What's The Point Of An Audio Interface?, question Options

[karambos]

Hi,

I have a problem trying to understand what audio interfaces are for. As far as I understand, an audio interface (like something by MOTU or the PROTOOLS 888) sits inbetween the mics you are using to record with and your audio card. Or does it sit between the mics and the desk?

If you are recording a drumkit with, let's say, eight mics, then you could just plug the mics directly into the mixing desk, surely? What's the advantage of having an audio interface to plug your mics into?

THere must be a technical reason but I can't see what it is. Maybe it's just for the convenience of being able to cable any mic to any input on the desk. Is that right?

Please can someone explain why people pay so much for these things?

Thanks

The audio interface allows the analog information that you're recording (in your case, the drum tracks) to be converted to digital information so that your computer can record it (into some sort of program -- a la Logic, DP, Protools). If you have a sound card built in that does this, then technically you could input audio into your computer that way (though I've never done that). The benefit of something like an 828 is (among other things) that it allows for multiple inputs as well as including mic pres. That way, if you don't have a mixer, and want to record drums with 8 mics, you can do it. Also (and this goes beyond my knowledge), a dedicated audio interface can also let you output your recorded/processed/mixed tracks via lightpipe, etc., keeping it all in the digital realm. I'm sure the others here with much more experience than I can provide some additional useful info, but this is my understanding at least. I hope that helps. And if I've mislead you in here somewhere, I apologize. I'm sure someone else will come to clarify things.

[kaboombahchuck]

I run my mixer directly into my sound card, and that works fine. However, the advantage of having an audio interface (like the motu) is IF your audio recording program can handle it, you can record the drum session in 8 seperate tracks simultainiously, allowing for sound editing later.

[alcolo]

Karambos,

I'm at the same point as you but as far as I understood, the audio interface converts Analog signal to Digital and the other way around.
In addition some Audio interfaces have Midi I/O (so they do the Midi inteface) and/or preamps (bad ones, as far as I know...).
But, please also note that some external hardware preamp also have A/D converters....confusing isn't it?
So, it seems like at a certain point you can have functions in double!
For example, I've got a midi interface (Maudio UNO), I'd prefer external preamp (e.g. ART tube MP) and still continue to use Pro Tools Free but at this point, I don't find any Audio interface supporting PTFree and that just provides 2 or 4 analog I/O with XLR.

I'm not an expert, so just consider my comments as the ones from a beginner!
Anyway, I hope it helps...

alcolo

[Synthetic]

Yep, as noted above... the main reason for more than 2 inputs is to have the ability to track more than 2 channels at once such as the drum recording. If you use a mixer and record only its stereo ouput... you will loose some of the control of your sound during the final mixing of the project because the 8 mics used to record the drums were squashed down to 2 tracks rather than 8.

Also, having mulitple inputs and outputs allows more creative use of external hardware processors like compressors, fx, and such rather than just relying on plugins. I have a couple processors setup on my digi 001 that lets me send any tracks I like from my ProTools to my FX unit and back or my compressor or tube mic pre and back into the mix and this saves cpu cycles for other plugs.