Buyer’s Advice

What are the most popular audio interface brands?

Do you actually need an audio interface?

If you’re a musician who wants to make great quality recordings and listen back to them on decent speakers, then you really need an audio interface. They allow you to record any audio into your computer or smart device. You can capture anything, from strumming guitars and your singing through to a complete band or orchestra. Once recorded, you can then mix that audio into a song in your DAW and hear the results back through pro-grade speakers.

How many inputs and outputs do I need?

When choosing the best audio interface for your studio, the first thing you need to work out is the number and type of inputs and outputs you need. If you only want to plug in one microphone or instrument at a time – if you’re a solo producer who generates most of their sounds inside the computer, this is probably you – just one or two inputs will be plenty. If this is the case then most of the interfaces featured in this Best Audio Interface For Under £200 will suffice. However, if you want to record a live band, you’ll need to think about more inputs. Multiple outputs can also be useful if you want to set up separate headphone mixes (if you’re a DJ, for example) or send audio elsewhere for further processing.

What types of inputs and outputs do I need?

On most audio interfaces you’ll typically find both XLR and 1/4inch inputs, often combined into combo connectors so that you can plug mics, guitars, synths and the like into the same input. Many interfaces also offer a phantom power option, which is required if you want to use certain mics.

Some audio interfaces also have MIDI I/O on them, which could save you from having to buy a separate interface for external MIDI gear. If you only intend to use a MIDI keyboard, though, remember that this could plug into one of your computer’s other USB ports, so MIDI I/O might not be an essential requirement.

How to connect your audio interface

Most audio interfaces connect to your computer by USB or Thunderbolt or by using a Lightning adaptor with iOS devices. The cable required for connectivity usually ships with the interface but not always with Thunderbolt 3 and Lightning, so do check what you get in the box.

Most interfaces are classcompliant, so will work out of the box – just plug them in and start using them straight away. Some come with extra software that you’ll need to access some of their more detailed functions and routing. Many, especially mobile interfaces, are bus-powered so you don’t have to plug a mains power supply into them.

Specs always include the numbers of audio inputs (as XLR or 1/4-inch jack or a combination of the two) and audio outputs. Inputs indicate the number of instruments or microphones you can connect up to record simultaneously. Check the interface has a phantom power option if you want to connect up a condenser mic which requires external power. The number of outputs refers to the number of connections available to your studio speakers or other hardware boxes, including outboard effects.

What is low-latency recording exactly?

You’ll find that most contemporary audio interfaces offer a lowlatency recording option, which means you can stay in time with your project when adding more tracks. Some interfaces also promise latency levels that are low enough to use effect plugins in ‘real-time’ on the input as you record, while others have their own DSP processing built in.

What should I be expecting to pay for an audio interface?

The best audio interface for you will at least partly come down to price. This buyers guide is for those with a budget of $/£200 and as you can see, you get some great interfaces for that outlay. If your budget is less than $/£100, we also recommend reading our guide focused specifically on the best budget audio interfaces if you have less to spend.

Interfaces are serious pieces of kit that should keep the audio signal quality high throughout the recording process, but you needn’t pay serious money for them. If you are an in-the-box producer, you might only need one input at any one time to record, plus a couple of outputs to your speakers. Even a singer/guitarist can get away with just two inputs, and a decent 1 or 2-input/2-output audio interface only costs from around $/£50 up to $/£200. Add more inputs and better quality preamps on these – which will give you a better quality audio recording – and you could pay anything from $/£200 to $/£700 for a mediumsized interface capable of recording all of the outputs from a band, for example.

Pro grade interfaces with fast connectivity, the ability to power software (see Universal Audio) and digital inputs and outputs can tip into four figures – sometimes up to $/£2,000 – but you might not need any or all of the extras they offer. Many interfaces support an array of digital ins and outs like ADAT and S/PDIF, for example, two digital standards you only need to take into consideration if you have other audio gear with these inputs and outputs included.

There are many companies making audio interfaces but some brands that score consistently well in our reviews in terms of build quality, features and value are Apogee, Audient, Focusrite, Native Instruments, Steinberg, SSL and Universal Audio.

How do we test audio interfaces on review?

Audio interfaces are essentially devices designed to record audio into your computer DAW, and play it back out. The key factors when testing them are how easily they do this and the level of audio quality they are capable of delivering while doing so.

Many audio interfaces are ‘plug ‘n’ play’ so will be picked up by your computer and DAW when you first connect them. Your DAW should then list the interface’s physical inputs and outputs, often as selectable options on its input / output channels.

Sound quality is determined by an interface’s A-D/D-A convertors, sample rates and frequencies quoted in their specs (24-bit/96kHz, for example).

We test for sound quality by recording several sources via the interface’s mic and line inputs, and judging the playback quality against that expected from the specs. We also compare the same material recorded with our reference audio interfaces that we use on a daily basis.

Some audio interfaces come with extra bespoke software that lets you select input and output configurations and might also add other routing options or even effects. How easy this extra software is to use is also an important factor.

We also consider latency when testing interfaces. This is the time it takes for audio to go into and out of your computer DAW via the audio interface. If this is slow, the latency figure is high so can result in a delay between you playing a note and then hearing it. This is obviously not practical if you are recording some playing and attempting to be in time with your DAW playback.