Your audio interface is the centerpiece of your home studio, linking directly to your computer via USB and converting analogue signals into digital ones, so they can be recorded, edited, and remixed within DAW software.
Your music production workflow may require different types of inputs and outputs; this guide can help you select an ideal home studio interface.
Microphone Inputs
Home recording requires an audio interface with plenty of microphone inputs in order to record multiple microphones or instruments simultaneously. 3-pin XLR cables typically serve this purpose (and also offer +48V phantom power for condenser mics), so make sure the one you select provides enough inputs for both current and potential future needs, so as to prevent needing upgrades prematurely.
An integral component of any home studio interface are analog-to-digital (“A/D”) converters. These devices convert analog signals from microphones or instruments into digital ones and zeroes that can be processed by computers; after processing they’re sent out via audio interface outputs for use by speakers in your studio or headphones for listening purposes.
Some interfaces also come equipped with additional features to facilitate recording sessions, including preamps that deliver high-quality sound with adjustable gain controls and direct monitoring allowing performers to hear their signal directly before it gets digitized, eliminating annoying delay or dropouts during recording sessions. Furthermore, USB, Thunderbolt or Firewire connections may be provided depending on your needs and computer type for easier connectivity.
An audio interface is an essential part of any home studio setup. These devices connect your computer with all of the recording equipment and handle complex data conversion, allowing virtual instruments in DAWs such as Cubase to play. They also boost softer microphone signals and offer guitar inputs; making these tools indispensable tools for producing professional-sounding recordings at home.
No matter your budget and needs, there’s an audio interface out there to meet them all. Take the time to consider three key criteria when selecting an interface and you will soon be creating your next hit record!
Line Inputs
Line inputs on a home studio interface are designed to receive signals from instruments like an electric guitar or drum machine, and often feature monitor outputs so you can test your signals in real time and listen back for them in real time. A good home interface should offer training options so your input knows which level to set before recording so as to prevent sounds becoming so loud as to clip into your DAW (or worse still, blow out your speakers!). This way you’ll avoid clipping (or worse yet blowing out) the speakers altogether!
Home studio interfaces featuring line inputs are essential if you want to record instruments, since laptop and desktop computer audio inputs are designed for microphone use only, not instruments which use higher impedance connections. Furthermore, AD/DA converters in laptops typically lack the quality found in external audio interfaces.
Modern home studio interfaces typically include one mic preamp and multiple line inputs designed to connect an electric guitar, keyboard, synthesizer or other instrument to. More expensive models often provide separate paths from each line input to their analogue-to-digital converter for optimal fidelity.
Home studio interfaces typically feature an AUX (auxiliary) input designed to accept low-impedance signals from headphones or car stereos – similar to what would be accepted into a standard line input jack. Most AUX inputs use 3.5mm minijack connectors instead of the more typical balanced TRS jack found on most professional audio equipment.
Mackie’s iD14 home studio interface is an affordable solution with line and AUX inputs, an onboard microphone preamp, two sets of line/headphone outputs and MIDI I/O. Although sparse in appearance, this budget-friendly unit offers everything needed for basic recording at home including auto-gain mode with clip-safe monitoring – an essential feature for beginners who may be less experienced in setting input gain on their own and risk compromising a take by overdoing it!
Headphone Outputs
An effective home studio interface should offer multiple headphone and monitor speaker outputs. It should also provide dedicated auxiliary outputs (for use with things such as an equalizer or compressor) as well as MIDI inputs and outputs – these connections allow you to connect various devices seamlessly to the interface.
Headphone outputs can be especially beneficial when recording multiple musicians simultaneously. For instance, recording a choir or band requires each performer to have their own personalized mix, and most audio interfaces offer direct monitoring which allows listeners to listen back without latency – although to do this you need to mute monitor output; most interface software will make this easy for you.
Many of the best home studio interfaces feature dedicated headphone outputs for each microphone and line-input, enabling you to record two sources simultaneously and mix them later in your computer. This is an especially helpful feature if working with vocals as it lets you hear what the singer is doing without disturbing other musicians in the session.
Headphone outputs usually come equipped with individual volume knobs to regulate how much of a source you listen to at once, in addition to having a master output volume knob which regulates output to speakers or headphones and an audio meter which indicates whether clipping risk exists and turns green when signal is secure.
Most interfaces provide you with a headphone/line out switch for convenient switching between these outputs, and some models also include buttons to activate low-latency monitoring which bypasses your computer’s soundcard for nearly-zero latency while tracking in real time.
At last, many high-quality audio interfaces will feature a headphone output equipped with an impedance matching transformer that provides greater output power than most standard USB-connected headphone outputs, which typically are limited to 32 Ohm output levels. This is important because professional-grade headphones require much higher resistance levels that need driving with larger voltage levels than consumer headsets.
MIDI Inputs
A MIDI interface enables you to easily control external MIDI hardware such as drum machines or synths from your computer using USB connectivity for input/output of MIDI signals, while some also offer traditional 5-pin ports for either function. Some integrated keyboards, pad controllers, or control surfaces offer even easier workflow integration than standard interfaces.
MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a digital protocol used by sequencers like Cubase, Logic or Pro Tools to coordinate musical gestures between multiple devices over a single connection. MIDI data encoded differently depending on what aspect of music-making it represents – typical messages include notes and chords as well as information regarding how hard you pressed keys or pads on controller. In addition, program change (PC) and aftertouch (AT) messages allow you to control parameters on instruments and sound modules.
A MIDI keyboard controller’s main purpose is to send out MIDI messages to external sound generators in order to trigger their notes and sounds, as well as control their various parameters. Thus, this controller acts like a remote for computer-based sequencer that processes and converts incoming MIDI data into audio signals that can be heard.
To record MIDI on your computer, you need a device capable of receiving it – like an audio interface with MIDI inputs. A 5-pin MIDI cable should connect from your keyboard’s MIDI Out port to the interface’s MIDI In port; another 5-pin cable will link its Out port with a sound generator for external use.
An additional important step when purchasing a MIDI interface is selecting one with an included MIDI monitor, which is a software application on your computer that lets you see and edit incoming and outgoing MIDI events in real-time. This way, you can ensure that both keyboard and sequencer are sending correct commands to one another and recording correctly.