Best USB Audio Interface For 250$

[Jan1973]

What about an EMU 0404?

[B.A.R.F]

I've been using M-Audio Fast Track Pro for the last month or so. No Problems here.

[D N A]

Mackie Blackjack is excellent

[jayvo86]

Does it HAVE to be USB?

I'm using the Focusrite Saffire Pro 24 for moblie stuff and it's excellent. It also give you the optical in which I beleive the fastrack does not.

[kenm]

I think the M-Audio Fastrak is a great little box. I've got the Ultra and think it works fine. I suspect the Apogee unit is better though. Tascam also makes some USB units in your price range.

Ken

[scottstoked]

I had a Fast Track Pro and found it to be a bit noisy.

[tvsky]

i got the fast track ultra to replace a noisy card and do some mobile stuff

noise has been fine but the top end is a little hyped and bright , you might like it though .

they can be had cheap as some 4/4 and you get 8/8 so cant complain

[noise17]

For what you need, the 0404 is great. Nice and clean. But if your thinking that at some point in the future your gonna be adding more to your chain (compressors, EQ, ect.) you might wanna go a different direction. I've been looking at compressors and EQ myself and have found that, without an additional mixer/interface with additional outputs, I can't add that processing.

[Manfrensengensen]

Mackie black jack. $200. Why?

Most m audio in that price point have approximate 50 db gain pre's. Look and feel cheap.

Mackie onyx pre's are 60 db gain range and proven already in other products. Also use Cirrus Logic converters that are decent rep.
Handsome simple rugged box.

I use a Mackie mixer and have 16 tracks of these pre's. Sure they're not boutique But they work and they were about $100 per channel so I don't expect more than what it is.

Via Gearslutz iPhone app

[Grimace]

My vote for the best audio interface under $250 is for whatever you desire that costs around $100 and leaves $150 left in your pocket... Here's why...

EVERY interface in this price range has its issues and NONE of the preamps are good (except maybe.. MAYBE the Mackie, however even with those, nobody raves about them, they just say they're better than the competition). While I'd personally choose between the EMU or the Mackie if I HAD to spend my money on an interface, I'm not sure that the EMU or Mackie is so much better as to be worth a premium over their competition, or even over the stuff that was around 10 years ago... sure, the word is the preamps on the Mackie and EMU are at least a bit cleaner than most others in this price range (I've never tried these units personally), but that's kind of faint praise. So the best choice you can make is to get away from ANY of these preamps as quickly as possible! An extra $150 in your pocket will allow you to do that.

A preamp like the DMP3 or the GAP 73 that allows you to bypass the hissy/noisy gain in your audio interface will be a big improvement. You can buy a $100 interface, buy a DMP3, and still have fifty bucks in your pocket... or mess around with whatever interface and software you choose while you save up that extra $150 to buy the Golden Age Pre 73.

I'm recording through a 15 year old TASCAM US-428. You can get them on eBay now for less than $100. I'm not saying you should get one... it has plenty of issues and I don't use it for anything except as a basic audio interface and for headphones-- that's it. All the faders and buttons are totally wasted now because they aren't really supported these days and I'm comfortable doing everything with the DAW software anyway (but the buttons and faders sure do look cool!). There's plenty of other modern options for audio interfaces around $100 as well... but maybe if you're patient you can score something a little older on eBay for $60 or less! Bam... now you're getting REALLY close to getting that GAP-73!

But I'd say get something, whatever you can find, for under or around $100 that does 24bit/44k (the US-428 does this, many many others do as well) and add a preamp for $100-300 such as the DMP3 (the super-low-end favorite) or the GAP 73 (The widely-acknowledged "best next step up")... I'd say that that would be your best audio chain in your price range. Truthfully A/D converters are FAR from the most important thing for us low-enders to worry about... and getting away from the cheap pre's in ANY of the units in this price range will greatly improve your quality more than worrying about finding the "best" interface in this price range. The truth is, they're all commoditized and pretty much comparable, there isn't a magic bullet or clear winner for audio interfaces in this price range. But the DMP3 and GAP 73 are both reportedly exceptional for the price.

So why spend $250 on something that's not significantly better than a $100 used option when you can save some money and get a really NICE preamp to go with it?

Oh.. and do you have a phantom power supply? You'll need that... and you get it with the preamps... not so often with the interfaces.

And, if you were banking on buying new unit because you need the trial software, then forget it. Most of the free trial versions suck anyway. Download REAPER and use it a bit past the 30 day trial if you wish (it never stops functioning)... but please, do us all the favor and pay for it eventually. It's only $40 and it's AMAZING for the price. In my mind, their full-featured demo version is like charity work for all the 14-20-something dreamers out there who have great ideas but can't spend a bundle. Definitely support them when you are able!

[Manfrensengensen]

Well there's a reason some interfaces are $100. Like no separate line inputs to bypass the cheap pre amps in it. So adding an outboard pre does not change things a lot until you get into a higher price point.


Via Gearslutz iPhone app

[Grimace]

Originally Posted by Manfrensengensen

Well there's a reason some interfaces are $100. Like no separate line inputs to bypass the cheap pre amps in it. So adding an outboard pre does not change things a lot until you get into a higher price point.

Agreed! So help the guy out... which sub-$250 interface is gonna offer him that?

[Manfrensengensen]

Originally Posted by Manfrensengensen

Mackie black jack. $200. Why?

Most m audio in that price point have approximate 50 db gain pre's. Look and feel cheap.

Mackie onyx pre's are 60 db gain range and proven already in other products. Also use Cirrus Logic converters that are decent rep.
Handsome simple rugged box.

I use a Mackie mixer and have 16 tracks of these pre's. Sure they're not boutique But they work and they were about $100 per channel so I don't expect more than what it is.

Via Gearslutz iPhone app

simplest best choice for under $250.

There ya go.


Via Gearslutz iPhone app

[Shaney]

Can anyone recommend anything decent for in or around this price that has outputs for inserting an external device or two?

Coming from a digi001 I don't like to give up all my i/o options but since its just for me on my own at home replacing it with something similar seems like overkill

[soul&folk]

Originally Posted by Manfrensengensen

Well there's a reason some interfaces are $100. Like no separate line inputs to bypass the cheap pre amps in it. So adding an outboard pre does not change things a lot until you get into a higher price point.


Via Gearslutz iPhone app

As I wrote a similar thread today, I spoke to a guy from Roland this morning who told me that with the UA25, when you plug in a 1/4" cable through the combo jack, it doesn't go through any preamp, although it does go through an op-amp.

I don't know if that verifies what you were saying or the opposite. What do you say?

[TurboJets]

Originally Posted by soul&folk

As I wrote a similar thread today, I spoke to a guy from Roland this morning who told me that with the UA25, when you plug in a 1/4" cable through the combo jack, it doesn't go through any preamp, although it does go through an op-amp.

Did he happen to explain why the ua25(ex) doesn't seem to be available at most places any longer?

[soul&folk]

Originally Posted by TurboJets

Did he happen to explain why the ua25(ex) doesn't seem to be available at most places any longer?

I didn't ask, but if you want one you can get it right here. It's in stock.

[Ki-Lab]

I use an Edirol UA-101, works well for me.

[TurboJets]

Originally Posted by soul&folk

I didn't ask, but if you want one you can get it right here. It's in stock.

LOL, thanks but no thanks amigo. Nothing personal of course, but I try to stay away from buying stuff that distributors are dumping. Or maybe Roland has discontinued it. Either way...

[lostintime]

Originally Posted by TurboJets

LOL, thanks but no thanks amigo. Nothing personal of course, but I try to stay away from buying stuff that distributors are dumping. Or maybe Roland has discontinued it. Either way...

I have a Edirol UA-25 which I use on my Windows XP Pentium III DAW. Both the hardware and its drivers have been flawless in my experience.

Personally I wouldn't bother with an interface that doesn't have both a digital input and output. The UA-25 has these but many comparable interfaces don't. I use an external preamp & ADC/DAC with mine and get perfect results, although the built-in preamps and converters in the UA-25 sound good and are quiet.

[Manfrensengensen]

Originally Posted by soul&folk

As I wrote a similar thread today, I spoke to a guy from Roland this morning who told me that with the UA25, when you plug in a 1/4" cable through the combo jack, it doesn't go through any preamp, although it does go through an op-amp.

I don't know if that verifies what you were saying or the opposite. What do you say?

Yea well there must be some added circuit or switching to route around the pre that's on the same jack. Maybe it's minor but still more things in your signal chain that is not there on a dedicated line in jack.

My point was if you are gonna spend money on a higher quality pre, make sure you have line inputs that are not going thru the cheap pre on your interface.




Via Gearslutz iPhone app

[BigIzzy]

Focusrite Saffire USB

Great components, great price, good pres, great latency, proven name. Done.

[Grimace]

Here's another thought... my thinking is that while you need a certain minimum amount of gear to record, ideally you make as much of that gear good enough to keep it around as you move farther up the chain.

Right now, the only audio interface that actually excites me in the low-end price range is the EMU 1212M which does ADAT and SPDIF and only costs about $175. Of course, this has no lousy preamps bundled in, so you'll have to buy your own and that puts it a bit out of your price range to start out but on the upside, you aren't paying for mediocre (or worse) preamps... although on the downside, you need to buy the good preamps separately and they're not always cheap.

The cool thing about the 1212M though is that if you do want to upgrade to 8 channels, you just pick up the Behringer ADA8000 converter ($175), and there you are... 8-channel ADAT at your fingertips...

But... if you're really convinced you'll never need more than 2 channels, you can go with the EMU 0404 PCIe for less than a hundred bucks and pick up the DMP3 for around $150. This doesn't have ADAT though... but hey, at least it's a clean chain from decent the preamp, straight to the A/D converter with no extra cut-rate preamp in the line to mess things up!

1. This meets your price range
2. You won't have the crappy preamps that are necessarily tacked onto whatever USB device you choose (yes, they are ALL crappy as compared to good dedicated preamps... even the Mackie and the Focusrite and the whatever else)
3. It does most of the work inside the computer, so it's not cluttering up your desk... and with your chosen rack-mounted preamp(s), you can start building up a nice rack of gear that goes straight to your computer, rather than cluttering your desk with a USB box and a bunch of cables!


So my vote if you can stretch your budget a bit is the 1212M PCIe + the DMP3 (total will be around $325) and right there, you have a much better preamp than you get in any of these low-budget USB boxes, and a solid audio interface and that's everything you said you wanted... and you can upgrade to 8-channels of ADAT anytime with a $175 purchase (ADA8000).

If you must go cheaper, get the EMU-0404 PCIe and a DMP3. That comes in right around $250. It meets your budget. And you have a better preamp than anything else that comes in a USB box for a similar price.

[D Becks]

A Lynx One can be had for aprox 100-120 $ on eBay. In know peeps gonna badmouth the opamps ought to be in the outbreak box - not on the pci card itself thang but renowned to be the best you can get in on the pci platform

Off course you'll still need a ext microphone preamplifier.

I belive the hi end model aurora('s) are build the same way (Conversion resp. OPs directly on PCB)

intervention here Tony

[DSK]

MUSONIK International - Terrasoniq PHASE X64 USB

This looks nice... I have some USB to Midi converters from them and they are the BEST I've ever tried... so quality wise they're good.

Also I've heard good things about their interfaces so.

[JEFSPRAD]

i would spend a little more and get the motu ultralite mk3 or the presonus

[JEFSPRAD]

but the m-audio interfaces are always good for simple projects

[KeithMoonwannabe]

I only ask b/c I'd second the notion of doing a 1212m and something like a DMP3 in a heartbeat as long term it'd give you better results.

But honestly the DMP3 vs a lot of these pres on a low end interface are pretty much the same. When you guys make suggestions try to actually use the gear first hand instead of just reading specs. I wouldn't write love songs about how incredible the DMP3 or a Tube MP or whatever does to my music. They are useful tools and they get the job done but they are nothing spectacular and quite honestly in a low end recording chain there are MUCH more important things to worry about then any of this interface/AD converter/preamp gear. How does the room sound, how do the sources sound, are the instruments well setup and properly intonated, etc? Because whether I use a $10 radioshack computer mic or a $100k recording rig crap in is gonna be crap out, better gear doesn't make crappy musicians into pros it simply reveals how crappy they are.

There could also be a reason the OP asked specifically for a USB interface so stop suggesting PCI and firewire, what if they are like me are a laptop user and only have USB 2.0 access?

And realistically speaking we are all talking in the low end forum so what results and capabilities do you honestly expect to get for under $250. Chances are if that's all the budget this guy has he probably isn't going to be recording an entire orchestra close miked nor correct me if I'm wrong is he going to have mics and gear that are going to require such an esoteric signal path (ie I'm sure this guy isn't using prized vintage Gefell, Telefunken, akg, and sony mics that cost more than my car).

Keep it simple and sweet.....I'm a happy EMU 0404 usb user and while it has it's limitations I EXPECT THAT .... I think if it were me I'd go for the Mackie Blackjack (as I've been very happy with the Mackie products I've used and owned in my career and looking at the specs and stuff they use in it everything has a decent rep) or the EMU 0404 usb. Take the extra $50-$70 you didn't use and put it in savings or take a date to a nice dinner and enjoy yourself.


I had issues with my Focusrite Saffire firewire interface and I ended up selling it to someone cheap on craigslist cuz I couldn't afford to send it in out of pocket to get fixed and I take good care of my gear, I'm sorry but a $500 interface that gets light use staying in one place shouldn't fall apart shortly after a year of owning it. I love Focusrite products but I just can't live with that fear in my head because I don't have a huge income to were I can easily afford to repair or replace things like that.

And honestly I can tell you from experience it can be a PITA to have a rig where everything is seperate because it's more cluttered than a simple usb/firewire interface. If I'm traveling I'll take a mic, an acoustic guitar, my laptop, and my EMU 0404 usb. Try imagining taking a standalone pre, a desktop pc, etc on a trip or to a location recording (say a band rehearsal or show).

So before anyone tries to come up with the ultimate signal path let's take a step back and analyze what is really going on and what's being worked with?

Like what is being recorded?
What type of instrument(s)/singers?
How are they setup, intonated, sound in the room?
Where are the recordings taking place?
Does the room need some sort of treatment to sound good before pointing mics and laying down to the disk?

My advice to anyone recording in low end should be to get it sounding right before you even setup up mics or talk about your gear simply because if you have a great sound in a room a great sound is going to come out in your recording even if you aren't the best engineer in the universe. But if you have shit sound in a room and you are a good engineer you are still going to be left with shit sound.

Sorry for the rant I just get a little pissed when I see people over analyze simple situations. You know a lot of what gear would be best is going to be determined by the OP through trial and error. You are going to find what works for you in due time. Just get something and make music don't waste away on these forums you only live once.

[Grimace]

KMW--

Good points. Sorry if I was out of line and going in a different direction. The thing is, I'm where the OP is and going through GAS right now, and realized that the "step up" isn't much more expensive than a nice USB option. So I've been looking at those pci interfaces myself and am pretty well convinced that it will open up a lot of options in my recording... so I wanted to pass that on in case the OP sees how he could wind up wanting to expand down the line. I've been there, looking at simple USB devices as an upgrade to my current one... I wasn't impressed with any of the options head-and-shoulders over anything else (they all seem very commoditized, more or less similar, mostly differentiated by flashy marketing and packaging). Really, none of them is all that much better than my 10 year old Tascam US-428... maybe slightly better pres and whatever, but nothing to justify the trouble of selling it and upgrading to another USB interface. Saying X is better than Y and Z in this category is mostly just a matter of splitting hairs. And so I decided that I personally need to step into a better/different direction and I'm pretty well convinced it's a very logical move to go the pci route.

You're right though, that's not what the OP asked for... although if it worked for him, I think he'd have better options down the line. So on that basis, I thought I'd throw it out there. In any case, I hear he's already made up his mind and is going the USB right... which is cool too. I went many years and had tons of fun and learning on mine.