Audio Interface for Mac G5

November 10, 2005 8:56 AM

AudioFilter:Looking for a high-quality audio interface to receive two mics in to my Mac.

I'm looking for an external audio interface for my mac. It needs to have at leat two seperate XLR mic inputs that can be recieved in to Soundtracl Pro or Logic as distinct/seperate stereo channels, not simply left and right. This is a must. Other than that I'm open to suggestions and experiences.

Please note if the interface is USB or firewire. Thanks a bunch.

posted by captainscared to Computers & Internet (9 answers total)

Event1 makes — or used to make — a mixer/interface called the EZBus, that with the separate EZ8 PCI ADAT interface, gives you eight channels of digital audio.

Two of the eight channels on the EZBus interface are XLR mic inputs. Control profiles are included for Logic, so that you can map the inputs to separate channels in the sequencer for recording purposes.

I own an EZBus and love it. Solid as a rock, and doubles as a small mixer board for gigs. Borrowed the EZ8 to test the multichannel stuff. With the EZ8 it uses USB to only give you two channels of audio adapter support, so you'll need the EZ8 card.
posted by Rothko at 9:18 AM on November 10, 2005

"Without the EZ8 it uses USB..."
posted by Rothko at 9:19 AM on November 10, 2005

I have the same-ish requirements as you, and ended up buying a M-Audio Audiophile USB. You can set it up as two separate inputs, although you need an external, powered mixer to drive your inputs. I wish I'd bought the Tascam US-122, though. This is probably pretty close to what you want.
posted by hamfisted at 9:30 AM on November 10, 2005

I'm in the same boat right now, although I'm looking for at least 5 discreet XLR inputs, so I can record a drum kit. (Hard to find for less than $1000 Canadian.)

M-Audio has probably got what you are looking for, they have a couple of interfaces with 2 XLR's, USB or Firewire, for a couple hundred bucks.

Presonus has a few options, I believe there is one with 2 XLR's. Their "FirePod" has 8 XLR preamps, which is more than you need, I guess. That one also comes with Cubase.
posted by chococat at 9:32 AM on November 10, 2005

I just found this Edirol site as well, part of Roland it seems. I hadn't heard of these before. Many 2xXLR units. I couldn't find prices, though.
posted by chococat at 9:43 AM on November 10, 2005

Any of these Edirol interfaces will do what you need :

FA-101
FA-66
UA-101
UA-25

The ability to record from the two inputs as separate audio tracks is handled by your software. If you're running Logic, this won't be a problem at all.

You don't mention what kind of mics you will be using. Bear in mind that if they require phantom power, you'll need to get an interface that will supply it. It would appear that, of the interfaces I listed, only the UA-101 doesn't supply phantom at the XLR inputs. If pushed, I'd say the UA-25 would be perfect for you.
posted by coach_mcguirk at 10:11 AM on November 10, 2005

It may be a bit more than what you're looking for, but I've had great success with my small Mackie mixer. Separate channels for stereo input, and plenty of room for expansion.

Ultimately, however, it all connects to the Mac via stereo mini-plug. To my ears, this doesn't affect sound quality. Still, I've heard that a USB interface might provide some benefits.
posted by aladfar at 11:43 AM on November 10, 2005

My vote is for the Tascam US-122. I've had it for a year now and it's quality ++. The only issue is that the pots are a bit flimsy, but if you don't heavy-hand them, they are fine. Phantom power from the USB bus as well, so it makes a nice portable recording kit.
posted by bryanzera at 1:48 PM on November 10, 2005

I have the Tascam US-122 and the Mobile Pre. They do virtually the same job, except the Tascam is also a MIDI interface. (I bought the Mobile Pre first, then a keyboard, then realised I needed a midi interface couldn't put a soundcard in my PCI-slotless Powerbook so had to get the Tascam, making the Mobile Pre redundant.)

However, I'd recommend the Mobile Pre. It has much fewer bells and whistles, but much easier to use, both phsyically and in software. You might want to look at the comparative noise to signal ratios of the two devices. The Tascam, being more expensive, might be better.
posted by pollystark at 2:23 AM on November 11, 2005