AUDIO INTERFACES

PLENTY OF WAYS TO GET INTO YOUR DAW // BY THE MIX EDITORS

It’s hard to determine just what constitutes an audio interface

these days. There has been a boom in feature-laden desktop
models in recent years, and there have been high-end units in-
troduced from the likes of RME (Fireface UFX) and SSL (the
MX-4 family). The criteria for what any one individual needs
can be met by any number of manufacturers; preference gener-
ally resides in how the premaps sound. With that in mind, Mix ALLEN & HEATH ICE-16
surveyed the field and presents here some of the most popular ICE-16 records 16 tracks of audio directly to a USB key or hard drive, but
models released in the past couple of years. also functions as a 16x16 channel interface, streaming high-quality digi-
tal audio at 24-bit, up to 96kHz sample rate over FireWire (IEE1394) or
high-speed USB 2.0. Units can be linked when streaming over FireWire
AKAI PROFESSIONAL EIE PRO to expand the channel count even further. (www.allen-heath.com)
The EIE Pro is a 4-in, 4-out table-
top USB 2 audio interface that
features low-latency ASIO driv-
ers and enables recording at up
to 24-bit resolution and sample
rates of 44.1/48/88.2/96 kHz into
virtually any DAW, recording or
performance software. The EIE
Pro also houses three USB inputs, in addition to its main USB 2.0 port. APOGEE ELECTRONICS SYMPHONY 64 | THUNDERBRIDGE
Each channel of the EIE Pro has an XLR, ¼-inch combo jack, dedicat- There are a lot of Apogee interfaces available, the most recent being Sym-
ed sturdy, gain-pots and mic/line/guitar switches. The EIE Pro features phony 64 | ThunderBridge ($995), a 64-channel interface for connecting
four discrete-design preamplifiers with 48V phantom power. Individual Symphony I/O to any Thunderbolt-equipped Mac via two PC-32 ports, at
¼-inch nickel-plated jacks provide channel inserts for processing audio sample rates from 44.1 to 192 kHz, with measured 1.8ms latency. Sympho-
signals externally. You can monitor sessions on multiple sets of studio ny 64 | ThunderBridge will also connect Apogee’s X-Symphony equipped
monitors using the four ¼-inch balanced outputs. Both pairs of outputs AD-16X, DA-16X and Rosetta Series converters to Thunderbolt Macs for
can be monitored visually with the high-quality analog VU meters. Avid legacy compatibility. The interface works with any Core Audio compat-
Pro Tools Express is included. (www.akaipro.com/eiepro) ible application on a Mac, including Logic, Pro Tools and Ableton Live. It
requires a Thunderbolt-enabled Mac computer, including MacBook Air,
ALESIS IO4 MacBook Pro, Mac mini, or iMac; a Thunderbolt cable; and Mac OS 10.7
Each channel on this 4-channel, or later. (www.apogeedigital.com)
highly mobile USB audio inter-
face has an XLR microphone in- ART DUAL TUBE PRE
put, a ¼-inch TRS insert for ex- The Dual Tube Pre is
ternal effects units and a ¼-inch the first true 2-chan-
TS jack that works with line-level nel tube preamp that
sources and can accommodate is also a professional-
direct connection of guitars. The quality USB audio
iO4 features discrete-design preamplifiers and 48-volt phantom power interface, allowing
on each of its four input channels, as well. Four output channels; ¼-inch direct connection of
TRS headphone output; and MIDI In and Out jacks for playing and con- any microphone, instrument, or line level source directly to your
trolling software with keyboard and pad controllers, workstations, and computer via USB 2.0 or S/PDIF input. The S/PDIF output is select-
other MIDI-compatible instruments. The USB interface is class compli- able between 44.1k and 48k sample rates, and an advanced optical
ant for plug-and-play operation with Mac OS X and Windows XP, Vista output compressor prevents overload. Balanced XLR for lo-Z ap-
and 7. The iO4 comes complete with a copy of Steinberg Cubase LE. plications and 1/4-inch hi-Z inputs for instrument DI applications.
(www.alesis.com) (www.artproaudio.com)

34 M I X | A U G U S T 2 0 1 3 | mi x o n l i n e.co m
FOCUSRITE SCARLETT 18I20
The USB 2 version of the company’s Saffire audio interface, Scarlett 18i20 8x8 ADAT and word clock I/O provide easy integration into any digital
represents the top end of the emerging Focusrite Scarlett line. Featur- or analog setup. For more complex sessions, the powerful Blackbird Con-
ing eight Focusrite preamps, the 18i20 has 18 inputs and 20 outputs: six trol DSP Matrix Mixer allows for quick mix creation and routing of any
combo XLR/jack mic/line inputs plus two front-panel XLR/jack mic/line/ input to any output. There are a plethora of I/O options, or Blackbird can
instrument inputs with 10dB pad buttons; 10 analog line outputs; two in- serve as the front end to your DAW using the FireWire connection. (www.
dependent headphone outputs on the front panel; and ADAT and S/PDIF mackie.com)
digital I/O, plus MIDI I/O and Word Clock out. The ADAT interface can
be used to bring in digital sources or to add extra preamps. Conversion is MOTU TRACK16
at sample rates up to 96 kHz, 24-bit. (www.focusrite.com) Track16 from MOTU is a 16x14 desk-
top studio interface with mixing and
LINE 6 POD STUDIO UX2 effects. The compact device connects
POD Studio UX2 incorpo- via FireWire or high-speed USB 2 to a
rates 44.1/48kHz, 16/24-bit Mac or PC and features optical digital
recording (88.2/96 kHz I/O, MIDI I/O and SMPTE time code
with sample-rate conver- sync by way of the included breakout
sion), and includes analog cable. Features include a 16-bus digital
and digital ins and outs; S/ mixer with reverb, EQ, compression,
PDIF digital output; two 1/4-inch guitar inputs (normal or pad); two bal- audio analysis tools such as an FFT
anced XLR inputs with high-quality mic preamps, phantom power and with spectrogram “waterfall,” and an instrument tuner. The base unit
gain knobs, assignable VU meters, and more. It comes with POD Farm (approximately 5x8x1 inches) is constructed from solid aluminum cast
2.5 and Propellerhead Reason Limited virtual studio, with access to more metal and provides a large multi-function knob, 10 backlit buttons and
than 80 fully adjustable guitar amps, bass amps, preamps and more. Ex- four pairs of 7-segment level meters. The front panel provides a hi-Z gui-
clusive latency-killing ToneDirect monitoring. (www.line6.com) tar input, 1/8-inch stereo “mini” line input and two mirrored headphone
jacks. Track16 can draw bus power from the FireWire port, which is
LYNX HILO enough to drive 48V phantom power for two independent mic preamps.
While it fits more neatly into a con- (www.motu.com)
verter category, the Lynx Hilo Refer-
ence A/D D/A Converter System offers
extensive I/O capabilities and utilizes
the latest FPGA technology with vast
resources for control, routing, and sig-
nal processing capabilities AES/EBU
inputs and outputs have transformer- PRESONUS AUDIOBOX 1818VSL
isolated balanced XLR connectors. S/ While the StudioLive digital mixers are audio interfaces, a couple of years
PDIF input and output are available via ago PreSonus released the AudioBox family of interfaces—22VSL, 44VSL
transformer-coupled coax or optical (TOSLINK) connections. The Opti- and 1818VSL—a series of compact, rackmountable USB 2.0 interfaces
cal ports can also be used for up to eight ADAT channels. The ADAT input with integrated software that provides the dynamics processing and EQ
and output channels are completely independent from the AES/EBU or of a StudioLive Series mixer. All three AudioBox VSL Series interfaces in-
S/PDIF coax channels. The Lynx LT-USB LSlot accessory is also included, corporate Class A XMAX preamps with 48-volt phantom power; 24-bit,
for computer connectivity. In total, Hilo has 12 total inputs, 16 total out- 96 kHz converters with 114 dB dynamic range; and PreSonus’ loud (150
puts plus 32 channels possible via its LSlot port. (www.lynxstudio.com) mW), clean, clear headphone output. All three models also provide MIDI
I/O and zero-latency monitor mixing. The 1818VSL sports 2 mic/instru-
MACKIE ONYX BLACKBIRD PREMIUM ment inputs and 6 mic/line inputs; 8-channel ADAT I/O (4 channels at
The Onyx Blackbird Premium 16x16 FireWire Recording Interface in- 88.1 or 96 kHz); stereo S/PDIF I/O; MIDI I/O; and word-clock output.
cludes eight boutique-quality Onyx preamps and high-end 24-bit/96kHz With the included VSL software, the 1818VSL provides a computer-based
conversion in a rackmount design. Two front panel “Super Channels” 26 x 18 (22x14 at 88.1 or 96 kHz), ultra-low latency mixer with two stereo
feature true analog hardware monitoring, in both mono and stereo, for effects buses for the reverb and delay plus the Fat Channel processing
hassle-free zero-latency recording. The additional mic inputs, onboard from the StudioLive 16.0.2. (www.presonus.com)

mixonline.com | A U G U S T 2 0 1 3 | M I X 35
 for up to 32x32 analog I/O and eight processors. Other features include
dedicated XLR monitor outputs, stereo AES-EBU digital I/O and compat-
ibility with Intel’s high-bandwidth Thunderbolt technology via a user-in-
stallable dual-port Thunderbolt Option Card. (www.uaaudio.com/apollo)

AVID FASTTRACK DUO

The Avid Fast Track Duo
PRISM SOUND LYRA comes with Pro Tools Express
Prism Sound debuted the Lyra family of audio interfaces (Lyra 1 and Lyra software. It has a bus-powered
USB port and offers recording
2) last year, based on the Orpheus audio path and clock circuitry, but in a
at 24-bit/48kHz resolution with
smaller package. Lyra is based on the new ARM Cortex-based processor
dual high-quality mic pre’s. It
design, which offers class-compliant USB and Ethernet AVB interfacing,
features two ¼-inch line inputs,
plus DSP and local mixing capacity. Lyra offers up to four monitoring
two ¼-inch TRS line outputs, two
outputs, digital inputs and outputs as stereo AES3 or S/PDIF or up to 8 combo XLR/instrument inputs with 48-volt phantom power, Front/Rear
channels of digital I/O on the ADAT optical format, plus stereo head- Input buttons, two front panel Gain controls, a Direct monitor button for
phones. The co-axial digital I/O port can be switched in the Lyra 2 con- monitoring and recording without latency, Main Output level control,
troller applet between S/PDIF and AES3 formats. This control changes the and headphone level control. A Tablet port allows for connecting the unit
operating voltage and the Channel Status format and is complemented by directly to an iPad (no iPad Connection Kit is required). It also includes a
two in-line adaptor leads that provide external XLR connections for AES3 Kensington lock port. (www.avid.com)
devices. The optical digital I/O ports on Lyra 2 can also be configured as
ADAT I/O. Other connections include wordclock sync I/O on BNC con- STEINBERG UR22
nectors (Lyra 2 only). (www.prismsound.com) The Steinberg UR22’s full-metal chassis houses studio-grade converters
capable of a maximum sample
ROLAND QUAD-CAPTURE USB 2.0 AUDIO INTERFACE rate of 24-bit/192kHz resolution.
It includes USB 2 connectivity,
The latest in Ro-
Yamaha’s discrete Class-A analog
land’s line of af-
D-PRE preamps, and MIDI input/
fordable interfaces, output. Two front panel Neutrik
Quad-Capture combo connectors provide
includes premi- microphone and line input,
um VS Preamps, each with gain control and peak
24-bit/192kHz quality, ultra-low latency, and USB bus power. I/O includes indicators plus an additional high-
two combo XLR/TRS inputs, two TRS outputs, coaxial I/O, headphone impedance switch on the second
out, and MIDI I/O. Phantom power, ground lift, and Hi-Z switches. It input. The panel also includes a headphone output with a dedicated
volume control, a master output volume control and a mix knob for
comes bundled with Cakewalk SONAR X1 LE. (www.rolandus.com)
hardware-based zero-latency monitoring. The rear panel features two
balanced line outputs, MIDI input/output connectors, and a phantom
TASCAM US-322, US-366 power switch enabling a 48V supply on both channels. (www.steinberg.
At NAMM 2013, Tascam introduced the US- net/en/home.html)
322 and US366 audio interfaces, incorporat-
ing onboard digital mixing and DSP effects,
plus improved HDDA mic pres. Featuring
24bit/192kHz recording, the 2-in/2-out US-
322 features 1 Mic XLR/Line-Guitar TRS
input, 1 Mic XLR/Line TRS input, 2 Line TRS and 2Line RCA outputs.
The 6-in/4-out or 4-in/6-out US-366 adds 2 Line RCA inputs and 1 Digital
RCA/Optical input/output. Both come bundled with Cubase LE6. (www.
tascam.com)

UNIVERSAL AUDIO APOLLO 16

Universal Audio’s Apollo 16 Audio Interface features 16x16 analog I/O,
flexible routing and UAD-2 Quad processing onboard, providing real-
time processing
with UAD Powered
Plug-Ins. Analog
connections are via DB-25 with the ability to cascade two units via MADI