Looking for a good 4 in 4 out Audio interface

Artefact2001

Looking for options, interested in the Focusrite Scarlett 6i6 and the iConnectivity Audio 4. I’ll be recording audio into the iPad and also Ableton. Now I can record audio and route MIDI via the directly to the computer via the lightning cable, what is the real advantage of the iC4? I’ve also heard this is a bit fiddly in terms of software and set-up. Be great to hear your thoughts

BlueGreenSpiral

Is this with a Mac or pc setup?

Tarekith

I've been using the lightening cable method for awhile now to record into Live. Other than having to activate the iOS device in your Mac's Audio MIDI settings, I don;t find it fiddly at all. MUCH better sounding than using the headphone out on your iOS devices.

eross

iconnectivity is the shit! I have the little iconnectmidi2+. It changed the way i use my ipad with my daw. not only can you run midi and audio into abelton, but you can send midi out of abelton, process or use it however you want on your ipad, and send it all back into abelton to record. And with abelton link, it keeps everything synced up.
All this without routing cables and changing configurations, etc. After your first time setting up the configuration template in your iconnect( it’s not that bad to set up, and if you have any questions, the developers at iconnect are very helpful) just plug in your lighting cable and your ready.
I’ve had mine for maybe 4-5 years, and it has worked flawlessly since then. it really will make you wonder why you hadn’t bought one earlier. hope this helps

gonekrazy3000

@Artefact2001 said:
Looking for options, interested in the Focusrite Scarlett 6i6 and the iConnectivity Audio 4. I’ll be recording audio into the iPad and also Ableton. Now I can record audio and route MIDI via the directly to the computer via the lightning cable, what is the real advantage of the iC4? I’ve also heard this is a bit fiddly in terms of software and set-up. Be great to hear your thoughts

Get an Ica4+. Other then sending audio from an iPad into ableton it's absolutely magical what it can do via loopback. I actually have 8 ins and 8 outs going between ableton and VCVRack. Turning ableton into a modular monster. Way I've set it up is 10 ins and 10 outs. So 2 of my physical inputs go to my speakers. While 2 of my physical inputs connect to ableton. So it's ableton+VCVRack+0-coast+volca(bass or keys). I sometimes swap around to iPad inputs instead of the physical ones in different combos. You can get 16 channels from the iPad into ableton quite easily.

It's learning curve is steep but it's one of the best interfaces I have ever used in my life.

ToMess

I have focusrite 6i6 mki and its nice, especially considering i got it for 100€ used. Only real problem(and very big to me) is that there is no physical knob to switch between direct and daw monitoring and you cant blend between them. To chabge from direct monitoring from daw monitor, you need to hook the interface to computer, use software to change the setting, save settings to hardware and then you can hook it back to ipad. Who ever decided on this sort of thing clearly has no clue what is needed from an interface..

DeVlaeminck

Don’t forget this one
https://www.steinberg.net/en/products/audio_interfaces/ur_series/models/ur44.html
Very dependable 4in4out works nicely with IOS.

audiblevideo

At $580 prob not what you're lookin for but I'll post anyway:

K-Mix Keith McMillan

Audio Interface
USB Bus Powered
Ultra-Low Noise µPre™ Preamps
High-End AKM Converters
32-bit Floating Point Signal Path
8-in/10-out Audio
Programmable Mixer
Per Channel DSP
Flexible Routing
Standalone Quad 5.1, 7.1 and Octo Surround Mixer
Onboard Preset Storage
No Computer Required
Control Surface
Ultra-Sensitive Precision Rotaries and Faders
User Assignable MIDI Controls
Light Weight and Portable
Rugged Construction, No Moving Parts

iOSounddesign

If you want great value for your money, i'd take a serious look at the Behringer UMC404HD Frankly, it can't be beat at this price point. https://www.music-group.com/Categories/Behringer/Computer-Audio/Audio-Interfaces/UMC404HD/p/P0BK1

JohnInBoston

I had a Scarlett 8i6 and moved up to a iCA4+. As @gonekrazy3000 says, the iCA4+ really is a great interface, especially for iOS devices. It will charge an iPad while streaming audio, which is a big bonus that my Scarlett didn't do. The signal routing matrix can be a bit intimidating at first, but provides all the flexibility you'll ever want. The iOS iConfig for Audio app is not perfect, but I just read on this forum a few days ago that an overhaul is in the works. I wouldn't hold off for that reason, because Focusrite doesn't even have an iOS app for configuring their Scarlett line. I'd vote strongly for the iCA over the Scarlett.

Telefunky

as @gonekrazy3000 already mentioned you can send the output of several apps at once to the PC/Mac and in reverse multiple channels from desktop to iPad just by a single lightning cable.
Effectively turning the iCA4+ into 2 interfaces - including lots of Midi channels.
The routing software isn't that difficult to comprehend, just the (graphic) design of the IOS control panel with (submixers) could be more intuitive.

Artefact2001

thanks everyone, will definitely start looking closer at the IC4+.
@telefunky are you saying you can record multiple audio tracks eg. from multiple synths as separate audio tracks in a DAW?!

Telefunky

yes, it's one the core features of the iCA4+
in addition to the 4 physical mono in/outs there are 6 virtual channels (stereo) to exchange audio data between the 2 hosts.
dunno the exakt limits, which depends on individual setup, but 6 are granted.

Telstar5

Zoom U44