

It won’t shatter the glass ceiling, but it’s a feature-rich product at a cutthroat price.Īfter having conquered the world of large mixing boards, SSL enters the digital production fray with a long-awaited and highly talked about desktop interface.
#Best audio interface for mac on stage software
Verdict: The Mackie Artist 1-2 packs a punch with its great-sounding preamps, zero-latency monitoring, a huge bundle of VST & software add-ons, and a world-class analog circuit. Both versions include a software and VST bundle feature the Tracktion T7 DAW and 15+ FX plugin-ins. I’d only recommended moving upstream to the Producer version if you want MIDI I/O for controllers or synths. The potentiometers are built to last, the all-metal casing is rugged, and the sleek black styling has an industrial appeal to it. They haven’t skimped on quality to keep the price low. The audio quality and features are excellent if you need an inexpensive interface for recording instruments and voice. You’ll get a mic/instrument combo input, +48V phantom power, headphone outputs, L/R line out, and a Hi-Z switch. It connects over USB 2.0 and is compatible with both macOS and PC/Windows. The Mackie Onyx Artist is a bus-powered audio interface with 24-bit/192kHz high-resolution audio. Mackie has now taken a swing at the small-sized desktop interfaces with their Onyx Artist and Producer models.

If you are privy to the mixing console grapevine, you might have heard a good deal of praise of Mackie and Onyx preamps. Bundled with Tracktion T7 & FX plug-ins.Once you spend some time with it, it’s easy to see why it’s the world’s best-selling audio interface. The 3 rd gen improvements have made a good thing better. Verdict: It’s hard to go wrong with a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 or the more intermediate 4i4 interface. It adds heaps of value to an already reasonably-priced interface. They’ve also thrown in a Plugin Collective monthly giveaway subscription. Nevertheless, Focusrite’s bundled content is the most bountiful collection of plug-ins and loops compared to what the competition offers. I think the Mackie Onyx edges out the 2i2 in this regard (more on that later). They’ll be handy if you are a rank beginner, but they aren’t comparable to a full-featured DAW.
#Best audio interface for mac on stage pro
It’s a good addition to the spec-list, but it feels a tad gimmicky.įocusrite’s software bundle offers the no-frills version of Pro Tools First and Abelton Live Lite. The AD/DA converters, preamp gain structure, and mic preamps are top notch.Īh, did I mention that the 3 rd offers a mono and stereo summing control-switch and Air Button? The ‘Air mode’ triggers an ISA mic preamp emulation, which makes your recordings sound bright/open. The 3 rd gen also uses Type-C connections with updated drivers/software and significantly better headphone amp performance.įocusrite’s iron grip (in this segment) relies heavily on their generous software bundles and superior preamps. There are tangible improvements in dynamic range, max input level, and gain range. The 3 rd gen is not just a dolled-up version of the previous line. For those reasons, we honor it with the KGR Editor’s Choice.Ĭheck Price at Sweetwater Check Price at Amazon

Plus, the 4k button gives it an analog SSL-flavor, which completely outmaneuvers the Focusrite ‘Air’. On the other hand, if you’re more familiar with home recording and want to step up a notch, the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 offers significantly lower latency at under 3ms, excellent preamps and AD/DA converters to get a much cleaner and fuller sound, ISA mic preamp emulation which gives your recordings a bright and airy sound, as well as being an i ncredibly easy to use interface that’s practically plug and play – easily our choice for the Best Value Interface.įinally stepping up all the way to home studio level recording, the SSL2/2+ delivers forty years of audio gear expertise into a desktop-format interface with near-zero latency as 1ms, exceptional mic pres and rugged construction. While it does offer a relatively high (compared to others on this list) round trip latency of 6ms, you get a rugged metal housed interface with good quality preamps, a ton of software, and a price that allows you to comfortably dip your toe in home recording. If you’re looking to get a starter interface to try out home recording, you can’t go wrong with Mackie’s Onyx Artist interface, which is our pick for Best Budget Interface.
