Current best USB-C audio interface as of August 2021?

recycle

@u0421793 said:

@recycle said:
When looking for advice on a new gear to buy, the budget should first be established, otherwise it is impossible to discuss anything

Well, not impossible, just more likely to have exceedingly expensive gear suggested

I have a Steinberg UR22C by the way, I like it

I suspect that seeking gear advice without setting a budget is just a way to seek attention.
I believe these recurring threads about
What is the best audio interface?
Best monitors?
What is the best DAW?
...

have become just clickbait

u0421793

@recycle said:

@u0421793 said:

@recycle said:
When looking for advice on a new gear to buy, the budget should first be established, otherwise it is impossible to discuss anything

Well, not impossible, just more likely to have exceedingly expensive gear suggested

I have a Steinberg UR22C by the way, I like it

I suspect that seeking gear advice without setting a budget is just a way to seek attention.
I believe these recurring threads about
What is the best audio interface?
Best monitors?
What is the best DAW?
...

have become just clickbait

It’s half futile anyway, as the typical person buying a typical thing hasn’t got much experience of the entire range of what’s available stretching back into the recent past – it’s more likely that a person has bought only a few of the thing in question, and quite likely they’ve only bought one

Consequently the comparisons are not going to match that of a proper reviewer doing it for a living, publishing in a proper magazine environment

I can list the USB-C audio interfaces I’ve ever owned, and tell you which one I think is the best, but I’ve only ever owned the UR22C (all prior interfaces weren’t USB-C) so I can’t compare helpfully

Although, now I own a UR22C I don’t really see the USB 3 speed capability as remotely pivotal at all, and was using it with a white Apple usb-c to usb-c cable most of the time, without realising that the link is only actually USB 2 speed because of the cable

steve99

@recycle said:

@u0421793 said:

@recycle said:

I suspect that seeking gear advice without setting a budget is just a way to seek attention.

Posting that the day after you join the forum is definitely just a way to seek attention. Anything useful to contribute?

andowrites

@Wyvern said:
Steinberg UR22C is worth looking at.

Thanks, I'll take a look.

andowrites

@u0421793 said:

@recycle said:
When looking for advice on a new gear to buy, the budget should first be established, otherwise it is impossible to discuss anything

Well, not impossible, just more likely to have exceedingly expensive gear suggested

I have a Steinberg UR22C by the way, I like it

Probably up to or just over £150+.

I'll check out the Steinberg.

recycle

@steve99 said:

@recycle said:

@u0421793 said:

@recycle said:

I suspect that seeking gear advice without setting a budget is just a way to seek attention.

Posting that the day after you join the forum is definitely just a way to seek attention. Anything useful to contribute?

Congratulations: you're the first one in my ignore list

steve99

@recycle said:

@steve99 said:

@recycle said:

@u0421793 said:

@recycle said:

I suspect that seeking gear advice without setting a budget is just a way to seek attention.

Posting that the day after you join the forum is definitely just a way to seek attention. Anything useful to contribute?

Congratulations: you're the first one in my ignore list

Gutted

andowrites

@steve99 said:

@andowrites said:
Three years ago, I rolled with a super simple Native Instruments Komplete Audio interface, and loved the quality of the sound I got out of it. I've looked at Arturia Minifuse recently too. But I'm wondering what else I should be considering?

Do you still have the Komplete interface? If you do, you could just stick with that and get a different cable / usb adapter. You don't necessarily need to have a bespoke USB-C audio interface for a USB-C / thunderbolt computer (forgive me if that's already obvious to you).

IDAM is built into Mac OS and is how to send audio digitally from iOS to MAC, it goes on a usb-c or usb to lightning cable (not via an interface). If you want to send audio both ways then things get trickier... Studiomux (iOS app) did do it, but it's not working in iOS 16 and is apparently (tragically) abandoned. iconnectaudio (audio 4C) and Lewitt (connect 6) make bi-directional audio interfaces for laptop & iOS combinations, but not necessarily a good option for the technically faint-hearted... and budget is not really the issue here as there's not anything else (to my knowledge) to choose from.

My advice for what it's worth, would be to get setup with a modest 2 or 4 channel interface and think about the bi-directional bit later (you could always go for analogue inputs with a mixer and your other hardware). I would argue that what you really want hasn't quite been invented yet, or if it has then no-one's told me.

Unfortunately I sold the Komplete Audio 2. I'm just wondering if there is anything around £100 to £150 that would expand on its functionality without losing out on audio quality. I don't know much about the Arturia Minifuse, but I've appreciated Arturia gear in the past.

u0421793

@andowrites said:

@u0421793 said:

@recycle said:
When looking for advice on a new gear to buy, the budget should first be established, otherwise it is impossible to discuss anything

Well, not impossible, just more likely to have exceedingly expensive gear suggested

I have a Steinberg UR22C by the way, I like it

Probably up to or just over £150+.

I'll check out the Steinberg.

I got mine secondhand from eBay the other year, just under eighty quid

andowrites

@u0421793 said:

@andowrites said:

@u0421793 said:

@recycle said:
When looking for advice on a new gear to buy, the budget should first be established, otherwise it is impossible to discuss anything

Well, not impossible, just more likely to have exceedingly expensive gear suggested

I have a Steinberg UR22C by the way, I like it

Probably up to or just over £150+.

I'll check out the Steinberg.

I got mine secondhand from eBay the other year, just under eighty quid

That sounds a good price. I'll look at the specs and see what I make of it. This will only be my second audio interface, so I'm still very much learning the technology and what will meet my needs.

Thanks for your input.

recycle

My advice is to avoid the $50 mickey mouse interfaces (like Behringer)
The cheaper/decent ones that come to mind:
Audient EVO 4 $129
AU Volt2 $153

Anything lower than that it is no longer low budget but just low quality and you risk throwing your money away. If you manage to stretch your wallet a bit, you can have more worthy products, something you can keep for a few years before upgrading again. I'm talking about:

MOTU M2 $200
SSL2+ $230
Audient iD14 $300

Danny_Mammy

My advice is to ask a German...

andowrites

@Danny_Mammy said:
My advice is to ask a German...

Thanks so much. This is really helpful information. I'm listening now.

BroCoast

@recycle said:
My advice is to avoid the $50 mickey mouse interfaces (like Behringer)
The cheaper/decent ones that come to mind:
Audient EVO 4 $129
AU Volt2 $153

Anything lower than that it is no longer low budget but just low quality and you risk throwing your money away. If you manage to stretch your wallet a bit, you can have more worthy products, something you can keep for a few years before upgrading again. I'm talking about:

MOTU M2 $200
SSL2+ $230
Audient iD14 $300

The Behringer interfaces are actually pretty good.

I have had the SSL2 and Audient iD14 before, both didn’t work well with iOS.

Typically I use a Steinberg UR22 mkII I got for 50 bucks years ago. It’s awesome and hangs in just fine in comparison with my Motu 16A.

recycle

@BroCoast said:

@recycle said:
My advice is to avoid the $50 mickey mouse interfaces (like Behringer)
The cheaper/decent ones that come to mind:
Audient EVO 4 $129
AU Volt2 $153

Anything lower than that it is no longer low budget but just low quality and you risk throwing your money away. If you manage to stretch your wallet a bit, you can have more worthy products, something you can keep for a few years before upgrading again. I'm talking about:

MOTU M2 $200
SSL2+ $230
Audient iD14 $300

The Behringer interfaces are actually pretty good.

I have had the SSL2 and Audient iD14 before, both didn’t work well with iOS.

Typically I use a Steinberg UR22 mkII I got for 50 bucks years ago. It’s awesome and hangs in just fine in comparison with my Motu 16A.

Behringer interfaces are crap, like everything from that company (clones excluded).
Never tried SSL+ with iOS, but I know iD14 very well and works perfectly with my iPhone as any other USB compliant device connected in OTG.
I give you one piece of advice: don't repeat like a parrot everything you read on the internet, it often happens to be fake news, try it yourself before making superficial judgments

BroCoast

@recycle said:

@BroCoast said:

@recycle said:
My advice is to avoid the $50 mickey mouse interfaces (like Behringer)
The cheaper/decent ones that come to mind:
Audient EVO 4 $129
AU Volt2 $153

Anything lower than that it is no longer low budget but just low quality and you risk throwing your money away. If you manage to stretch your wallet a bit, you can have more worthy products, something you can keep for a few years before upgrading again. I'm talking about:

MOTU M2 $200
SSL2+ $230
Audient iD14 $300

The Behringer interfaces are actually pretty good.

I have had the SSL2 and Audient iD14 before, both didn’t work well with iOS.

Typically I use a Steinberg UR22 mkII I got for 50 bucks years ago. It’s awesome and hangs in just fine in comparison with my Motu 16A.

Behringer interfaces are crap, like everything from that company (clones excluded).
Never tried SSL+ with iOS, but I know iD14 very well and works perfectly with my iPhone as any other USB compliant device connected in OTG.
I give you one piece of advice: don't repeat like a parrot everything you read on the internet, it often happens to be fake news, try it yourself before making superficial judgments

I don’t need your advice thanks, it’s clear you have no idea. 🙂

recycle

@BroCoast said:

@recycle said:

@BroCoast said:

@recycle said:
My advice is to avoid the $50 mickey mouse interfaces (like Behringer)
The cheaper/decent ones that come to mind:
Audient EVO 4 $129
AU Volt2 $153

Anything lower than that it is no longer low budget but just low quality and you risk throwing your money away. If you manage to stretch your wallet a bit, you can have more worthy products, something you can keep for a few years before upgrading again. I'm talking about:

MOTU M2 $200
SSL2+ $230
Audient iD14 $300

The Behringer interfaces are actually pretty good.

I have had the SSL2 and Audient iD14 before, both didn’t work well with iOS.

Typically I use a Steinberg UR22 mkII I got for 50 bucks years ago. It’s awesome and hangs in just fine in comparison with my Motu 16A.

Behringer interfaces are crap, like everything from that company (clones excluded).
Never tried SSL+ with iOS, but I know iD14 very well and works perfectly with my iPhone as any other USB compliant device connected in OTG.
I give you one piece of advice: don't repeat like a parrot everything you read on the internet, it often happens to be fake news, try it yourself before making superficial judgments

I don’t need your advice thanks, it’s clear you have no idea. 🙂

iPhone+ID14 and Garageband going strong here

DMfan

@andowrites said:
It's January 2023. I need an audio interface.

My current gear is iPhone SE 2020, (Lightning), iPad Air 4 (USB-C), and MacBook Pro 2020. I want to be able to send audio to and from any of these devices (to and from Ableton Live on MacOS). I haven't a clue how to choose an audio interface. Please can someone help advise me so I can avoid buying the wrong thing?

In the not-too distant future, I may also wish to connect a Novation Circuit Rhythm, Korg Volca Sample and Modular, to my iOS devices and my Mac. So it would be shrewd to take that into account now. I occasionally podcast, so might wish to connect a mic with 3.5mm and XLR or USB mic to any of my devices.

What might my options be? My main concern is a low noise-floor, and I would prefer a low noise-floor interface that meets my needs now, and upgrade to account for additional gear later. Three years ago, I rolled with a super simple Native Instruments Komplete Audio interface, and loved the quality of the sound I got out of it. I've looked at Arturia Minifuse recently too. But I'm wondering what else I should be considering?

Since I use it myself I can highly recommend the Arturia Minifuse 2, it is a solid work horse.

However, any of the major brand audio interfaces will suffice nowadays. Almost all will give you high audio quality and low noise floor. Check the top lists of any music online seller and by all means, ask a German😁. Don’t get the cheapest one and there is mostly no need to get the most expensive one either. Don’t get in the hype baddest, best, most expensive, etc. You can get very good next to top level recordings with any major brand interface, it has more to do with knowledge and experience.

Maybe as written you should give ur Komplete a new chance if you still have it? I would also recommend as minimum a two-channel input interface, not a one-channel. Good hunting!👊

/DMfan🇸🇪

ervin

@andowrites - one thing that is often overlooked but may well come back to haunt you is ergonomics.

For example, if you liked/disliked the top dial and comfy large front dials of the Komplete Audio, remember this when choosing your new interface. I couldn't make peace with some of the interfaces I tested because I found their ergonomics frustrating, and this includes the Presonus, Steinberg and even the Motu, all mentioned positively above. Nothing to do with their audio quality - but annoying (for me) in daily use. Conversely, the placement of your interface may make top dials inconvenient, in which case the likes of Komplete or M-Audio are out of question.

Also, if you use headphones most of the time, check that the headphones volume dial of the interface is not too small for comfortable use etc.

My tip is just to consider this as well, along with the audio quality aspect. Good luck!

Ps. And yes, listen to the German.

DMfan

@ervin said:
@andowrites - one thing that is often overlooked but may well come back to haunt you is ergonomics.

For example, if you liked/disliked the top dial and comfy large front dials of the Komplete Audio, remember this when choosing your new interface. I couldn't make peace with some of the interfaces I tested because I found their ergonomics frustrating, and this includes the Presonus, Steinberg and even the Motu, all mentioned positively above. Nothing to do with their audio quality - but annoying (for me) in daily use. Conversely, the placement of your interface may make top dials inconvenient, in which case the likes of Komplete or M-Audio are out of question.

Also, if you use headphones most of the time, check that the headphones volume dial of the interface is not too small for comfortable use etc.

My tip is just to consider this as well, along with the audio quality aspect. Good luck!

Ps. And yes, listen to the German.

+1

I may be out on a limb here, but I dare say the stuff mentioned might be just as or more important than trying to find the absolute best interface spec on paper. Good one there!

/DMfan🇸🇪

raabje

@recycle said:

iPhone+ID14 and Garageband going strong here

ha, got you :-) , I know you said clones excluded, but you have a Behringer Delay pedal. I have the same. I don´t know if that is a piece of crap too? I also have a Boss Waza DM-2 and that is a bit better.

tahiche

@recycle said:

@BroCoast said:

@recycle said:
My advice is to avoid the $50 mickey mouse interfaces (like Behringer)
The cheaper/decent ones that come to mind:
Audient EVO 4 $129
AU Volt2 $153

Anything lower than that it is no longer low budget but just low quality and you risk throwing your money away. If you manage to stretch your wallet a bit, you can have more worthy products, something you can keep for a few years before upgrading again. I'm talking about:

MOTU M2 $200
SSL2+ $230
Audient iD14 $300

The Behringer interfaces are actually pretty good.

I have had the SSL2 and Audient iD14 before, both didn’t work well with iOS.

Typically I use a Steinberg UR22 mkII I got for 50 bucks years ago. It’s awesome and hangs in just fine in comparison with my Motu 16A.

Behringer interfaces are crap, like everything from that company (clones excluded).
Never tried SSL+ with iOS, but I know iD14 very well and works perfectly with my iPhone as any other USB compliant device connected in OTG.
I give you one piece of advice: don't repeat like a parrot everything you read on the internet, it often happens to be fake news, try it yourself before making superficial judgments

I have a Behringer umc-204 and it seems perfectly fine to me. What’s your evaluation method?.
My Behringer records stuff and plays back stuff, no discernible quality loss compared to any of the many interfaces I’ve tried.

krassmann

Anyone who owns the new Motu m6? I find the two headphone amps very cool. Yeah, I know it’s pricey.

andowrites

@DMfan said:

@andowrites said:
It's January 2023. I need an audio interface.

My current gear is iPhone SE 2020, (Lightning), iPad Air 4 (USB-C), and MacBook Pro 2020. I want to be able to send audio to and from any of these devices (to and from Ableton Live on MacOS). I haven't a clue how to choose an audio interface. Please can someone help advise me so I can avoid buying the wrong thing?

In the not-too distant future, I may also wish to connect a Novation Circuit Rhythm, Korg Volca Sample and Modular, to my iOS devices and my Mac. So it would be shrewd to take that into account now. I occasionally podcast, so might wish to connect a mic with 3.5mm and XLR or USB mic to any of my devices.

What might my options be? My main concern is a low noise-floor, and I would prefer a low noise-floor interface that meets my needs now, and upgrade to account for additional gear later. Three years ago, I rolled with a super simple Native Instruments Komplete Audio interface, and loved the quality of the sound I got out of it. I've looked at Arturia Minifuse recently too. But I'm wondering what else I should be considering?

Since I use it myself I can highly recommend the Arturia Minifuse 2, it is a solid work horse.

However, any of the major brand audio interfaces will suffice nowadays. Almost all will give you high audio quality and low noise floor. Check the top lists of any music online seller and by all means, ask a German😁. Don’t get the cheapest one and there is mostly no need to get the most expensive one either. Don’t get in the hype baddest, best, most expensive, etc. You can get very good next to top level recordings with any major brand interface, it has more to do with knowledge and experience.

Maybe as written you should give ur Komplete a new chance if you still have it? I would also recommend as minimum a two-channel input interface, not a one-channel. Good hunting!👊

/DMfan🇸🇪

I'm still feeling the pull to the MiniFuse, for sure. I feel I can trust the technology, and I've appreciated my Arturia products in the past, and use their software instruments still.

I'm afraid I sold the Komplete Audio when I moved country, along with a bunch of other gear. Hence I'm looking again, and wondering what other choice I might go for. Yes, I agree about the two channel minimum.

Can I ask, if you know (or anyone here knows), if I want to control instruments that are on my MacBook Pro in Ableton Live, via sequencer apps on my iPad or iPhone, how would I best do that, and how might I pull that audio off my Mac into AUM on my iPad? Live or recorded.

I hope my question is clear enough. I'm still very much a beginner again, after a year out of music making do to serious illness. It's like starting over. My memory for terms and processes is rusty, to say the least.

axens

The best one is the TX-6 by Teenage Engineering right now. Cheers

andowrites

@andowrites said:

@DMfan said:

@andowrites said:
It's January 2023. I need an audio interface.

My current gear is iPhone SE 2020, (Lightning), iPad Air 4 (USB-C), and MacBook Pro 2020. I want to be able to send audio to and from any of these devices (to and from Ableton Live on MacOS). I haven't a clue how to choose an audio interface. Please can someone help advise me so I can avoid buying the wrong thing?

In the not-too distant future, I may also wish to connect a Novation Circuit Rhythm, Korg Volca Sample and Modular, to my iOS devices and my Mac. So it would be shrewd to take that into account now. I occasionally podcast, so might wish to connect a mic with 3.5mm and XLR or USB mic to any of my devices.

What might my options be? My main concern is a low noise-floor, and I would prefer a low noise-floor interface that meets my needs now, and upgrade to account for additional gear later. Three years ago, I rolled with a super simple Native Instruments Komplete Audio interface, and loved the quality of the sound I got out of it. I've looked at Arturia Minifuse recently too. But I'm wondering what else I should be considering?

Since I use it myself I can highly recommend the Arturia Minifuse 2, it is a solid work horse.

However, any of the major brand audio interfaces will suffice nowadays. Almost all will give you high audio quality and low noise floor. Check the top lists of any music online seller and by all means, ask a German😁. Don’t get the cheapest one and there is mostly no need to get the most expensive one either. Don’t get in the hype baddest, best, most expensive, etc. You can get very good next to top level recordings with any major brand interface, it has more to do with knowledge and experience.

Maybe as written you should give ur Komplete a new chance if you still have it? I would also recommend as minimum a two-channel input interface, not a one-channel. Good hunting!👊

/DMfan🇸🇪

I'm still feeling the pull to the MiniFuse, for sure. I feel I can trust the technology, and I've appreciated my Arturia products in the past, and use their software instruments still.

I'm afraid I sold the Komplete Audio when I moved country, along with a bunch of other gear. Hence I'm looking again, and wondering what other choice I might go for. Yes, I agree about the two channel minimum.

Can I ask, if you know (or anyone here knows), if I want to control instruments that are on my MacBook Pro in Ableton Live, via sequencer apps on my iPad or iPhone, how would I best do that, and how might I pull that audio off my Mac into AUM on my iPad? Live or recorded.

I hope my question is clear enough. I'm still very much a beginner again, after a year out of music making do to serious illness. It's like starting over. My memory for terms and processes is rusty, to say the least.

Further to this, I keep wondering whether I should be choosing between the Arturia Minifuse and the Zoom U44. I gather the Zoom U24 or U44 is good for mobile use. Or would I need both types of interface? I guess I'm thinking out loud here, not directly pointing this question at you @DMfan, although I'd welcome your input.

Danny_Mammy

@andowrites said:

@Danny_Mammy said:
My advice is to ask a German...

Thanks so much. This is really helpful information. I'm listening now.

you are most welcome, this guy takes the scientific approach which is most valuable.

From my personal experience I would not recommend Behringer audio devices. the one I used to have sounded muddy and the knobs became scratchy in only a few months.

andowrites

@Danny_Mammy said:

@andowrites said:

@Danny_Mammy said:
My advice is to ask a German...

Thanks so much. This is really helpful information. I'm listening now.

you are most welcome, this guy takes the scientific approach which is most valuable.

From my personal experience I would not recommend Behringer audio devices. the one I used to have sounded muddy and the knobs became scratchy in only a few months.

Thanks. My tendency is to avoid Behringer in general. Mistaken or not, I don't know, but it's just my instinct.

andowrites

I've been chatting with Andrew Tasselmyer about how he hooks up his iPad to MacBook Pro, and he has a fab iConnectivity interface, which is also a USB hub, and would allow me to do all that I'm looking to do. But goodness me, it's currently £339 to me here in the UK, so there is not much chance of me affording one right now. Although it would be lovely to have a single interface for USB, MIDI, and audio between all my devices, and for streaming, and be done with it.

If anyone would like to see more about his set up, this is a lovely video showing how he works with iPad and MacBook Pro Ableton. iPad is a major part of his process. He shows the setup of his connections at 9:00.

He's tried and tried to find another interface that can match what this one from iConnectivity does, but he's yet to find one. If anyone here knows of something, I'd be very interested to hear about it.

This is Andrew's hub:
iConnectivity AUDIO4c Audio + MIDI Interface for Streaming, Live Performance and Recording.
https://www.iconnectivity.com/audio4c

Danny_Mammy

@krassmann said:
Anyone who owns the new Motu m6? I find the two headphone amps very cool. Yeah, I know it’s pricey.

i don't own a M6 but it is high on my list when I upgrade in the future.

Currently I have a ICA4 which has been awesome (bit noisy). still the motu headphone outs use the same chip as the main outs and that is very attractive since I use headphones a lot! Also direct monitoring is now a feature I need since I started recording live instruments a lot.