Pinned.

Lmao

I did years ago. Spent $8000 on UAD plugs and PCI interfaces. But ever since I found out they were using sharc DSP chips I knew what the game was. Sharc are just x86 chips, and weak by any modern standards (of the last 15 years). A decade ago every year I would fill out their user survey comments section with "please just make the dsp's a dongle, I know the plugs can run native, stop limiting us to 3 plugins" (seriously when the neve 33609 can out we could only run 2 instances on a $800 card!!!!) Its took years of Slate and Softube kicking their ass until they finally gave in and go native (with subscription of course). I moved on years ago I ain't falling for it again. RME interfaces last decades can't fault them or their business model.

my Uad Volt 1 cost like 100 bucks. what are you doing bro spending that money

@@escapegulag4317 it was 3 dsp cards and plugins , long before they made volt

So sorry! I have a shit camera. I have since made some camera upgrades based on feedback. ^_^

@@Dracomies all good, and the video is really helpful, I just had to

LFMAOOOOO

@@Dracomies If you would stop waving your hands around nervously, the camera would have a chance to focus. That nervous hand waving is also irritating to the viewers.

@@JohnShalamskas nuh uh, we all love him

You are 100% right. I really need to get a better camera, better camera logistics, better video editing, better camera positioning and get my videos done right. Thank you the heads-up!

Drugs are bad for health.

It's a pity cos your content is interesting.

@@Dracomies A tripod and phone camera is perfect already! Having good audio is more important honestly, which your audio is already perfect.

Boohoo

I really do need to get a different camera.

I think, for now, not shaking the units so much while you're talking about them would help. I did like the information in the video, though, and it's cool that you can compare so many.

Disagree. Having good advice is rule #1. Pedant bullshit like focus, when I’m watching this vertically on mobile while reading comments, is basically worthless. I’m perfectly happy with the video.

It isn't pedant bullshit when the medium he's using is VIDEO, a VISUAL media. For fu*k's sake, always some idiot @@UliTroyo

I personally couldn't care less. I can hear him well and I like his presentation.

Sounds like he really needs to... Focus Rite

Hi @noiJadisCailleach, bummer you're going thru those frustrations. It's happened to me in parallel ways on many devices over the years. To solve your problem in this case, the main trick is to determine your cost-benefit situation (not just in $) between repairing vs replacing it. so for starters double check whether your interface is covered under NI's warranty policy. If so, then take that route. If not, unfortunately it's extremely unlikely that any pro audio repair tech would fix it for a price significantly lower than what the NI interface costs new. BUT if you have a friend who is can service it, or if you are eager to try to see if you can open it up and fix it yourself ... then maybe it'd be worthwhile. but beyond all that, the cost-benefit is also about how urgent or essential your need to keep making music or audio content .... and whether that's worth fixing even more immediately. If you do decide to get a different interface, check out the steinberg UR44 or UR242, which IMO offer way better value v $ than the interface you have. but what really matters most is to have a working device that you can use to create whatever content you've been dreaming up. so try not to let the tech road block get in the way of that .... still working on that advice for myself; but seems to be the way ...

the first version of komplete 6 was solid

It depends - but all of these interfaces should work fine for both of your stations. What sort of budget are you looking at? Is the size of the interface an issue or is portability important. I will add one bit of advice. Avoid 'streamer based interfaces' or those interfaces with too many buttons. Many of those have too many moving parts and break or have issues, ie the Presonus I024 (bust), the Rodecaster Pro (some problems rolling in), GoXLR (no longer supported and is dead). So stick to a dedicated interface - and most of those should work fine for your setup.

ukposts.info/have/v-deo/hmOnoqquo2mG1Z8.htmlsi=0y_A6pr2Slx50Tav you wont find any better dualpc stream setup with optical audio transfer beteen both pc than this two rme

@@Dracomies The GoXLR support team has been reformed, albeit a smaller team. They did provide a beta software update on their official discord in Dec, It's nice to know that there is some form of support that has returned, so it is not fully dead which is nice.

​@@Dracomiesyou have a recommendation on a cheap audio mixer? might want to connect a turntable and a keyboard

Hi! You’re not going to be able to use your usb c mic with the audio interfaces. You have to use an XLR mic. If you want better audio quality than you are getting now without breaking the bank, you can go for the SE v7 or SE X1A paired with a scarlet 2i2 (mostly because you can easily find it on the second hand market and because it will be pretty easy to use thanks to all the tutorials out there)

I don't have firsthand experience but my overall impression is that Claretts are great but for the price you definitely want to evaluate other options too. You might get what you're actually looking for at a cheaper price - or you might find something more premium if you pay a bit more - they're at a weird price point.

Ok, thank you. What would you recommend I take a look at?@@Dracomies

I have the previous version Clarett 4Pre USB interface. I record mostly drums with it, running it on Windows. Can't complain about it after over four years. And from what I read the + version is pretty much the same as mine with slightly improved audio quality.

Glad you love it! I'm a huge fan too! That vintage mode is sweet and subtle! :P

The wood is cool ... the compresor is ... poor.

You're right! I remember the Arrow was the precursor to the current Apollo Solo USB. But yip I think where a lot of people can easily lose money is with the plugins, but you didn't fall in for that :D

Exactly, you don’t have to get caught up buying $1000 worth of plugins

That's a fantastic deal of a steal! Great deal for sure!

I've never tried the Duets but I heard they're very Mac specific.

A Focusrite Solo will work well for you if you just have the one mic and don't need more inputs. Just make sure to get a 3rd or 4th generation Solo.

Probably because it's more guitar specific.

I don't know but I have zero issues with mine.

I love MOTU stuff! Of the interfaces sub $200 it's easily my favorite of the bunch. It's the most intuitive and easy-to-use interface. It just works! :P

Your Motu is a really nice interface.

I use motu m4 as well, seems ok!

What was your reason for returning SSL? Do you like the M4 mic preamp sound better?

@@Kisenix I never returned the SSL.

in that case i would just record with plugins off

@@demon3520that wasn't the question.

I feel that every interface in that form factor would have that. Because the front is not metal.

Hi. I've been using universal audio Apollo's for a very long time. Here's the good and bad. The good. Universal Audio makes excellent, high quality products. Their plugins are top of the line. All the converters on the apollo's and volt's are very good. no issues there. The Bad. My concern with the Apollo solo or volt is that it has limited processing power meaning you can only run so many plugins at a time, especially in unison. Just a thought. If you really like UAD plugins take look at their native ones ( UAD spark) They are same plugins however you don't need an apollo or volt to use them. If you need a good basic interface, presonus is good for the price.

@@jmsdeco thank you for the recommendation. I decided not to go for the apollo series, since they have multiple problems with windows. I'm super bummed about how they don't create simple drivers for windows. I know there are workarounds for making them work on windows, but that seems like a hassle.

I've found the volt 476 to be pretty reliable - good quality preamps and the built in compressor is something I just leave permanently on. Don't buy it expecting to run UA's plugins on it though - it's only the Apollo series that supports them. You can still run many of them natively in your DAW though, so hardly a drawback in my opinion (wait for a sale before buying though - those plugins can be super pricey!)

depends on your application, but i find my ssl12 to be more than what i need especially from a studio perspective. The sound quality is great. And for recording the talk back feature is great.

If it's working, why spend money on something similar. Now if you needed more mic inputs, or the unit quit working, then I would buy one.

I’ve been using an early Focusrite Scarlett for 10 years now. Works as good as it did the first day I got it. 1st Gen.

I'd kill for a partnership with RME and Zoom. Something with 32 bit float recording + RME Babyface preamps and capability + but Zoom's small size and simplicity.

I Had The BabyFace Pro FS As Well.. The BF Is Rock Solid But As You Mentioned I Didn't Like The Design/Layout And Arrangement Of The I/O So I Returned It Back To Sweetwater

What did you end up using in the end? What's your interface today@@mrrnrob

@@Dracomies UAD Apollo Solo OS Win 11

Get the UCXii - it's exactly that. Super happy w mine and yeah the octopus setup on the babyface needs a lot of room but it's still far better among the set here.

Sir, I've subscribed. I watch the others video later 👍

iD 14 mk2 user here! Totally recommended. It's just plug and forget. No EMI issues, super easy to use, REALLY low noise and the preamps are top-notch.

@@EduardoBerth do you use macos or windows? can you check/confirm if the volume up, down, mute keys on the keyboard work the iD series of interfaces??

@@yeowool404 Good question! I use MacOs. I can confirm that all hardware works just as advised.

@@EduardoBerth (just to clarify) you don't have to reach for the physical knob on the interface in order to change the output volume? (using the f10, f11, f12 keys)

@@yeowool404 Ow, sure! I mean. As long as the soundcard is the one in charge of the sound, you need to physically reach for the volume button for the monitors or the headphone. I understand that that is an expected behaviour.

RME Babyface.

I don't know anything about those interfaces. So I can't comment either way. I didn't get around to testing those ^_^

@@Dracomies fairly new one, the AXE IO ONE

Oh it's new. Interesting. Yip I don't know about it but I 'may' check it out in the future. :P @@mohitrahaman

I've just ordered the Behringer 204HD. For what I need (guitar and maybe mic - not simultaneously) it's perfect and has inserts for fx if needed. Cheap and low noise. Quite highly rated.

@@minkorrh I would like to have one of its big bro 404HD, for the sends and returns and 4 inputs; plus quality pre for the price. Julian Krause tested and praised it, but IK's ToneX bundle is quite tempting, within about similar price range of the two, but other hardware features are still unkown and untested as it's quite new.

Thank you so much. And yip, I tend to talk really really fast. I need to work on that. I also bought a new camera today since everyone complained the camera angles were bad :D

@@Dracomies I listened and IMO you don't talk too fast. But I couldn't watch... your new camera may help, but I couldn't watch because you were constantly moving and shaking the products. Still, thanks for your planning and work on this!

Thank you for letting me know. I did finally get a new camera and a new shockmount! :D @@kencadby6586

Mackie Onyx Producer 2-2 USB Audio Interface works well under Linux. Be sure you install pavucontrol and open it before your recording software to set the input stream and lock the outputs and inputs. Its plug and play with newer kernels.

I agree - I've found them to be unstable and stop and start working somewhat randomly (though not usually while it's in use). It's also often packaged as a bundle with cheap components

It's not wrong but moreso they have made a quite few improvements on the 3rd and 4th gen, improvements worth paying a bit extra for.

@@Dracomies i have been using the Gen 1 since maybe 2015ish.. I've had to replace the usb cable but besides that I haven't had any issues.. maybe i just don't know what I'm missing.. but if its just about those air/vintage modes, that doesn't feel like something i would want to be baked into the raw tracks..

It's moreso the self noise of the interface and the gain range and dynamic range. Lots of incremental changes. Not totally totally game-changing but quite a noticeable difference in noise between Gen 1 and Gen 3. @@MreenalMams

Scarlet 2i2 gen 3 is great, had it for years and no issues. I know what level to have it on and where to have the level on my daw and everything sounds great. Each to their own opinion. I think it's the person using the interface as much as anything..

I also use it with the iPhone and live streaming. The Evo series look awesome on camera. Besides the quality, when you are running a one band show, audio, video, content and you are the talent on screen, simplicity is very very much appreciated. I had to choose between Evo8 and ID14 (which is better). Smart gain won me over (it is supposed to be a gimmick), but it can come in handy. You can't always monitor when creating content.

Yeah I've always been wary with Presonus interfaces. They're not known for doing great interfaces - at least I don't think so. I do hear nice things about their speakers though. But interfaces maybe aren't their jam. ie the blue Presonus Audiobox 96 (that had so many issues), the IO24 (kinda was a bust), the Audiobox Go (bested by other travel interfaces) etc.

But that's also one button for everything🙃

Great video, Straight forward for the real user!

I think Boothjunkie liked that interface too. I think it favors Apple iirc.

@@yuzhuoma814 you can switch what that 'one button' does

agree, he just said don’t buy the 2i2 buy these instead but never provide the reason why

There's just no reason TO buy it. As basic as it gets. Why not get something just as good but more options.

@@LTPottenger “it’s too basic, there are better options out there” is a reason, why didn’t just he explain it

@@marblesoda._.Wrong. The other options are just as good with way more features. Duh.

There is a video of a guy checking inside of the Scarlett and I remember it was far from impressing from his point of view

Singing is out of my expertise ^_^

(subjective) I feel like Tascam seems to always be a step behind Zoom. ie the Tascam DR40 were a step behind the Zoom H4/5/6 and the Tascam Portacapture wasn't as good as the Zoom F3 (subjective opinion I know) so I always view them as just kinda second-rate. Sorta like how Presonus is trying to match other interfaces but they're like 3rd, 4th place etc. But I have no firsthand experience. I did have the Tascam DR-40X and didn't like its preamps. The Tascam US 2X2 is a good price at $119 but honestly I'd rather just go with the Minifuse at that point or the Volt. Again too many other more interesting options imo. I firmly believe that cheap interfaces that are unpopular are unpopular for a reason// ie there's something more interesting to be bought with the same money.

@@Dracomies that’s interesting what you say about popularity, I tend to think the less popular they are, it is for a reason, but the reason is the companies aren’t spending a lot on marketing, and HOPEFULLY the money would instead be going into the products. Appreciate the comment though

I believe you. RME has amazing support for drivers and keep supporting their products because they care. They make drivers even for older gear. They care.

rme is only brand that create theyr own drivers from scratch

2nd that.

3rd that!@@Fastvoice

"i dont like that" well dont buy the extra plugins that is running outside of your cpu then, it has nothing to do with the I/O of the interface that you initially was about to review... This whole video is stupid.

@@diskodogge7538 TRUE

It has some really nice quality of life improvements for sure! I like how XLR cables can come from the back.

I don't like Apogee for PC. But that's just me. They're better for Mac. I also think the price is a bit prohibitive

Symphony Desktop IS an endgame interface when you think about the overall quality (sound/drivers/looks/build). It really don't matter if it's on PC or Mac right now - I switch between the platforms all the time and it's good on both of them. It's much better sounding than Apollo Twin and Apollo X4 (my last interface before). I have also recently compared Symphony Desktop with Fireface UFX at my friends studio and RME sounded awful in comparison. New Babyface Pro FS should sound a little better than UFX, but I don't think that it's enough to take against Apogee.

Honestly I don't think the vast majority of people are going to care or be able to tell the difference. It's funny because Julian Krause (who knows a ton about interfaces) posed a challenge to everyone where he used an expensive audio interface with a $199 one and no one could tell the difference or could point out the expensive interface. Your microphone makes more of an impact than the audio interface. I truly honestly feel that diminishing returns hit pretty hard at a certain point, this interface being no exception. But if it makes you sleep better to spend more go for it of course :D But imo to say statements like oh this interface sounds much better than the Babyface Pro isn't something I agree with -- but I think 99.999% of us would agree that both sound amazing. UKposts compression especially messes things up even further.@@noiseconnector

@@Dracomies It depends. I know that I don't have golden ears, but I have friends that pick different interfaces 10/10 in blind shootouts, but they also have a lot of engineering experience under their belt. People hardly know what to listen FOR. My first interface was Lexicon Lambda and it's ancient history by now and when I switched to something higher it was night and day. Now something like Scarlett 4th gen sounds way better than everything even mid priced then. It's great time to be alive. I worked for several in music shop and tried most of interfaces in last ten years and definitely agree that there's diminishing results when you go higher in price, but it can still sound different. Don't get me wrong - I think that RME are wonderful interfaces and in league of their own because of features, support and longevity, but they are not the best in sound quality. Just ok in their price range. Still even people don't hear or care it's not a reason not to pursue for great sound. Don't matter if it's your performance, instrument, microphone, preamp, interface, monitors or room.

This one is easy and not my typical 'it depends' answer, go for the MOTU M2.

​@@Dracomies Much appricated! Im curious what your thought process is this on this one, just a much better all around product outta the motu m2 or is the 204HD just not very good? Is it just that the issues people have are QC and to get a replacement if you have the noise issues?

@@mdct77 So it’s a few things. So before I go on further please note that I do not have a Behringer UMC202HD or a UMC 204HD but spec-wise they are the same. If you watch this video here, you’ll see that the gain range of the UMC202HD is 51 decibels. The MOTU M2 is 60 DB. ukposts.info/have/v-deo/rallgqGljo6LtWQ.html This is important if you plan to use the interface with gain-hungry dynamic microphones, ie the Shure Sm7B. The dynamic range of the UMC204 HD is much lower than those on the MOTU M2 and the headphone outputs aren’t as good either. (Layman’s terms you get louder output from headphones like HD6xx on the MOTU M2) Another thing to consider is that (if you look at the UM2) the drivers are no longer supported by Behringer. Behringer has questionable quality control. So if we were to look down the line, which company do you think would support their drivers, Behringer or MOTU? That said -- I have gotten people who had great things to say about the UMC series - but personally I'd rather go for the MOTU M2 over anything Behringer.

No they will all have it. It's not an issue per say, they have plastic bodies so they don't have any resistance to EMI. If you need more EMI resistance you should get something with a metal body.

I don't have any issues at all with my EVO 8, it's also heavy and robust and delivers exceptional quality and reliability in my opinion (not an expert, but very good hearing and several high quality headphones to test besides spekaers/monitors). I even sometimes connect a Bluetooth receiver to two of the inputs (via channel splitter) and even a pocket FM-radio, with my mobile next to it and the WiFi router not more than 1 meter away, in a very busy street in a lower floor. It's nonsense at all. Bad video from this guy who doesn't even bring quality details on-camera. BAIT-CLICK video. Same crap everywhere. BUY IT if you want. The one-knob feature is good enough for me with high precision and reliable. It happened to me only once that I had ground-loop issues, but that could happen with EVERY OTHER INTERFACE. I just solved the ground loop issues by connecting my TV to antenna for it to get the ground to the computer itself, so it ended up being a problem with the computer itself, and it could happen with every other interface or audio equipment. It only happened to me when using a Mac Mini (with not ground-pin, just 2 pin mains due to low power consumption). Now I am using a MacBook Pro and I don't have any ground loop even if the power adapter has only 2-pin mains connector. I got it years ago when it launched on a deal from Amazon for about 130 €, very very low price, and I am amazed with it.

RME all day.

What's the main selling point for you getting 4th gen scarlett 2i2. If it's just the 69 DB of gain, you can go vocaster one for $69. If it's the other things you have to look at what you want. But what drew you to the 4th gen 2i2 to begin with?

Can't go wrong with either. They're all good.

thank you sir @@Dracomies

For travel interfaces I'd give it to either the F3 or the MVX2u.

Yes they could. But make sure not to put the microphone next to your speakers since they would have feedback.

Thanks for fast reply! :) I'm using speakers on stands and distance between microphone (Beyerdynamic m90 pro x) will be approximately ~ 1m or 39 inch. What are your thoughts on Volt 1 interface are it comparable in terms of sound quality while listening music and record music to Volt 176/276, SSL2, audient id4 mk2 ? Or it's internal parts are cheaper and it's not on this level ? @@Dracomies

Those are all good interfaces imo so you can't go wrong with any of those. The only real difference between the Volt 1 and Volt 176 is the fun compressor button. Volt 276 has 2 inputs and fun compressor button. I'd also add the MOTU M2 in there as well.@@KritTech

@@KritTech You will almost certainly get extra resonance from the speakers into the mic source. Even if not a squealing feedback issue. It's not recommended unless there is isolation. Any situation with recording and amplification in the same space usually utilizes distance, baffles, and more often than not gating to remove anything but the instrument/vocal source. UNLESS the room sound is desireable and the speakers are kept low/far enough to prevent hearing them in the mic. This is why you see people playing/singing/performing in headphones more often than not if not using line input only.

Fantastic interfaces - from what I hear. I have no personal experience with them. But lot of great things people have to say about them.

@@Dracomies thank you very much! ill try to look for a review of someone who owns them and 500 interfaces like you dooo cya around :)

Imo as great as the SM7B is for podcasting and for streaming it's not a microphone I recommend for voiceacting and voiceover. Great explanation of it by a voiceactor here: ukposts.info/have/v-deo/hJqrjW14eo6r24U.html

@@Dracomies What interface is good for SM7B?

It's a great interface from what I hear from everyone. I didn't get around to testing it.

I don't recommend the UM2 either, but if you ever want a really good interface, go for the UMC series from Behringer instead, best value for the money.

I think if you got it you should work with it. But it's I think a bit outdated, I think 5 years - so there might be better alternatives to check out for a similar pricerange. But it depends on whether you paid full price or got a sick promotion.

I had it for 3 years and it was almost impossible to record electric guitars, especially with pedals; using amp plugins - a headache. In noise rank it is the almost at the bottom. Update your Universal control and Hub carefully: they are very "whimsical". But... I just bought "a super low noise" SSL2 and ... it is worse. I don't know is it because of what it is or got a defected unit. Returning. That's why i am here :( If you care i can update you soon. Meanwhile use what you have without too much stressing: you still can record at a lower levels and use plugins to improve the volume and sound. I did record quite a lot and the final things are not too bad (especially with many instruments playing and after sound-cleaning plugins). It was/is my first interface...we all do stupid things sometimes (most of the time ;) )

its sibling, the audiobox ione, was my first interface, and it spectacularly failed on me, the headphone amp had problems of not being balanced between left and right channels unless cranked to a high volume, it started outputting ground loop noise and RF interference on the same volume as my microphone in locations where my newer interface (UMC202HD) worked fine, and after some years of struggling through this the power circuitry just shorted out and rendered the lovely "The last USB device you connected malfunctioned" error in windows, enjoy your interface while it works I suppose

in addition, the ASIO drivers for it offer absolutely no volume control of any kind which made them impossible to use for music production because turning down the interface would introduce L/R imbalance, and system audio capture would also additionally scale against system master volume, which made doing any sort of recording or streaming work in OBS a nightmare, my UMC202HD has been heaven in comparison, with ASIO drivers that just fucking work and also obey system volume controls, no severe issues with L/R imbalance or noise, as well as system audio capture that stays in place properly

@@puella_meiberu hi!, I noticed that the L and R on the headphones only are unbalanced on low volume almost cero, and I don't know if the output of the interface is the problem but when I play something It makes a pop sound, like when You turn on a speaker, I purchased this interface because I was in a audio school and I asked some teachers about this interface and they told me it was good, but now, reading what you wrote makes me doubt xd

I actually don't know. I don't do guitar so I don't know whether that would be the best for it. That is very old technology though, ie 2012, interfaces are a lot better these days.

I don't have firsthand experience with the Vocaster One. But I can at least comment on the SM7B and Cloudlifter. Imo definitely consider a different microphone if you can. There are microphones for a fraction of the price that give you great sound. That said a Cloudlifter isn't needed if you have some of the modern interfaces. ie at least 60 DB of gain. But seriously ask yourself why you want the SM7B. Because if it's just for gaming, UKposts etc you might find other alternatives that work better for that. But if you want it because you want it, then yip you honestly don't need a Cloudlifter with it provided you go with some newer interfaces with 60 DB of gain.

@@Dracomies Thank you for a near-instantaneous response! I really appreciate your advice.

​@Dracomies I am very interested. Which mic sound great for the fraction of the price? Surely not a sm58.

There's an SM7B Alternatives video I've made which you might like. @@Alex-bl8uh

@Dracomies ok I'll watch it 👍🏻

I answered above, but depending on your needs....I have only to plug my electric guitar in and maybe a mic, but not at the same time. I ordered the Behringer 204HD. I _can_ use both inputs as guitar and mic at the same time but I don't need to. It has fx inputs at the rear also. Cheap and highly rated.

The UM2 should not be compared to anything else from Behringer, the UM2 was a fail. Anything else from Behringer is absolutely something you should go for over anything else. Most of Behringer's stuff comes with Midas Preamps and often alot more usefull features that most of the other brands doesn't even offer with their most expensive units.

I also have an Wave XLR, but don't use it (and someday, if I'm not lazy, I try to sell it xD), cause I like the ID4 just so much better, the headphone preamp gives you much more volume, in terms of monitoring it's much cleaner, and it also has a mix button ^^ And if you want to have the Wave Link software, just buy a used Stream Deck Plus for addition, like I plan to do it if I find one, for a reasonable price 😉 Edit: Oh, and I can also recommend you the AVerMedia Nexus Mixer ^^

@@justyuriforever thank you! I just went back to my GoXLR Mini, as it's perfect for my personal needs- and 10x better than the Wave XLR due to having actual hardware functions instead of software-only. Lol

I'd go with the M-Track Solo at that budget point.

Neither

kotankt

headphone pre's and hi fi madison doris. no problem to power really hard the power. mic pre test a clear as audio quiet say cleans 55dB significant difference ratio

4th gen 2i2 is much better than the 4th gen solo because it has a gain range of 69 DB. It's weird that the solo variants don't have that. But again the problem with the 4th gen 2i2 is that it's neck-in-neck with a lot of other fantastic audio interfaces. I'd say for the purposes of what's needed either would be fine between the 4th and 3rd gen solo, but it's the 2i2 where things go to the next level.

I don't know anything about the Antelope Zen so I can't comment.

I don't know much, but at least according to reddit, there has been a lot of complaints about Antelope in general, due to bad customer service, bad drivers, or bad software. On top of that, that could happen to anybody with any company.

I have ZenGo and ZenQ interfaces and I love them, they have some real character if not a bit quirky. PC drivers are solid, but Mac drivers aren't the best with newer silicon-style Macs. The intel-mac drivers work better, for now at least. What I love most about Antelope are the pre-amps, dynamic range, clocking, and the ports/expandability. The preamps have more noise floor than some, but the recordings you can make sound very analog. If you are looking for an analog sounding interface, if you know a bit about outboard gear, Antelopes plugins are really good. The good outweighs the bad. Very underrated company.

Minifuse is great! Though I have no firsthand experience with it. Great pricepoint and seems to be better than others at the $99 pricepoint.

@@Dracomies I managed to snatch a minifuse 4 in new condition for about $160 which is basically the same retail as the minifuse 2 so I'm quite happy with that ;). Thanks for the response.

My only gripe with it (but it's a dealbreaker) is that you have no speaker outputs. You only can use headphones. Especially because I love using speakers for music and mixing that makes it hard to approve. If it comes with speakers outputs that would be a really compelling option.

@@Dracomies So you don’t usually just use your computer’s speakers when you have a mic that’s connected through a USB interface?

Sure that's a good question. I'll talk about 2 scenarios. Scenario 1 is where I like to listen to music but without anything on my head. So I might play Spotify, or music or whatever. Well, with that interface, you can only use headphones to hear things. So basically my speakers can't be used. But Scenario 2 would be: I mix on the JBL 305s. I listen through the JBL 305 speakers to edit my audio. Well, now I can't do that. Because this interface doesn't have speaker outputs. So it's like I can't do my job of editing audio (via speakers) nor can I enjoy music (via speakers). Well- I could -- but I have to use headphones but I'd much rather be able to use my speakers.@@handcoding

You made the right choice my friend! :D I might be biased though. MOTU ftw!! :D

After much deliberation, I finally went with the Motu M2 - HOWEVER, I get nothing but crackles, pops and crazy latency when I record anything through it into my DAW (either Studio One or Garageband, same issue). Any audio coming from MBP is fine (Spotify, system sounds etc and direct monitoring through the Motu is fine - it's only when I send audio from the Motu to the MBP (MBP, SSD, MacOS 10.13.6) - I have tried changing sample rates, buffer sizes, reinstalling MacOS, using with and without Motu driver........ Everyone says how good this interface is but I am getting nothing but issues. I'm losing my mind!

If you have crackles check your buffer and sample rate. If all else fails check out my Pops and Crackle video here: ukposts.info/have/v-deo/iYaIe6uHkGyZ0Ww.html @@arifjamalmusic9809

@@Dracomies will this work with MacOS as well?

If you're on Mac, Audient usually works great with that. But yes, the MOTU M2 works fine on Mac as well.@@arifjamalmusic9809

Thank you for the kind words! Yeah my reviews are more blunt -- :P -- but I think it can help people save money. As for the UAD plugins I think they're great but I still think they cost a lot of money so the costs add up very quickly. It's like tattoos or Pringles, people don't just have 1.

Don't have experience with it. But imo quite expensive at $600

M-Track audio is a solid budget option. No qualms with that one. It does have stepping issues and the headphone amps are weak but it's also $50.

@@Dracomies do you recommend it?

Jesus Christ, that's like an S-tier setup, the best pretty much. :D

Actually the Scarlett Solo is totally viable as a portable setup. I remember seeing it and shocked that it's actually much smaller than it looks in video.