At the end of the day, their sheer scope for customisation, especially when you bring VST plugins into the mix, means that effects on a mixer are more or less redundant. It works particularly well on vocals! However I’d say this lack of customisation, even with the best audio interfaces, is no accident.ĭon’t like it – blame DAWs. In essence, a quick enhancement to add body and volume to certain areas of sound. For instance, the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (3rd gen) incorporates what the company calls its ‘air’ effect. Saying that though, audio interfaces could be trending in this direction. Have a tinker about with a mixer and you’ll pretty quickly be able to add effects like reverb, EQ and compression, which with an interface you’d have to do via your DAW. The typical mixer comes with more of console layout of knobs and switches that puts even the best audio interfaces to shame. Therefore, their design is a lot more hands on.
Kudos in the eyes of mix engineers.Īnother key difference to note is that unlike AI’s, mixers are more geared towards sound customisation. Whereas with an audio interface like the Scarlett, the same three sounds would be recorded as three three separate files. You may hear a music whiz refer to this as a stereo mix. Although, that’s where the similarities end.įor starters, with a mixer each channel is combined together – name make sense now? So, if you’re recording three instruments at once, on your DAW, they’ll come through as one file. They also both come with multiple channels that allow you to connect the same types of kit too. Now, on the face of it, a digital mixer and an audio interface both process audio and channel it into a DAW. Spot on for reducing the amount of unwanted noise – something that in post production is only going to pay dividend. The majority feature what’s known as a gain knob, which allows you to tweak the level of any audio before it’s sent on to your DAW. NOTE: While all of this user-friendliness is superb, arguably the main attraction of an audio interface is the sheer control it gives you over the sound. But that’s not to say that a cheeky adapter can’t stretch these capabilities even further! So, as well as ‘plug in and play’, you could call them multitalented.
#KOMPLETE AUDIO 6 VS FOCUSRITE UPGRADE#
On most interfaces it’s not all that noticeable, however if you’re a stickler for lag, you can upgrade to thunderbolt and eradicate it altogether.Īnd talking of connectivity, audio interfaces work their magic through a simple USB and support a wide variety of connections including XLR, MIDI, RCA & more. Essentially a posh word for any lag you experience between the live vocal and the playback. What’s more, you’d also be able to play this audio back in real time too, be that through your headphones or a set of studio monitors.Īlthough, the reason I say ‘virtually’ real-time is because some audio interfaces can come with the odd bit of latency. One that works to ensure that all elements of your studio work in tandem.īy that I mean if you were to weave one of the best audio interfaces into your set-up, you’d be able to record live sounds through your DAW in what is virtually real-time. I suppose you could call them a bite sized transformer. a format that your computer can understand. Much like the name suggests, audio interfaces are a device that transforms analogue sounds into digital audio – i.e. So with that in mind, what makes a good audio interface? And does the Focusrite Scarlett still rule the roost? Or has it been finally ousted off the top spot by the opps? To find out, I put this infamous red box to the test.Īfter something specific about the Focusrite Scarlett? Or just here to discover if it’s actually the best audio interface you can cop today? Use the menu below to find your answers with no latency…
A subtle difference that (if you ask any producer) really does make all the difference. It’s not here to create sound – it’s here to process it. But, that’s because unlike your MIDI keyboards and vocal microphones, an audio interface (like the Scarlett) has a slightly different job. Like most audio interfaces, the Scarlett appears more techy than anything you’d be forgiven for mistaking for an IT appliance. Not bad for a red box, which on first impressions doesn’t exactly scream “MUSIC”. The musically-minded have voted with their back pockets, meaning that the Scarlett is now the best-selling audio interface… in the world.
Bold statement I know, but as far as I can tell, it’s not just chatter. Okay, so you’re probably here because of the Focusrite Scarlett…Īrguably the best audio interface that money can buy.