Want to buy an Audio Interface? Here are a few tips

Posted by Fluid Audio on March 5th, 2019

If you love music and want to make a career out of it, then you must record your music. And recording music that sounds truly professional is possible only through the use of an audio interface. A large number of computer-based musicians create music with the help of an audio interface which is basically a piece of hardware that connects your microphones and other audio gear to your computer.

To put it simply, an audio interface such as the SRI-2 is what allows you to connect your instruments and mic to your computer for recording purposes as it converts your analog vocal and instrumental sounds to digital format.  It also deftly performs the opposite task when the music is to be played from the computer to the audio system.

Whether you are a newbie or a pro, you must have this one device if you want to produce real music and be heard. But with the staggering range of audio interfaces available on the market, choosing one that meets your specific requirements can be quite overwhelming. With all kinds of different input and output configurations, formats, connection types, and various other options to consider, it is very difficult to find the right one. Your budget is also a key factor as the cost can be anywhere between your pocket money to an arranged loan.

Apart from that, there are several other options that come into play. Here are some basic steps that you can follow to narrow down the options. Let’s take a look:

What are you intending to record? Are you going to simply plug in a guitar? Or capture an entire band all with separate microphones for the vocals, drums and inputs for keyboard, guitar, etc.? If you are a solo artist, then you would probably get by just fine with a 2 or 4 channel device. But if you are a full-fledged band, you should be looking at a multi-channel interface with the capability of 8, 16 or more sound sources plugging into it.

Do you want to work with MIDI in future? If yes, then it’s better to choose an interface that includes MIDI input and output.  A device with audio and MIDI combined is cheaper than buying 2 separate devices, for instance.

You’ll also need a Headphone output for tracking and monitoring your music.  Many music makers want dedicated headphone-level outputs as they enable monitoring while recording, and can also play back audio when suitable loudspeakers are unavailable. So taking into account an interface with enough headphone output power is something to consider.

You can create a shortlist of audio interfaces to consider with the help of this list. The Fluid Audio SRI-2 audio interface is a great way to start recording the sounds that you or your band are capable of. So if you wish to improve your chances for success in the music career, let people hear what kind of music you're making, in the best audio quality possible for your budget.