please help choose the right mic preamp. :)

mattvdh · Post by **mattvdh** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 1:44 pm

I have tried, m-audio and presonus, but I found them to be quite unpredictable. I am looking for a company or model that is designed for windows XP and the drivers are MS certified. I will be requiring 2-1/4" inputs, 2-XLR inputs and 1 Midi input. I don't need it to be super high quality, like 44.4 will suffice because it's just for jotting down ideas, but I'm looking for a cleaner source that my sound card line in.

Thanks, cheers.

rty5150 · Post by **rty5150** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 3:16 pm

so are you needing a preamp or audio i/o box?

rich

ott0bot · Post by **ott0bot** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 3:25 pm

I'm thinking both, right? Plus do you need to have 4 inputs recorded at the same time or just have two of each type of inputs? Also, what is your price range? cause that would definately change the suggestion.

As far as midi goes...do you have a USB/firewire controller? or is it and older unti and you need the midi in?

i know....all questions, no answers...

mattvdh · Post by **mattvdh** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 12:10 pm

Basically, I'm really confused to the whole subject of audio interfaces. There's so many makes and models out here that I don't know where to begin....

Dakota · Post by **Dakota** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 12:43 pm

mattvdh wrote:Basically, I'm really confused to the whole subject of audio interfaces. There's so many makes and models out here that I don't know where to begin....

Matt,

A "pre" by itself is a device that takes a mic level audio signal and amplifies it up to audio line level.

An interface by itself is a device that takes analog audio signals and converts it into digital audio information, and back. An interface may or may not have mic pres included, but they often do.

Here is a way to cut through your confusion: decide whether you want to be pro tools compatible or not. It's cool either way, but narrows things down.

calaverasgrandes · Post by **calaverasgrandes** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 1:54 pm

The native instruments Audio Kontrol was really nice for the price. It has midi, one mic in, one guitar level in(which can be switched to line level x2) and 4 line outs. it also has some control surface ability that I never got around to using. It's portable size, but a littel clunky.
The audio was pretty good, better than my pre-BLA mod 828MKII... but not as good as the post BLA mod 828MKII!
The driver was good, but wasn't super low latency.
Thing about audio interfaces in general is that they are only as good as their drivers. When I first got the MOTU 828 it dorve me nuts. then a few driver updates later it was solid as a rock. The most recent driver however is shite.
The performance will also vary depending on your DAW settings. For instance, how large of a buffer you set, the number of buffers, whether your DAW does read or write caching etc. My laptop can play DVDs all day and nite no problem with the built in sound, but I have to go to an external card to get acceptable results with Sonar.

andrewfoshee · Post by **andrewfoshee** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 7:26 pm

Hey Matt,

How much money are you looking to spend?

Bryantx512 · Post by **Bryantx512** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 8:29 pm

Just an FYI.

You won't find many, if any, pro/ prosumer interface drivers that are MS certified. It costs money and time/resources to get a driver MS WHQL'd (certified). It's not necessary unless a they're looking for a MS logo on their product.

calaverasgrandes · Post by **calaverasgrandes** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 8:45 pm

oh yeah geez, I shouldve chimed in. I'm a "microsoft certified professional" meaning I read a bunch of books and passed some very arcane exams.
Even Microsofts books say that the latest driver is almost never WHQL certified. That whole MS certified driver thing is more of a thing for enterprise geeks like me that have to set up a disc image that will be implemented throughout the company. WHQL means that its been tested on a bunch of hardware configs. It takes months to get done, and by the time it gets released those hardware configs are WAY out of date. Think Nforce 4 and Intel 945. there has almost certainly been a newer (not always better) driver released in the meantime.
So yeah if you REALLY want to play with WHQL drivers you are best off buying year old hardware, for that matter stick to Intel. Not that its better, but if you are running intel on an intel board it will 99.99% of the time be what the driver expects.
Often I have more success just surfing the forums of the software/hardware I am having issues with and sussing what box needs to be checked/unchecked or what driver mode I should/shouldnt be in.
Some interfaces suck in Asio and rule in WME mode. So yeah.

mattvdh · Post by **mattvdh** » Sat Apr 04, 2009 2:01 pm

So is there an official list of drivers for audio interfaces that are MS certified ?
I am running XP pro 32 bit with sawstudio. I am looking to spend about $1000 - 1500... is that a god range, or do audio interfaces only start getting good at around 5 g's? I know that sounds naive to say that the price is equivalent to the quality and yes there's good deals to be found, but will I be dissatisfied with a $1000 sound, I want the best possible sound for drums and guitar especially. All of my favorite recordings were done on analog devices, but I'm just not there yet in knowledge to be able to record professionally with 2" reel.

calaverasgrandes · Post by **calaverasgrandes** » Sat Apr 04, 2009 2:16 pm

I would say the interfaces onlt start getting good at about $800. All of the $300 boxes I ever tried were disapointing. Apogee makes some affordable units, but MAC only. A lot of people like the RME stuff, Metric Halo is also well regarded and not too dear.
If youwnat to go nuts just get teh Lynx Aurora. Most folks seem happy with that unit. I am happy with my post BLA mod MOTU 828MKII. But again,the drivers are a roller coaster.
I always tell folks to go read the forums for whatever manufacturers gear they are looking at. This may alert you to any possible pitfalls before you pull out your charge card.

chris harris · Post by **chris harris** » Sat Apr 04, 2009 3:12 pm

mattvdh wrote:Basically, I'm really confused to the whole subject of audio interfaces. There's so many makes and models out here that I don't know where to begin....

Well, it really depends on your needs. But, when in doubt, it's always wise to buy the best.

Of the three you were considering 3 weeks ago, you now claim to have had experience with all of them except the one that actually won your poll.

In one thread, you seem to be looking for the best of everything and stocking up on u87s. Then, in another thread, you seem to be considering audio interfaces roughly in the $200 price range. And, then in this thread, you are now just looking for something to jot down ideas with.

Either you are taking the piss, and doing a fairly decent job of it. Or, you're really, really in too deep. If that's the case, then I don't mean to be condescending. But, you seem to be waaaaay overwhelmed with putting together a very basic collection of gear. On top of that, you're not being straightforward about what it is that you intend to do and what kind of budget you're (seriously) working with. You seem to prefer if people would just tell you all of the answers.

My recommendation for you would be to get on ebay and pick up a used cassette 4-track. My favorites were mostly always Tascams. Get an sm57 to plug into it. Use this to jot down your ideas.

Then, when you want to get "the best" recordings of those ideas that you can, consider going to a professional recording studio (or hell, even an amateur recording studio) that is staffed by a person who doesn't panic at the thought of solving a problem or broadening their knowledge.

In the end, you will be happier with the results and also save yourself a shitload of frustration.

mattvdh · Post by **mattvdh** » Sat Apr 04, 2009 5:57 pm

well you're taking different contexts and reapplying them to this thread, that's not really all that fair.
I'm just trying to pick the best product that right for me, so what I do is ask different types of questions that sort of pertain to my original question and I get some really diverse answers. In fact I post the same questions on many sites all over the internet and gather a good answer from everything. I understand that there is no 'best', nor do I expect anybody to hand me any gem of information that will lead me to a gold record sound, but there's not harm in dropping your 2 cents about the products and just point someone in the right direction in terms of models if you've found a make/model that sounds and runs really great for you. man If nobody talked about what they considered to be really great peripherals for recording audio, those who couldn't afford to test them would be completely lost, so people rely on honest user replies to point them in the right direction.

honestly I think the best threads are the original questions of modern audio recording boards: analog vs digital, what is your preference for recording instruments/tools, and tips and tricks in the studio....but that's just me, I like reading about product opinions and new tools of the trade.

chris harris · Post by **chris harris** » Sat Apr 04, 2009 6:56 pm

Right... but, are you just trying to instigate those kinds of discussions for the enjoyment of watching them unfold? Because if that's the case, then it's really frustrating to those who would genuinely like to help you.

If you really need help, then now would be a good time to come clean and be honest about what exactly you want to do and how much you can afford to spend. That's a good way to get this discussion headed in the right direction. MULTIPLE THREADS with conflicting information makes it appear that your true intent is to just stir up shit, rather than get any serious help.

calaverasgrandes · Post by **calaverasgrandes** » Sat Apr 04, 2009 7:13 pm

I think he is a Behringer sales manager.

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please help choose the right mic preamp. :)

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