Audio Interfaces, what's your recommendation?

[Virgil.]

If you just need low-latency for monitoring and want to spend nothing you should try ASIO4All w/your built-in soundcard. I know being frugal is never popular though so...

I'd recommend a Line6 UX2 for its practicality (even w/a better audio interface in the future you can use it to run all the line6 plugins) or an Edirol UA-25 which is a bit quirky but has really nice mic pres and converters for its price/class.

I installed ASIO4ALL already. When I select the ASIO4ALL option in my settings for input, it bypasses my soundcard. My onboard soundcard doesn't have any ASIO drivers made for it either.

So I either have to get an external device that completely bypasses my internal soundcard, or i'm going to be stuck with latency.

Uhhhggg... this is getting to be a pain in the ass to figure out. I've already created like 4 of these threads asking for help, but no one has been able to offer me sound advice as to what I should do. I'm about to be ghetto and just record w/ latency and then just select my new recorded track and just step it backwards so it's on timing wise. I dont know what else to do.

If I get a Audio Interface, how does that solve my latency issues? I'm still going to be playing along w/ drum tracks on my computer. So would that mean that my recording input is utilizing ASIO, and my output on the interface would be going into monitors/headphones, and the output from the tracks on my computer being played through my computer speakers? I just don't get it. I keep saying i'm a n00b... but apparently no one believes me that I have no idea what the fuck i'm doing. lol

 

[digitaldeath]

Buy a good interface. It will be your new soundcard and your computer will utilise the drivers designed for the interface for I/O. Plug your monitors/speakers/WhatEverTheFuckYouHave into it to hear everything. Plug your guitar into the instrument input and monitor with an amp sim. No latency issues (with a low buffer set for tracking purposes, increase when mixing). Problem solved.

 

[Virgil.]

Buy a good interface. It will be your new soundcard and your computer will utilise the drivers designed for the interface for I/O. Plug your monitors/speakers/WhatEverTheFuckYouHave into it to hear everything. Plug your guitar into the instrument input and monitor with an amp sim. No latency issues (with a low buffer set for tracking purposes, increase when mixing). Problem solved.

Thanks for putting it in plain english and dumbing it down for me!

 

[oscillat0r]

I installed ASIO4ALL already. When I select the ASIO4ALL option in my settings for input, it bypasses my soundcard. My onboard soundcard doesn't have any ASIO drivers made for it either.

So I either have to get an external device that completely bypasses my internal soundcard, or i'm going to be stuck with latency.

...to continue to beat the most unattractive horse.

You might need to play around w/the A4A settings a bit (and make sure you don't have windows sounds on or anything else that would prevent A4A from initializing the onboard audio driver)

I just installed it for grins and had to toggle some things on/off in A4A to get my onboard input to show up.



j

 

[Virgil.]

Sorry everyone... I don't want to continue to beat a dead horse. I'm simply just trying to get started and figure out what I need. I don't want to end up getting the wrong thing, spending all the money I have, and not being able to afford something I need. I went ahead and purchased my amp w/ a direct studio usb interface and asked prior to buying it if there were any latency issues, and I was told no. Well, that's clearly not the case. So please understand my apprehension and wanting to make sure I know what i'm doing, how it works, and what I will need to make the right decision for a UI. So please forgive me for being annoying and fickle with these explanations and questions i'm asking. I trust [mostly] everyone's opinion on here, so i'm just trying to get some sound advice before leaping into my next purchase. I do appreciate all of your guys' help though so far!

...to continue to beat the most unattractive horse.

You might need to play around w/the A4A settings a bit (and make sure you don't have windows sounds on or anything else that would prevent A4A from initializing the onboard audio driver)

I just installed it for grins and had to toggle some things on/off in A4A to get my onboard input to show up.
j

oscillat0r -
Thanks for the screenshots. The problem is that when I select ASIO for my input, it defaults my output to ASIO as well. Since I don't have an external soundcard right now, I can't hear/monitor what i'm playing (or playing over) with ASIO enabled. I'm guessing that if I want to utilize ASIO, I need to upgrade to a UI and use that as my primary soundcard for input and output.

 

[oscillat0r]

Sorry everyone... I don't want to continue to beat a dead horse.

I hope you didn't think I was saying you were beating a dead horse. I was just saying its more fun to buy stuff then use a free workaround but now its seems like more of a challenge!

oscillat0r -
Thanks for the screenshots. The problem is that when I select ASIO for my input, it defaults my output to ASIO as well. Since I don't have an external soundcard right now, I can't hear/monitor what i'm playing (or playing over) with ASIO enabled. I'm guessing that if I want to utilize ASIO, I need to upgrade to a UI and use that as my primary soundcard for input and output.

You should be able to monitor through your built-in soundcard...using whatever speakers are hooked up. The two biggest reasons why people use soundcards designed for recording are 1) sound quality and 2) low latency drivers. Asio4All allows you to at least get the low latency part of that equation to some degree without shelling out for a new interface.

What I think you're trying to accomplish is having the Vypyr USB driver for input and built-in audio for output. Are the Vypyr drivers ASIO?

I'm actually thinking about buying a Vypyr, and now since I'm so curious, maybe I'll go one up from the 15w to get the USB connection...(could always return it if i hate it)

If in the end you end up buying something, I wouldn't spend more than you're comfortable with because you'll ultimately want to get something different anyway. That said, if you can swing it, an Mbox is a 'safe bet' as it works well with pro tools or with asio drivers, its a standard, and will probably have a decent resale value.



j

 

[Virgil.]

I hope you didn't think I was saying you were beating a dead horse. I was just saying its more fun to buy stuff then use a free workaround but now its seems like more of a challenge!



You should be able to monitor through your built-in soundcard...using whatever speakers are hooked up. The two biggest reasons why people use soundcards designed for recording are 1) sound quality and 2) low latency drivers. Asio4All allows you to at least get the low latency part of that equation to some degree without shelling out for a new interface.

What I think you're trying to accomplish is having the Vypyr USB driver for input and built-in audio for output. Are the Vypyr drivers ASIO?

I'm actually thinking about buying a Vypyr, and now since I'm so curious, maybe I'll go one up from the 15w to get the USB connection...(could always return it if i hate it)

If in the end you end up buying something, I wouldn't spend more than you're comfortable with because you'll ultimately want to get something different anyway. That said, if you can swing it, an Mbox is a 'safe bet' as it works well with pro tools or with asio drivers, its a standard, and will probably have a decent resale value.



j

Sorry for misunderstanding

The USB connection from the Vypyr didn't come with any drivers. All I did was just plug in my USB cable and the computer read it as a sound device. I tried looking on the CD that the vypyr came with, but it doesn't have any drivers.

I'm considering an MBox, but i'm still not sure if I can afford that just yet. That's why i've been considering a Line 6 UX1 or the M-Audio fast-track.

--------------

That being said... does anyone have anything good to say about the M-Audio fast track?

It's on sale at GC for $70. I know i'm going to get an MBox in the future, but I just want something immediate so I can start tracking single tracks down at a time. I have a SM57 and use Reaper, but i'm not sure if the M-Audio will solve the latency issue i'm having. I'm ASSUMING it will since it's an external Audio interface/output, but I wanted to ask all of you talented people on the forum before I (possibly) waste $70. What do you think? Would it hold me over and help me get around this direct usb input latency i'm getting w/ my soundcard?

 

[Harry Hughes]

Not cheap by any stretch of the imagination, but I suspect if you're willing to save up for one of these you will never complain about interfaces ever again. It's honestly just better to save up for the best possible, than to buy cheap, than upgrade over time because in the long run that approach will just cost you more money that could otherwise be spent on other things that will help to achieve a good sound.

 

[Metaltastic]

Actually, I've been having some driver stability issues with my 400F, and Adam, who owns the 1200F, has said the same - they're just minor inconveniences (sometimes having to reselect the interface in Reaper, and once having to reinstall the drivers), but still, if I were doing this professionally, I'd want something proven to be reliable and sound great, otherwise known as an RME Fireface! (400 w/ 18 max inputs or 800 w/ 28, depending on your needs, only snobs care about the slight differences in converters between them, cuz they're both great )

EDIT: To be clear though, my 400F does sound absolutely fantastic!

 

[MrBIOSkunk]

AeternusEternus said on page 1 (previous page of this thread):

"I'd start it but I don't have time. I'd really like to see bypass loop analyses on many interfaces, too. Connecting the output to the input and pushing "record" should theoretically be a flat frequency response, and my Firestudio gives a somewhat flat response, but I have always wondered what it's doing to my tone."

"That's from when I ran a test with NAT3. For all intents and purposes, it's flat. But it'd be interesting to see which interfaces yield the flattest lines."


You were talking about NAT3 I'm not sure what this is or how or where to get it, but I have Native Instruments Rig Kontrol 3 Interface and I think it sounds great compared to what I have used (3 other solutions) and this thing sounds great, but I would like to test it with that application as I'm willing to buy another device if it sounds better to me, so running a test on it is EXACTLY what I would like to do and it should be interesting for me alone. Out of interest about 3 months ago I bought Nebula 2 and I know that NAT3 has something to do with Nebula but have no idea if it's free or how to use it or where to get it from.

If anyone knows and especially AeternusEternus which is the reason i bought nebula althoguh generally just use impulses but AE plugins programs for nebula sure do sound good and give me more dynamics when i play than impulses which I don't fully understand but its true.

Thanks all.