What Audio Interface

What kind of budget, what kind of i/o needs, what kind of connection (USB/FW/Thunderbolt/PCI)? Don't make us guess what you need.

And welcome to FP :)
 
i have a Scarlett 2i2 and although nothing's wrong with it I wish I'd've got an interface with more ins/outs and especially 2 headphone outputs...
 
For making beats you can definitely get away with NO interface at all if you keep it all digital and program MIDI on a piano roll in your favorite DAW. Otherwise, a lot of equipment even has USB ports these days, but that's usually the lowest end stuff. What you want to worry about when buying an interface is the # of inputs, the quality of preamps if you're going to do anything with a mic, and most importantly the quality of the analog to digital (and vice versa) converters.
 
I recommend going for the best that your budget allows. Most of us have probably cheaped out when we were starting out and got a simple 2 in/2 out interface and quickly realized we needed more ins and outs, higher quality pres, and better a/d d/a converters (not to mention a quicker connection like thunderbolt which I still dream of owning!). For example, I've already upgraded my interface twice. I spent more money in the long run, when I was trying to save money in the first place. I had the budget for a better interface when I started out, and if I could go back in time, I would've went with a better interface.

But if your budget only allows for you to pick up a really cheap interface, then by all means go for it. Getting started with making music is the most important thing of course!
 
Yeah, you only need an interface if you are planning on recording live instruments, need to hook up reference monitors or want to record vocals on a decent mic. In order to make good sounding beats, you don't really need one to start out. Just get a good pair of headphones, make use of free analysis software and get good reference tracks to attain a decent mix.

If you must have one, I make beats with VSTi's and samples with occasional live guitar and use an inexpensive Steinberg UR22 interface. Hope this helps.
 
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