Combining 2 Audiointerfaces - Experiences with Aggregate Device

Bon_Tempi

Hi -

this question is related to a setup with a MacBook Air M1 - since I am planing to expand my workflow next to the iPad-only style I worked with in the last years.

I am buying my first hardware synths at the moment and noticed that my Arturia Audiofuse interface doesn’t offer enough inputs for this new setup.

So - right now I have three options -

1.) expanding the Audiofuse via adat by something like an Behringer ADA8200

2.) selling the Audiofuse and replacing it with an interface which offers more inputs - for example an Focusrite 18i20

3.) combining the Audiofuse with an old Tascam 4x4 (which I still own) by creating an aggregate device on the Mac

Of course - budget is always a reason - and option 1 and 2 would cost extra money - while option 3 would come without any extra costs ...

and leave me some money to maybe get an Iconnectivity Audio4c and even integrate my IPad fully flexible via aggregate device into this new workflow - which could be called something like option 4.

But since it’s about recording my music - questions of reliability, latency and timing are the more important aspects in order to make the decision.

I come from a session-orientated way of recording/making music - so for me it is important that I can record longer sessions - between 30 and 60 mins - without having to worry about stability or timing of the recording.

Is “combining 2 Audiointerfaces via Aggregate Device Function” a good and reliable solution?

Online I found quite contrary thoughts on this - but not very deep discussions. Some just say it works fine, while others say that they “believe” adat would work much better. But somehow there were no real explanations for either of the ways.

Maybe some people here have experiences with similar set-ups and want to share them?

Thanks.

Strizbiz

I’ve been using multiple interfaces for years via aggregate device feature, never had any issues, I’m currently running to Apogee interfaces along with the SSL 2+. I mainly use only more than 1 or 2 inputs when recording live drums. I can’t say I have any real latency issues since I keep my buffer size low until I’m finished recording audio and ready to mix.

eross

aggregate device for interfaces work great on macbook. it really is the same as having and individual audio or midi interface. just more ins and outs( which is a good thing). the only real difference is making sure your audio is coming in and going out of the correct device that is appropriate to the task your working on. which is very simple to see within your DAW. any questions, just ask we will help you get it setup.

Bon_Tempi

@eross
@Strizbiz

Thanks for you feedback and the positive reports ... so yes, you encouraged me to follow my intuition and so I will go for the „aggregate device“ path and see how far it will take me.

Today I found a used „IconnectAudio4+“ in good condition and for a reasonable price ... hoping it will give me a reliable and flexible solution in conjunction with the gear I already have.

Thanks a lot for offering help with the set-up! I will see how far I can get on my own ... and get back to you when needed ...

eross

@Bon_Tempi said:
@eross
@Strizbiz

Thanks for you feedback and the positive reports ... so yes, you encouraged me to follow my intuition and so I will go for the „aggregate device“ path and see how far it will take me.

Today I found a used „IconnectAudio4+“ in good condition and for a reasonable price ... hoping it will give me a reliable and flexible solution in conjunction with the gear I already have.

Thanks a lot for offering help with the set-up! I will see how far I can get on my own ... and get back to you when needed ...

excellent choice. i had a iconnectmidi2+ and it worked perfectly with excellent audio quality between my ipad and desktop computer.