Logic Pro X audio interface

Haych

Would anyone be able to advise whether my M-Audio Firewire 410 audio interface is compatible with the latest version of Logic Pro?

I've not used the hardware for a while but I've just invested in Logic so wondered whether the two will work together, bearing in mind that the Firewire 410 is quite old now, or whether I'll need to invest in a new audio interface too.

If I do need a new interface what's recommended?  I've been using my Yamaha THR10 direct to my Mac for a while but I want to record mic'd amps/instruments and vocals soon.  I don't need lots of channels, probably a max of two simultaneously, at least for the foreseeable future.

TIA 

octatonic

Logic uses Core Audio so if it works with the Mac then it should work with Logic.

I've had no issue using some pretty old audio devices, such as my Apogee Rosetta firewire interface, even with modern Macs and Thunderbolt to Firewire adapters.

Haych

Ah, fab!  Thank you that man, have a Wis!

There's such a thing as FW to Thunderbolt?  Wow!  Must look into that!

Thanks again.

thermionic

I had a FW 410 for a while but it was in the days of Logic 8 (and possibly 7). No reason why it shouldn't work with newer versions.

Any problems are more likely to stem from the 410 not being supported by M-Audio for a while while OS X has changed a lot in the meantime. Not that I expect any problems.

Haych

Righty-Ho then, bit of an update. 

Looks like I'll need to be investing in a new audio interface after all, the FireWire 410 is now considered legacy by M-Audio and drivers aren't available for OS X El Capitan and as its legacy will they even bother updating the drivers? I doubt it. 

Drivers for earlier versions of OS X don't work, the install simply fails. 

So, all being said and done, what's considered to be a good audio interface? I need about two inputs, just in case, and probably no more than two outputs really. CoreAudio compatible devices are apparently the way to go, or so I'm told? And I guess it's all USB 3.0 now is it, at least in my budget? 

Thanks in advance.

Heartfeltdawn

Haych said:

So, all being said and done, what's considered to be a good audio interface? I need about two inputs, just in case, and probably no more than two outputs really. CoreAudio compatible devices are apparently the way to go, or so I'm told? And I guess it's all USB 3.0 now is it, at least in my budget? 

There's actually not many USB 3.0 interfaces out there. When I moved from PCI to USB2 a year ago, I was concerned that latency would be an issue but this was a completely unproven worry on my part both with a cheap interface (Steinberg UR22) and a more expensive one (SPL Crimson). 

Interface wise up to £200 I'd go for the Steinberg UR22, The NI Komplete Audio 6, or the Audient ID14. 

thomasross20

What are your reasons for those three, out of interest?

sweepy

I'd plump for an old Digidesign 003r and the FW400 to Thunderbolt adaptor , 8 physical inputs that work a treat in ElCapitan on both my MacBook Pro and my older Mac Pro, There is one on eBay at the moment, £5.50 with 3 days to go

Heartfeltdawn

thomasross20 said:

What are your reasons for those three, out of interest?

UR22 - I have one, it's cheap, it hasn't been well treated, and it keeps on working, Drivers are excellent. Acts as the backup audio interface for my stuff, mostly on the laptop. 

Komplete Audio 6 - very decent unit. More expensive than the UR22 but really does the trick. 

ID14 - kick-ass preamps and quality. Audient don't release rubbish. 

thomasross20

SO basically it's eeksie peeksie regarding those 3 interfaces. Have you tired the Apogee JAM (Mac only)?

Second hand interfaces - recommended? Defo cheaper

thomasross20

https://www.gearslutz.com/board/music-computers/899048-steinberg-ur22-vs-komplete-audio-6-vs-roland-quad-capture.html

Haych

Thanks for all the comments and recommendations guy, much appreciated.

Good to know that USB 2.0 is a good option still. I too was worried about latency, especially after trying that awful Alesis USB guitar lead a couple of years ago!

Has anyone got anything good or bad to say about Focusrite interfaces? I'm looking at the 2i2 or 2i4 units or if I'm feeling brave and have my credit card handy maybe even the entry level Clarett thunderbolt interface.

Waste of time for my needs or worth the investment?

Thanks again all

thomasross20

http://equipboard.com/posts/best-audio-interfaces

thomasross20

From what I've read and been told here, focusrire sometimes cant handle guitar input and will clip. But it varies. It's enough to put me on hold.

Haych

Ah ok, thanks @thomasross20 for that, I was unaware of that. Will have to do a bit more research.

Heartfeltdawn

Focusrite sell a lot of units. For that reason, any driver issues tend to be magnified in forums simply because there are more of them. The clipping issues are something to consider but the actual sound quality is more than reasonable. 

Haych said:

Has anyone got anything good or bad to say about Focusrite interfaces? I'm looking at the 2i2 or 2i4 units or if I'm feeling brave and have my credit card handy maybe even the entry level Clarett thunderbolt interface.

Waste of time for my needs or worth the investment?

Waste of cash. The Clarett 2 pre is £350. You don't need 192kHz and any decent USB interface driver will have low enough latency for you to play guitar and record vocals. 

Even basic interfaces now sound better than some midrange gear from a few years back. I started off with a Soundblaster Platinum that was nearly £200 back in 2000. It was restricted to 48kHz, it was quite noisy, and the drivers were absolute shite. For a cheaper price now you have stuff like the KA6, the Audient ID14, and even Apogee is not much more expensive. As you seem to be looking for the £100 and less bracket, then I'd go with the UR22 based on it having excellent drivers, decent preamps, and because it doesn't clip with guitar inputs (at least mine doesn't!). The UR22 is under £100 so spend that £250 saved on the Clarett by upgrading elsewhere. 

Haych

OK thanks @Heartfeltdawn I hear what you say. One of the reasons I quite like the Clarett was because it also had MIDI capability, which the M-Audio FW410 also had.

It's not a deal killer though for it not to have MIDI as I have an old Roland USB MIDI device somewhere - assuming it's still compatible with my current setup it will do, but it's one more device cluttering things up lol.

I'll check out some of the devices you've recommended. Cheers.

Haych

Seems like the NI Complete Audio 6 also has native MIDI in/out and for that and the price it's high on the shortlist.

I also like the look of the Steinberg UR44, which also has native MIDI ports, and the UR28M, which doesn't.  Those two have both made it to the shortlist.

The Audient ID14 looks like quite a neat little thing but connectivity seems limited compared to the others, although it's the only one with an optical input that I've found so far, but I don't think that's enough to swing it for me. 

On the upper end of the price range I do like the look of the Echo AudioFire Pre 8 and the Mackie Onyx Blackbird - while both these are considerably more money in the short term, in the longer term they offer a lot more flexibility if my humble studio expands.  If anyone has any experience with either of these two units I'd be interested to know what opinions on them are?

thomasross20

Have you considered Apogee products? I'm in the same boat as you right now and they seem to be the "best"

For me it's going to be:

Apogee JAM 96k

or Apogee ONE

or NI KA6

Haych

Yes, I'm still doing lots of researching and Apogee are next to consider, as are MOTU, they also seem very highly regarded.

thomasross20

Only downside with Apogee is it's Mac only.