Do I need a sound interface?

P

peshti

New member
Would a sound card inmprove the sound quality of my daw? Would it make my sample chops better/smoother?

Ive been looking at this sound cardhttps://m.thomann.de/se/motu_ultralite_mkiii_hybrid.htm?o=0&ref=mrl_a_0&search=1457627547, any good?

Right now my set up is fl studio, maschine as a midi controller and some cheap earplugs.

I appreciate any Help and guidance i get!

Thanks
 
peshti said:
Would a sound card inmprove the sound quality of my daw? Would it make my sample chops better/smoother?

Ive been looking at this sound cardhttps://m.thomann.de/se/motu_ultralite_mkiii_hybrid.htm?o=0&ref=mrl_a_0&search=1457627547, any good?

Right now my set up is fl studio, maschine as a midi controller and some cheap earplugs.

I appreciate any Help and guidance i get!

Thanks
Click to expand...

No, you don't need an interface, but they help and yes they introduce higher quality recording into the daw thus allowing you to export and work with higher quality samples.

No, an interface will not make your chopping smoother, that's something you can your ears control
 
the interface will help in the long run when it comes to mixing. also, invest in a good pair of headphones(i use akgs k-240) and some good monitors. some jbls or krks.
 
If you're on cheap earbuds, then 100%, get some decent headphones, that's a thousand times more important than an interface
 
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Just to clear up a common misunderstanding - if you're working in the box with a daw, soft synths, effects, etc, an audio interface will have absolutely no effect on the quality of the sound. The only time an audio interface affects things is during the A/D of D/A process - in other words, when you are recording stuff or playing t back through monitors/phones. So an audio interface will have nothing to do with how a synth, chopped samples (or anything else) sounds like in a daw, When working itb, you could unplug your audio interface and it will have absolutely no effect on the final sound. Playing back through a good interface, though. could have benefits in the monitoring process.
 
What ponkapog said - you're only looking at an improvement in latency figures and listening quality. This doesn't change your files, only how you perceive them on your system. If you're not recording external sources nor planning to in the near future, you'd probably be better off looking at simple high-quality interfaces such as the RME Babyface, Focusrite Forte, Apogee Duet and such. The Ultralite is a good interface, but you're paying for a lot of i/o you might not use at all.
 
krushing said:
What ponkapog said - you're only looking at an improvement in latency figures and listening quality. This doesn't change your files, only how you perceive them on your system. If you're not recording external sources nor planning to in the near future, you'd probably be better off looking at simple high-quality interfaces such as the RME Babyface, Focusrite Forte, Apogee Duet and such. The Ultralite is a good interface, but you're paying for a lot of i/o you might not use at all.
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I see what interface would u recommend for PC? Is the focusrite forte good?
 
No personal experience with the Forte, but should be good. As for USB versus FW, the former is a bit more future proof, as FireWire is a dying breed. Of course they work just fine if you happen to still have FireWire ports, but if you can choose I'd probably go with USB at this point.
 
I feel like it hasn't been emphasized enough that OP is listening on EARBUDS.
Without good headphones or monitor speakers, you definitely don't need an interface as you won't be able to detect the improvement in quality.
Once you have headphones/monitors, THEN you need to consider getting an interface.

I haven't used the Audio-Technica ATH-M50X personally but they look like the sort of thing you should be considering, I'm sure you can find some reviews if you have a quick search
 
Good earbuds exist but still. He said cheap earbuds though. But in general headphones or speakers in all cases for this hobby.
One thing I never research or thought about was if digital plugins are touched by the preamps in interfaces till I came across this thread.

And like everyone says the difference it the reduced latency[that is worth it for that alone, you can bring an atom down to 50ms with one]
So maybe that's why some of the ogs say analogue sounds better than digital?...Maybe digital doesn't touch the preamps like that hopefully that's not the case
 
KonKossKang said:
One thing I never research or thought about was if digital plugins are touched by the preamps in interfaces till I came across this thread.
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The interface only comes into play when the sound goes into or out from the computer (hence the term...interface). Audio doesn't go "through" it when working in DAW, and plugins certainly aren't "touched by the preamps". And all this has nothing to do with analog vs. digital.
 
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