AUDIO INTERFACE 101
READ THIS BEFORE
PICKING ONE UP
AKARSH SHEKHAR
What is an audio interface ? An audio interface is a device that converts the electrical signal into digital to be able to work it in our DAW .
During this process , several physical elements ( of the interface ) are involved that influence the quality of the analog / digital ( A / D ) conversion . The quality of these elements , the input preamp and the converters , often determine the price of the interface .
What audio interface do I buy ? Before deciding , ask yourself the following questions :
• Do you play an instrument and need to record yourself ?
• Do you have a group and would you like to be able to record your rehearsals ?
• Do you produce electronic music and will you record sporadically ?
• Do you have a lot of hardware that you need to get into the computer ?
The resolution of all these questions is the first point to start defining the characteristics of our audio interface .
What are the main characteristics of an audio interface ? If you don ’ t record or you will eventually , a 2In / 2Out interface serves you perfectly . If you are afraid of falling short at some point , you can choose some 4In / 4Out . If you record a lot , you should ask yourself more questions to finish defining the characteristics that your interface should have .
Do you have a lot of hardware ? If you have a studio with a lot of hardware , you may need a lot of line inputs for synths , samplers , or whatever you have . If you also have compressors , equalizers or some other type of processor , you will need a lot of line inputs and outputs .
How many mics do I need ? So if you want to record your band , you will need a lot of mic preamps and line inputs . Remember that only for drums , you need an army of different types of mics .
Do I need digital inputs in order to connect a rack of preamps and increase the number of mics that I can record at the same time ? The answer to this question will further clarify for us how many inputs we need and how they should be .
There are many interfaces where you can see 18In / 18Out but they only have 8 preamps and eight line outs . The rest of the inputs and outputs are digital , that is , by ADAT multichannel protocol we can enter and exit up to 8 more inputs ( the number of inputs will vary depending on the sampling frequency that we use when recording ) the number of physical inputs ( analog ) of our interface .
This will be useful to be able to add 8 more preamps to our physical inputs and thus be able to record for example up to 16 mics at the same time .
If you ’ re only going to record vocals , it might be worth investing in a good tube preamp or a high-end channel strip , instead of using the card preamp . We already know what to take into account when choosing the number of inputs and outputs . Now comes the last point .
What to look for before buying an audio interface ?
• When choosing a model with a more or less economical price , we will look at the quality of its components , always taking into account its use .
• If we only produce electronic music and we do not record anything or we only eventually record a voice or an instrument , why spend money on a high-end interface ? As you can see , it doesn ’ t make much sense . It is important to be aware of the use that we are going to give it .
• If , on the other hand , you are going to record regularly , it is worth investing in a good interface .
The Score Magazine highonscore . com
39