Audio Interface Buying Guide

Welcome

Basic Studio Gear

Additional Gear

Components

Background

Buying Guides Interface Guide

Other Stuff

Audio Interface Buying Guide

The Audio Interface brings all your inputs together before they head into your computer for recording.

As a result the choice of an Audio Interface is critical in you home recording studio design.

But with so many options how can you know which one is right?

The good news is that as you gain experience, you'll be much more comfortable dealing with all the different specifications and features.

In the meantime, this guide is aimed to help you navigate the various options and arrive at an Audio Interface that will serve your needs.

The models listed below are some that I recommend based on personal use and experience.

For a more detailed description on how these work, visit our Audio Interface Page.

Understanding This Guide

Each unit has been evaluated based on the following criteria:

Bit / Sample Rate: Measure of the quality of the A/D converter. 24 bit / 48 kHz is a good target. You can go higher, but don't go any lower than this.

Interface: Either USB 2.0 or FireWire

Mic inputs: # of preamps that accept XLR cable inputs. Combo mic/instrument inputs will accept both an XLR and "1/4 instrument cable.

Line level inputs: # of preamps that accept "1/4 instrument cable inputs.

MIDI I/O: # of MIDI Inputs / Outputs. MIDI is a one way street so these will come in pairs (1/1 for example).

TRS outputs: # of "1/4 instrument cable outputs. Can be used to route output signals to headphone amps or hardware FX.

RCA outputs: # of RCA outputs.

Bundled Software: Included DAW recording software. Note that this is usually a "lite" version and not the full suite. It is still great to start out with before making a bigger investment.

Price: The approximate retail price.