WTB: USB audio interface with ability to record at least four inputs at once

pintspiller

Our band is almost ready for gigs, so thinking of recording demos.

I am looking USB interface able to record at least four instruments at once, so we can do basic tracks at rehearsal and add vocals later.

Budget is £100, but may double if the right kit unavailable at that price.

digitalscream

Does it have to be USB? I've got a TC Impact Twin for sale which is excellent, but Firewire (I'd include a Firewire PCI-E card).

pintspiller

Have you recorded four tracks simultaneously with this? I'll be looking to do drums, keys, guitar and bass.

digitalscream

Actually, I've recorded 12 tracks simultaneously - only one instrument, though...drums. It has ADAT in and out, meaning that you can get an extra 8 channels in each direction with the right bit of kit. I used a Behringer ADA8000 (about £80-£100 second hand), but there are lots of others out there.

The only trick is that it only has two preamps, so you'd have to get a dual preamp too if you just wanted four inputs. Something like the Behringer MIC2200 (usually about £40-odd second hand) and plug that into the two line inputs on the back.

For recording drums, though, you'd probably want to use more than one mic on the kit; at least four, in my opinion. Two overheads, kick and snare. You'll probably struggle to get any interface capable of recording the 7 tracks you'd need for that at a tight budget, but this and an ADA8000 would almost certainly be the best bet.

Worth considering that it also has an excellent built-in compressor for the two onboard mic preamps, which are brilliant for vocals (it has a number of presets for male/female voices too, so no farting around trying to get the right compression if you're inexperienced with it).

I understand if that all seems a bit complex; it's actually a lot simpler than it sounds, but it's your call

pintspiller

It certainly does sound complex! My experience of recording in the past has been with 4-track tape recorders, although my current set-up uses an M-Audio Fast Track. I have been in other studios which used 16-track tape and ADAT, but that was as a musician not engineer.

The drums will almost certainly be recorded with at least two microphones into some sort of mixer (possibly my old Tascam, but there's no way to adjust phasing on inputs if I remember). I do have a single-input preamp from years ago (not sure of brand, but it's one of those valve ones that runs off 9v or 12v or something, raising question of whether the valve provides anything other than a gimmic).

How much would you be asking for the interface and PCI card if I wish to try the set-up?

digitalscream

pintspiller said:

It certainly does sound complex! My experience of recording in the past has been with 4-track tape recorders, although my current set-up uses an M-Audio Fast Track. I have been in other studios which used 16-track tape and ADAT, but that was as a musician not engineer.

The drums will almost certainly be recorded with at least two microphones into some sort of mixer (possibly my old Tascam, but there's no way to adjust phasing on inputs if I remember). I do have a single-input preamp from years ago (not sure of brand, but it's one of those valve ones that runs off 9v or 12v or something, raising question of whether the valve provides anything other than a gimmic).

How much would you be asking for the interface and PCI card if I wish to try the set-up?

It's not as hard as it sounds, really. Just think about it bit-by-bit and it's all logical

Call it £100 delivered for the interface and card (and the necessary cables - I can probably include an ADAT cable in case you want to go down that road).

trolley

If you want more old school I have a Yamaha AWG-16 I no longer use