There are a lot of good low cost recording interfaces these days. What separates decent ones (Line6, Lexicon, Mackie, EMU...even Digidesign) from the exceptional ones (RME, Presonus, MOTU) are the software (specifically the drivers) and how optimized it is for the interface. Most have decent clean Mic Preamps and decent shielding, and demo recording can sound very professional if you take the time to learn how to mix/master properly.
The biggest tip for installing USB drivers properly is not to plug in the device until you have installed the drivers. Let Windows do its thing after it has all of the necessary drivers on the machine. Then you'll probably need to play with the buffer sizes (and ultimately latency) to find what works best for your system. You'll probably want to be disconnected from any network and turn off virus scanner, etc. when you are recording and mixing.
Also, you generally do not need to record at the highest frequency & bit rate that the interface is capable of... You'll save a lot of horse power for both the interface and the CPU...I record at 48/24bit, which is more than enough for CD quality....some pros I know record at 44.1/16bit so dithering doesn't have to be an issue downstream. If you are recording really dynamic music through incredibly expensive mic pres, then it might make sense to record at 96/24 or 192/24....each of these record more "information", but whether the difference is heard on an iPod or typical home stereo is questionable.
Good luck, and welcome to the wonderful world of home recording....
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01-08-2008, 06:37 PM
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