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The best USB audio interface
By Daniel Varghese This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, Wirecutter and Engadget may earn affiliate commission. Read the full guide to USB audio interfaces. If you're a musician who's starting to get serious about recording your work yourself, you need a USB audio interface that lets you connect any microphone to a computer or iPad and record multiple tracks at once. We tested nine audio interfaces and found that they all record clear audio, but the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 offers the best combination of features, portability, and ease of use. The Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 is our favorite USB audio interface for musicians who want to record up to two tracks simultaneously onto a computer. Due to its logically arranged inputs and adjustment knobs, the 2i2 is easy to set up and use to record vocals and acoustic or electric instruments to any digital audio workstation. The interface works with iOS, macOS, and Windows devices and comes with versions of popular recording software. Its compact, lightweight design makes it easy to toss in your backpack or suitcase for mobile recording sessions. The 2i2 lacks a built-in MIDI interface, but unless you have a lot of older MIDI instruments lying around, this shouldn't be a big issue. If the Focusrite 2i2 is unavailable, or if you have a lot of older gear with five-pin MIDI connectors, the PreSonus AudioBox iTwo is a great alternative. It has the same iPad functionality and portability as the 2i2, but its smaller clipping lights and less-intuitive front-panel design make it a little harder to use. The Native Instruments Komplete Audio 6 has all of the advantages of the Focusrite 2i2, including clear clipping lights and macOS/Windows/iOS support, but it adds a built-in MIDI interface and two extra balanced line inputs and outputs. Its unique design, which places all of its monitor lights on the top panel, makes it a little easier to set up and use than the other interfaces we tested. These extra features also make it heavier than we'd like, but if you plan to mostly use it in your home studio and could use the extra inputs, it's a great upgrade.
Native Instruments' Audio 2 DJ claims to be 'world's smallest' USB audio interface
You know you're living in the digital age when even DJs start ogling capacitive touchscreens with glee and turntables can be replaced by pocket DJ systems. Aiding this trend along is the newly announced Audio 2 DJ, which packs studio-grade 24-bit / 96 KHz Cirrus Logic converters inside an impossibly svelte and stylish package. This USB-powered device can best be understood as a supercharged sound card: two 1/4-inch stereo outputs are amplified to a "pristine" +9.7 dBu, while low-latency OS drivers ensure rapid responsiveness. The best thing about the Audio 2 DJ, though, might just be the price -- at $119, it's reasonable enough to make the product appealing to non-professionals too. Should you care about souped-up sound on the move, there's not long to wait now, with availability set for September 1.[Via Macworld]
