Audio interface for blue spark

[Janettebot]

Hello, I am looking for an audio interface to go with a blue spark sl that I will be buying. Any suggestions are appreciated, thanks in advance: )

[The Flying Sloth]

UMC202HD is the cheapest option I recommend but if you're looking for more in-depth information my mic/interface guide is linked in my signature.

[H713]

In the more expensive range, the MOTU M2 is pretty good for what it costs. It's a pretty big step above the UMC202HD  in terms of quality and performance, but depending on your use case you may not notice a difference in performance.

[Janettebot]

42 minutes ago, H713 said:

In the more expensive range, the MOTU M2 is pretty good for what it costs. It's a pretty big step above the UMC202HD  in terms of quality and performance, but depending on your use case you may not notice a difference in performance.

Is the m audio 192 4 any good?

[Barn1356]

30 minutes ago, Janettebot said:

Is the m audio 192 4 any good?

I have a slightly older model, of that, I think the 2x2m, It is a great interface and is an upgrade from what I used previously. The preamps are far from the best around, and even in that price range it depends what you are looking for. If your budget is around £100-£200 the focusrite Scarlett range is very popular, but I haven't personally tried it. I went for the m-audio, mainly because I picked it up used at a good price and because I mainly use it as a monitor controller, so the large volume knob on top is nice. I was pleasantly surprised by the preamps, which I read online that there were better in the price range. Maybe some more information, on budget, number of channels/input, output requirements, would be useful to give a good suggestion.

[Janettebot]

13 minutes ago, Barn1356 said:

I have a slightly older model, of that, I think the 2x2m, It is a great interface and is an upgrade from what I used previously. The preamps are far from the best around, and even in that price range it depends what you are looking for. If your budget is around £100-£200 the focusrite Scarlett range is very popular, but I haven't personally tried it. I went for the m-audio, mainly because I picked it up used at a good price and because I mainly use it as a monitor controller, so the large volume knob on top is nice. I was pleasantly surprised by the preamps, which I read online that there were better in the price range. Maybe some more information, on budget, number of channels/input, output requirements, would be useful to give a good suggestion.

My budget is around £100 to £150 for the interface so maybe I should get the scarlett 2i2?

[Barn1356]

7 minutes ago, Janettebot said:

My budget is around £100 to £150 for the interface so maybe I should get the scarlett 2i2?

From what I have heard it is one of the best, but I can't talk personally. If it meets your requirements, then it would be what I would suggest.

[The Flying Sloth]

8 hours ago, Janettebot said:

My budget is around £100 to £150 for the interface so maybe I should get the scarlett 2i2?

The 2i2 and 202hd are equivalent interfaces from two different manufacturers, like I said, I strongly recommend you read the guide in my signature but generally if you're just looking to get a mic into your PC there is no reason to spend more than you need to for a 202HD.

[Ahoy Hoy]

Spoiler

M Audio M Track Solo

£35 $49 Input: 1x XLR 1x jack (Mic/Line) Output: 1x headphone jack 1x RCA left/right

Lowest price audio interface worth your money currently on the market. Volume and gain knobs not great but work. Not the best build quality but good enough for the price.

 

M Audio M Track Duo

£49 $69 Input: 2x XLR (Mic/Line) Output: 1x headphone jack 1x Jack left/right

Lowest price 2 XLR input audio interface worth your money currently on the market. Volume and gain knobs not great but work. Not the best build quality but good enough for the price. Extra feature over the Solo ability to have input 1 in the left ear and input 2 in the right ear.

 

Behringer U Phoria UMC202HD

£52 $79 Input: 2x XLR (Mic/Line) Output: 1x headphone jack 1x Jack left/right

A good interface with a good build quality for the price. Better than the M Track Duo with extra features such as a pad for each input. Separate volume control for speakers and headphones. Has a really good noise floor beating many interface even interfaces which cost 20% more. Possible drawbacks being the drivers. Had reports of drivers not working from a few people on the forum but for one bad experience, there are hundreds of good. The previous generation of interfaces stopped receiving drive updates the moment the new model was released and this model is now 5 years old. Please see my section on Behringer at the bottom of this post.

 

ESI Maya 22 USB

£56 $NA  Input: 1x XLR 1x jack (Line) 1x RCA left/right Output: 1x headphone jack 1x Jack left/right

If your after a smaller interface something with a bit more style to it. The ESI Maya is a good choice. All the controls are in the drivers and there are no physical knobs. Possibly more suitable for someone who wants to hide the interface.

 

Mackie Onyx Artist 1.2 

£58 $129 Input: 1x XLR 1x jack (Inst/Line) Output: 1x headphone jack 1x Jack left/right

If you are after a cheap but good quality single XLR interface this is a good choice for the UK and Europe, sorry USA for some reason Mackie an American company is drastically higher price in America.
Has separate headphone and speaker controls.

Native Instruments Komplete Audio 1

£66 $109 Input: 1x XLR 1x jack (Inst/Line) Output: 1x headphone jack 1x RCA left/right

Really good interface and if your after a big volume knob this is for you. Doesn't have the strongest gain but has a really good noise floor to make up for it.

 

Focusrite Scarlett Solo

£75 $109 Input: 1x XLR 1x jack (Inst/Line) Output: 1x headphone jack 1x Jack left/right

Probably the most popular interface and for a good reason. Good noise floor, good gain, good build quality there is a reason this has over 600 5 star reviews on Thomann. Only thing which lets it down is the output control is not separate so if you use both headphones and speakers maybe look else where.

 

Steinberg UR12

£75 $109 Input: 1x XLR 1x jack (Inst) Output: 1x headphone jack 1x RCA left/right

Good interface good noise and gain. Pros of this interface is has a master switch for phantom power and has a choice between USB B and USB Micro as source also includes access to Cuebase AI so if your a musician this may be a good choice if Cuebase AI is something you want.

 

Mackie Onyx Producer 2x2

£79 $179 Input: 2x XLR (Mic/Line) Output: 1x headphone jack 1x Jack left/right + Midi In/Out

Good interface with two XLR. Similar to the Behringer 202HD only benefit over it is the MIDI and it not being Behringer. But if you don't need Midi and looking for the cheapest scroll up to 202HD. Also again RIP American wallets.

 

Rode AI-1

£88 $129 Input: 1x XLR Output: 1x headphone jack 1x Jack left/right

Single XLR input and no jack inputs. Very good pre amps which have a very quite noise floor and good gain. Has a really good headphone amp. Perfect for someone who wants high end audio but is only using it for VOIPs or game chats. Its also in a deal package with Rode NT1 microphone

 

Audient EVO 4

£88 $129 Input: 2x XLR 1 Jack (Inst) Output: 1x headphone jack 1x Jack left/right

The magical selling feature of this is SMART GAIN. You press the big green button and it sets the gain for you. If you don't understand gain and nervous about a interface because of that this is for you. Only negative of this interface is all the options are controlled by a single knob and by pressing buttons. So its not as quick and easy to control compared to separate knobs

 

Native Instruments Komplete Audio 2

£89 $139 Input: 2x XLR  Output: 1x headphone jack 1x Jack left/right

Its the previous audio interface with two XLRs. Doesn't have the strongest gain but has a really good noise floor to make up for it. Big audio knob and looks good. If your after two inputs but looking to spend more than the Behringer this is the best pick under £100

 

Steinberg UR22 MK2

£98 $165 Input: 2x XLR  Output: 1x headphone jack 1x Jack left/right

If you liked the look of the UR12 but need two microphone inputs, say hello to the UR22. Again comes with Cubase AI for free.

 

Focusrite Scarlett 2i2

£109 $159 Input: 2x XLR Output: 1x headphone jack 1x Jack left/right

You thought the solo couldn't get any better, well here it is with two XLR ports! Again one of the most popular interface around with over 600 5 star reviews. This time with separate output volume control. If you are after two mic inputs and not pinching pennies this is the king.

These are my recommendations from my unfished hidden listen really need to get around finishing that.

[H713]

The build quality of the Focusrite and the M2 is probably the only reason to prefer them over the Behringer, at least in this application. That's kind of a lot of additional cost for something that won't likely matter. You won't notice a difference in converter quality, you probably won't notice a difference in mic preamps (at least in this application), so about all you're doing is buying a nicer box and (maybe) better quality controls. 

 

IMO, the 3rd generation 2i2 is about equivalent to the M2. Focusrite got their act together and seems to have upped the build quality- it's considerably better than the 2nd generation 2i2.

 

 

[The Flying Sloth]

2 minutes ago, H713 said:

You won't notice a difference in converter quality,

Somewhat unrelated but the ADA8200 (8ch ADAT pre for the UMC HD series) has been extensively tested by our friends over at GS who fount the converter quality met (if not exceeded) that of the Lynx Aurora in every meaningful way. I'll happily recommend something other than Behringer if there's a comparable product for the same or lower price but when it comes to interfaces the cost per channel and quality of the UMC HD series makes them more or less unbeatable

[H713]

7 hours ago, The Flying Sloth said:

Somewhat unrelated but the ADA8200 (8ch ADAT pre for the UMC HD series) has been extensively tested by our friends over at GS who fount the converter quality met (if not exceeded) that of the Lynx Aurora in every meaningful way. I'll happily recommend something other than Behringer if there's a comparable product for the same or lower price but when it comes to interfaces the cost per channel and quality of the UMC HD series makes them more or less unbeatable

For almost everyone, I would agree. The UMC202HD is a remarkable piece of equipment, especially for what it costs. It's one of the Behringer products that I don't mind as much, though I admit that I'm a little bitter about their acquisition of Midas and Turbosound. 

 

 

From what people at the DiyAudio forum have found, the MOTU M2 (and especially the M4) are a step above the Behringer in terms of distortion and noise, at least in a loopback test using the line inputs and line outputs. If you're looking for a cheap interface for measurement, the M2 (M4 if you can swing the extra money) is excellent. The field of audio measurement isn't awesome right now. There's sound cards, and then theres the audio precisions starting at $15,000. The QuantAsylum products sort of fill the gap, but in my eyes they still have a ways to go before they have something that meets my needs. 

 

The situation with audio interfaces (and audio measurement equipment) isn't helped by the fact that we still can't get AKM converter chips. We'll see how long it takes for them to rebuild. 

[Ahoy Hoy]

The real difference between the Behringer and the focusrite is the company.

The old generation of Behringer interfaces don't work on windows 10 while a gen 1 focusrite still works and gets updates while in Behringer's eyes the old products don't exist and they will question why you don't just buy the new one.
 

Thats what the price difference buys you, a company who cares.

[H713]

On 3/21/2021 at 7:47 AM, Ahoy Hoy said:

The real difference between the Behringer and the focusrite is the company.

The old generation of Behringer interfaces don't work on windows 10 while a gen 1 focusrite still works and gets updates while in Behringer's eyes the old products don't exist and they will question why you don't just buy the new one.
 

Thats what the price difference buys you, a company who cares.

+1

I have an older Behringer interface (FCA610) that has been relegated to "shop use" for this reason. It still works with Windows 10, but the drivers suck. For home use, not a huge deal, but under absolutely no circumstances would I use that Behringer for live sound. The reliability just isn't there, especially on the software side. That said, Presonus is absolutely no better in my experience. 

Focusrite is still a pretty good company. They haven't been bought by a multinational yet. It's a far cry from the Focusrite of the 1980s, back when Rupert Neve was the lead engineer, but they still make a good product. Actually, the Focusrite ISA One is a lot like the ISA110. It's got the same Lundahl input transformer as the original, just with shittier pots and switches. 

 

Behringer has its place, and I still think that their interfaces are a good choice for a lot of people. I think the OP would be served well by one. On occasion, I end up buying some of their stuff for situations where reliability or the best objective performance don't matter. Ethically, I don't like their business model. They've become incredibly financially successful by cloning other people's designs and undercutting the prices of companies that put in the hard work to develop. I also don't like what happens to companies that have been purchased by Behringer (or I guess it's "Music Tribe". Same thing). They buy companies like Turbosound or Midas for a name (and maybe some patents in the case of Midas), then act like the Turbosound they sell now bears similarity to the Turbosound of yesteryear. 

 

Rant over.

[The Flying Sloth]

Welp, hope you enjoyed the history lesson OP XD

 

 

[Janettebot]

4 hours ago, The Flying Sloth said:

Welp, hope you enjoyed the history lesson OP XD

 

 

I did in fact find it interesting to hear different opinions and evaluations of what might be good for me, however the thread went on for much longer than expected