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- Price: This is in USD, and is the full price, not including discounts or sales

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- Noise Floor of preamps: We've done our own in house testing to measure the noise floor in dB. Gain levels are precisely calibrated, and the average noise floor is measured. These numbers are not standardized to anything outside of our testing format.

Some interfaces have 2 ratings- plugged in, and not plugged in. I noticed a difference in the noise floor of some bus powered interfaces depending on whether or not the host computer, being a laptop, was plugged into its power supply for charging. All audio devices run on DC power, and the AC ripples must be filtered out. Some audio interfaces provide better filtering than others.  

I've also tested many stand alone preamps that are not on this chart, because this chart is for audio interfaces. The dedicated preamp comparison chart can be found on the getbeautifulrecordings.com website.

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-Value Rating: We've developed our own scoring system and rule set, where specific features are worth a set amount of points, and the points are weighed against the purchase price.  

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-Type of connection to host computer: The vast majority of modern audio interfaces use USB C, but some use USB A or Thunderbolt. 

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- Compatibility: The vast majority are compatible on Mac and PC. Most are also compatible on iOS, but iOS does not supply power, so they would need a dedicated power supply port, or use of the apple camera connection kit.

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-Loopback Recording: This allows the computer's sound output to be routed directly into the interface on its own channel, and then routed back into the computer on its own channel. This is convenient for recording audio into your daw that originated from another application, such as YouTube, or live-streaming software.

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-Total number of analog inputs: This is how many simultaneous, independent analog inputs the interface can receive and stream to your daw. Analog inputs can include microphone, line level, aux, rca, instrument...etc.

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- Total number of inputs/outputs when fully expanded: This is the maximum number of independent channels the interface can receive and send to the daw.  This includes balanced and unbalanced analog, digital, and potential add-ons that provide more io. 

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- Number of Balanced line inputs: Balanced audio is the professional standard for the best audio quality. Balanced inputs will be in the form of 1/4" TRS, or XLR.

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- Number of Microphone Preamps: Microphone signals need to be boosted in volume before being sent to the daw, and that's the role of the preamp. Essentially, the number of preamps is how many microphones can be plugged in simultaneously. 

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- Analog Effects on preamp input channels: The preamps on audio interfaces are generally clean, and transparent. Sometimes though, people like to add some coloration, or character to the audio from the preamp. Some interfaces have an analog circuit that can be implemented with the preamps that provide this.

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-Number of Hi-Z (aka instrument) inputs: These inputs accept a high impedance signal, such as what comes directly from an electric guitar, or an electric bass guitar. This is necessary for plugging a guitar directly into the interface and recording the raw sound from it without any degradation. Guitar amp sounds can be achieved using software modelling, or reamping.

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-Number of balanced inputs that are discreet: Many audio interfaces use combo inputs, where a single input can accept a microphone level, or a line level signal. Some audio interfaces, when accepting a line level signal, simply insert a pad into the signal path in front of the preamp, which lowers the signal to microphone level, then the signal goes through the preamp and is boosted back to line level. The higher quality audio interfaces will discreet line inputs, in which they route the line level inputs directly to the AD converters and there is no preamp in the signal path.

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-Number of balanced inputs that route the audio through a preamp: Many audio interfaces use combo inputs, where a single input can accept a microphone level, or a line level signal. Some audio interfaces, when accepting a line level signal, simply insert a pad into the signal path in front of the preamp, which lowers the signal to microphone level, then the signal goes through the preamp and is boosted back to line level. In other words, the line level inputs still route the audio through the preamps.

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-Number of unbalanced line inputs: These are analog inputs such as RCA, aux jack, hi-z (that doesn't have a balanced input option), 

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- Total number of analog outputs: These are all the analog outputs, with balanced and unbalanced combined. Independent Headphone outputs count as 2 outputs (stereo L+R) per headphone output. 

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- number of balanced line level outputs: Balanced signals are the professional standard

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- Number of unbalanced line level outputs:  These are for connecting consumer equipment like RCA jacks, or an aux input. This does not include the headphone outputs.

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- Number of send/returns on preamp channels: Sometimes audio engineers want to use outboard equipment in conjunction with their workflow. To implement this with the signal from a microphone, the audio must go through the preamp first. A send/return will tap into the signal after it is amplified by the preamp, and send that signal out the "send", and receive the signal back with effects added in the "return". You could also use the interface as a standalone preamp by using the "send" as the preamp's output. And you can use the "return" as a line input to send any signal into the daw. Some send/return configurations will use a single 1/4 jack for both the send and the return, in which case the signal is unbalanced. Some interfaces will provide a separate 1/4" jack for both the send and return, in which case it provides and receives a balanced signal.

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-Number of independent headphone outputs: These are headphone outputs that have their own volume control located on the interface. Ideally, they will also be capable of receiving an independent custom monitor mix.

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-Software Controls: This is mostly for the direct monitoring, but on interfaces with lots of inputs and outputs, this software would be used for complex routing. If there is no software controls, then the interface will have physical controls on the front panel to adjust monitor mixes.

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- Direct Monitoring Mix Control: Most, but not all, audio interfaces have the ability to adjust volume levels of the input channels for the direct monitoring headphone mix. The interfaces that don't have this ability simply have an "on/off" to control direct monitoring being on or off, and levels are determined by the preamp gain, and the daw output volume. 

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- Maximum number of custom monitor mixes: Some interfaces that have multiple outputs, and software mix controls, can send custom mixes out of the line outputs. There will be software (or hardware) limitations as to how many mixes can be created.

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- Return time latency of direct monitoring: Many audio interfaces clam "zero latency", but it's almost never actually zero. when the audio signal goes in and out of the interface, it passes through the Ad/da conversion, which takes usually around a millisecond. The exception is if the direct monitoring signal remained analog the entire time, and never passed through ad/da conversion.

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Midi in and out- Some audio interfaces will have a midi ports for connecting external midi instruments such as a keyboard, or an electronic drum kit. If the interface does not have Midi ports, it's not a big deal, there are midi to usb adapters that can be used instead.

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- Power Supply: Every audio interface needs power for the preamps, converters, and phantom power. Some audio interfaces will function using bus power, but won't be able to supply phantom power to all the channels, and would require to be plugged into a power source. 

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Word clock output: Some audio interfaces will have just an ADAT input, but no way of sending word clock to the external converter. This forces the external converter to be used as the master clock, which could result in an inferior quality clock (or a superior clock) and will cause the interface to not respond properly to sample rate changes implemented on the computer.

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- Digital expansion: This is the ability of the interface to send and receive digital audio signals from an external converter or preamp. Whenever external converters are used, word clock synchronization must be implemented or there will be pops and clicks in the audio.
 

- DSP Processing: Some (generally more expensive) audio interfaces will have an onboard computer chip for processing audio effects such as reverb, compression.. etc. The advantage of this is to be able to use direct monitoring with these effects in real time, and almost zero latency (return time latency is usually about 1 millisecond)

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- DSP able to record both wet and dry simultaneously: Of the interfaces that have dsp processing, some provide routing options for separate channels being sent to the daw for the dry signal and the wet signal. Some only provide a single channel to the daw, and you must choose if you want to record the dry signal, or the wet signal.

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- Phantom Power selectable for individual channels: Some audio interfaces will turn on and off the phantom power on a bank of several microphone inputs. It  doesn't generally hurt anything to send phantom power to microphones that don't need it, but it could damage older ribbon microphones.

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- Stand alone operation: Some interfaces can be used as stand alone preamps, or stand alone AD/DA converters, without being connected to a computer

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- Included Software: Some interfaces, generally the more lower cost ones, will come with a lite version of a recording program. These usually are just enough to get the user started, and annoy them a little bit so they buy the full version.

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-Maximum Sample Rate - Most audio interfaces go up to 192 khz. Some only go up to 96 khz. Higher sample rates use more processing power from the computer. 44.1 is the standard sample rate for cd quality music, 48 khz is the standard for film. It is an open debate amongst professionals whether or not sample rates of 88.2khz or 96 khz have better sound quality. It is universally agreed upon that there is absolutely no audible benefit from recording at sample rates above 96 khz. The implementation of 176.4 khz, and 192 khz sample rates is just a gimmick on most audio interfaces. The only practical application of these sample rates is for scientific measurement, or recording extremely high frequencies and slowing them down to be audible within the human hearing spectrum.

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- Maximum recording bit depth: The majority of interfaces offer a maximum bit depth of 24 bits. Some audio interfaces are capable of 32 bits. 32 bit recording is just a gimmick. There is absolutely no advantage to it over 24 bits. The claim is that 32 bit has greater dynamic range, but this is only theoretical, and in real life application, there's a noise floor from the analog audio components that outweighs any potential dynamic range benefits that could be gained. Even 24 bit is unable to realize the full potential of its dynamic range due to the noise floor. And by the way, the dynamic range of 24 bit is capable of capturing the sound of a mosquito buzzing from a foot away, and also a .556 caliber gunshot, within the same take. I can't think of why any home recording studio would need more dynamic range than that.

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-Anecdotal customer support: I made a point of emailing some of the manufacturers and asking a question, and I noted their response time in the graph.

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-Additional Features: This column is for uncommon features that the interface has.

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-Notes: This is where I might put my own opinion.

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