How Important is the Interface?

[awjoe]

I currently have an entry-level interface, a Presonus Studio 2/6, but I've been told that something like a 4th Generation Focusrite would make an audibly positive improvement to my sound. The recent Focusrite series has certainly been favorably reviewed here, but 'an audibly positive improvement'? What do you think?

[Drew Stephenson]

To you in a treated room, listening to uncompressed files directly in your DAW?

Or to your listeners, watching a youtube video via their airpods on the bus?

Maybe, and almost certainly not respectively.

[Hugh Robjohns]

What kind of audibly positive improvement are you looking for?

It is true that top end converters are 'better' than budget devices. Instead test bench they generally have a lower noisefloor, less distortion, greater transparency, yada yada yada. All provable with figures...

But, it's a case of major diminishing returns and you need really superb monitoring conditions and very demanding material to perceive the difference most of the time. I now find it all but impossible to hear improvements in interfaces. I can measure them, just, but not hear them!

Even budget interfaces today far outperform every analogue tape machine ever built, and every mixing console built well into the '80s in terms of noise and distortion.

So it's never going to be the weak link in the signal path and, while it's easy to be persuaded (or to persuade yourself) that a 'better' interface will make everything sound better, the reality is that other things will make a massively bigger improvement.

No 1 is always the room acoustics — both monitoring too. And recording room.

Next is the monitor speakers.

Then mic placement if recording acoustic sources, followed by mic choice.

And not forgetting arrangements, orchestration, source voicing, etc, and the core mixing skills.

[awjoe]

To you in a treated room, listening to uncompressed files directly in your DAW?

Or to your listeners, watching a youtube video via their airpods on the bus?

Maybe, and almost certainly not respectively.

To me and my collaborators, listening in treated rooms and through headphones. As for listeners, both Youtube and Bandcamp with its 'choose your download' option. (Youtube doesn't count - it's a mangler.)

[amanise]

Someone will be along very soon with much better advice, but, I'd pay my attention to its signal to noise ratios. If you're over dubbing track upon tracks with it you don't want to be layering up noise as well. If that's not what you do, it's less important.

[awjoe]

So, to be clear: the same source recorded on the same day with the same mic and preamp in the same room and afterward played back through the same monitors will sound virtually the same whether I use a Presonus Studio 2/6 or an RME Babyface?

And what if I record ten or twenty sources using both those interfaces and build a mix with those tracks?

[Albatross]

So, to be clear: the same source recorded on the same day with the same mic and preamp in the same room and afterward played back through the same monitors will sound virtually the same whether I use a Presonus Studio 2/6 or an RME Babyface?

Depends on the elements. If you're at Abbey Road then no, if you're in my shed, yes.

[Wonks]

For the fairly low price of a basic Focusrite or a new Presonus with higher spec preamps, why not just make the change and then stop worrying about it and get on with making music?

[awjoe]

For the fairly low price of a basic Focusrite or a new Presonus with higher spec preamps, why not just make the change and then stop worrying about it and get on with making music?

I appreciate the situational intelligence of your response. Psychologically sound on sound.

[James Perrett]

So, to be clear: the same source recorded on the same day with the same mic and preamp in the same room and afterward played back through the same monitors will sound virtually the same whether I use a Presonus Studio 2/6 or an RME Babyface?

And what if I record ten or twenty sources using both those interfaces and build a mix with those tracks?

You don't mention anything about the playback chain or listening environment. If you are using speakers like NS10s or other budget monitors in a typical home studio then you are unlikely to hear any difference. If you have the kind of monitoring chain where you can repeatably pick out eq differences of, say, 0.2dB then you may hear a small difference but it isn't something that is going to make or break your recordings.

If you want to upgrade your interface then I would suggest that things like driver quality should also influence your purchase. That's why I would suggest not going for something mid-range like a Focusrite, which will give you little tangible improvement, but save your money until you can afford an RME interface - their drivers really are better in my experience.

[OneWorld]

For the fairly low price of a basic Focusrite or a new Presonus with higher spec preamps, why not just make the change and then stop worrying about it and get on with making music?

The simple solutions are usually the best

The choice of Solomon eh. Reminds of a film from Brazil I watched some years ago. The favellas were controlled by dangerous drugs gangs and if a 'snitch' was caught, or someone ripping off the drugs money then the offender was punished. The gang leader said to the 'offender' punishment was to be shot in the knee cap "Right knee or Left?" he asked the offender. The offender thought a bit and said "Right" so the gang leader shot him in the left knee.

SOme days later the offender's pal asked, why ask him to shoot you in the right knee, you're a good striker and you're right footed, (at football) and the offender said "I knew he'd shoot me in the other knee, no matter which I chose"

[awjoe]

Well, I've considered ins and outs and pres with my interfaces, but never drivers. So, with drivers, the issues are low-latency performance and prompt, reliable updates so that things keep working?

[OneWorld]

Well, I've considered ins and outs and pres with my interfaces, but never drivers. So, with drivers, the issues are low-latency performance and prompt, reliable updates so that things keep working?

RME are legendary when it comes to drivers and ongoing support. I once had both the top Focusrite box at the time and an RME FF800

I preferred the Focusrite, better front panel layout, the LiquidMix pre-amps, nice warm sound. But post Win7, Focusrite stopped development of TotalControl and on Win10 there was a known issue, only a minor inconvenience and Focusrite announced they wouldn't be addressing the issue, That version of TotalControl was dead to them.

I went over to the FF800 and went onto Win11 with it, no problems, except, like the Focusrite, it was Firewire and its time had come. I would have liked to have kept it, I was familiar with it, it was reliable and robust and I familiarized myself with TotalMix, which again, like the move from Win7 to Win10, the move from Win10 to Win11 was seamless

I'm now on a TASCAM 16x08 which was as good as given to me. Sonically it's indistinguishable and was intended to be an interim box till I treated myself to the RME UFX which is a major leap from the FF800 and the current TotalMix all the more comprehensive. But I sort of learned to get along with the TASCAM for now, though they haven't updated the drivers since dinosaurs walked the earth

[amanise]

I've found the Tascam HR4x4 I bought to be really good value. With the rest of my stuff I'd be wasting money on anything more expensive.

[alexis]

For the fairly low price of a basic Focusrite or a new Presonus with higher spec preamps, why not just make the change and then stop worrying about it and get on with making music?

This.

I've got a 10+ year old interface that is so far from the limiting factor in the quality of the music I put out that I'll probably stay with it till the wheels fall off.

As one who feels like he recently just barely avoided a major rabbit hole getting in the way of making music (as evidenced by my recent monopolizing of this forum's bits and bytes with networking issues) - I totally agree with Mr. Wonks (as usual!).

Gonna order one of those corny wooden signs stereotypically seen all over boomer homes, custom order it to say, "Walk away from the rabbit hole!", and hang it over my workstation!

[awjoe]

Apparently unrelated question (but not really): I can run a microphone into an external preamp and then from there into an interface line in, correct?

[Albatross]

Yep..

[Drew Stephenson]

Thinking you'd want to bypass the interface built- in preamp?

If he's running it into the line in he will be doing.

[alexis]

Thinking you'd want to bypass the interface built- in preamp?

If he's running it into the line in he will be doing.

Yup, I realized that after typing, but wasn't quick enough with my deletion to keep from being quoted!

[awjoe]

I thought things might get complicated with things like impedance or something. You know how there's IQ and EQ? Well, perhaps AQ ought to be a thing, too.

[Drew Stephenson]

I thought things might get complicated with things like impedance or something. You know how there's IQ and EQ? Well, perhaps AQ ought to be a thing, too.

Impedance is almost never an issue with modern kit*. As long as your input impedance is at least 10 times higher than your output then you'll be fine (and they almost certainly will be).

* Excluding guitar pickup outputs - but they're not really modern.

[RichardT]

Bear in mind we are not just talking about the converters but also the headphone amp. These do vary. Whether it’s enough to matter depends on your phones.

[awjoe]

Bear in mind we are not just talking about the converters but also the headphone amp. These do vary. Whether it’s enough to matter depends on your phones.

"Sounds great with any headphones."

I'm sure they wouldn't lie, right?

[Wonks]

There’s “great” and there’s “Great!”

Also, line inputs are often padded down and sent through the mic pre. You’d need to find a block diagram for the interface (if one exists) to see if the line inputs are separate entities or not. But if not, it generally makes bugger-all difference to the sound.

[awjoe]

Also, line inputs are often padded down and sent through the mic pre. You’d need to find a block diagram for the interface (if one exists) to see if the line inputs are separate entities or not. But if not, it generally makes bugger-all difference to the sound.

"When Inst is disabled (white) you can connect line-level devices to the 6.35mm (1/4") inputs such as, but not limited to:• Synthesisers• Keyboards• Drum Machines• External Microphone Preamps"

Good to go, I think.

Okay, in a few short hours, I've arrived at a decision with the help of this forum. I'm grateful for all your input. It takes a village to raise an amateur.