Best Audio Interface For around the $1000 level - with SPDIF???

  • I am not sure if I would go up to the $1499 that they want for the RME. Is it really that much better than the MOTU? Am I going to notice a difference?

    Absolutely yes. I do understand that it's difficult to know that until you get to know both. And I also understand and appreciate that nobody will trust "some random guy" on a web forum. Stay critical and question things.

    One bit of general advice would be that once you go beyond the "consumer" or "semi-pro" level of gear, things get more complex than a quick look at a flashy product web page and a few tech specs. For the RME interface it will take some time and daily use to discover and leverage the insane capabilities. But they are there and ready for every ambitious user to unleash. Personally, I have the RME UFX+ since it was released. I wouldn't exchange it for anything other on the market. I have gone through years of Focusrite, Motu and other interfaces. They are fine, probably good enough for most. But once you step into the world RME has created, you really wonder why you haven't done it earlier.


    Anyway, everyone should and will find their own reasons to buy or not buy. That's fine. I'm sure, BayouTexan is happy with what he has. But a statement like "Motu wins hands down" is a little, hmmm, ambitious? Maybe due to an understandable lack of in depth knowledge?

    The "looks like the RME doesn't have SPDIF in it" is an indication for that. A quick look often doesn't tell the entire truth. They made 4 more digital inputs and 4 more digital outputs available regardless of the small form factor of the unit. :) The required breakout cable is included, of course.


    If you ( halipino ) are unsure or want to know more, feel free to ask ... I can even run a Youtube live stream and show/demo/explain things you want to know (or can't even imagine exist). It's up to you :)

  • It's simple to decide if you break it down to just how many analog ins and outs you need.

    No, it's not as simple, sorry. If you want to invest in expensive gear you want it to last for a long time to come. It's a much better idea to get something that (reasonably) exceeds your current needs and can be extended to growing/changing needs even 5 or 10 years from now.


    When I bought my RME UFX+ a few years back, I actually used roughly 32 inputs and 32 outputs ... of the 94 inputs and 94 outputs available. Now I'm already at roughly 50 inputs and 50 outputs because I recently got into Dolby Atmos production (and monitoring).


    Will I ever need the remaining channels? Maybe yes, maybe no. But they are there, ready to use for years to come.

  • It's simple to decide if you break it down to just how many analog ins and outs you need.


    I think it is a little more complex than that. What separates Focusrite from MOTU? They both offer similar units. I am sure there is a difference in the preamps in them. Thankfully I am not in a situation where I have to buy something right now so I have some time to do more research to try to get the right one for me.

  • "looks like the RME doesn't have SPDIF in it" is an indication for that. A quick look often doesn't tell the entire truth. They made 4 more digital inputs and 4 more digital outputs available regardless of the small form factor of the unit. :) The required breakout cable is included, of course.

    In all fairness, it was me that typed that. I didn't see the connectors on it and didn't spend the time to dig into the specs to see that it used a breakout cable for that. I now know that. :)

  • Nice, I would like to see some of your videos, I'm all about learning new things. And YES, I called Sweetwater who had to put a "re-route" on my order so the equipment has to go back to the mothership as it was apparently sent last night and I am going to get the RME once the box gets back to them. For what I am able to somewhat effort I do i want to get the very best and thank you for your helping out.

  • I think it is a little more complex than that. What separates Focusrite from MOTU? They both offer similar units. I am sure there is a difference in the preamps in them. Thankfully I am not in a situation where I have to buy something right now so I have some time to do more research to try to get the right one for me.

    If the ins and outs are not enough then look at the ease of controls and user interface of the unit itself and it's software. I've never heard one single complaint online about Motu but always hear several on Focusrite and it's software UI.


    For me, the number of ins and outs must take precedence, I can't drive a car with only 3 wheels when I need 4. But a motorbike might work for some. Then I'd look at acceleration performance (latency), and then engine power (chip conversion), and finally looks. Not so complex. ;)


    Now, if you are looking for an interface to record all the top acts in your $$$ Studio then that is a topic way beyond me.

    Larry Mar @ Lonegun Studios. Neither one famous yet.

  • If the ins and outs are not enough then look at the ease of controls and user interface of the unit itself and it's software. I've never heard one single complaint online about Motu but always hear several on Focusrite and it's software UI.


    For me, the number of ins and outs must take precedence, I can't drive a car with only 3 wheels when I need 4. But a motorbike might work for some. Then I'd look at acceleration performance (latency), and then engine power (chip conversion), and finally looks. Not so complex. ;)


    Now, if you are looking for an interface to record all the top acts in your $$$ Studio then that is a topic way beyond me.

    For me brother, I get dizzy after 3 choices... when a webpage has 30 of them I get a headache lol

  • I am growing to not fully trust Sweetwater anymore. I really dislike my rep there. He is never helpful anymore. I don't know if I don't spend enough money with them these days or what has caused the change. They have missed out on quite a few sales in the past two years because of him not being responsive or not cutting me any deals or not having things in stock. I have taken a lot of business to other places due to that. I wish I knew some place that was trustworthy to get advice from that wasn't just trying to sell me something they have extra stock of.

    I've frequented a bunch of different retailers over the years, whether music related or otherwise. My relationship with my rep at the tool supplier where I work is excellent, they know about new tooling, the specs and what parameters to use with it. They're selling thousands of items and are getting feedback constantly as they speak to their customers every week.


    But for music gear? Nah, they're not comparable. They're salesmen, not reps. They're not speaking to their customer a week later and asking how they got on with that $1000 interface and are offering a swap because they know you'll be back each week spending thousands. They expect you to buy your gear from multiple sources and are pedalling opinion and looking at targets. I know with stuff such as interfaces you can end up going round in circles but they're things that i would research and decide for myself and then make the jump. I may have misinterpreted your post but I would reconsider your relationship with your retailer.

  • For me brother, I get dizzy after 3 choices... when a webpage has 30 of them I get a headache lol

    Me too.


    Coming from an electrical engineering background I find it really hard to think someone cant make a decent two input device on the cheap. And the key to these expensive units business models is there is no way to prove otherwise. Its a sound. You either hear or dont. Or think you do because you spent so much money on it. The more something cost the more you will see glowing revues for it. My company used to sell a very expensive device for audiophiles that did nothing. But people thought "it was the best" so they paid for it. And they paid a lot.


    I went with a Behringer UMC404HD. 4 Inputs and inserts for each channel so I can add a compressor/gate etc. No SPDIF. Got it before the Kemper. And my ears are trash so it could sound horrible. I would not know. How good are your ears??? Its also really cheap so I can get several of them over the years for future proof.


    Kemper, Behringer, Sennheiser... I am starting to see a trend.


    I love Sweetwater but I am not a fan of them using Google to track your online activity on their site. I may stop using them altogether. Everytime I go somewhere I see a list of all the things I was just browsing. And that really pisses me off.

  • They're salesmen, not reps.

    I used to sell car parts for minimum wage and people would expect me to be able to troubleshoot and tell them how to fix their cars. All you can hope is Sweetwater is better then the rest and actually pay to train these people. But they probably do not have 12 interfaces at home and years of personal experience with them. One thing about Sweetwater is the sales people are usually there for a long time. That may indicate they are paying them well because they are training them and want them to stay???

  • I used to sell car parts for minimum wage and people would expect me to be able to troubleshoot and tell them how to fix their cars. All you can hope is Sweetwater is better then the rest and actually pay to train these people. But they probably do not have 12 interfaces at home and years of personal experience with them. One thing about Sweetwater is the sales people are usually there for a long time. That may indicate they are paying them well because they are training them and want them to stay???

    Yeah, i hope so. I mean no disrespect to anyone in retail, they're doing a job and I'm just fine with that. My mother is one of the most frequent at asking for advice, she'll literally ask any store worker, as if the 17yr old student working part time in a huge supermarket will know which product is best for her needs.

  • Looks like I am now in the market for an interface. I fired my stuff up this weekend after everything was updated, my interface no longer works. I knew it was going to happen, I just didn't know when.


    I am considering the RME interface that was recommended. I am also now looking at one of the rack mount MOTU units (MOTU 828es) because the connections on it would work well for my use.


    I am going to have to make the dreaded call to Sweetwater to see what I can find out on these and see what they recommend. The guy I got on the phone last year when I bought my Kemper was decent to deal with and he gave me a deal on it. Maybe I will get lucky and get someone that is good to deal with and will cut me a deal.

  • Looks like I am now in the market for an interface. I fired my stuff up this weekend after everything was updated, my interface no longer works. I knew it was going to happen, I just didn't know when.


    I am considering the RME interface that was recommended. I am also now looking at one of the rack mount MOTU units (MOTU 828es) because the connections on it would work well for my use.


    I am going to have to make the dreaded call to Sweetwater to see what I can find out on these and see what they recommend. The guy I got on the phone last year when I bought my Kemper was decent to deal with and he gave me a deal on it. Maybe I will get lucky and get someone that is good to deal with and will cut me a deal.

    You may have a different experience with Sweetwater but I was doing the same thing, making calls and talking to a few different reps, but when it came to make purchase, the rep couldn't snake the deal, he had to transfer me to the guy who I got my Kemper from. I appreciated all the time and knowledge these guys imparted but they just might transfer you to the original rep you bought from. ? A code of honor they must follow? Lol

  • You may have a different experience with Sweetwater but I was doing the same thing, making calls and talking to a few different reps, but when it came to make purchase, the rep couldn't snake the deal, he had to transfer me to the guy who I got my Kemper from. I appreciated all the time and knowledge these guys imparted but they just might transfer you to the original rep you bought from. ? A code of honor they must follow? Lol

    The guy I talked to did try to send me back around to my rep. He said they kind of have their own "store" so to speak. That tells me that they have some freedoms that they can choose to use or not. The guy I talked to did knock some off of the price. I ended up ordering the RME unit. It was down to a few hundred dollars difference and they have a deal going where you get a USP control pad for free that is normally $179. It seemed like one of those situations where it is better to spend just a little bit more and get a better unit.

  • The guy I talked to did try to send me back around to my rep. He said they kind of have their own "store" so to speak. That tells me that they have some freedoms that they can choose to use or not. The guy I talked to did knock some off of the price. I ended up ordering the RME unit. It was down to a few hundred dollars difference and they have a deal going where you get a USP control pad for free that is normally $179. It seemed like one of those situations where it is better to spend just a little bit more and get a better unit.

    Yes, exactly... The usb control seems nice, watched a few videos on it last night and it is very useful. I also like the audio routing with their mixing app. Can't wait ?

  • I used to sell car parts for minimum wage and people would expect me to be able to troubleshoot and tell them how to fix their cars. All you can hope is Sweetwater is better then the rest and actually pay to train these people. But they probably do not have 12 interfaces at home and years of personal experience with them. One thing about Sweetwater is the sales people are usually there for a long time. That may indicate they are paying them well because they are training them and want them to stay???

    Agreed, so far the 3 guys that I have encountered at Sweetwater were extra helpful and smart but then again so is everybody here at Kemper Land and many have years of gear experience (as playing and recording pros). I'm so grateful to be told to put a "STOP" on the Sound Device box and get the RME. after a few hours of watching product videos on RME I am psyched to be able to have their technology.

  • I have been browsing interfaces as well. I think I am going to have to upgrade in the near future. I have been interested in the MOTU Mk5 but you can't get them anywhere right now. Thankfully I am not in a must buy it now situation. It looks like it may become available around February.

    Ordered one (Motu Ultralite Mk V) in September, supposed to come in next week. Hopefully worth the wait!

    Keep your eyes out, maybe they'll be available everywhere then....

  • I'm so grateful to be told to ... get the RME. after a few hours of watching product videos on RME I am psyched to be able to have their technology.

    You're in for a nice honeymoon, especially since you've already watched a bunch of videos that certainly help a lot to understand the beast. :)

    One aspect that is quite similar to the Kemper universe is the fact that the co-founder of RME (Matthias Carstens) and other support staff actively and frequently participate in their user forums.


    By the way, I didn't mention the RME ARC USB controller because I thought this will be too expensive to get it right with the interface. But if you ordered it as well, you will LOVE it. If you didn't, you can get it at any point in the future.


    And one more thing you'll get as an RME user is the free and awesome metering suite called RME DigiCheck.

    I use it pretty often although I do have plenty of other metering tools (in my DAWs and also a quite sophisticated hardware unit).


    I ended up ordering the RME unit.

    Congratulations :) May I ask you as well if you're on Windows or Mac? Don't worry, doesn't make much of a difference, just want to know for one particular reason I will happily discuss once you guys have the units setup. :)

  • By the way, I didn't mention the RME ARC USB controller because I thought this will be too expensive to get it right with the interface. But if you ordered it as well, you will LOVE it. If you didn't, you can get it at any point in the future.




    Congratulations :) May I ask you as well if you're on Windows or Mac? Don't worry, doesn't make much of a difference, just want to know for one particular reason I will happily discuss once you guys have the units setup. :)


    They have a special going on where you get the RME ARC USB controller free with the purchase of the interface. It is out of stock right now but they said it is estimated to be in around a week from now. I think that really made the deal work for me.


    I am going to be running this with a Mac. I wanted an interface that I can use with either because I just bought a new Windows machine that is nicely equipped as well so I wanted to be able to use it with both. One thing that really made the RME work is it having the mixer and other things built in. I will easily be able to use this unit with both systems.