5 Tips For Choosing an Audio Interface
Author: Roland UK Features Team
If you’ve outgrown your audio interface and want to replace it with something more flexible, you’ll need to look beyond the number of inputs and outputs offered. To help you choose the best audio interface for your needs, we’ve put together a list of five things to consider.
1: You’ll need more than eight inputs
How many inputs do you need? This isn’t as simple as counting your audio sources and making sure you have enough inputs:
- Many musicians consider an eight-input interface to be sufficient. But this is actually the minimum number of channels needed for recording a live rock band: four mics for your drum kit plus guitar, bass, vocals and a mono keyboard.
- If you want to record with maximum clarity and control, a drum kit could easily require eight inputs. So it’s much better to have the extra inputs if you can afford them, so you can expand when you need to (and that point always comes sooner rather than later).
- Remember that although some recording audio interfaces advertise a lot of inputs, they often only include two preamps. If you want to record with microphones you’ll need as many preamps as you have microphone sources – leading to additional cost, cables and connection headaches.
- Check the phantom power situation. Many interfaces have a ‘global’ phantom power switch that either applies to all channels at once or applies to groups of four. Ideally, individual phantom-power for each channel gives you more flexibility, so you can use different mixes of condenser mics, ribbon mics, etc. without accidentally torching a ribbon microphone with phantom power.
2: Multiple outputs: can you send sound to different parts of the room?
The ability to hear your mix on different speakers (or monitors) is one of the most common reasons for having multiple outputs, but there are many other uses too:
- If you’re recording a band, you’ll need to route a click track to a pair of headphones, while playing the music out of your main monitors.
- Most interfaces with two outputs also feature a headphone output, but the headphones will usually receive the same signal that goes to your speakers. If you send the click track to headphones only, you’ll need an interface that can route independent channels to the headphones.
- For live work, you may want to route the music to a number of different PA speakers, some angled towards the crowd and others used for on-stage monitors so the band can hear their playing.
- To sum up, if you use more than two speakers, you’ll need an interface with more outputs.
Related product: OCTA-CAPTURE Hi Speed USB Sudio Interface
3: Portable audio interfaces are far more practical
If you’re recording or live mixing a band, you’ll need an audio interface that is easy to carry and easy to use once the session begins.
Many multi-input interfaces are designed to fit into a 1U rack – not particularly easy to carry to a gig or put down on a table once you get there. Audio interfaces which are more compact, such as Roland’s STUDIO-CAPTURE, have a smaller footprint so can be carried around easily and are far quicker to set up.
You should also choose an audio interface with level meters, so you can see the level of incoming audio signals and prevent clipping.
4: Flexible monitoring gives your band members their own monitor mix
Separate monitor mixes are essential for studio and live recording. Imagine having different cue mixes for different musicians – more vocals for the vocalist, more bass for the bass player or different monitoring for wedges or in-ear monitors.
Some audio interfaces can even send the sound coming from your DAW or instruments to as many as four separate mixes, which can in turn be sent on to any pair of outputs. This handy feature essentially means you have four separate mixers built into your audio interface.
Related product: DUO-CAPTURE EX USB Audio Interface
5: Build quality matters – the cheaper option can be more expensive
If you plan on taking your interface on the road, it’ll inevitably get knocked around.
Make sure you look for an interface that is well built – cheap plastic casing smashes easily when dropped.
Likewise, poor quality knobs and switches are unlikely to cope with life on the road, so it’s worth paying a little extra for a quality audio interface that is built to last.
Finally, remember that an audio interface will be constantly hooked up to all manner of different input sources. The housings supporting the various inputs and outputs need to be robust and sturdy, and they also need to facilitate high-quality, low-noise signal transfer, ensuring that the audio is of premium quality – which is what it’s all about.
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March 19, 2013 @ 5:03 pm
well… I’ll admit it looks good… But @ $1,000???? I cannot understand why, when A/D D/A converters are so cheap these days that these things are priced as they are (for a few hundred more, you have the Presonus digital mixer).
How about a good quality machine at 1/2 the price????
March 21, 2013 @ 1:55 pm
It is all very well you giving this advice as it all leads to us punters being enticed to buy the Roland Capture, but you have to have the money. The product is way too expensive when there are capable products at less than half the price of yours which do an excellent job.
April 17, 2013 @ 3:26 pm
Did we mention AUTO-SENS? It automatically sets recording levels for optimal recording. It’s available on the QUAD-CAPTURE, OCTA-CAPTURE and STUDIO-CAPTURE. Check it out: http://ow.ly/ka7Gj
March 28, 2013 @ 11:22 am
I am not a shill for Roland but I am planning to buy this interface. please enlighten me as to which audio interface has this many preamps and ins and outs as this for a lot less money. Plus it also has compression, tracking reverb and auo levels plus two headphone outs with sep vol, plus master out vol control. Please tell me because I have looked at the markewt and cannot see anything that compares with this, even for the same money.
April 17, 2013 @ 3:41 pm
By the way, did we mention AUTO-SENS? This technology automatically sets recording levels for optimal recording. Check it out: http://ow.ly/ka7Gj
April 17, 2013 @ 9:01 am
Its quite a good interface with solid build. Good for the road!
June 4, 2013 @ 5:42 am
Can roland interfaces be daisy chained?
July 16, 2013 @ 11:41 am
Yes. The OCTA-CAPTURE can be integrated with a second OCTA-CAPTURE, a V-STUDIO 100 or a V-STUDIO 700 system to expand input and output capability.
The STUDIO-CAPTURE can be integrated with a second STUDIO-CAPTURE to expand input and output capability. We have not yet received confirmation from our corporate headquarters at Roland Japan whether or not future expansion with the V-STUDIO 100 or V-STUDIO 700 will be available but we hope to see this happen in the near future.
Roland Product Support
June 20, 2013 @ 4:03 pm
I would look closely at how well Roland and Cakewalk update drivers for the computer’s OS and support the product after the sale.
August 3, 2013 @ 4:17 am
hi. can this interface be used for live sound?
August 5, 2013 @ 5:04 pm
Which Capture series product are you asking about? The Studio Capture is great for recording live shows. Lots of inputs and flexible monitor and effects options.
Best regards,
Roland Product Support
August 3, 2013 @ 4:23 am
Does the interface work in linux? I use ardour and jack for recording. thanks
August 5, 2013 @ 5:02 pm
Sorry Sir, unfortunately Linux is not supported.
July 31, 2014 @ 1:06 pm
could You please tell me which would be better duo, tri or quad capture if i need to record a vocal, keyboard n a guitar???