lot of useful knowledge and many answers to your questions.
But it takes some time to digest all that and if you don't feel like it, I understand. In the end, if you just buy some popular 200 euro soundcard nothing terrible will happen.

[VELLTONE MUSIC]

Measurements between similar devices doesn't answer the simpe question how bad is conversion of low cost interface compared to hi end

"Low cost" and "high end" are market terms, not technical terms. So you can't do a comparison, unless you define them concretely (product A vs product B). I think there's a correlation between price and performance on average, but in the end it's not guaranteed that an expensive product performs better than a cheaper one.

So the only way to know for sure is to measure whatever you're interested in. Subjective accounts based on listening have some value too, but measurements are more objective and more reliable, especially when discussing this over the internet.

Anyway, I refer you to the links I posted earlier. There's a lot of useful knowledge and many answers to your questions.
But it takes some time to digest all that and if you don't feel like it, I understand. In the end, if you just buy some popular 200 euro soundcard nothing terrible will happen.

I felt disappointed from what i am hearing and all debate about technical data is pointless ,cuz on paper something may looks great,but musically isn't very convincing if listen carefully,especially guitars sounds terrible.
Focusrite even have statement on their site ,that some competitors cheat users with tech data:)
Seems everything under 400 euro doesn't have natural representation of live recording - parts are too cheap probably,can't say.
All budget interfaces have same problems capturing details and dynamics of real playing and the differences in budget segment are bigger than in hi end equipment in bad way.
Consider saving for Apollo Solo or Clarett..

[HHUKRadio]

1.Focusrite Scarlett Solo - super affordable,expensive preamp 'air' simulator,original drivers,cool
software as addition.Seems like perfect soundcard for solo artist,it's too good to be truth?

2.Universal Audio VOLT 1 - seems like super quality card,vintage pream mode,for sure can't be wrong with such - minus is missing top notch software they develop and don't offer with this card.

3.Solid State Logic SSL2 - more expensive,but 4k button is like mini consol in your home studio,so definitionally worth attention.

4.Audient iD4 MkII - overall nice card for multitask usage.

5.Steinberg UR22C - overall nice card,especially 32bit conversion,but after all issues i had with asio ,probably will prefer card with it's own drivers like Focusrite Scarlett.

My two current soundcards are the Steinberg UR22 and the Universal Audio Volt 2.

The Volt 2 is well built and sounds nice with a good quality low latency ASIO driver.
The main issue (for me at least) with the Volt is that you have to download and install "UA Connect". When it works it's fine but when it can't connect to UA it means you can't install or update anything. So at the moment my Volt 2 won't work as I can't connect to UA to download the ASIO driver for it.

Until UA fix their buggy software I have gone back to my trusty Steinberg UR22 which is pretty ancient now but sounds fantastic and their latest WIndows 11 drivers are very quiet (unlike some of their older drivers). Hopefully their latest UR22C is just as good.

SSL2 - I sent it back immediately as the main volume knob made loud crackling sounds and nearly blew my amp. This was REALLY disappointing as I've used SSL studio desks for many years (I'm a radio producer/engineer) and they were always super reliable. The SSL2 is built in China.

Focusrite Scarlett Solo - Sent back - sounded tinny compared to my UR22. Well-made and nice looking though.

Hope this helps in your quest!

Adam

[mixyguy2]

honestly i am not sure any of these 100-200 euro interfaces could record something pro ...i guess these cards are made for kids playing like we do 20 years ago - more fantasy and enthusiasm than professional sound hihihi:):):)
Cheers

Sorry, you couldn't be more wrong. Even the low-end interfaces today are very good and you can easily make something "pro level" with them.

All budget interfaces have same problems capturing details and dynamics of real playing and the differences in budget segment are bigger than in hi end equipment in bad way.

Again, not correct. You're falling into the "you get what you pay for" fallacy, which is all it is, and making this way harder than it is.