If you have an recording interface with 8 preamps and that's not enough, you will have to use additional preamps. The instrument inputs are designed for plugging electric guitars or basses directly in (like a DI) and give you a clean signal to your track that you can use for amp modeling within your software. The other analog inputs are generally used as instrument inputs or for direct connections for keyboards or other devices. If you want to record with microphones - say vocals, a guitar amp, or acoustic drums, you will need to use the preamps. Keep in mind, some recording interfaces advertise a lot of inputs, but may only include 2 preamps. The next thing to consider, and I find this to be one of the most important considerations, is how many inputs and outputs do you need? Are you going to be recording a voice and a guitar, or are you going to track a full band? Most of the recording interfaces come with at least 2 Preamps for recording sound through a microphone, but if you need to record a full rock band with isolation for the instruments you may need 8 or more channels.

Bus powered means that the power is coming from your computer's bus through your USB or FireWire connection. Another important decisions is do you want an interface with a USB or FireWire connection to your computer? Generally speaking, firewire is the more stable of the two, but that may not be an option if you have a PC without a firewire connection.ĭo you need to be mobile? If so an audio interface that can be bus powered may be ideal, that way you can plug it in to your laptop through USB or Firewire and not have to plug the interface into the wall for power. Some, like the Apogee products, work with a Mac only.

The first thing to consider is are you a Mac or are you a PC? Most of the recording interfaces can be used with either computer, but be careful.

Of course staying within your budget is necessary, so like most things in life there may have to be tradeoffs. The list could go on, but the above are some of the most important features that you should think about to make your decision.

Usb preamp for recording to my mac