Hey everyone! Maybe you saw my post on my EVO 8, which was confirmed to be malfunctioning by Audient, so I'm thinking about which interface I should upgrade to.
I mostly record vocals and guitars (often stereo), and I like to record live when I can, which is why I went for 4 inputs. However, I've already come across a situation where I have to go out and record drums at a friend's house, for example, and I'm going to do that again soon, and hopefully record drums and live sessions more often, which is why I'm thinking about going for 8 inputs.
However, the other reason is that I've recently come across many cheap deals on outboard gear on Facebook, and my dreams of a 4-input Antelope were replaced by a big interface hooked up to some compressors and Lexicons in my home studio. Then again, maybe at a cheap price point, it's better to go with plugins? What do you guys think?
I'm between going for an interface with nice converters and have it be expandable by ADAT for the future, or go for a cheaper interface (Behringer or used Focusrite) with more inputs, to be able to start adding analog gear and take it on the road with me now and then to record drums.

 

@Manolo P , what's your budget? It would be great if they could decide what they actually want.

 

Nebula is the middle ground if you are working ITB, although trying some outboard could be a fun experience. The main difference is recording through hardware can't be undone.

 

Last edited: Nov 6, 2025 at 1:52 PM

I can stretch to $ 800 USD, but I also want to consider what I might me able to buy in the future

 

Hi @Manolo P, I recommend the following in this price range:

Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 (4th Gen) - 689 €
www.thomann.de/de/focusrite_scarlett_18i20_4th_gen.htm

Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 4th Gen B-Stock - 589 €
www.thomann.de/de/focusrite_scarlett_18i20_4th_gen_b_stock.htm

You can change the language in the top right corner of the thomann website!

Manufacturer's website: https://focusrite.com/products/scarlett-18i20

 

4-channel interface can be versatile, if it has enough expansions (via ADAT, MADI etc..) then you can get additional 8 channel converter(s) per ADAT at 44/48kHz rather cheap,

me being drummer, I can tell you 8 channels aren't enough, the way you describe you may later go into full band recording, at which point 16-24 channels would be comfortable in the long run,

I use (old) RME UFX with Octamic II preamp and Octamic D preamp (for drums you want decent headroom on mic preamp gains to avoid clipping and I did run into limitations with ancient Octamic D so got newer but still old Octamic II later),
I do use UFX for its zero-latency routing features, monitoring with onboard FX (EQs, compressor/limiter, reverb) especially when using multiple headphones, bass slapping, trashy drums, dry vocals...), but I always record clean signal and do everything in postproduction with plugins and DAW,

if you already know you need many channels, Behringer ADA8200 is cheap (under $200 new) but good enough 8-channel mic preamp with ADAT, so you could buy one (and another one later) and high-end ADAT USB interface like RME Digiface USB that costs around $500 which seems very expensive for having just a headphone output on its own, but gives you future upgrade path to up to 32in/32out via those four ADAT pairs,

analog gear is a rabbit hole, you'd still need all the gear I mentioned above just to have something to connect to, imo not worth it at all...

EDIT - if I were building a rig for a band nowadays, I would consider Behringer WING Rack that offers reasonable quality and feature set at reasonable price - sure it's around $1600 but it's a neat complete package that doesn't waste space

 

Get a good interface with the money. Comment above about "not being able to undo hardware impact on recordings" (paraphrasing), is why I would get an interface with the best convertors I could afford. Because you cannot undo the impact of hardware, exactly. Once you do not capture the audio at the best possible representation of what you are tracking, there is no going back. No matter what plugins you use after the fact. Same applies to junk microphones.

After this, I will spend a bunch of text space on recommending you whatever I am using, because I need confirmation of my own purchases by what someone on the internet does. If you find something slightly used, you will get the best deal. Let someone else take the immediate hit by driving the brand new car off the dealership lot. The only legitimately defective audio interface I have ever encountered was brand new out of the box. Any real problems have been only damage, misuse, and unit age. Condition related issues which are very easy to spot before you buy something.

 

What do you think about the Presonus 1824c? It's a bit cheaper on Sweetwater. The Focusrites are a bit more expensive in the US

 

interesting! Thank you. I don't know if I'll go full band, I don't even have the space to do that yet, just small ensambles. But yeah going for a nice interface with the Behringer ADAT extension is one of my options.

 

For inspiration:

Digital

Zoom LiveTrak L-12 Card Bundle - 539 €
www.thomann.de/de/zoom_livetrak_l_12_card_bundle.htm

Behringer X32 Rack Hands On Bundle - 819 €
www.thomann.de/de/behringer_x32_rack_hands_on_bundle.htm

Presonus StudioLive 16.0.2 USB - 929 €
www.thomann.de/de/presonus_studiolive_16_0.2_usb.htm

Analog

Mackie ProFX12v3+ - 378 €
www.thomann.de/de/mackie_profx12v3_583699.htm

Behringer Xenyx X2222 USB - 247 €
www.thomann.de/de/behringer_xenyx_x2222_usb.htm

USB-C

Audient iD14 MKII - 217 €

- 10in | 6out Audio Interface
- USB 3.0 audio interface
- Combined ADAT and S/PDIF input (TOSLINK)

www.thomann.de/de/audient_id14_mkii.htm
https://audient.com/products/audio-interfaces/id14/overview

 

Presonus Studio 1824c - 399 € - Germany --> www.thomann.de/de/presonus_studio_1824c.htm

Plus

- Very comprehensive features
- Diverse software package
- Good converter sound
- Good build quality

Minus

- No "true" USB-C
- Preamps of average quality

 

I saw that BH offers to divide payments, so I might be able to stretch and go for an Apollo too... or the Antelope and the ADAT extender

 

Thanks!

 

Get a decent interface with ADAT (you had problems with your Audient, but my id24 has been holding very well) and only think about outboard gear if you're prepared for all the hidden costs of it. Unless you're making some serious money recording, I think outboard gear only adds to personal enjoyment rather than tangible audio quality difference. In fact, I think it is easier to have worse recordings from analog than digital, since analog is always held back by whatever cheapest thing you have in the chain.

 

Hello @ Manolo P,
Universal Audio Apollo Twin X USB Heritage --> Germany --> 899 €
www.thomann.de/de/universal_audio_apollo_twin_x_usb_heritage.htm

Connections:

• 2 Microphone/Line Combo Inputs: XLR / 6.3 mm Jack
• Hi-Z Instrument Input: 6.3 mm Jack
• 2 Line Outputs: 6.3 mm Jack
• 2 Monitor Outputs: 6.3 mm Jack
• ADAT/SPDIF Optical Input
• Stereo Headphone Output: 6.3 mm Jack
• USB 3.0 Port
• External Power Supply Input

Go for the Apollo if: you value a creative, latency-free workflow (e.g., real-time emulations while tracking), are looking for a compact desktop setup, and primarily work solo or with 2–4 channels. It's the industry standard for professionals—the sound is warm, integration with DAWs (e.g., Logic/Pro Tools) is seamless, and you'll save time in the long run. With B&H financing, you'll pay, for example, $75–$100/month over 12 months. Perfect if you can stretch the term and upgrade later.

 

Simply visit Access Analog and use the hardware you want... no need to spend the $ on outboard today.

 

I've got an Apollo X Twin, Audient iD44, Lynx Hilo, and my Ensoniq PARIS rig here... IMHO skip the Apollo and go straight Audient for under $1k, the UAD hardware is over priced and can't touch the Audient in quality IMHO. If you can stretch your budget you can find used Lynx gear for just above $1K today.

 

I agree with @shinjiya : EVO is not good but ID serie is very good.
It is a good compromise VS more expansive preamps.

Check second hand Audient ASP800 (later) and iD44 (with ADAT ports) first.
So you can expand (like previous ppl said) your base 4 inputs later on the road.

 

Hi,

No.

Best regards,

-Fowly

But in all seriousness, 98% of all audio interfaces out there sound completely transparent without any audible artifact, unless you really use them incorrectly. The best interfaces out there, like from RME or MOTU, will only make a difference in how reliable they are, not their sound.

As a previous owner of a 1500€ Antelope interface, the switch to a 500€ MOTU M6 was an upgrade in every way. That Antelope interface had some of the most unstable drivers I had ever seen, some of the preamp controls were only accessible throughout the software control panel (which also crashed a lot), sometimes the interface itself crashed and had to be rebooted, its headphones outputs were a stupidly high 120Ω making a lot of headphones and IEMs sound too bassy, and the latency was pretty bad. The MOTU doesn't have any of these problems. It just lacks the onboard DSP, but the latency is so low that I have no problem using plugins for real-time monitoring when recording. And of course, the sound quality is the exact same (and is technically superior, but that upgrade is in the inaudible range if you use the interface properly), apart from the headphones output which are more linear on the MOTU. Any color or analog mojo can be added afterwards, luxury converters and preamps are useless in this day and age.

As for outboard compressors and reverbs... just get good plugins. Even tape, probably the most difficult audio device to emulate, has plugin emulations that sound just like the real deal.

That is unless you want the workflow of outboard gear. That is a completely different matter.

 

An alternate way to go while still having full warranty coverage:
Focusrite Refurbished

The 18i20 4th Gen would be a good starting point. Look at the full list offered for your region.