Buying a New Interface

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jddrock
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Joined: Sat Sep 14, 2013 6:43 pm

Buying a New Interface

Post by jddrock »

Hey there folks!
I am planning on purchasing a new interface and I'm looking at the Presonus 22VSL and Presonus iTwo. I'm on a very limited budget so I'm buying these used from GC. (My only source of $$ I can use right now is gift cards I've stored up.) I was just wondering if anyone here has had any bad experiences using either one of these with MC7 or knows someone who has. Also, I've been told the 22VSL has a better preamp, but when looking at reviews it seems more people have had trouble with it. The iTwo looks like smooth sailing to me. Anyway, any thoughts guys???
Sincerely,
Jeremy
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AHornsby
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Re: Buying a New Interface

Post by AHornsby »

I vote for the i2. -h
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Mark Bliss
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Re: Buying a New Interface

Post by Mark Bliss »

Not really familiar with Presonus products. Whats the difference between these models? (IE: Not obvious)

Why do they make two models so similar? is one intended to replace the other?

What do they offer that you can't get for $50 to $100 less in a similar model from Focusrite?
Stay in tune, Mark

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jddrock
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Re: Buying a New Interface

Post by jddrock »

I think one of the main differences is the preamps and that the iTwo is compatible with iPads.
Last edited by jddrock on Thu May 12, 2016 12:43 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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JohnS
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Re: Buying a New Interface

Post by JohnS »

FOCUSRITE THE BEST max £149 :D
jddrock
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Re: Buying a New Interface

Post by jddrock »

Ok, after some further research it looks like my previous comments on Focusrite and Presonus are wrong. I've been informed that Amazon customer reviews are not the most reliable place to check out reviews for gear. Sorry if offended anyone who own any of the gear I mentioned.
(I'm deleting my previous statements about Focusrite and Presonus both so that they won't pop up on search engines when others are searching for reviews on those models. I don't want to deter anyone from buying what actually would be quality gear.)
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Mark Bliss
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Re: Buying a New Interface

Post by Mark Bliss »

I think you would find that for the most part, many of those negative comments are from people who don't know how to use the gears driver and settings.

Some drivers have default settings that need tweaking and many people cant be bothered with learning how any of this stuff works.
But they know how to post critical comments really well.

The Presonus stuff might be fine, like I said, no personal experience. 8)
Stay in tune, Mark

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cremley
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Re: Buying a New Interface

Post by cremley »

Please...give more info....

Have you had a good experience with Focusrite and/or Presounus with MixCraft?

Spill the beans... I'm looking to upgrade an old M-Audio Delta 66 PCI card as it really isn't supported any more. Should I go with Thunderbolt Interface (obviously, I'd have to get an expansion card or Mother Board).



Thanks !!!
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Rolling Estonian
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Re: Buying a New Interface

Post by Rolling Estonian »

As I mentioned, Thunderbolt I/O aren't cheap. You won't hear too much negative about the Focusrite. I used to have a Line 6 UX2 and it worked great, I just upgraded to Audient id14 and LOVE it!

M
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msnickybee
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Re: Buying a New Interface

Post by msnickybee »

++ here for the Audient id14, I bought one last week, really very good! Love it. Outstanding build quality.

Focusrite? I'm in the "No" camp sadly, I had one and it lasted a week before failing, and the build quality was inferior to this Audient. They seem popular though, I see them in every music shop I go into. Presonus are also pushed heavily by my local music stores, they even had a demo evening.
These 2 things on top of the quality aspect made me choose something different! YMMV.
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JonInc
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Re: Buying a New Interface

Post by JonInc »

I've probably owned or used all of the makes in the last decade or so - lol.

Yes, Audient is fantastic, but smaller model is still about $100 more than OP's budget. Personally, I consider the Audients a "step up" unit, meaning you should already have a nice setup (proper room treatment, etc) - not to mention trained ears - to appreciate the superior converters.

I honestly can't recommend any of the Presonus USB interfaces. Their VSL line had tons of complaints the first few years, and a lot of people just bailed on them (I was one). Their hardware forum is heavily policed (negative posts deleted) so you can't get a gauge on any outstanding problems. Even if they've managed to fix all the issues, it doesn't exactly instill confidence. All of that being said, their older Firewire stuff is pretty good.

As for suggestions --
My first choice in that price range would be the Roland Quad-capture. It's slightly over your budget at $269, but you can always find demo/B-stock units online for around $200. Great build and sound, auto-sense preamps (Seems gimmicky, but awesome once you've tried them), and the lowest latency you will see with any USB2 device not made by RME.

I can wholeheartedly recommend anything by Steinberg/Yamaha (I own three of their units). The UR22 would be a good choice for your budget.

The Focusrite Scarlett series is very popular. Maybe the Scarlett 2i4?

Can you give us some idea of how you'll be recording (all in the box, mic'ing up instrument/vocals, etc), and what kind of computer you will be using with the interface?
JonInc
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Re: Buying a New Interface

Post by JonInc »

Looks like the second generation of the Focusrite Scarlett series have just hit the shelves. I just got a notice that Sweetwater has them in stock. Depending on your needs, one of these might be just the ticket! (The Solo, 2i2 or 2i4 should be in your budget).

Looks like they've put some of the recent tech improvements from their higher-end Clarett and Rednet lines into the Scarletts. We're talking cleaner circuitry and more headroom, up to 192kHz sample rate, and drum roll please... much lower latencies (They claim in some instances as low as 2.74ms round-trip!).

This also means the first generation will likely be "blown out" at discounted prices..... So some great deals to be found there, if you don't care so much about the new improvements (or your budget doesn't stretch that far)!
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Mab098157
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Re: Buying a New Interface

Post by Mab098157 »

Starting to look for a new interface as well. My Tascam mk144 is giving me fits with noise on mic inputs. I have some more troubleshooting to do, but I'm exploring a replacement (3 years with this interface and think its time to move up a little). Looking at the same models referenced above.
Presonus i2 or Focusrite 2i4 and maybe Behringer UMC204HD - need the midi and two inputs.
Trying to justify the 20$ difference for the Focusrite and the dramatic lower price of Behringer.

Focusrite comes with RED bundle eq and COMP (which I have heard good things about)
Presonus comes with 27 Native effects, 4 instruments, IPAD interface, 6 g of samples.
Why would the Behringer UMC204HD U-Phoria USB Audio/MIDI Interface with MIDAS Microphone Preamplifiers be almost half the price? No software?

Seems like Presonus is best option? Any suggestions, opinions, or alternatives?
Mark Bowie
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