Hi !

I'm running Sierra 10.12.6 (final release on a Hackintoshed Hp z820) and before that final el Capitan.
I strongly recommend only to update Your OS in it's final state.

A lot of my colleagues using Real Apple Computers have a lot of trouble with initial/early versions of new OS releases.

So from what i can say the card behaves very nice (again on my system with 10.12.6) but if other users confirm it working with a high sierra update and/or updated drivers go for it - it's a great card with a great bang for the buck !

 

Albeit in german there's tons of (used) stuff !
https://www.ebay-kleinanzeigen.de/s-musikinstrumente/c74

 

Budget (but quality) Interface

If you record your stuff - Audient - great Preamps and converters - meh drivers compared to the competitors. But yes it works and for the prize the audient interfaces are hard to beat.

If the front end is not the most important part for you, get a (I know it is expensive) RME or a Motu. Yes Motu. I worked for quite some time with a Motu ultralight mk3. The sound quality is in the ball park of the (old) babyface with lots of I/o. Drivers are really good compared to its competitors and a Mac should not be a probelm with a motu. If i am not mistaken.

Oh I forgot - The Ultralight if you go for the used market ;) ...

 

Last edited by a moderator: Feb 27, 2018

well, I started with HDSPe AIO, then Fireface 802..twice.., then Babyface, then Fireface UFX...and second one..., waiting for second Octamic to arrive, so I can go 30in/30out finally :D

 

His budget is 225 euros.

For that money, he can't afford RME.

Look into the ZOOM UAC2 or the TAC2.

 

All in all, for my needs Im going to get the UR44.

I've hesitated a lot btw the Audient id14 and UR44,understanding that the Audient has better pre-amps, a bit as a friend put it, somehow more boutique than other interfaces of similar price, but it also has few limitations that I can't live with, while UR44 has that Yamaha sound handling thing that doesn't seem so bad, and one can also use effects during direct monitoring.

If I had the money, I would go for Motu, among its capabilites I like that it can perform as if it were a daw on its own, very cool thing if one is in the mood of jamming and wants to program effects.

Of course, if after the purchase of the selected product, it doesn't satisfy my expectations, I would apply for a refund

 

Respectable choice.

Steinberg has a long history in software; created the vst standard.

Audient is new to the audio interface game; established history in mixing desks and outboard rack gear.

 

I've had a Mackie Onyx Blackjack (now discontinued I thnk but you could prob still find one on Ebay or Amazon for 150 or less) and an Audient iD4. I think they both fit your criteria. I hear a lot about how bad the Audient drivers are but mine perform well enough, and noticeably better than the Mackie. I regularly load up half-finished or mostly-finished tracks, set my Audient driver to min latency/64 samples and it works fine for tracking.


edit - nvm I forgot you needed midi. rest of my points stand.

 

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/iD14

a lot to be said for Audient quality....
however, Steinberg's Yamaha drivers are on par with, or better than anything out there I have used,
as long as you are not using the Hi-Z or phantom power directly, which have known issues which apparently Steinberg has never seen fit to even address, much less repair... there are ways around these failings.. which involve less than optimal tweaking,
and of course.. mo' money

If you don't need 4 inputs, and don't play electric guitar direct to the interface..
you could actually get by with a version of the UR-22, or even a used UR-22 mkI can be had for as little as $50 ...
the extra cost for the UR-44 isn't getting you anything more in terms of sound quality

also you can get midi in via USB, so that should not necessarily be an issue when using
Audient, but the Steinberg interfaces do conveniently have those in/outs if needed

 

Last edited by a moderator: Feb 28, 2018

I am going to guess that Rolma needs the midi in because she has an old analogue keyboard with a midi in/out/thru. Otherwise your idea is a no- brainer.

 

Indeed... I have an old Korg K25 which is convenient and portable, but does not have USB drivers for my version of Windows,
but it works just fine using midi cables... at a $20 investment in the controller, I won't bother complaining too much..

 

Very useful thoughts!

The audiointerface hasn't yet arrived due to a generalised delay on continental logistics because of the bad weather.Another soundless weekend

I ll take all the suggestions above into account when testing my actual purchase.

 

You are referring to muting the dry mix correct? You should add that in your comment people might not know