Audio interface, looking for suggestions

    Hello everybody,
    time to change my Alesis FW mixer, that is not working properly anymore, and repairing it costs too much...
    I'm (I was) using it with my glorious iMac24 with Firewire 400 , but I'm considering upgrading sooner or later to rome more recent machine (I still don't know if iMac, or macbook, or macbook Air), that have thunderbolt and/or FW800



    Do you have any suggestion for a good (not necessarily pro) interface that has
    - SPDIF in (for the kemper)
    - 2 (or more) analog input
    - MIDI interface
    - possibly (not necessarily) 2 headphone out


    P.S.: possibly with the least software driver issues ... working with no problems in OSX is mandatory, but there's also Windows on the other side of the coin... :)


    What price range I'm going to hit?
    I'd prefer to stay away from USB... but maybe there's some interesting device working properly...


    I 'm starting to browse the tech specs around, but if anyone has yet had (and solved) a similar issue, any help is appreciated :)
    thanks in advance
    Enrico

    I like the PreSonus Firestudio. I got the 26/26 with Remote as well as the USB Audio Box for mobile recording. USB is stable and reliable and can also power your interface; firewire 400 is ok but not faster than USB 2.0 and requires additional Power. USB 3 and now Thunderbolt are the new standards. Firewire 400 and 800 will probably be gone soon in my opinion.

    thank you for the hints, I'm going to check them all out...
    Anyone had any experience with MOTU?
    http://www.motu.com/products/motuaudio/4pre


    a bit pricey, but seems to have the best of both worlds in terms of I/O... USB/FW, analog and digital input... AFAIK solid drivers...
    although no MIDI...


    About Focusrite, very famous, real good product.
    But a friend warned me about their tendency to continuously release new product and models, rapidly dropping support for the older ones e.g. in case of new OS updates...
    fact or fiction? :S:)


    bye, and thanks again

    I had a Motu 828 a long time ago. I find MOTU hardware and software highly unreliable and often faulty (and I hear that a lot from other people too)


    As far as USB 2 or 3 goes, faster than firewire and stable. Firewire 400 will be gone soon and I feel 800 as well since USB 3 is faster. Getting an interface with USB 3 or Thunderbolt interface would be most prudent to stay current for the years to come.


    Apogee Duett or Quattro is great or go for the UA Apollo if you want to invest a bit more.


    As I had mentioned, I am using the PreSonus Firestudio 26/26 and have been very very happy with it. Perhaps try the Audiobox 1818VSL interface?

    I haven't tried it yet because it won't be out until next month but I am planning on buying the new Zoom TAC-2 thunderbolt audio interface.


    So far it has been getting rave reviews and it looks really nice. Slightly cheaper than the Apogee Duet. I use a new MacBook Pro with the retina display. It is wonderful, The display is stunning, the audio is outstanding. I could not be happier.

    I've hade a couple of interfaces over the years, my previous one were a Tascam and I ran into the problem with a company that didn't wanted to support even their current line of stuff.
    So for the next interface, I looked around to see what manufacturer had good reputation for: Nice price, Good hardware, stable driver AND great support.
    And the only one that ticked all boxes were Focusrite.
    I got a Saffire Pro40 in feb 2009 and it has worked flawlessly, if it would break I'll get a new one...
    Focusrite always has up-to-date drivers for their stuff on their site, one example was that Focusrite were one of the first to ship 64-bit drivers for OSX...

    I've got an iMac and a couple of years ago I bought a used Apogee Duet (1). Not only has it been a stellar interface, but the way it works as an external sound card has revolutionised my general listening pleasure.

    I have used the Focusrite Sapphire 18i8 USB and really liked it... lots of inputs and outputs and headphone mixes right on the front.. I've had Apogee Duet II and Quartet... both great USB interfaces and sound wonderful.. I had a Presonus FW interface with the ADATA expander.. used it for a few sessions, worked fine but not too crazy about the overall sound..

    Gettin' funky up in here..

    Hi guys, i just got my Kemper this weekend. I also picked up a Saffire 2i4 interface, but seem to be having clipping issues. I tried out of the Kemper, and also plugging in
    my guitar directly and am clipping either way. Just curious if anyone else has experienced this?

    I've had many apogee interfaces over the years and they are either hit or miss. Two of the last ones I had, Duet 2 and Quartet both had issues. One was out of warranty and is now a doorstop. The quartet I sent back due to noise issues. I think Apogee sells you with a slick looking interface and website, but the quality of parts inside are not what they seem.


    I had a Focusrite Saffire 18i20 which was very nice but the unit was having some power supply issues and it had to be returned as well. Not much luck I have had!


    Until, I finally picked up a Universal Audio Apollo Twin. I've had it since January and it has been perfect for my home studio! Very happy with the products, their updates and communication.