I’m going to tell you something that none of these companies want you to hear... the
truth is...
Looking back there have been some great interfaces this year, it’s going to be really hard
to pick a “best” interface and seeing how far the tech has come over the years and
how good they sound, I wonder how it’ll be til we hit a wall.
What’s up YouTube Universe, this is Jacob Dark and if you’re new here I’m always
trying to get my hands on the latest gear, to test, review and give my opinion, to help
everyday people, just like me, make that final purchase decision. If you decide to purchase
any product mentioned in this video and want to help support this channel, you can do so
by using the links in the description below.
In today’s video we’re only going to be looking at interfaces released in 2021 so
if you’re looking for something like the SSL2, check my other videos. Now this is going
to be the last video I upload for about 2 or 3 weeks as I’m moving next weekend, but,
that means a new set up, new gear and new videos. Stay tuned as I have some killer content
on the way, now, let’s get into the video.
Before we get into which interface I believe has the best bang for your buck, I want to
take a moment to address the spec snobs out there. Yes, specs matter, BUT, I’m going
to tell you something that none of these companies want you to hear... the truth is... other
than getting what you need connectivity wise, any audio interface is going to give you more
than enough quality to cut great records.
Let me give you an example. I know two different studio owners. One has a high paying job,
and rents a public space where he has his studio set up with thousands of dollars worth
of high end gear. The other guy has a budget home studio recording out of his bedroom,
cheap mics, cheap monitors, no acoustic treatment in a tiny, less than ideal room.
Difference is, the guy with all the expensive gear has mediocre mixing skills, makes mediocre
beats and works with mediocre artists who treat it as a hobby, while the budget guy
has good mixing skills, great production skills and works with hungry, driven artists who
stay busy booking shows. So, which would you prefer? A $20,000 studio with a producer and
engineer ordered from Wish recording Ice JJ Fish or a $1000 home studio with a talented
producer, seasoned engineer and an artist who could make a cell phone mic sound amazing.
Gear matters, to a point, because in the end, talent is king. Now, let’s move on by taking
a look at a few interfaces that released this year that didn’t quite take the crown.
Le’ts start with the Black Lion Audio Revolution. It’s marketed as a boutique, premium audio
interface from a company that’s been modding audio interfaces for years. It’s got 2 mic
pre/line inputs, 2 TRS outputs, SPDIF in and out and 1 headphone jack. As someone who spent
some time with this unit I can tell you from experience, this thing sounds great. It’s
a powerhouse box packed with mojo and retails for $399. And that may be where this unit
falls short.
For $299 and you can get the Audient iD14 Mkii. While it may not pack the audio punch
and color of the Revolution, it also has 2 mic pre/line inputs, but with FOUR TRS outputs
allowing you to connect up to two sets of monitors, ADAT in which lets you connect digital
devices so you can expand your preamp count, a dedicated instrument input and 2 headphone
outputs instead of one. If a clean, transparent signal is what you’re after for a solid
price, the iD14 Mkii is $100 less than the Revolution and is hard to beat on a budget.
If you’re going to be using tons of virtual instruments or plugins and are looking for
some of the absolute best latency numbers I’ve gotten on all of my testing, and want
a premium, top of the line sounding interface with an amazing feature set, the Antelope
Audio Zen Go may be the one for you. It’s housed in a small, portable metal body perfect
for those on the go, has 2 mic pre/line inputs, 2 TRS outputs, 2 mirrrored RCA outputs, SPDIF
in and out and 2 headphone outputs. While that may not seem like a lot for the $499
price tag, just like your personality, it’s whats inside that counts. Antelopes Synergy
Core not only allows you to have mic modeling options with their compatible mics, but you
get a suite of FX plugins that mimic famous outboard, analog gear like the Pulteq EQ and
LA2A compressor. If you don’t have the money to afford thousands in outboard gear, using
Antelopes FX library could be the solution.
So which interface sold me and is now the current audio interface in my home studio
setup?Congratulations, Motu Ultralite Mk5. Yes, it’s $595 making it the most expensive
interface in this video, and, that may be out of the price range for a lot of you who
don’t want to spend that much, this is the best “budget” interface after all. Let
me tell you why, you should stretch your budget and grab this interface.
I won’t beat around the bush, straight up, it’s the connectivity. You’re already
getting solid ESS Sabre32 converters with 125db dynamic range and crystal clear, transparent
preamps with 74db gain, so any quality you can get out of the other interfaces mentioned,
you’re getting here. While you’re not getting the library of FX plugins the Zen
Go offers, you’re getting so much connectivity, you’re basically future proofing your setup
if your plans are to add analog gear. In addition to the 2 mic pre/line/instrument inputs, you’re
getting 6 line inputs, a whopping 10 TRS line outputs, MIDI in and out, ADAT in and out,
SPDIF in and out, and 1 headphone output. The expansion options are near limitless and
that, combined with the top of the line quality you’ll get out of this unit, make this the
one to get in 2021.
The bottom line is that every interface mentioned in this video is more than capable of getting
you professional results, the real question here is what kind of set up do you plan on
having. Buy according to your needs, not the hype, because once again, the talent and skill
level of your producer, engineer and artist is what’s really going to make the difference
in the final product.
That’s going to do it for today, so, until next time, be sure to hit that subscribe button
and notification bell, so you can be alerted each time I upload more content. So, until
next time, thank you for watching, stay tuned and have a great day.