Why does audio interface have the xlr port not behind it

[Padblaze]

my cable management is ruined because of you focusrite solo 3rd gen

[pythonmegapixel]

XLR ports are usually on the front aren't they?

 

It makes it a lot easier to plug and unplug the mic.

[Padblaze]

2 minutes ago, pythonmegapixel said:

XLR ports are usually on the front aren't they?

 

It makes it a lot easier to plug and unplug the mic.

yeah but now i have to hide my audio interface  because of my cable management but i understand your point thanks

[pythonmegapixel]

Just now, Padblaze said:

yeah but now i have to hide my audio interface  because of my cable management

Why? The cable's still going to be there, assuming you aren't hiding the mic as well (which won't go so well if you want your voice to sound clear)

[Padblaze]

1 minute ago, pythonmegapixel said:

Why? The cable's still going to be there, assuming you aren't hiding the mic as well (which won't go so well if you want your voice to sound clear)

my mic setup looks like this but i was planning  to let my audio interface on top of the desk but i dont want to see the cable (my streamdeck, speaker, etc.. are in the back of my desk so you cant see the cables

[pythonmegapixel]

1 minute ago, Padblaze said:

my mic setup looks like this but i was planning  to let my audio interface on top of the desk but i dont want to see the cable (my streamdeck, speaker, etc.. are in the back of my desk so you cant see the cables

Excuse the terrible editing, but wouldn't it make sense to just put the Solo on the desk like this:

 

Then work out exactly how much cable you need to reach from the bottom of the arm (where it reaches the desk) to the XLR input, ziptie the cable to the arm at that point, and then plug it in?

 

That way you'll only see a tiny bit of cable, and you can keep the XLR interface on the desk for easy access to the controls.

[Heliian]

Usually the usb and power io is in the back.  Lines in front for easy swapping without all the other wires.  

 

It's sound equipment, not an iPhone. 

 

 

[SansVarnic]

-= Moved to Audio =-

[The Flying Sloth]

If you want the XLR on the back buy an interface with the XLR on the back (like mine, the UMC1820)...... I mean, they're designed for use as pieces of studio gear where accessibility is important so that you can change mics on the fly. If you want to use an interface for other purposes and have different requirements buy one that meets your requirements silly.....

[H713]

I'll be honest, I really don't see why this has to be a cable management problem. I know people have this thing about "every cable must be invisible", and you might not achieve that. It should not be hard at all to make things reasonably neat and organized, however. You can even get Neutrik XLR connectors with a black finish to match the front panel of the Focusrite.

I'm not sure that this was the motivation for their design decision, but putting the microphone inputs on the front the way they do also allows them to move them as far away from the DC-DC converter as possible. The microphone (and especially the instrument input) are the most sensitive parts of the interface, and it's in their best interest to keep high gain stages (and high-impedance instrument inputs) away from sources of noise.

 

Here's an interface that does have the microphone inputs on the back without moving to a rack-mount form factor:

https://www.fullcompass.com/prod/586150-solid-state-logic-ssl2-2x2-usb-audio-interface

 

I suspect you're paying an awful lot for the SSL name (which really doesn't mean much on something like this) and those fancy Sifam knobs, but hey, you complained about the location of the connectors on the Focusrite. I wonder if that "4K" button makes it sound as lousy as an original SSL 4000E. 

[Barn1356]

21 hours ago, Padblaze said:

my cable management is ruined because of you focusrite solo 3rd gen

What made you choose the focusrite, there are a lot of other audio interfaces that have XLR on the back or even on both the back and front. I use the M-Audio MTrack 2x2m it is great as I can route my XLR behind, but still plug my guitars in to the front. 

 

There is no design problem with the focusrite, you just seemed to pick the wrong audio interface for your use, also as said above its easy to still route cables so there is very little visible.

[rice guru]

The reason why is becuase its just how the PCB is designed. these are made for Use so you can have easy access to the ports you are accessing easily for swapping mics very easily. they arent thinking about cable management when they designed it cause They really don't need to. I'm sure lots of people prefer the ports coming from the front.

if cable management was suck an issue you could have gone with a different interface. 

I know its more expensive but has the XLR out at the back. its not as popular as a focurite but its sounds very good and is not that much more expensive. https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/iD4mk2--audient-id4-mkii-usb-c-audio-interface. if uyou wanna go cheaper the Audient Evo 4 is also very good value  https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/EVO4--audient-evo-4-usb-audio-interface. just remember audio is a very vast world and if you dont like something about a particular piece of gear just look for something else don't pigeon hole yourself with the popular gear.