I've got the top seven budget audio
interfaces here and I've tested them all
while they're all great interfaces they
have some pros and cons that I'm gonna
cover today I've run them through all
the tests vocals guitars headphone
levels preamps and even software
included and you really should consider
the plugins and software these
interfaces come with because that may be
the deciding factor for you
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you'll find links to get more info and
purchase any of these audio interfaces
in the video description if you want to
hear how these interfaces sound have
recorded vocals and guitar samples
you'll find them at the end of this
video if you knew my channel consider
subscribing for more music production
tips gear reviews and some inspiration
and if you have a question leave it in
the comments below now let's go over
this similarities first so I don't have
to get into that later you can buy all
of these audio interfaces for around
$100 except for one of them which is
under 60 all of these are two channel
interfaces meaning you have two inputs
for external recording they all have one
set of outputs which will go to your
studio speakers you can use all of these
interfaces with a microphone
even a condenser microphone because they
have phantom power and you can plug in
your guitars and external keyboards into
them as well all of these will work with
pretty much any DAW on a Mac or a PC now
note about latency all of these had
similar latency with my macbook pro but
they also feature direct monitoring
which is a great solution for dealing
with latency direct monitoring allows
you to hear at the direct input of your
external sound along with the music from
your DAW so you can sing or play in time
with the music
I use my beyerdynamic headphones to test
these interfaces and the model number is
DT 770 the 250 ohm headphones which are
quieter than your average headphones but
I still highly recommend them so I will
comment about how loud the headphone
outputs are on these interfaces if you
want to buy these headphones and you
should I'll put a link in the video
description now if you don't know how an
audio interface fits into your studio
that's okay watch my video here where I
share all the essential studio gear you
need and give you some budget
recommendations alright let's get this
started with the newest audio interface
of the seven here it's the m-audio air
192 for this is the most unique looking
audio interface of the bunch and you
better like that because this thing has
to sit on your desk because of the
design and
it's huge compared to the rest the knobs
are huge but they feel good it's got a
combo microphone and line input and a
high Z input for your guitar
I love the meters on this thing they're
really big and easy to read it's got TRS
outputs in the back the headphone output
was a little quiet with my beyerdynamic
headphones the electric guitar I
recorded sounded crisp and clear
finally the included software is
excellent you get Ableton Live Lite Pro
Tools first some avid effects and a
bunch of instruments and effects from
air if you're ok with the large size
this is a great all-round interface next
up is an audio interface with an
excellent unique software package
it's the Native Instruments Komplete
audio one it's got all the features I
covered with the m-audio interface now
it's got a dedicated mic input and a
combo line slash instrument input the vu
meters on the top are really great and I
really like the placement of the volume
knob as well the convenience of the
volume knob is really important
especially if you don't live alone or if
you're in an apartment you'll be
reaching for this all the time so I love
when it's easily accessible the preamps
on the Native Instruments were the
warmest of all the interfaces here I
mean it wasn't overly warm but a nice
warm the electric guitar I recorded
sounded super crisp and clean if you
like the m-audio layout this is similar
in a smaller package the included
software is Native Instruments centric
but excellent you get the machinist
software monarch sent a bunch of Native
Instruments effects and Ableton Live
light now the only issue I have with
this interface is that it's got a
plasticky feel to it
the next audio interface is the tascam
us 1 by 2 it's certainly not as popular
as the others in this roundup but listen
up it has some unique features first its
iOS compatible along with being
compatible with Macs and PCs also it's
got mic and instrument inputs in the
front and then another 2 line inputs in
the back you can't use the front and the
back ones at the same time but it is
useful if you've got
guitar a microphone and an assent
because you can keep them all hooked up
at the same time and with no cable
switching you can just use a switch in
the back of the interface to choose the
one you want to use the metal body seems
strong and the knobs feel excellent
however there are a few issues there is
no knob for mixing your direct
monitoring signal with your DAWs music
which other interfaces have it's this
knob on the Native Instruments Komplete
audio one that knob is really useful
when you're recording but tascam forces
you to do it in the software also there
are a lot of switches in the back of the
interface which is kind of annoying so
you're constantly reaching back there
the signal meters are kind of sparse it
lights up red if you clip but no meters
like on the m-audio and the Native
Instruments my electric guitar recording
was muffled and low it just can't
compare to the m-audio and Native
Instruments interfaces finally the
included software isn't as competitive
as some of the others in this roundup it
includes Cubase le which is a
scaled-down version of the Cubase DAW by
the way if you've got a little extra
cash I'm gonna let you know what you can
get if you spend a little more and
upgrade to the next level of audio
interface watch to lis end if you're
finding this information useful hit the
like button and don't forget to
subscribe alright up next I want to
cover the audio interface that surprised
me the most it's the Presonus
audio box 96 the reason it surprised me
is because it looks and feels dated but
check this out it has two microphone
inputs that combo as an instrument input
as well when I record it through the mic
it sounded really good nice and flat
which is great this is also the only
audio interface in this lineup that has
MIDI ins and outs which is great if you
have an old keyboard without a USB
connection the headphone output was a
little quiet on my beyerdynamic
headphones the headphone jack is on the
back of the interface which is not
optimal the included software is
excellent you get the studio one da and
the studio magic package which includes
lots of great stuff like FX from brain
works and output and even Arturia analog
lab light the only things I didn't care
for are the clipping light which is not
as nice as the meter
on the other interfaces yeah the knobs
these are the worst knobs among all of
these in my opinion they feel scratchy
to the touch and the knob placement is
really odd you'll see that the first
knob in the row actually controls the
second input why personas why but
otherwise it's one of my favorite
packages in the roundup alright let's
get to the cheapest audio interface in
this roundup it's the behringer UMC 22
you can currently find this for under 60
bucks even though it retails for a
hundred it has a combo mic line input
and one instrument input it's got a
signal and clipping indicator like the
Presonus but not as nice as the meters
on the Native Instruments in M audio
interfaces the mic recording sounded
okay but just a little closed and tinny
to me totally fine but my least favorite
the guitar recording was the quietest at
full gain my electric guitar sounded ok
but nowhere near the m-audio Native
Instruments and Presonus recordings also
this audio interface can only record up
to 48 kilohertz which is fine for most
but others may want the option to record
higher quality I mean a few of the audio
interfaces in this roundup go up to 192
colors the behringer includes traction
waveform da which is a really nice style
and you get a few free effects and
instruments from behringer not my
favorite audio interface but works just
fine and you can't beat the price ok
before we get to the last two I got a
little advice I love doing these budget
videos because so many of you are just
starting out with music production and
I've reviewed the best budget MIDI
controller keyboards check it out in a
video here all right no interface
comparison would be complete without
focus right these are the best selling
budget audio interfaces on the market
and for good reason the Scarlett solo
has a mic input and an instrument input
in a metal body and a sleek design focus
right just recently updated the design
of their Scarlett interfaces many people
love the halo meters but I do prefer the
other type the preamps sound great and
the new air feature gives you the sound
of focus writes more
expensive interfaces this company has a
great reputation and the software
doesn't disappoint either you get
Ableton Live Lite Pro Tools first and
the Focusrite collective which gives you
frequent access to free plug-ins from
different companies it's really nice but
you may get a few more instrument
plugins right off the bat with
interfaces like the Native Instruments
one my only issue with the Focusrite
interface is the knob placement I tend
to hit my fingers against the headphone
knob every time I reach for the volume
otherwise the Focusrite physical
interface is very intuitive but you'll
notice that the scarlett solo like the
tascam and bérenger does not include a
direct monitoring knob finally we have
the Steinberg you are 12 this audio
interface comes from a well known
company that makes the super popular
Cubase da software and you get Cubase AI
with this interface it's got a mic input
and an instrument input and all the
basic features of the other interfaces
here now I don't care for the single
light clipping indicator which is
similar to the tascam and Presonus and
bérenger ones it's missing the direct
monitoring knob as well and the phantom
power switch is on the back I was hoping
they would include more software - from
a variety of companies maybe but hey
Cubase is a pretty complete deal itself
here are some final thoughts on my
favourites
VM audio looks modern great knob layout
but it's pretty big for just a basic
audio interface the Native Instruments
interface is super small if that's what
you need and I love the layout and
software included the Presonus really
surprised me and is the best value for
what you get
MIDI included and great software but it
feels very dated and I would put my
money on Presonus updating this sometime
soon finally I've been a focus right
interface user for years I can attest to
its durability and longevity if you can
deal with the lack of that direct
monitoring knob I would stand behind the
scarlett solo so what do you get when
you pay around $30.00 more to upgrade to
the next level of audio interfaces well
in most cases you just get more inputs
and outputs more inputs are helpful if
you record multiple instruments at a
time or if you have a bad
I also find them useful if like me
you've got a bunch of hardware sins and
you don't want to keep unplugging and
plugging back in your different devices
more outputs is useful if you have
multiple studio speakers or if you want
to route the audio to other external
equipment maybe it'll be right for you
when you decide to upgrade your studio I
hope you found this information useful
you'll find links to purchase any one of
these audio interfaces in the video
description below if you have any
questions leave them in the comments
here are some vocals and guitars I
recorded my vocals using a slate ml1
condenser microphone I recorded the
guitar using a Fender Stratocaster
electric guitar plugged straight into
the interfaces this is me testing out
the m-audio 192 4 this is me testing out
the Native Instruments Komplete audio 1
this is me testing out the tascam us 1
by 2 this is me testing out the Presonus
audio box USB 96 this is me testing out
the behringer UMC 22 this is me testing
out the focusrite scarlett solo this is
me testing out the Steinberg you are 12
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you
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keep making the music you love and hey
check out one of these videos next
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