Some are great and have low internal latency for both A/D and D/A conversions and some are adding a bit more so you’d have to lower you buffer size to get the same result. The interface is also fairly compact, making it ideal for those who may want to take this on the road for recording. Click on the ‘Make’ or Manufacturer’s name to go to the DAW’s product web page or click on the ‘Model’ or DAW’s name to read our article about the DAW.Feel free to type keywords in the ‘Search’ box to narrow the amount of DAWs that you are comparing. And therefore, if there is a delay between the input signal and the heard monitored signal, it can really be distracting and throw the entire performance. I'd be very curious to see tests on some of the following (if these were done already, please let me know): An XIO2213B chipset FW card like the SY-PEX30016 will keep that interface going for years to come. Here are some updated Zoom Uac-2 RTL results. Look below to compare and contrast over 20 leading DAWs and some key points. If so it is quite a bit behind the Quantum. Usually, this delay is in ms, and so some may think that this will not be noticeable. 3. As for the functionality, it features 2 combination (XLR/TRS) inputs at the front of the unit, and five control knobs for general volume/mixer parameter changes. So, let’s go ahead and talk about the top zero-latency audio interfaces! As for the back of the interface, it has a MIDI input/output, which other cheaper interfaces do not have. With that being said, let’s talk more about low latency audio interfaces, shall we? The Apollo Twin MKII Solo by Universal Audio is the creme-de-la-creme of audio interfaces when it comes to the quality of its components and build. The Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 is, what Focusrite consider, “The world’s best-selling audio interface”, at least that’s what they state on their website. The Tascam US-20×20 audio interface is a unit designed for those who require many inputs and outputs for a reasonable price (when costing it per input/output). For electronic musicians, the bus standard situation has always been rather confusing. 1. This is why we write articles which are often over 5000+ words in length, so all of your possible FAQ’s are answered in one article. You only have to take a look at the number of positive Amazon reviews [which we’ve linked to further below] to see how popular the 2i2 interface is. The audio interface boasts some impressive audio recording metrics, being able to record in 24-bit/192kHz, which is quite a rarity in an interface below $100. Latency is a critical aspect of any audio interface that will influence an artist's performance. Zoom UAC is good. It provides a 2 XLR/TRS combination inputs, and 4 line outputs, making it decent for musicians who only need a few inputs for simultaneous recording. 96kHz/64 - 0.6ms) the smaller total latency can be, with the same "overhead" (4.5ms + 0.6ms = 5.1ms). However, the ear and brain is particularly good at recognizing delays and differences in sound. pretty much the same: 8,7ms vs 8,6ms, that is like 0,1ms off. I've noticed weird driver issues with the zoom and it's definitely not the most "stable" from what I have seen. Physically, the unit is very small, making it very portable and thus, able to be transported almost anywhere. Additionally, the digital mixer for the Ultralite AVB, provides 48 channels and 12 busses, all of which can even be controlled with your Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android device, by using the web app served by the physical hardware itself. Overall, if you’ve got a large budget, and you’re not looking for an audio interface with too many inputs, then the Apollo Twin MKII Solo may be for you. Ironically, most hardware monitoring systems have software to set up their mix levels, like the Focusrite Saffire MixControl. However, for the price, we think that this is quite expensive, considering the functionality. One of the advantages of having a zero-latency input monitoring on an audio interface is recording parts when the overall RTL of the DAW mixer gets unacceptably high (>12ms), which easily happens when high overhead plugins are used during mixing. Recording stage (analog to digital conversion), During playback (digital to analog conversion), During transit (Cables, mixers and hard drives), Zero-latency monitoring (6.4ms output latency), Compatible with all major DAWs (comes with Pro Tools), 2 main/monitor outputs (back of interface), Compatible with all major DAWs (comes with Pro Tools First Edition), Includes Pro Tools (First Edition) & additional software, 4 TRS inputs (2 located on the front, 2 located on the back), 4 TRS outputs (located at the rear of the unit), Featured Crystal Preamps (MAudio developed), Highly compact & portable audio interface, Only compatible with Spire App for recording, Zero-latency monitoring (Exact amount not specified, 2 1/8″ outputs (headphone outs on front and back), Battery-powered (4-hour life) or 5v power supply powered, Three operational modes (Audio interface, Digital Mixer & 8-Channel Digital Mic Preamp), Zero-latency monitoring (Around 11ms when using USB 2.0 –, Premium-priced audio interface by Universal Audio, UAD Plugin bundle (Compressors, EQs, etc), suitable for all major DAWs, Zero-latency monitoring (Sub 2ms with their UAD Processing), IOS & Android support (wireless control from devices), DSP powered mixing – 48 channels & 12 busses, Zero-latency monitoring (5ms latency –  referenced from Amazon Reviews). Overall, if you’ve got an even larger budget than the Solo requires, and you’re not looking for an audio interface with too many inputs, then the Apollo Twin MKII Duo or Quad may be for you. Surprised to hear the result of Robins testing here. Overall, we think that M-Audio has created a fantastic, budget-range interface which is not only great value for money, but it delivers in its ability to provide high-quality audio recordings, with near to 0 latency (6.4ms to be exact). That is MOTU 828mk3 on the bottom of the list. It has an XLR and TRS (1/4″) input, making it ideal for those who are looking at recording both instrument and vocals. Audio Interface - Low Latency Performance Data Base, Evaluating AD/DA loops by means of Audio Diffmaker, RME new Babyface Pro audio interface (Now Available), Already have an account? An audio interface has ports on the front and the back. XIO2200 I believe. Have you ever tried to overdub a track in Audacity, but when you played it back it sounds totally off time? With that being said, the Tascam US-series has received a large amount of positive feedback, all of which can be seen from the customer reviews featured on Amazon (we’ve linked to those below). The Zoom TAC 2R is the lowest latency audio interface for home recording at an affordable price. Audio Interface - Low Latency Performance . Click on the ‘Make’ or Manufacturer’s name to go to the DAW’s product web page or click on the ‘Model’ or DAW’s name to read our article about the DAW.Feel free to type keywords in the ‘Search’ box to narrow the amount of DAWs that you are comparing. Recommended for: If you are looking for a cheap audio interface, this is easily one of the best low latency audio interfaces in 2020 you can buy. Now, as far as latency goes, we’ve read that it’s around 6ms, from users who have tried it. This bypasses the software buffers altogether, routing the interface input directly to one of its outputs. Overall, Focusrite is an extremely reputable audio interface provider, known for creating quality interfaces. Two bus standards into one might finally go. There is a delay between the moment you play a … Please note: our picks for the year’s best audio interfaces are listed by category and not in any sort of ranking. However, the saying goes that “you get what you pay for”, and regarding the unit’s roundtrip latency, it stands at around 11ms (when using USB 2.0), but this is USB 3.0 compatible, so we’re guessing that it must be faster (which would make sense considering the positive customer feedback). View Albert Hidalgo’s profile on LinkedIn, the world's largest professional community. If you’re looking for speed, the Thunderbolt protocol is currently the … It has a MIDI I/O, and can be connected to your Mac / PC via USB-C connectivity. The latency measurements are collected from ThousandEyes agents, hosted in Azure cloud regions worldwide, that continuously send network probes between themselves in 1-minute intervals. So whilst we cannot neccessarily provide one specific product recommendation, all of the above products are excellent in providing low-latency audio recording and monitoring. All of our interfaces work effortlessly with Windows and Mac computers, while all UR interfaces also work seamlessly with iOS devices. By Ben Rogerson 07 March 2019. Albert has 3 jobs listed on their profile. The iZotope Spire Studio is only compatible with the Spire app, which can be downloaded onto your android or iOS application, and so this may be a limitation for some. If you have any questions, feel free to access our contact page, or leave a comment and we’ll do our best to reply as soon as possible. The unit connects to either a PC or Mac via USB 2.0 / USB 3.0, offering high data transfer speeds. Overall, The interface has fantastic customer reviews (which we’ve linked to below), and therefore if you’re looking at an affordable interface which provides more inputs/outputs, then this unit may be ideal for you. You can relate it to an external sound card that is equipped with extra features. These brands can usually pass on their economies of scale to the end-consumer, and hence you can get a lot of bang for your buck! I’ll try to cover everything from the best audio interface under $200 to the best professional-level audio interface. Robin Vincent just posted a quick rundown of NI's Komplete Audio 2 USB interface. Please note: our picks for the year’s best audio interfaces are listed by category and not in any sort of ranking. They've got free shipping, free tech support, easy payment plans, and the most knowledgable sales staff in the industry. The audio interface can be powered through a 5v power supply, or it can be battery-powered, which allows for up to 4+ hours of usage. Therefore, if you’re able to deal with 8-inputs and 4-outputs, at this affordable price, then the M-Audio M-Track 8x4M interface may be the one for you. The interface has 4 XLR/TRS combination inputs located on the back, alongside 4 TRS inputs, which are split between the front and back of the unit. As you’ve realised, we’ve done our very best to provide a range of low-latency audio interfaces to suit any readers budget. I’ll try to cover everything from the best audio interface under $200 to the best professional-level audio interface. If your audio device shows up as an Unknown device or has a yellow caution symbol, you will need to uninstall the device and then reinstall the latest driver (see Driver Reinstall below).. How to check Device Manager. Our interfaces offer Zero, or Ultra Low, Latency tracking and Direct Monitor options to further help the issue of latency as much as possible. Additionally, it provides 48v phantom power, so you can connect and power your condenser microphones with ease. All of which makes for a sleek-looking, highly functional unit. Thankfully, we’ve done all of this work for you, and therefore, we’ve only provided the most well-known, reputable, tried-and-tested products for you, our readers! However, there are no mentions of a customer warranty, as with other similarly priced products (Focusrite Scarlet 2i2) which come with a 2-year limited warranty. The Zoom TAC 2R is the lowest latency audio interface for home recording at an affordable price. The signal you produce goes to your audio interface, then to your computer, then back to your audio interface and that route adds latency. You need an account to post a reply. I'll certainly give it a shot for under $20. Latest Reports : Audio Interface - Low Latency Performance : Part II / III. All rights reserved. Audio Interface - Low Latency Performance . Latest Reports : Audio Interface - Low Latency Performance : Part II / III. Now the real selling point of this interface is in the internal circuitry and its thunderbolt connectivity, which allow it to achieve a sub-2ms latency. Click here to login, The ability to reply to and create new discussions, Access to members-only giveaways & competitions, Interact with VIP industry experts in our guest Q&As, Access to members-only sub forum discussions, Get INSTANT ACCESS to the world's best private pro audio, Promote your eBay auctions and Reverb.com listings for free. In some case, in the high-end market, practically zero latency. The difference between measured latency and the buffer size latency is what the interface+driver have to do the rest. There might be different converter chips with slightly different own latency, but the difference is much larger to be addressed just to that. In this article, we’re going to be discussing and reviewing the top 10 best low-latency audio interfaces of 2020. The unit is bus-powered and connects to both a Mac and PC via a USB-C cable. For a few year's until that UAC2 arrived there was nothing that could come close to the KA6 over USB for less than £250. I have a 2016 MacBook Pro 15” Apogee Element (46 maybe) is my main contender right now. Where the unit differs when compared to most audio interfaces, is in it’s connectivity to the DAW (which happens wirelessly). Links to the best audio interfaces we listed in today's audio interface review video: 1. If you’re looking for speed, the Thunderbolt protocol is currently the … Which audio interface should you get? Audio interfaces have the ability to convert and process audio signals at a much faster rate than a typical computer. I'm not sure what is happening with your testing or whatever, but it's not correct. Additionally, the company provide upgraded versions (which have more processing power), the Duo and the Quad. In fact, it’s the least expensive Thunderbolt” audio interface on the market. Additionally, the unit has a built-in talkback microphone, which is useful in a home studio environment. Reviews Dec 2020; link. Not to mention, the UltraLite AVB can be further expanded, using the MOTU AVB Switch, which enables you to connect up to five MOTU interfaces, so the possibilities are endless. Why do we say that, well because everything about it leans towards large-scale recording functionality. With that being said, we think that this interface is ideal for the musician/singer who wants a 2-in/2-out interface, with the versatility to be able to plug in both XLR or TRS via each input port. The iZotope Spire Studio is an audio interface designed with the traveling musician in mind. The ASIO interface standard developed by Steinberg over 30 years ago has become an integral part of modern recording studios, making it possible to connect audio interfaces to a computer simply and with low latency. Audio Interface - Low Latency Performance Data Base For example RTL for [email protected] smpl is 1.2 ms higher at OS X with X8. The goals of this document are to: Describe the sources of audio latency in Windows. I've not used the Machine enough to have an opinion on the implementation there, but the KA6 and KA2 first gen's were best in class at their respective price points... or even double those price points. An audio interface is pretty much an essential piece of kit for your studio setup if you spend any time at all making music on a PC or Mac. In fact, it’s the least expensive Thunderbolt” audio interface on the market. StroboStomp HD Adds Multi-Color Display and Multiple Tuning Modes for Greater Versatility Alsip, Illinois, USA – 01/17/19 – Peterson Strobe Tuners, a leader in professional tuning equipment for over 70 years, has announced the next version of their StroboStomp pedal, the StroboStomp HD™. We’ve featured a list of the top 10 best zero latency audio interfaces below, alongside all of the key information that you’ll be curious about, including whether or not the interfaces are compatible with Mac, PC and the type of connection port, i.e Thunderbolt, USB 2.0, USB 3.0, etc. Audio interface users rejoice: it looks like USB 4.0 will be fully compatible with Thunderbolt 3. Thanks! Overall, this is a great audio interface for those musicians who don’t want to break the bank, whilst getting a lot of audio inputs/outputs in the process. Sweetwater is one of the largest pro audio dealers in the world, offering a huge selection of music instruments and audio gear. Download & Install Behringer Audio Interface Drivers. The unit is physically quite a large unit, weighing in at around 1.69kg, and this is because, under the sleek chassis, there’s quite a lot of functionality… All of which provides great value for money. Additionally, the unit has 2 phones outputs on the front of the interface, and 2 monitor outputs at the rear of the interface. He did some simple performance and latency testing with a Surface Pro 6 and focused on basic usability for the home-gamer. I'd pass. The term 'Ultra-low' is used as audio interface hardware/firmware induces a negligible amount of latency. Overall, the MOTU UltraLite AVB is an interface which is ideal for live setups, professional studios, and aspiring home studios… All of which comes at a cost, but considering it’s made by MOTU, you know that it’s an interface that will provide ultra high-quality recordings and last for a long time. Low latency is most commonly caused during the following stages: It’s important to use a low-latency audio interface, especially when recording because most musicians and singers will want to listen to a monitor mix (in real-time). He's reporting 10ms at 64..... That's not very good. If you can deal with a unit which is slightly larger, such as the M-Audio M-Track 8X4M Audio Interface, which provides better functionality and higher quality recordings, then we recommend taking a look at that instead. These opinions provide invaluable insight into what’s good and bad about the product, brand and their experience when purchasing the product. Open your Downloads folder, extract the .zip file, and run the .exe installer. Overall, we think that readers who are looking for a 2-in/2-out interface, with the versatility to be able to plug in XLR or TRS into each port, as well as MIDI input and output capability and a phones output, will most certainly want to take a look at the PreSonus Studio 24c 2×2 interface. The unit itself has three operational modes, which include the Audio Interface, Digital Mixer and 8-Channel Digital Microphone Preamp. What you end up with, then, is a device that produces close to zero latency, undetectable by the human ear. The Scarlett 2i2 3rd Gen audio interface is the best 2-channel audio interface for recording, podcasting, and many other activities. One addition to all these calculations is the latency induced by your audio interface. I can only see one audio interface with FireWire on the Low Latency List. Additionally, it comes with a MIDI I/O for those who may want this. The Clarett 2Pre USB is USB 2.0-only, although its connector is the small USB-C type, normally associated with newer standards. We recommend taking a read of the customer reviews on Amazon (linked to directly below), which are extremely positive. The optical I/O also provides even more input and output capability. When you buy products through links across our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. By comparison: The Apollo Thunderbolt series yields ~3.7ms total round-trip latency. Tascam have been in the industry for years, and are known for creating more affordable audio recording equipment. Therefore, if you’re just looking for a 2-in/2-out interface, for a very reasonable price, the M-Track 2×2 may be the one for you! Not only this, but there’s a reason why these brands have been established for so long, and it’s because they usually provide the best products and customer support. Firstly, looking at the audio interface’s latency metrics will provide a clear impression as to the facts on whether it can truly perform, especially when it comes to providing minimal levels of audio latency. The M-Audio M-Track 2X2 C-Series is the most affordable 2-in/2-out audio interface on the list. So now let’s jump in and find out how an audio interface works. From a physical standpoint, the interface is designed to look very sleek, with its black center chassis, surrounded by deep blue side compartments. XIO2200 has compatibility issues with newer motherboards/Windows 10. I have added all the units I have tested here, I just redid the Apogee Duet Ipad/Mac/PC. The term 'Zero-latency' will be used to avoid confusion. Secondly, we usually advise that our readers stick to well-known brands, who have been established within the audio interface industry for a while. From what I'… There are plenty of things to keep in mind, including budget, features, specifications and, perhaps most importantly, the application. DAWbench - Reference Benchmarks :. The PreSonus Studio 24c 2×2 is their flagship 2-in/2-out low-latency audio interface. There are several aspects of a zero/low latency audio interface that are important, before deciding on purchasing one. The Apollo Twin MKII Duo & Quad by Universal Audio is the creme-de-la-creme of audio interfaces when it comes to the quality of its components and build. Audio Interface - Low Latency Performance : Part II :. Leo Tilton Jr. left college after being two years into a four-year degree to pursue music. As for the unit’s latency, it’s around 7ms which is still very good, and the customer reviews of the audio interface (linked to directly below) indicate that the overall verdict on the unit is very good.