Recommended Audio Interfaces

When choosing the best audio interface for your studio, there are some key features that you need to look into before getting it.

Some main key features to look for are:

• Inputs (How many inputs does it have?)
• Outputs (How many outputs does it have?)
• Phantom Power
• Preamps
• Portability or Size
• Latency

These are the main things that you need to look into when you are getting a good Audio interface for your studio. And you must choose the one that is going to satisfy all your needs.

You might need more inputs or outputs for different types of instruments that you have. The more inputs it has, the more instruments or mics that you can record simultaneously. Having more outputs will give you the freedom to connect it to multiple channels.

Generally, only two outputs are commonly used (for beginners)-

1. One for connecting to a pair of stereo monitors, and
2. Another one for connecting to a pair of headphones

If you are going to do vocal and acoustic instruments recording, then you are going to need a large diaphragm condenser mic and for that, you are going to need “Phantom Power” supply so as to make it capable of picking up the smallest details.

Then comes the “Preamps” which helps in amplifying the sound signature so that the mix or record is reasonably loud and clear compared to the unwanted noise.

And for “Latency” – lower the latency, the better it is. So just choose the one having lower latency if it satisfies all the other needs.

A word of caution; many interfaces are marketed to look like they have far more inputs and outputs that are actually useable in a practical recording situation.  Some might say they have “16 inputs”, while they only feature 8 actual XLR inputs that are connected to preamps.

Take care to look at the pictures themselves, and count the number of XLR connections (the ones with the three small holes in a larger circle) in order to determine how many actual usable inputs an interface has.

Note : You can always buy them in studio bundles for a better price with all the other essential gears included.

I’ll give a couple of examples of interfaces I have used, at a couple of different budget levels. There are many to choose from. That can sometimes be really paralyzing.  Hopefully, this narrows it down some for you.

Budget Audio Interfaces

1.Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 USB Audio interface – I can’t say enough great things about the Focusrite brand.  They have fantastic sound quality, are really easy to use, it’s not surprising that this little guy is the world’s top-selling USB audio interface.

Last update on 2024-04-27 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

I have used one of these (and its bigger brother, the 18i20) on countless recordings, and they’ve been featured on lots of top albums as well, believe it or not!

The 2i2 has two inputs, and two outputs, “direct monitoring” (which allows you to monitor your signal while tracking directly off the interface, instead of going through your DAW, which can introduce annoying lag to the playback while you’re tracking) via either headphones or monitor speakers, and really is very very simple to operate.

It’s basically a plug and plays, I especially love how small and portable it is.  You can take it to band practice and with your laptop do some mobile recording, and it’ll fit in your gig bag.

A truly quality model that’ll give you years of great use.

Check out how the Focusrite Scarlett 8i6 compares with Komplete Audio 6 MK2 here!

Last update on 2024-04-27 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Premium Audio Interface (Our Pick)

2. Apogee Duet 2 – This simple little interface was the heart of my studio for years.  Apogee is a company known for making top-of-the-line, pristine AD/DA converters, and their upper-level interfaces cost many thousands of dollars.

This gives you an opportunity to harness that quality at a much lower price.  While at the mid-range price, it’s significantly more than the Focusrite 2i2, the quality is amazing and if you can afford it, go for it.

It’s simple to use, the sound quality really is tops, and what’s better, this model is now compatible with Windows 10 (it used to be Mac only).  It’s even compatible with Mac iOS, so you can connect it to your iPad and have a truly mobile rig!  It’s crazy what you can do now…

I used this interface for a long time before I finally decided I needed more inputs and wanted to start recording drums.

Last update on 2024-04-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Wrapping Up

While there are many different interfaces to choose from, the good news is, you are going to get great recordings out of pretty much any of them.  The build quality and conversion these days are simply fantastic.  Let the number of inputs you need, your budget and this article help guide you for a start!

Good luck, and happy recording!