The Best Audio Interfaces | The Ultimate Guide

You’ll quickly learn that interfaces range widely in features which can get intimidating. By educating yourself in the key features and narrowing down your own particular requirements, choosing the perfect model that fits your recording needs, music, and budget can be quite simple:

Inputs and Outputs (I/O) Configuration

This is one of those most important considerations when shopping for an audio interface. The number of I/O requirements are going to vary among musicians. The best audio interface for a drummer fitting his home studio will certainly be different from that of an electronic musician.

You must also consider that your needs may change down the road. An audio interface with more inputs will allow much more flexibility and support more opportunities for creative multi tracking down the road.

Audio interfaces range from 2-channel desktop units that can record a pair of mono signals or a single stereo signal at once to systems that can record hundreds of channels simultaneously. If you’re working alone, recording only one or two sound signals at the same time, or wish to record the same performance in stereo, then a 2-channel microphone preamp will do the trick. Otherwise, opt for more inputs.

There are four basic types of connections you will need to know when shopping for an audio interface:

XLR and XLR/TRS combo

In order to record, a microphone will require an XLR cable to that will plug into the XLR input of your interface.  An instrument such as a guitar or bass will require a hi-Z TRS input. Nowadays, most audio interfaces come with XLR/TRS or “combo” jacks which accommodate either of two types of connections.

Instrument (Hi-Z)

This type of connection allows you to plug a guitar, bass, and any other high impedance connections directly into your interface with a regular 1/4″ instrument cable.

MIDI

A DAW can receive MIDI information through a USB cable. This is great for simple applications, but if you want to sync your MIDI keyboard controller with other units such as a synth, sound module, or even lighting gear in a live rig, then you definitely want to look for an audio interface that has MIDI In and Out ports. A built-in 5-pin DIN MIDI I/O can really help streamline your setup.

Outputs

This is how you arrange how sound will be coming out of your DAW or from a select channel to be routed into another. This is important if you are planning on adding any external effects processors, setting up playback over multiple monitor arrangements, or listening back in headphones.

Digital I/O

This is often overlooked by many who are just starting out as the terms “S/PDIF and ADAT” can initially be intimidating. What these connections do is allow you to connect multi-channel mic preamps to your interface as to increase the amount of simultaneously available mic preamps to your system.

The ADAT optical interface supports up to 8 channels at 48 kHz, 24 bit and S/PDIF supports 2 channels of digital audio. This means that if your 2 channel interface has S/PDIF and ADAT inputs on the back, you can record up to 12 channels of audio simultaneously.

Microphones vary in output and therefore require a preamp to bring their signal up to line level. Condenser microphones require a preamp that supply +48V phantom power. While all modern audio interfaces come with both a preamp and +48V phantom power, it is advised to go for a model known for having superior preamps already built-in.

Apart from providing more gain, preamps often add a degree of tone, vibe, and character. If you’re just getting your home studio off the ground, shoot for something with great preamps. Research the preamps included in the model you’ve got you’re eye on and get a feel for what people are saying about them.

This is where things can get a little tricky. Technology is moving really fast and the connections that allow tools to communicate with each other are often changing. It appears as though some connection types are being phased out which can make it difficult to look at a given audio interface as a 10 year investment. At the present moment, a few audio interface connection types are considered standard, and those are:

Thunderbolt

These connections are becoming increasingly common in pro recording studios. This high-bandwidth technology is currently installed on all of Macs newest computers and PCs equipped with Thunderbolt option cards. It offers excellent data transfer rates and very low latency performance for the most demanding computer-based recording. Thunderbolt 3 is twice as fast as Thunderbolt 2 and 8 times faster than USB 3, supporting speeds up to 40 Gbps and cable lengths of up to 100 meters of optical cable.

USB

These are the most popular choice among beginners as USB 2.0 ports are found on nearly every Mac or PC. A USB audio interface is an excellent choice for mobile recording as the interface draws its power from the computer via the USB cable. If your using an iOS-enabled device, it will connect to the audio interface using USB.

Firewire

A FireWire audio interface connects with a FireWire 400 or 800 connection and is comparable to USB 2.0 in speed. The advantage to FireWire is it transfers data at a more consistent rate and a higher speed than USB, making it more reliable when multi tracking. Their disadvantage is that less computers are equipped with FireWire ports. However, FireWire to Thunderbolt adapters are easily found for cheap and do the job great.

PCIe (PCI Express)

These are far less common common connection that’s primarily found on PC desktop computers. It is an internal card-based interface installed on a desktops motherboard and gives the advantage of bypassing some of the data conversion processes that cause latency and limit bandwidth. They offer the ability to handle many simultaneous inputs and outputs at a near-instantaneous speed but due to the fact that they must be connected to a desktops motherboard, you can’t use these interfaces with laptop computers.