RHEA MAHULE
5 BUDGET FRIENDLY
AUDIO INTERFACES
If you are a music enthusiast and see yourself wanting to
record or produce music but don’t have the means to set up
a full-fledged recording studio, naturally, the first thing you’d
be looking to spend some dough on would be a good audio
interface. To help you make the right choice while looking for
an interface, here are Score Magazine’s top picks :
PreSonus AudioBox iOne 2x2 (7, 500)
PreSonus is one of the most renowned brands
in the audio industry. This compact device
has one mic input and one line level input and
2 line level outputs and is extremely reliable.
Considered to be a home studio favorite, it
is highly recommended by enthusiasts and
professionals alike.
2. M-Audio M-Track II USB Audio Interface
(8,000)
This usb interface has 1 XLR, and one XLR/
line level combo inputs along with 2 line
level outs and an extra line 1/4” output for
headphones, which is always advisable
especially if you’re going to act as the engineer
while recording or mixing someone else.
3. Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (12,000)
This beautiful sounding Focusrite interface
had to be added to this list as it seems to have
found its way into every home studio. It has
2 XLR/ 1/4” combo inputs and 2 line level
output along with another 1/4” output for
headphone monitoring. Focusrite is a brand
known for providing a transparent and clean
sounding signal and Scarlett 2i2 does exactly
the same. The scarlett solo could also serve as
a good choice in case you’re running tight on
the budget.
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Score Magazine
highonscore.com
4. Art TPSII (14, 200)
If you have a budget of 14, 000 there is no other
interface that will deliver the quality that this
unit offers you. It’s an investment with that
is guaranteed to pay off. It's a 2 channel tube
preamp, has 2 combo inputs and 2 outs, and
has phantom power option for each channel.
What sets this pre-amp apart from the rest
is that it has variable impedance to protect
the devices connected to it. It has an inbuilt
compressor and an output level protection.
In this price range, it’s almost impossible to
compete with the Art TPSII.
5. ART Pro MPA-II (19, 500)
Here is another interface by Art and it has all
the options that the TPSII comes with. It has
an inbuilt compressor, a variable impedance
controller, output level protection, 2 inputs
and 2 v and of course, it’s a tube pre-amp.
What’s new in this is that the quality of sound
which passes through it is processed in even
a better quality than TPSII. MPA- II has an
extremely low THD, low noise at lower gain
stage, a large VU meter and selectable plate
voltage. The only downside of using this
interface is that it is bigger in size (2 unit rack
space) and hence isn’t a very portable device.