AudioBox USB, AudioBox Stereo and AudioBox Studio
Music Creation Suite (PS-49 Keyboard, Studio One, Notion, Nimbit, XLR cable, M7 Mic, Headphones and USB 2.0 Hub)
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I've done so much research and reading and am trying to figure out what interface/mixer to get for home recording. I'd like to have the ability to record 12 inputs, but can get away with 8.

Currently I have the AudioBox USB, but am constantly having to switch out cables depending on what instrument is being recorded. I'm looking for a piece of gear that will allow me to connect my two stereo keyboards, both guitars and bass, and to not have to ever mess with cables again.

I've since chatted with so many who have their recommendations. I was going to get a mixer like the PreSonus StudioLive AR16, but someone said live mixers with "audio interface" capabilities are never recommended for studio use, because they sound bad. Instead, the Presonus 1824c or Focusrite 18i20 was recommended.

I like the AR 16, because I could connect all my gear. The 1824c doesn't have as many inputs.

Pretty confused with all of this. Any recommendations from the manufacturer of the Presonus products, or from the community? Thanks.
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by darrenporter1 on Wed Mar 06, 2019 6:29 pm
I use and love the TASCAM US-16x08. It can record up to 16 inputs at once (8 XLR and 8 1/4" jacks), plus real MIDI in/out jacks. TASCAM just released another interface so they can be had pretty inexpensively right now. It also has some future-proofing built-in because the 8 XLR preamps can be routed to the 8 direct line outputs without using it as an interface, as in you can use it as a standalone 8-channel mic pre for live mixing.

There aren't too many interfaces on the market with that many inputs without spending money for a second device.

But, the AR16 will have the exact same preamps as the other PreSonus interfaces so you are not going to sacrifice sound quality unless it uses cheaper/worse sounding AD/DA converters but I don't know the specifics of that. Plus with the AR16 you will have a live mixer in case you ever need that, and easier direct monitoring if latency is an issue for you.


Studio One Professional 5.whatever, Harrison MixBus 32c v.6
i5-8400, 16GB RAM, 512 GB SSD, 2TB HD, Win10 Pro
UA Apollo QUAD, QUAD Satellite, PCIe DUO
FaderPort 8, Softube Console 1, JBL 306P Mk.II Monitors
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by SwitchBack on Thu Mar 07, 2019 4:12 am
The core purpose of the AR mixers is to be a simple sturdy live mixer that also allows you to record all mixer inputs. If it’s never going to leave your studio then, in the long run, a pure recording interface like the Studio 1810c would probably a better choice. And in a studio you’ll want that midi port too.

Another option is a StudioLive 16R rack mixer. It has plenty inputs and outputs and it is a mixer too (for the low latency).
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by brettgowder on Thu Mar 07, 2019 6:34 am
It will never leave the home studio, so I’ll move forward with getting an interface. Thanks. I’d like to have 12 inputs, but can get by with eight for starters. So now the question is, which one? Are Presonus products as good as Focusrite, i.e., Presonus 1824c versus Focusrite 18i20?

Brett
Logan At Sea
https://www.facebook.com/loganatsea/

Studio One Pro 4.0 | AMD Ryzen 5 2600 Six-Core Processor, 3400 Mhz, 6 Core(s), 12 Logical Processor(s) | Microsoft Windows 11 | U-Phoria UMC 1820 | Yamaha MOXF8 keyboard | Alesis QS8.1 keyboard | Korg PS60 keyboard (using as MIDI controller) | EVH Eddie Van Halen Wolfgang Special Electric Guitar | Brian Moore ip8 electric guitar | Ibanez Artwood acoustic guitar | Ibanez GSR200FM | Taylor 214ce Koa Acoustic-Electric Guitar | Taylor BT2 Baby Taylor Acoustic Guitar | American Audio Media Operator BT Bluetooth Media Player
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by darrenporter1 on Thu Mar 07, 2019 11:16 am
That is a topic of hot debate... If I were deciding between the two I would probably go with the one that I think has the most attractive plugin suite bundled with it. They are both fine interfaces.


Studio One Professional 5.whatever, Harrison MixBus 32c v.6
i5-8400, 16GB RAM, 512 GB SSD, 2TB HD, Win10 Pro
UA Apollo QUAD, QUAD Satellite, PCIe DUO
FaderPort 8, Softube Console 1, JBL 306P Mk.II Monitors
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by roblof on Thu Mar 07, 2019 1:57 pm
The Midas, mr18 is a great device with 18 inputs (16 combo and 2 line) and 8 outputs. It also have great builtin fx for direct monitoring that won’t tax your cpy.

Studio One Pro v5, Notion 6, Nuendo 11, BitWig v3, Reaper v4, Ableton Live 8 Suite, iMac late 2015, Behringer Wing/x32-BigBoy/x32-rack all with Dante/aes67 and s16/sd16 stageboxes, Flow8, Waves x-wsg with SoundGrid server, Behringer X-Touch, X-Touch ONE, M-Air mr18, X-Air xr18, DP48, Hub4 and p16 monitor systems, TurboSound iQ-speakers, Motör 61, BCR-2000, FirePod 10, Apogee Ensemble, Alesis HD24, NI Komplete 12 Ultimate Collectors, Halion 6, True Temperament Frets on basses and guitars, Katana-100, DT-50, JSX, JCM800, Korg Kronos, Roland vk-7, Behringer Deepmind 12, Behringer Neutron
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by darrenporter1 on Thu Mar 07, 2019 2:39 pm
Mackie has a similar device too. I have been wondering how well those devices work in practice as an interface.


Studio One Professional 5.whatever, Harrison MixBus 32c v.6
i5-8400, 16GB RAM, 512 GB SSD, 2TB HD, Win10 Pro
UA Apollo QUAD, QUAD Satellite, PCIe DUO
FaderPort 8, Softube Console 1, JBL 306P Mk.II Monitors
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by brettgowder on Sat Mar 09, 2019 11:48 am
Wow on the Tascam US-16x08 Rackmount USB Audio/MIDI Interface. I just noticed it's price, which is less than $300. I wonder what I miss out on if I get that versus the Focusrite 18i20.

Brett
Logan At Sea
https://www.facebook.com/loganatsea/

Studio One Pro 4.0 | AMD Ryzen 5 2600 Six-Core Processor, 3400 Mhz, 6 Core(s), 12 Logical Processor(s) | Microsoft Windows 11 | U-Phoria UMC 1820 | Yamaha MOXF8 keyboard | Alesis QS8.1 keyboard | Korg PS60 keyboard (using as MIDI controller) | EVH Eddie Van Halen Wolfgang Special Electric Guitar | Brian Moore ip8 electric guitar | Ibanez Artwood acoustic guitar | Ibanez GSR200FM | Taylor 214ce Koa Acoustic-Electric Guitar | Taylor BT2 Baby Taylor Acoustic Guitar | American Audio Media Operator BT Bluetooth Media Player
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by darrenporter1 on Sat Mar 09, 2019 12:04 pm
No ADAT I/O and no plugins bundled with it. Only on-board DSP for direct monitoring is compression and EQ.

If you can live with that, it's a great interface. With the extra 6 inputs that have no mic pre it works great if you have external preamps as well. It also has two instrument/line-level inputs instead of just your standard one. When I bought mine used a couple years ago I paid more than the current new price so yeah it's a great deal. I'm considering getting another one so just so I can have the extra eight mic preamps for easier recording of a whole band. Eight line-outs make multiple headphone mixes easy too.


Studio One Professional 5.whatever, Harrison MixBus 32c v.6
i5-8400, 16GB RAM, 512 GB SSD, 2TB HD, Win10 Pro
UA Apollo QUAD, QUAD Satellite, PCIe DUO
FaderPort 8, Softube Console 1, JBL 306P Mk.II Monitors
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by matthewgorman on Sat Mar 09, 2019 4:48 pm
More than 300.00 for sure, but take a look at the series 3 consoles. You get an interface, live mixer, and daw controller in one unit. You get on board fat channel processing with the ability to print, and onboard fx for tracking (reverb and delay). On top of that, the converters and mic pres are the best sounding they have put out.

Matt

Lenovo ThinkServer TS140 Win 10 64bit, 8GB RAM, Intel Xeon
Lenovo Thinkpad E520, Windows 7 64bit, 8 GB RAM, Intel i5 Processor

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by brettgowder on Sat Mar 09, 2019 5:09 pm
Series 3 mixers look great, but sadly they're more than I want to spend. I think it's going to be the Focusrite 18i20.

Brett
Logan At Sea
https://www.facebook.com/loganatsea/

Studio One Pro 4.0 | AMD Ryzen 5 2600 Six-Core Processor, 3400 Mhz, 6 Core(s), 12 Logical Processor(s) | Microsoft Windows 11 | U-Phoria UMC 1820 | Yamaha MOXF8 keyboard | Alesis QS8.1 keyboard | Korg PS60 keyboard (using as MIDI controller) | EVH Eddie Van Halen Wolfgang Special Electric Guitar | Brian Moore ip8 electric guitar | Ibanez Artwood acoustic guitar | Ibanez GSR200FM | Taylor 214ce Koa Acoustic-Electric Guitar | Taylor BT2 Baby Taylor Acoustic Guitar | American Audio Media Operator BT Bluetooth Media Player
User avatar
by darrenporter1 on Sat Mar 09, 2019 6:10 pm
that's a good choice. later on if you decide you need extra inputs there are a few options to add an 8-input ADAT preamp. Focusrite and PreSonus both make them.


Studio One Professional 5.whatever, Harrison MixBus 32c v.6
i5-8400, 16GB RAM, 512 GB SSD, 2TB HD, Win10 Pro
UA Apollo QUAD, QUAD Satellite, PCIe DUO
FaderPort 8, Softube Console 1, JBL 306P Mk.II Monitors

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