Elevate Your Sound: The 15 Best Audio Interfaces for Home Recording
Fed up of your private home demos sounding no higher than voice notes recorded along with your cellphone? Need to seize the richness of your voice as you are taking your first steps into the world of podcasting? Trying to take the leap from audio dabbler to bonafide residence producer?
Sounds to us such as you’re out there for an audio interface – the lacking hyperlink between the stellar efficiency you give and the high-quality residence recording you produce in your laptop.
Your audio interface sits on the coronary heart of your studio or residence recording set-up, changing the sounds picked up by your microphone right into a digital sign so you possibly can edit it in your laptop, then changing that digital sign again into sound so you possibly can hear it by your displays or earphones. A good audio interface will be capable of protect the standard of that sign each on the best way in and on the best way out – with as little ‘latency’, or lag between the be aware you play and the sound you hear, as doable – which means it is best to get close to sufficient nearly as good as you gave.
We’ve taken a take a look at the very best audio interfaces that 2022 has to supply – learn on to search out out which one most accurately fits your private home recording wants:
Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 third Gen
That is the best-selling interface on Amazon for a motive. Not solely does its inexpensive price ticket make it a horny alternative for first-timers, however the third era of Focusrite’s entry-level Scarlett collection may match the standard of a lot higher-end models.
‘Air’ button for mid/excessive frequency enhance
Helps each TRS and RCA outputs
No MIDI I/O
Lack of markings on achieve knobs
Native Devices Komplete Audio 2
A step up from the Komplete Audio 1, this easy, sensible black field options 2 balanced mixture inputs quite than 1, and a couple of balanced ¼ inch TRS outputs so that you can hook as much as skilled studio displays quite than RCA outputs.
Giant dial on the highest of the unit, releasing up front-facing house
Extremely-lightweight at 360g; straightforward to move
Plastic casing quite than metallic
No MIDI I/O
MOTU M2
MOTU stands for ‘Mark of the Unicorn’, and their M2 interface is a uncommon factor certainly. When you possibly can obtain the identical sound high quality that normally prices 1000’s for below £200, you realize you’ve discovered one thing particular.
LCD degree show
MIDI I/O
Is probably not suitable with older computer systems
No direct monitoring operate
Strong State Logic SSL 2
A really highly-regarded interface discovered on the higher finish of the finances vary, the SSL 2 brings again the heat of Strong State Logic’s analogue consoles within the type of the Legacy 4K analogue enhancement button.
Giant Blue dial for monitor degree
Highly effective 62dB preamp
Heavy unit at 1.16kg
Plastic buttons are of decrease high quality
PreSonus Studio 24c
This wonderful interface from PreSonus comes with some equally wonderful freebies, together with each a USB-C to C and a USB-C to A cable to go well with a spread of gadgets, Ableton Lite Reside recording software program, and a collection of digital plug-ins price over 1,000 USD!
Clearly seen ladder-style degree monitor
MIDI I/O
Small dials could be troublesome to make use of
Headphone enter in the back of the unit could be troublesome to entry
Audient Audio Interface iD4 MKII
In January 2021, Audient waved a tragic goodbye to the unique iD4 – and an excited hiya to the better-in-every-way MKII! This compact, trendy, all-metal interface wastes no house – and in addition allows you to pay attention by way of ¼ inch headphones, 1/8inch headphones, or, in the event you’re listening again to your handiwork with a bandmate or good friend, each without delay.
Sturdy metallic housing
USB-C 3.0 connection
Just one XLR/TRS combo enter
No MIDI I/O
Common Audio Volt 2
The Volt 2 is the right marriage between the traditional and the cutting-edge. Along with supporting the trendy USB-C connection, you can too add a little bit tube amp magic to your recording by way of the ‘Classic’ button.
Suitable with PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone and extra
MIDI I/O
Small dials could be troublesome to make use of
Small LED degree displays could be troublesome to see
M-Audio AIR 192|4
This very inexpensive interface boasts some very high-end options, similar to M-Audio’s patented ‘Crystal Preamp’ – which sounds simply as clear because the title would counsel.
Giant central dial
Strong metallic physique
Just one XLR/TRS combo enter
Bigger unit measurement is much less handy for residence set-up
Common Audio Apollo Solo Heritage Version
Among the finest audio interfaces for podcasts and voiceovers on the market – in addition to for singers and musicians – this entry-level mannequin from Common Audio’s legendary Apollo collection is a little bit pricier than the opposite entries on our listing. Nevertheless, you’re getting industry-standard converters which offer you an unbelievably clear sound, plus an entire host of premium plug-ins as a part of the package deal.
Excessive-quality vary of emulators and plug-ins
Sturdy metallic construct
Costly
Thunderbolt 3 cable not included
Tascam US-2x2HR
Tascam gives you the whole lot you need from an entry-level interface – 2 balanced mixture inputs, as much as 56dB of preamp achieve and a dial to mix your enter and laptop alerts for direct monitoring – all wrapped up in eye-catching purple and black casing.
MIDI I/O
Angled design to go well with desktop use
Heavy unit at 1.1kg
Small LED degree displays could be troublesome to see
Behringer UMC204HD
Behringer are the undisputed champions of delivering aggressive merchandise at unbeatable costs. Subsequently, it’s no shock that the UMC204HD is the bottom priced interface on our listing, at below £100 – and it’s laborious to search out many options its dearer friends supply that it doesn’t.
MIDI I/O
Very inexpensive
Small dials could be troublesome to make use of
Small LED degree displays could be troublesome to see
Roland Rubix22
On the earth of digital audio, Roland is a reputation you possibly can belief – and the tiny but highly effective Rubix22 lives as much as that belief. Plus – in the event you register your Rubix22, you’ll get 6 months of Roland Cloud Professional membership totally free, which offers you entry to a great deal of traditional Roland sounds.
Small, compact measurement
MIDI I/O
Small preamp achieve dials could also be troublesome to make use of
Small LED degree displays could be troublesome to see
Mackie Onyx Producer 2.2
The robust, black, ‘Constructed-Like-A-Tank™ design lives as much as the Onyx half of the title – and the free full model of Waveform OEM by Tracktion that comes with it greater than lives as much as the producer half!
Rubberised dials straightforward to seize and switch
MIDI I/O
Small LED degree displays could be troublesome to see
The preamp achieve solely makes a distinction within the final quarter
Steinberg UR22 MKII
A really properly put collectively interface at a surprisingly low worth, the transportable Steinberg MKII has a pair of nice sounding preamps and is suitable with PCs, Macs and iPads.
MIDI I/O
High quality Yamaha parts
Small dials could be troublesome to make use of
Small LED degree displays could be troublesome to see
Apogee Symphony Desktop
In case your finances can take the pressure, the Apogee Symphony Desktop boasts many high-end options that the opposite makes and fashions on our listing simply can’t match. With a dynamic touchscreen and ADAT connectivity for straightforward enter growth, buying the Symphony Desktop marks the daybreak of your private home studio empire.
Wonderful 75dB of preamp achieve
Excellent audio high quality
Headphone output on the again troublesome to achieve
About 10 instances as costly as most different entries on our listing
Do I want an audio interface to report?
Strictly talking, you possibly can report with only a laptop computer and a microphone – and even simply the microphone in your smartphone or cellular gadget. USB mics are additionally turning into increasingly well-liked, with the appearance of podcasting, voiceovers and streaming.
Nevertheless – and it’s a giant nevertheless – these gadgets can’t produce professional-sounding recordings by themselves.
So far as laptops and smartphones have come in recent times, their in-built microphones are nowhere close to as much as the usual of microphones even on the extra inexpensive finish of the market – see our listing of the very best condenser microphones and the very best dynamic microphones to search out out which is the proper alternative for you.
Moreover, despite the fact that a high-quality microphone could also be able to capturing your efficiency to knowledgeable commonplace, this doesn’t depend for a lot if that sign is misplaced on its manner out of your microphone to your laptop, then out of your laptop to your audio system or earphones. That is the place the audio interface is available in.
What’s an audio interface?
An audio interface is a unit which homes a much more highly effective sound card than a typical residence laptop, the sound card being the gadget which converts pure sound waves into digital data, permitting your laptop to grasp them.
Audio interfaces additionally function a spread of inputs, which you’ll be able to plug your microphone, guitar or MIDI instrument into, and outputs, which you’ll be able to plug your audio system or earphones into.
How do I do know which audio interface to purchase?
There’s a variety of interfaces on the market, various not solely in worth and in high quality, but additionally in what they will do. One of the best ways so that you can select is by first deciding what it’s you wish to obtain – and after you have that purpose in thoughts, right here’s what else it’s essential take into account:
Machine compatibility
The principle function of your audio interface is to attach your laptop – so it’s essential that you just select an interface that’s suitable along with your PC or Mac! Happily, most trendy interfaces will work with each working programs – however do examine this earlier than you make your buy.
It’s essential to grasp that not solely do these connector sorts differ in measurement and form, however additionally they differ within the quantity of data they will ship, which is measured in ‘bytes per second’ and also you’ll see written as ‘mbps’ (megabytes per second) and ‘gbps’ (gigabytes per second).
Some interfaces use older USB connectors similar to USB 2.0, which might switch 480mbps and was the most typical connector kind for PCs and Macs till being phased out by the a lot quicker USB 3.0 (5gbps), then the USB 3.1 (10gbps) and three.2 (20gbps). An interface that makes use of USB 2.0 will nonetheless be lots fast sufficient so that you can report a number of tracks at a excessive bit price (which we’ll clarify additional in a minute), so it’s greater than sufficient whenever you’re simply beginning out.
USB connectors are backwards-compatible, so if in case you have a pc with a more moderen connector, an audio interface with an older connector and the proper cable or adaptor, this may all nonetheless work simply tremendous – however it received’t work the opposite manner spherical. The simple option to bear in mind that is: your laptop’s port must be equal to or better than your interface’s port.
Some newer audio interfaces use USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 connectors, that are the identical form and measurement, however have completely different bandwidths – you possibly can recognise a Thunderbolt port by the thunderbolt image above it. The Thunderbolt 3 (which is extra generally discovered on Apple gadgets however is discovered on some PCs) gives the very best bandwidth presently accessible – a formidable 40gbps – and may also help cut back latency to nearly zero, so in case your gadget has a Thunderbolt 3 port, you’re in luck!
Bus Energy
A time period you might come throughout is ‘bus powered’ – which means the interface doesn’t should be plugged into the mains, however quite is powered by being plugged into your gadget by way of Common Serial Bus (that’s our USB connection).
This has additionally allowed many trendy interfaces to turn out to be suitable with transportable gadgets, similar to tablets and iPads – which is nice information if you wish to report on the go, since you don’t must place your self close to a mains socket or at a desktop.
Digital Audio Workstation (DAW)
So as to use your audio interface along with your laptop, you’re going to wish some kind of ‘driver’ – that’s the kind of software program that allows you to organise and edit the sounds you report by way of your interface out of your laptop. Most audio interfaces these days come prepared with their very own drivers, that are generally ‘lite’ variations of main DAWs similar to Cubase, Logic, Professional Instruments and Ableton – although some audio interface producers provide their very own customized drivers.
In case you’re new to residence recording, it may be helpful to make use of the really useful driver that your audio interface suggests you put in. Nevertheless, as you enterprise additional down the house recording rabbithole, you’ll most likely discover that the free software program you bought along with your interface limits what you’re capable of do, so that you may wish to take into account a extra premium DAW when you’ve discovered your toes.
Inputs and outputs (I/O)
The fitting I/O setup is probably an important issue to think about whenever you’re interface buying. Not solely will it’s essential keep in mind the variety of inputs and outputs, however you’ll additionally must know what sorts you’ll want.
Variety of inputs
That is pretty easy: in the event you’re solely going to be recording your self Singing and taking part in the guitar, then you definately received’t must shell out for an interface with ten inputs. Equally, if you wish to report a full stay band and be capable of combine the person devices, two inputs simply isn’t going to chop it – so plan out what you wish to report, then choose your variety of inputs accordingly.
Preamps
The output alerts of microphones and of guitars and different devices are comparatively weak, which is why preamps (brief for ‘preamplifiers’) are wanted. These enhance the alerts considerably with out inflicting an excessive amount of clipping, which means they’ll be boosted from the too-quiet ‘instrument degree’ or ‘mic degree’ to the workable ‘line degree’ you want them to be at with out shedding any sign high quality.
It’s usually agreed {that a} first rate preamp will be capable of enhance your enter sign upwards of 60dB – and that’s with out inflicting any nasty distortion. Up to now, separate preamp models had been wanted to attain this – however at the moment, most audio interfaces have inner preamps between their inputs and outputs, so so long as the specs inform you that your preamps are highly effective sufficient, all it’s essential do is plug in!
Enter connector sorts
In case you’re a singer, then you definately’re going to wish an audio interface with an XLR (Exterior Line Return) enter so you possibly can join your microphone to it. In case you’re a guitarist and also you wish to report utilizing your personal amplifier, or a keyboardist who desires to report by working a line out, your interface will want a ¼ inch jack enter, which is often known as a TRS (‘Tip, Ring, Sleeve’) enter.
Simply to keep away from any confusion: ¼ inch jack inputs additionally match TS (‘Tip, Sleeve’, however no ‘Ring’) leads, that are regular guitar leads. Nevertheless, these can’t carry the balanced stereo sign you want for a high quality, noise-free recording, so be sure to get your self some balanced TRS results in report with.
Fortunately, most trendy audio interfaces function mixture inputs, permitting you to determine whether or not to make use of them as both XLR or TRS inputs, relying on what it’s essential plug in. You may additionally discover that a number of the interfaces we’ve listed have a button marked ‘Instr’ or ‘Hello-Z’ – press this button to extend the impedance whenever you plug an instrument, as devices put out the next voltage sign than microphones.
Many interfaces even have Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) inputs, which can will let you plug in a MIDI instrument similar to a synthesiser or a drum machine. This can be a smart way so that you can entry the financial institution of digital devices your DAW has to supply with no need a separate MIDI interface – and also you’ll obtain higher sound high quality with much less latency by working your MIDI instrument by your audio interface than you’ll by connecting on to your laptop by way of USB.
One other kind of enter connector you may see supplied by some interfaces is ADAT Lightpipe or Optical Interface. This lets you join a separate preamp unit, successfully giving your self extra inputs – so if you wish to develop your private home studio at a later date, it’s a wise thought to begin off with an audio interface that has ADAT inputs.
Output connector sorts
Most audio interfaces will on the very least have outputs for headphones and for a pair of studio displays, all of which have a tendency to suit ¼ inch jack connectors. Bigger interfaces might supply extra pairs of monitor outputs and a number of headphone outputs – that is very helpful if you wish to ship completely different mixes of the observe you’re engaged on out on the similar time.
Some interfaces additionally help older output connections, such because the purple and white RCA connectors. Dwelling speaker programs, quite than studio displays, typically have this connection, so this may come in useful if you wish to check out your observe on audio system which might be extra industrial than skilled to see if it nonetheless sounds the best way you need.
Direct monitoring
One other helpful function most audio interfaces supply known as ‘direct monitoring’, which on some fashions you possibly can activate by way of an on/off button, or, on others, dial between the enter sign and the playback sign. Direct monitoring is useful as a result of it permits your interface to bypass its converters, so it could possibly ship the sign out of your microphone or instrument enter on to your headphone output with out doing something to it.
Which means, if the change is engaged or the dial is ready all the best way to ‘enter’, you possibly can take heed to your self Singing and/or taking part in in actual time with no latency in any way. Alternatively, in case your interface has a dial for direct monitoring quite than a change, you possibly can mix the playback sign and the stay enter sign.
Audio high quality
When you’ve acquired the whole lot correctly connected and also you’re prepared to offer your finest efficiency, you’re going to need your audio interface to have the ability to seize that magic!
Put merely, your laptop has to rebuild a sound wave utilizing tiny items of data it receives by way of your audio interface – and the extra data it has to work with, the extra precisely it could possibly rebuild the sound wave, leading to higher audio decision.
The accuracy of digitally reproduced sound will depend on the ‘pattern price’ and ‘bit depth’ that your audio interface can work at. These measurements work collectively to find out how properly your laptop can digitally symbolize the analogue sound you’re recording.
Pattern price
The pattern price measures what number of samples your audio interface can seize per second, and is measured in Hertz (Hz). The extra samples your interface can take, the extra precisely your laptop will be capable of symbolize the unique sign.
Since an analogue sound wave fluctuates between constructive and unfavourable air stress, your laptop must take two samples – one from the constructive stage, and one from the unfavourable stage – to grasp one wavelength. This implies the pattern price must be no less than twice the worth of the very best frequency (additionally measured in Hz) present in your audio sign with a view to precisely reproduce it.
It’s usually accepted that the common human ear can hear between 20Hz and 20kHz, so to breed the very best frequencies we will hear, an interface would want to have the ability to seize samples at a price of no less than 40,000 per second, or 40kHz.
Bit depth
The bit depth, alternatively, determines what number of bits (items of digital data) every pattern is made up of, subsequently figuring out how precisely your laptop can symbolize the completely different amplitudes of your unique analogue sign. Whereas an analogue sign is steady – and in concept has an infinite variety of doable amplitude values – the digital sign is rebuilt from these separate samples, with the variety of bits in every being set by the speed of your audio interface’s analogue-to-digital converters (ADCs).
The variety of bits your ADCs assign to every pattern determines the vary of doable amplitude values which your laptop can then match to these of your unique sign. As a result of this vary of amplitude values is finite, even with the next bit depth, there can be some values out of your unique sign that may’t be precisely matched.
When this occurs, your laptop has to spherical up the worth to the closest recognized level, which is called ‘quantizing’ – and ends in undesirable quantization noise. The quantity of quantizing your laptop must do to precisely recreate your unique sign determines the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), which is the distinction between your audio sign degree and the extent of undesirable noise.
In sensible phrases, which means the decrease the bit depth, the extra noise you’ll get as a result of your laptop has to quantize your sign extra; the upper the bit depth, the much less noise you’ll get, as much less quantizing is required. 1 bit is roughly equal to six decibels (dB), which means {that a} bit depth of 16 offers you an SNR of round 96dB.
What pattern price and bit depth do I want?
Customary CD high quality is ready at 44.1kHz/16-bit, which suggests a CD can reproduce frequencies of as much as 22.05kHz and has an SNR of 96dB – in order that covers the utmost frequency of 20kHz and sits comfortably beneath the higher sound stress degree restrict of human listening to, which is round 120dB.
Nevertheless, as a result of greater frequency sounds happen extra instances per second, an interface with the next pattern price – which might subsequently choose up extra samples per second – will be capable of choose these greater frequency sounds up, leading to a way more detailed recording. Likewise, as a result of a depth of 24-bit will increase the SNR to 144dB, you possibly can report quieter sounds and enhance them with out undesirable noise.
Because of this, whereas recording on the CD commonplace degree should still sound adequate to most ears, much more entry-level interfaces are actually able to changing your sign at 192kHz/24-bit – which is the speed the skilled producers choose to work at. Simply bear in mind that working at this price will take up extra of your laptop’s processing energy!
