USB Audio Interfaces for a new guy

[Sheik Yerbouti]

Hey guys,

 

The story goes like this. I'm a college student trying desperately to rekindle the desire to play guitar. I've been playing acoustic lately, but I want to get back into playing electric. The problem is, my cheap as heck amp really isn't helping.

 

I travel a lot, and bringing a guitar and an amp really isn't a great option, atleast to me. I'd much rather have a setup where I throw a USB device in my bookbag with my laptop, and have a fairly competent way to play guitar and record if I were so inclined.

 

So this is all incredibly new to me. And after doing research, I'm having trouble determining which USB interface I want. I've looked at the offerings from Native Instruments, Logitech, M-Audio, etc. and don't really know what I'm looking for.

 

I'd like to atleast one mic input, I guess. I'm not much of a singer, but maybe someday I'll try.

 

I'd like to spend under 150 bucks. I guess with that I could get the Guitar Rig Mobile, and a USB snowball mic. I already have a for real mic, I guess the only advantage of that setup would be simplicity.

 

Help me make sense of this all guys. I appreciate your help.

[Saetaro]

i would recommend this if i were on a budget...which is because im also on a budget and use this:

 

M-Audio Fast track pro. Great usb interface. Easy to use/setup. Its 200 bucks but if you only need 1 mic input get the fast track for 120.

 

REAPER. Great DAW. 60 bucks.....free unlimited demo time. Better than the stripped down version on Ableton Live you will get with the fast track.

 

Waves GTR Solo. Free 1 year demo amp modeler. Sounds pretty damn good and has good effects. And its free for 1 year. I think its 150 bucks after that.

 

This is a good starter route because you dont invest alot of money in software that you do not like and it allows you to expand/try other software. Id be pissed to by the cheap guitar rig set up and not like it but be stuck with its interface/software. Buy the interface download reaper and pay them when you get a spare 60 bucks and use the GTR solo for your amp.

 

 

 

Eventually if you want drums i recommend Steven Slate drums EX because its all ive ever used. You would need to get some midi grooves/loops too if your like me and cant make your own drum beats with a keyboard. I use groovemonkey.com for that.

[Sheik Yerbouti]

 

i would recommend this if i were on a budget...which is because im also on a budget and use this: M-Audio Fast track pro . Great usb interface. Easy to use/setup. Its 200 bucks but if you only need 1 mic input get the fast track for 120. REAPER . Great DAW. 60 bucks.....free unlimited demo time. Better than the stripped down version on Ableton Live you will get with the fast track. Waves GTR Solo . Free 1 year demo amp modeler. Sounds pretty damn good and has good effects. And its free for 1 year. I think its 150 bucks after that. This is a good starter route because you dont invest alot of money in software that you do not like and it allows you to expand/try other software. Id be pissed to by the cheap guitar rig set up and not like it but be stuck with its interface/software. Buy the interface download reaper and pay them when you get a spare 60 bucks and use the GTR solo for your amp. Eventually if you want drums i recommend Steven Slate drums EX because its all ive ever used. You would need to get some midi grooves/loops too if your like me and cant make your own drum beats with a keyboard. I use groovemonkey.com for that.

 

 

Thanks for the help.

 

I just have a few clarifications, just something I wanted to make sure.

 

the M-Audio Fast Track Pro has a built in MIDI interface, if I ever wanted to plug in a MIDI keyboard? Does the regular Fast Track have that? I just like keeping an eye towards expandability, just in case I ever wanted to get even more serious into this.

 

So Reaper is comprable to say...Audacity, except better I assume (I mean, audacity is free). I mean that as in, they do the same things, right? I'm a simpleton, so is it fairly easy to figure out and use?

 

Now for all the amp/cabinet/pedal modeling, can you do that stuff straight through reaper through plug-ins right? Like, I could use Guitar Rig and amplitube and Waves GTR and all that right in Reaper?

[Sheik Yerbouti]

http://breakpoint.livejournal.com/56793.html

 

Also, should I pay much attention to that review? It's 4 years old, and I'm not sure if half the stuff he's talking about is a driver issue or not.

[FrThib]

+1 for a m-audio fasttrack to connect the guitar to the PC

 

I would suggest reaper as a DAW, and those -free- VST plugins as ampsim

(they rival the commercial ones and often surpass them)

 

lepou (http://lepouplugins.blogspot.com/)

LeGion : Boosted higain

LeXTC : Diezel someting

LeHybrid : Marshall plexi & JCM

Le456 : engl

 

TSE (http://www.theserinaexperiment.net/plugins.html)

x30 : engl e530

 

Virtual tube screamer : BTE audio TSS secret (http://www.bteaudio.com/software/TSS/TSS.html)

 

With those you need cabsim : The most common way is with impulses. (nebula is still in it's infancy)

 

Impulse loader :

LePou Cabsim

Kefir - recommanded (http://habib.webhost.pl/vst_keFIR.php)

 

and a set of impulse. The most popular free ones are guitarhack's

http://relivethefuture.com/music/patches/GuitarHacksImpulses.rar

or you buy a set here

http://www.redwirez.com/

or here

http://recabi.net/site/

 

With that you should be set. With reaper and a good ASIO soundcard (or ASIO4ALL) you will be able to monitor the signal in real time.

 

... you can make -almost- studio quality recording with those software if your mxing & production skills are good.

 

ps : tutorial on using impulse : http://www.redwirez.com/tutorials.jsp

ps2 : http://www.guitarampmodeling.com/viewforum.php?f=32

ps3 : http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/production-tips/427135-impulse-faq.html

[Sheik Yerbouti]

Anybody have any opinions on Tascam interfaces?

 

In particular this one.

 

 

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/US144mk2/

[zuben]

Hi there, I've mainly lurked on HC, but perhaps now I can contribute a bit if I'm not too late with this post. I'll try to offer a cursory account of my experience with a setup along the lines of what you're considering.

 

In choosing your hardware interface, many folks will recommend FireWire over USB due to latency issues. So far, I've not encountered any problems with the USB interface I went with. This is likely due to using ASIO drivers, and the proprietary "Tone Direct" monitoring it features.

 

About a year and a half ago, I purchased a Line 6 "TonePort UX2", which I believe is now marketed as the "POD Studio UX2": http://line6.com/podstudioux2/index.html. It's met my simple needs thus far, which mainly consist of solo guitar sessions at home.

 

Currently, it appears to retail for US$199, which may not be within your intended budget, although I found mine for US$149. It has more input/output options than the UX1 model, including optional phantom power on a 2nd mic input. The unit itself is powered via its USB connection, lending to its portability.

 

What your basic setup would look like would be your instrument(s) and/or mic(s) into the POD; a standard A/B USB connection to your laptop; and ideally a good set of headphones or studio monitors out from the POD. I personally prefer headphones. I've tried the digital S/PDIF (coax) out to my Logitech Z680s, but hated the sound. I've also ran an analog out to a dry Peavey VYPYR 75, with its 12" Blue Marvel stock speaker. Here, too, I was not pleased with the sound--my gripes about this amp notwithstanding.

 

My main experience originally centered around the "Gearbox" modeling software, and has since been superseded by "POD Farm", which can be used as either a stand-alone application, or a plug-in for whichever DAW host you'll choose to go with (if any).

 

Regarding host software (whether for self accompaniment and/or recording), you'll have some 'light edition' programs that ship with the unit. Alternatively, there's already been mention of Cockos Reaper (http://www.cockos.com/reaper/), which I've only heard good things about. It's free to try (uncrippled, full version), and only US$60 for a non-commercial license.

 

Coming back to POD Farm, I've purchased a couple model expansion packs when they've been on sale, and I've had a decent time experimenting with all the choices of gear and their positions in the signal chain. The "dual tone" feature allows you to set up two rigs in POD Farm--either for a combined tone, or to toggle between. The latter could be useful with a footswitch, especially in a live situation. There's also a built-in tuner.

 

Unfortunately, I believe Line 6 has removed the ability to share custom tones for this line of products. This is disappointing because most of the presets are painfully awful, and there was a comprehensive community offering up some highly honed tones. That being said, it's visually intuitive to dial up your own custom tones and save them in POD Farm.

 

I'm no amp or effect connoisseur, so I've been fairly impressed with the versatility and tonal quality afforded through modeling. And unlike most physical amps and pedal boards, you won't have to manually adjust every tone--you'll just trigger whichever preset you've already perfected and saved.

 

As for MIDI, there is no direct interface AFAIK. What I do is connect my MIDI controller/keyboard via USB to my PC. My TonePort then acts as a low latency sound card. With this setup, I'm able to automate backing tracks through my host (Cakewalk SONAR HS7XL) while playing through the POD Farm as a plug-in. Again, I haven't had any latency problems at all.

 

I'm currently running Windows Vista x64 SP2 on a home-built box with a C2D E6750 (2.67GHz), dual channel 2x2GB DDR2 800MHz RAM, and a Samsung SpinPoint 500GB SATA-II HDD (~9ms avg. seek). Performance wise, YMMV depending on your laptop's specs.

 

If you plan to experiment with multitrack playing/recording, there are vast arrays of software hosts, instruments, and effects to explore--many of them for free. I recommend you sign up for weekly updates from the venerable KVR Audio. http://www.kvraudio.com/get.php is a good place to embark upon your new obsession.

 

TL;DR: In considering a portable solution to play/record guitar and possibly vocals, you'll need a low latency hardware interface; a DAW host; modeling software/plug-ins; a flat response monitoring solution; and optionally a MIDI keyboard/controller. Hope this helps and wasn't too verbose!

[Sheik Yerbouti]

Wow, lots of good info. I appreciate it.

 

I've downloaded and played around with Reaper a bit (just using a USB mic just to bring in some sort of media). I like it, it's nice and lightweight and seems to have all the features I'd ever really want. So I've decided on that.

 

Right now all I really have to decide on is the interface. I want to sell some gear before I get it. I might be able to stretch my budget to 200, but no more.

 

I also was hoping to find an interface that is pretty tough, but most of them seem to be plastic anymore, huh?

[Saetaro]

i would not pay attention to that m-audio review about the driver issues. mine was plug and play. running xp home version.

 

the tascam thing looks like it would work good. it sounds like you just want to jam out on your computer not make an album. get what you can afford.

 

and yeah, any amp sim or whatnot will just "plug in" to your daw. most you can use stand alone too.

[zuben]

That TASCAM looks to be aluminum, but I think you're right about most other interfaces being plastic. Aluminum is light weight, dissipates heat, and looks great. I don't know if it's any more or less durable than plastic regarding shock absorption. Mine's got small feet, so it does not sit flush and vulnerable to spills. It lives at home on my desk, and I've never traveled with it, however.

 

Another advantage of the TASCAM you linked is its smaller footprint, with similar I/O options to much larger interfaces. It's also more affordable--US$125 at a quick glance. Just keep in mind that you'd still need to flesh out your software interface. It sounds like Reaper is working out for you, but you'll need to find the right amp sims and effects. AFAIK, all of the Line 6 models come with access to POD Farm, so that should be factored in to the total cost.

 

As for M-Audio drivers, they were quite behind in supporting Vista, and even further behind with 64 bit support. I don't think it's an issue anymore, but having written to their tech support at the time, I was disappointed at their lackluster attitude. That being said, I've since picked up an M-Audio Axiom 61 MIDI controller, and have had no issues.

[Mats Nermark]

Hi,

 

I would seriously suggest you look into Cakewalk V-Studio 20 that was introduced last week at the Frankfurt Musik Messe. It has amp and speaker sims and loads of Roland quality fx, bundled 32 track software, 8 fader control surface, XLR mik input, built in stereo mics, a tuner and the ability to do reamping. It's going to cost about a third of a Digidesign 11R.

 

Cheers,

 

Mats N

[smokin lobster]

Sheik.... i need somethin too...moving to China in 3 weeks and its cheaper to buy that stuff in canada where i live. Definitely considerin that tascam myself, i travel a lot. But my drummer buddy who uses a lot of presonus gear wants to send me traks to china...so i want to try to get similar software, and the presonus is about double the tascam price....they say their usb driver is better and the analog side of the analog/digital converting {censored} inside the little box thin...something like the presonus Audiobox. Anyways, yea, that tascam comes with cubase and i read lots on that over the last week...seems good. If u use a mac like i do...you probly already have garageband software.

[Hurtzher]

I was thinking of getting the Line UX2 and using it for practice (headphones) and jams with my band (we run a Jam Hub....the drummer has an electronic kit).

 

The Pod Farm II's sound quality come anywhere close to something you would get from like Amplitube 3?

 

I have a PODXT and a POD 2.0 (my church is currently using these)...can I expect the same quality of sound outa Pod Farm?

 

Another reason I am thinking of going with UX2/PF2 is that I have a MkII shortboard controller that can be used with Pod Farm 2.

[Polaris20]

 

I was thinking of getting the Line UX2 and using it for practice (headphones) and jams with my band (we run a Jam Hub....the drummer has an electronic kit). The Pod Farm II's sound quality come anywhere close to something you would get from like Amplitube 3? I have a PODXT and a POD 2.0 (my church is currently using these)...can I expect the same quality of sound outa Pod Farm? Another reason I am thinking of going with UX2/PF2 is that I have a MkII shortboard controller that can be used with Pod Farm 2.

 

 

I'd recommend a Native Instruments' Audio Kontrol 1, which is bundled with GuitarRig 4 Essentials. Then upgrade GR4E to GR4 Pro for $70. Better tones than POD Farm. Also, Red Wirez cabinet impulses sound great with GR4.

[Hurtzher]

I'd recommend a Native Instruments' Audio Kontrol 1, which is bundled with GuitarRig 4 Essentials. Then upgrade GR4E to GR4 Pro for $70. Better tones than POD Farm. Also, Red Wirez cabinet impulses sound great with GR4.

 

Hey, thanks for the info! I found:

 

http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/product/Native-Instruments-AUDIO-KONTROL-1-USB-2.0-AudioMIDI-Interface-?sku=240306

 

But, I didn't see where it came with GR4E. Do you have a link that you point me to?

 

 

 

EDIT!!!! Nevermind, it appears as if the MF bundle is a cheaper and/or older version of this hardware. On the NI website it says the AK1 includes GR4E.

 

http://www.native-instruments.com/#/en/products/producer/audio-kontrol-1/

 

 

 

Thanks again!

[Polaris20]

Hey, thanks for the info! I found: http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/product/Native-Instruments-AUDIO-KONTROL-1-USB-2.0-AudioMIDI-Interface-?sku=240306 But, I didn't see where it came with GR4E. Do you have a link that you point me to? EDIT!!!! Nevermind, it appears as if the MF bundle is a cheaper and/or older version of this hardware. On the NI website it says the AK1 includes GR4E. http://www.native-instruments.com/#/en/products/producer/audio-kontrol-1/ Thanks again!

 

You might want to shoot NI an e-mail; perhaps you can buy it from MF if you want to, but still be able to grab the current version from NI's site as a download.

[ToddWeller]

Are you just wanting to record guitar? And what kind of guitar? Your acoustic or an electric or both? You did mention a mic so maybe you want to record vocals too or maybe your acoustic. If you wanted to record an electric I would say just look at many of the newer multi-fx modelers. Most have a USB interface built in. Many allow you to bypass the fx/modeler and have xlr in/outs so you can use a mic. Like others have mentioned Line 6 is a good example. I agree with zuben that you should do just fine with usb and don't have to go the firewire route and here's why/how... While recording from usb be sure your DAW allows you to mute the input usb to the monitors and monitor via the device it's self. That will eliminate any latency echo. Also your DAW should be able to latency compensate the recorded track. This very important when recording via usb. Otherwise you'll never be able to get a tight groove. It will always seem sloppy. A Vox Tonelab ST is another inexpensive option. I like FL Studio as the DAW but really there are many good choices out there. You asked about the Tascam product, I have another Tascam product with 10 inputs and it's works great. I use it to mic vocals and drum kits.

[Hurtzher]

The interface I plan to buy would be used with an HP laptop. For some reason I am a skooch paranoid about using a firewire connection since I don't have a mac.

 

The bass player in my band just bought a:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Focusrite-24-Interface-SAFFIRE-PRO/dp/B002E2R81G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=musical-instruments&qid=1298691263&sr=8-1-spell

 

Of course it works really well with his macbook pro. Could I expect the same performance? Or would I be just as well as getting this:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Focusrite-Saffire-USB-Interface-Pre-Amplifiers/dp/B002R9ILOY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=musical-instruments&qid=1298691263&sr=8-2-spell

 

Thanks again for helping a newb.