What exactly performs poorly? Have you seen their "Console 2.0" application? A big step forward.

 

The process "UA Mixer Engine" is certainly not well programmed because it's always at 2.5% CPU minimum even with no interface attached.

So the problem with UAD is people buying their marketing "unload your CPU from plugs tasks". This is a false statement to make you buy plug-ins (and more DSPs) with a dongle (the interface).
In fact, using a UAD interface is a drag to the CPU because of that process, and if you use the same plug-ins natively and make the comparison, you wil see that the system performs better with native plug-ins (unless you've got 8 sharks and 100 UAD plug-ins in your project).

Apart from all this crap, I think the PGA2500 is the industry-standard sound and UAD is the best electronical implementation. RME is really expansive for a colored preamp but it has other advantages.

 

MOTU 828

 

rig kontrol2

 

Last edited: Oct 13, 2015

I also have a focusrite, but mine is the scarlett 6i6 USB.

It's working, and i am doing everything in 24bit, but i don't know. I had to do a lot of digging to find the proper USB port on my workstation that was a "root hub", and wasn't nested beneath one. Without plugging into the proper port, i would get hitches, audio would drop, etc.

Now things have been totally solid and i have no problems mixing my synths and using it as a primary audio interface.

I think if i had a thunderbolt (which is sketchy under windows) or other interface that has lower latency than USB, that would be the way to go.

If in the future i have an opportunity to get something better, i would go away from USB.

 

waiting for an Appollo 8 USB 3.0. I figure, with the twin duo going usb 3.0, Appollo will hopefully be following through with more highend usb 3.0 units.

Currenly have an Akai EIE pro, and its a peice of shit... has always been broken.

 

Rme Babyface and Apollo Twin Duo best of both worlds.

 

i have never been disappointed with my Metric Halo 2882 which is the most affordable audio interface from this brand.
it's rock solid, stable, and sound is as clean as beautiful due to great ADA converters and nice subtle pre-amps coloration.

Cons ?

-OS X only,
-weak pre-amps (to record vocals or low volumes instruments)

 

I'm mainly using a Zoom TAC 2 Thunderbolt and it works just fine, thunderbolt is a great choice for macbook pros with only 2 usb ports.
I have used many audio interfaces, still the best sounding one is by far (to my ears, at least) the Lynx L22. sadly, you gotta move on with the times...

 

lol liquid saffire 56 over here mate.

 

Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 here.

 

For me all products are good today in terms of audio performance even a cheap Steinberg UR22 is fine.
A low-end manufacturer like Cirrus Logic is able to match the performance of all prestigious names above (Burr Brown, Wolfson, Sage).

Then the question is more in terms of coloration etc. Unfortunately the music industry of 2015 is all about having the "same sound", same loudness, same rules, etc. Just get a UAD Burr Brown PGA2500 and you'll be fine.

btw, for EDM you don't need a top preamp because you're not likely to record anything... Just buy a Steinberg UR22.

 

Using focusrite saffire at the mo but just about to get a new interface...was going for either the new claret or the RME babyface or if i can stretch to it the UCX

 

Dont h8 i will be honest..

I still use.. (and prefer actually) an Audigy 2 ZS platinum pro routed with digital out to something expensive (outboard custom thing i shall not reveal) you see when you are using digital/optical out it really doesnt matter does it. I have the card down to 2ms..that is fine for me. So dont hate on a consumer product necessarily... I have made tons of great sounding stuff on it (using the digital outs). Analog out is 108 db SNR, so what? not quiet enough for you? 90 db on anyway and you cant hear any difference, especially not with todays so called mastering.. (holy_fuck..apparently just load on the eq and compression and you will be fine X___X even pro studios are now guilty of this and i hate alot of the stuff coming out these days, you know what? your so-called pro mastered track sounds like ASS to me. And I have my system routed through BW-800 DIAMOND. yup. through my audigy 2zs digital outs.

Dont get me wrong! Rme is good/great...Ive used Rme before for testing and while there is good quality on the analog inputs, many different internal cards and outboard gear have good converters to. I am not a fan of totalmix. But hey thats just me. I like to game to so the audigy2 zs plat pro rox for me still ;). Digital out is the way to go for me.. that way its 100% accurate to your monitors. anyone who says im getting less quality somehow on my audigy2 using the digital outs has no idea what they are talking about. im not. im getting 96khz 24 bit optical out.

my other quick thoughts and tweaks for my a2zspp :
-digital out (on any interace) gives the best clean signal
-audigy2zs is a consumer product but also is EASY BREEZY quick and no bs totalmix to worry about.
-with my i7-4790k the card has great performance at 2ms. Yes i know other cards will probably out-perfrom it, but who cares, its using it with the i7-4790k..right? ;)
-you need to download those other drivers for it to fully work (with all the functions that only used to only work on xp) with windows 7-64bit ultimate..i think its Daniel_Ks blog or something..but his drivers are amazing and actually improve on the original creative drivers. again amazing drivers. but anyway look for the audigy support package.

 

Last edited: Oct 13, 2015

Metric Halo 2882+DSP, bought it 10 years ago, incredible converters.. better than apogee (I used AD8000s etc..) still supported but metric halo after all this years..
Can someone mention a 10 year old soundcard that still sounds superb and is supported by its company, drivers etc..?
Future proof

 

Antelope Audio Orion 32 + Pure 2 Here, the best choice ever.. i had RME Before but the clocking of AA cannot be compared with anything.

 

I'm using Roland MX-1 for the past 4 months. It's treated me well so far.

 

Have a Motu 4 pre, had problems with it using earlier operating systems (Windows 8, I am on windows 10 now) with an annoying feedback noise, but the problem went away after I reinstalled and now I am on windows 10, it works OK I guess. Still occasionally does this though, but very rarely and when I try to power of and on to resolve the issue, it sometimes goes to blue screen. But this is using an Elitebook 8770w laptop with a dual firewire express card, not sure what it is like with other laptops or desktop systems though. I am also doubling up on the firewire with a Uad-2 satellite which may have something to do with it.

 

Last edited: Oct 13, 2015

I'm still using a Combination of M-audio Delta 1010 and 66. Provides for all my audio needs and works "just right" with Windows 10 and Cubase 8 Pro. Lucky me.

 

They could have programmed it to show 0% DSP with no plugins loaded and just deceive you. They didn't. Unless you see the source-code and are an accomplished DSP programmer/developer, your statement is pure speculation. I am sorry.

They explained it a few times. It's the reserved DSP cycles for virtual mixing and buses. Which kind of makes sense, actually. I make stage mixes on my apollo, btw and plug the plugins into the Console directly, rather than into a DAW host.

Well I sure beg to differ with 2 TB satellite octos running on an 2010 MBP. I can fell and benefit from that offload no problem. What exactly are those "Same plugins" you refer to? Brainworx stuff? Didn't it occur to you that they may be "not well programmed" to take advantage of the SHARCs? I haven't really done the tests with them (don't need them) but I've heard that opinion before and it always mentions BX stuff.

Everything has its pluses and minuses. I don't entirely agree with you. IMO, the main problem is the Mac-centric approach of UA with their Apollos. This SUCKS big time. DSP overhead I can live with.

And sure, I kinda understand when people hate on UAD DSP being a marketing gimmick and another way of copy-protection. But it somewhat works and you know... Some of those plugins do sound convincing. They do.