USB Interface Recommendations

[mixyguy2]

Behringer used to make some not-so-great quality products so they could sell at cheaper prices, so people got that stuck in their head (either from experience or hearing it from others). Basically, they haven't caught up with the times...Behringer is no longer the Wal-mart of audio equipment. Great stuff, great prices, even with the recent increases, as noted above.

[seeds]

Ive' got one of their cheapest ones U-phoria UMC202HD and it works great for me I power it via external usb with its own external power supply and i only ever use one of its its inputs really but it seems great for me and I use it to listen to mixes with my studio headphones because my speakers are crap

[jlouvar]

FWIW: I like my little 2nd gen Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 USB audio interface.

[Thomas]

Hardware is almost uniformly better these days. Easier to pick a good interface IMO. However, many AI s come with software of some kind. My recommendation is to make sure you check for this at your AI s site and get whatever you might want/need. In the case of the Behringer AI I picked up, they offer a sizeable d/l of everything from a DAW, to instruments, effects and hosts. They may not be the latest/greatest, but it's something to get you started, especially if you're on a budget.

[Mark Bliss]

You know, one option that is rarely mentioned:
IKMultimedia has some keyboards that incorporate an interface with instrument and mic inputs, widely praised pre-amps, and to Thomas's point, include a software bundle that makes them a pretty attractive option IMO!
The added value of included versions of Sampletank3, a TRacks plug-in bundle, Syntronic VSTi bundle, Miroslav philharmonic, etc make this an interesting option for the micro studio or portable studio, or for that matter anyone who needs an interface and 25 or 49 key controller.
Just suggesting it might be worth a look!I
https://www.ikmultimedia.com/products/i ... keys-io-49

[starise]

If you play guitar this isn't as important. If you are playing software instruments with a keyboard, might want to check the latency limits of a particular interface. The time between when you push the key and a sound is made. This is more complicated than only the interface, however the interface plays a major role in latency.
Several things that can help
By an interface with good round trip latency numbers
Turn off effects while recording.
Set the cache as low as possible, less than 512 if possible...some computer/interface combinations can be set very low, some can't.
Slow old computers equal extra long latency times
Freeze tracks after recording.