Building Your Home Studio Episode 5 - Choosing an Audio Interface or Converter

On Episode 5 of the Building Your Home Studio series we talk about choosing an audio interface or converter. I'll tell you why I chose what I chose and then talk about some other popular choices and why you might pick them as you build your home studio.
Here are links to items that I talk about in the video:
Universal Audio Apollo X8P: bit.ly/ApolloX8PHeritage
Universal Audio Apollo X6: bit.ly/ApolloX6
Universal Audio Apollo Twin X Series: bit.ly/UAApolloTwinXDuo
Universal Audio Volt Interfaces:
Presonus 1824C Interface: bit.ly/Presonus1824C
Audient iD14mk2: bit.ly/id14mkii
MOTU M4 Interface: bit.ly/M4InterfacewMOTU
Lynx Aurora N Series: bit.ly/AuroraNConverters
Burl B2 Bomber: bit.ly/BurlB2
If you have a question feel free to reach out to me directly @ Hello at TheGearCage.com.

Пікірлер: 27

  • @guillermotapia4801
    @guillermotapia48012 жыл бұрын

    Episode 6?

  • @TheGearCage

    @TheGearCage

    2 жыл бұрын

    It's going up soon! I'm re-recording it because I added a Flock Audio Patch and wanted to chat about it along with the Acme Audio XL3A I added to complete the whole setup. I hope to have it up in about 1-1.5 weeks!

  • @mentalprogram5256
    @mentalprogram52562 жыл бұрын

    Just subscribed. Cant wait to learn more.

  • @nanocyde_artist
    @nanocyde_artist Жыл бұрын

    I have an Arturia Audiofuse, expanded over ADAT with an Apogee Rosetta 800. Very good stuff

  • @eddysel10
    @eddysel102 жыл бұрын

    Great video. Any opinion on Antelope audio, focusrite Clarett and Slate VRS?

  • @sekritskworl-sekrit_studios
    @sekritskworl-sekrit_studios Жыл бұрын

    How would you recommend switching between converters to access the different audio monitors?

  • @freeasabird6799
    @freeasabird67996 ай бұрын

    can I use the avid carbon and apollo at the same time?

  • @raf5.13
    @raf5.132 жыл бұрын

    Haha NOT biased at all! I love uad too.

  • @TheGearCage

    @TheGearCage

    2 жыл бұрын

    True story! 😂. I just love when a product is so well thought out and reliable. They hired a lot of the Digidesign employees from back in the day to work on the Apollo line and they’re just killing it.

  • @checkmatenate
    @checkmatenate2 жыл бұрын

    I’ve been hearing that the lynx aurora converter sounds better than the heritage apollo’s but I haven’t seen it compared to the x16. I have the Apollo x8 and have it connected to the dangerous d box +

  • @jpilot07

    @jpilot07

    7 ай бұрын

    I got the 8xp thinking about switching over.

  • @checkmatenate

    @checkmatenate

    7 ай бұрын

    @@jpilot07 I bet you could set the lynx aurora as the master clock, and then use ADAT to connect the 8xp as the slave clock. Also I commented that a year ago and I heard from Luca Pretolesi that Daft Punk Uses the Prism Titan Interface because of their ultra clear converters... I have my apollo x8 paired with my D-box + for the purpose of analog summing.

  • @kayakbandits9894
    @kayakbandits98942 жыл бұрын

    Hello, just came across your channel. Ive been using a presonus firestudio project interface for years now and have loved it for its 8 mic pre inputs. But Id like to experiment with some newer tech? Maybe up my sound quality on my recordings? My pc is I think a 2017 gaming pc? I have several usb 3.1 ports an 1 USB-C port. Is there an Apollo twin X I can use without selling my first born for a new mac? Cheers!

  • @TheGearCage

    @TheGearCage

    2 жыл бұрын

    Unfortunately, not currently. However, I suspect they’ll work to address the PC market on their next generation products and I doubt we’re too far from them. Maybe a year or so?

  • @billymack4258
    @billymack4258 Жыл бұрын

    Great tips and info! I've beed a long time Apollo twin user and I now own the the 6X I'm not happy with the sound of the converters they seem to have a light hard muddy distortion sound when I tried a few different audio interfaces the muddy distortion went away I love the UAD Apollo plug-ins zero latency etc... I'm thinking of getting a Burl Audio B2 Bomber ADC 2-channel AD Converter and bypassing the Apollo 6X converters. This is my home studio I'm only tracking one or two tracks at a time. Cubase pro, Apollo 6X, LA 610 mic pre, MacBook pro I'm also getting a Apple Mac-book Pro M1 Max 16" Space Gray 10/32C 64GB RAM 2TB SSD and a BAE Mic Pre & EQ w/ PS. Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated Thanks. 🙂

  • @ezrashanti

    @ezrashanti

    8 ай бұрын

    I think thats a good strategy if you love console. The Steinberg AX4 sounds phenomenal and integrates with Cubase but may be discontinued.

  • @1eidji652
    @1eidji6522 жыл бұрын

    Thank you for your video, just I don't understand, if I take an example, when I want to connect say 4 stereo synthesizers (with two outputs/ ), how many inputs do I need in my sound card? And if we refer to UAD, which one is best suited for simultaneously using 4 synthesizers, and say a pedal board with 5 pedals? I admit that I am quite confused, I confuse the jack sockets, with the mic sockets, with the adat sockets, ext ...

  • @TheGearCage

    @TheGearCage

    2 жыл бұрын

    Hello Eidjii, good question! You can probably use an X8,X8P, or x16. If the synthesizers are all stereo that will take 8 inputs, but if you have some mono synths you can cut the inputs down. You can use an external ADAT box like an Octopre from Focusrite or an Audient ASP800 or ASP880. That will give the X6/X8/or X8P 8 more inputs. As far as running guitar pedals through the system…I’m actually covering that soon, but you can use a Radial EXTC product (DI style or 500 series box) to convert from balanced line level to instrument level and vice versa.

  • @studiodsr

    @studiodsr

    2 жыл бұрын

    In order to maximize inputs on their interface many people connect all of their synths to a mixer (such as a mackie or alesis) and sum them down to a single stereo channel before going into the interface

  • @1eidji652

    @1eidji652

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@TheGearCage thanks you It helps me a lot in my choice, I think I'm going to go on an apollo x8, I still have a few questions :) since I intend to connect my synthesizers to the Apollo, I have to connect it too midi, do you recommend the iConnectivity mioXL rack? (or another midi hub, whatever the brand), my goal is to play my synthesizers in my daw, to be able to move around my studio, and modulate the sound with pedals while recording midi and audio in my sessions.Thanks you, I'm in a hurry for the new videos to come out :)

  • @Detopie
    @Detopie Жыл бұрын

    thanks for making this vid! very unrated. it’s hard to find quality stuff on youtube anymore

  • @thefortytwos9135
    @thefortytwos9135 Жыл бұрын

    Can I add my Apollo twin x to an Apollo 8 ?

  • @TheGearCage

    @TheGearCage

    Жыл бұрын

    Yes! You can use thunderbolt adapters to plug them in together or plug them into separate thunderbolt ports and they’ll appear as one system.

  • @foreverrepublic4169
    @foreverrepublic4169 Жыл бұрын

    Are you implying that a digital converter is more required for professional studios ? Basically saying that a converter should stand on its own and be attached to a preamp ? Is the x series a converter or a preamp ? Or both like a interface ?

  • @TheGearCage

    @TheGearCage

    Жыл бұрын

    You'll usually find more of a traditional 'converter' product in a pro studio because they don't need the preamps that an 'interface' would give you. A pro studio may have a console or other outboard preamps/eq/compression/processing that mean 16/24/32 channel converters are more advantageous to their setup. That's not a dig at interfaces though because interfaces like the Apollo line from Universal Audio have great preamps, converters, headphone amps and DSP all built-in. These days, creativity is one of the biggest stumbling blocks to sonic success as all of the audio technology has improved exponentially.

  • @Biffinnbridge
    @Biffinnbridge9 ай бұрын

    UA just are not in the same league as RME. have you even tried it?

  • @TheGearCage

    @TheGearCage

    9 ай бұрын

    Of course! It’s the gear cage. I’ve used it all. RME is great, but UA is better overall.