Audio Interfaces and Examples
Lesson 7 from: Audio Production: Record Better AudioTomas George
Audio Interfaces and Examples
Lesson 7 from: Audio Production: Record Better AudioTomas George
Lesson Info
7. Audio Interfaces and Examples
Lessons
My Recommended Budget Audio Recording Setup
03:58 2Microphones for Video and Filmmakers
04:35 3Different Microphones and their uses
07:56 4Microphone Accessories
04:41 5Boom Operating Tips
03:21 6Microphone Accessories to Reduce Wind Noise
01:58 7Audio Interfaces and Examples
06:06 8Headphones and Monitors
01:46Room Treatment Tips
06:17 10Room Treatment Example
01:09 11My Recommended Audio Travel Gear
06:15 12Introduction to Audacity
00:45 13Audio Recording Setup in Audacity
03:49 14How to Record Audio in Audacity
02:54 15Playback, Zoom, Undo + Saving in Audacity
04:15 16How to Export Audio out of Audacity
03:37 17Audacity's Essential Audio Editing Tools
08:07 18Removing Silence, Splitting + Joining Clips
03:17 19Audacity's Essential Key Command or Keyboard Shortcuts
03:06 20Removing Background Noise Introduction
02:48 21Audacity's Noise Gate Effect
12:29 22Audacity's Noise Reduction Effect
11:15 23Introduction to Mixing and Processing Audio in Audacity
02:32 24A Brief Look at the Filter Curve or EQ Effect
10:35 25A Brief Look at Compression and the Normalize Effect
11:21 26Setting up an Effects Macro in Audacity
03:23 27Outboard Gear - The DBX 286s
05:26 28Thanks and Bye
00:12Lesson Info
Audio Interfaces and Examples
Hi and welcome to this lecture where we're going to be looking at audio interfaces. So in front of me, now, I have four different audio interfaces that each have their own advantages and they're each at different price points. So an audio interface has a few different functions and I'm going to quickly run through them now. So this microphone here, this is plugged in via an XL R cable and this will send an analog signal. So we plug this XL R cable into our audio interface and then we can increase the gain with the microphone preamp here. Then after this, we're going to send the signal so this analog signal into our computer. So the audio interface actually converts this analog signal to a digital signal so we can record the audio with our computer. So this actually works the other way too as a digital to analog converter. So you can send this recorded audio to a set of speakers because an audio interface does convert digital to analog as well. It also can be higher quality than the dig...
ital to analog converters on your computer with an audio interface. You can also control the amount of volume being sent out to your speakers with a monitor dial. Also, most audio interfaces will have a dedicated headphone output as well. So this first audio interface, this is the focus, right? Scarlet two I two, I recommend this audio interface for anyone starting out. It's quite inexpensive around about 100 and $20. And there are various different versions. This is a two I two. So it gives you two inputs. There's also the solo which is one input and you can even get a four and a eight input version. So the audio you're hearing right now is actually being recorded on this focus, right? Scarlett two I two. So the microphone preamp might not be quite as good as the more expensive audio interfaces that we're going to look at later on. However, it's still great. And if you're starting out, this is a great audio interface to consider. And the next audio interface is the Shaw X two U. This is great because it's so small, the audio you can hear right now it's been recorded into this audio interface. So it does have a lot of the same functionalities as the other audio interfaces. It allows you to control the gain level and the output level. However, it's only one input and you can only record an XL R cable with this. So if you want to record, say a guitar or maybe a keyboard, you may not be able to do this with this short X two U. However, if you're just recording a voiceover or maybe a podcast, this can be great. One thing to mention as well is it doesn't have a dedicated speaker output. However, it does have a headphone out. It also has Phantom power plus 48 volts as do all of these other audio interfaces. So for certain microphones, you may need an additional volts to power the microphone. This microphone however, is a dynamic microphone and does not require Phantom power. However, it's there just in case you're using a microphone that does require Phantom power. So this is a great lightweight inexpensive audio interface around about $100. The preamp may not be quite as good as these other audio interfaces. However, it's a great one to consider if you want to record audio whilst you're traveling. OK. And the next audio interface is this one here. This is the APO G duet. So the audio you can hear right now is recorded through this audio interface. So this is quite small, obviously not a small lightweight as a short X two U. But compared to this audio interface here, it is very lightweight. So the main thing I like about this audio interface is how clear the mic preamps are. And you can actually add a lot of gain which can be very useful for certain microphones that require more gain such as the electro voice re 20 to keep this audio interface slim line, the audio inputs aren't actually on this interface itself. They're on these breakout cables. These are combi XL jack inputs so you can insert either an XL cable or a jack. These breakout cables also have monitor out so you can plug this audio interface into your speakers. There's also a headphone out at the bottom of this audio interface if you want to monitor with headphones whilst recording audio. So this Apple G duet is a great audio interface. If you want to have some clean preamps that can give you a lot of additional gain and also have an audio interface that isn't too big and bulky. It is quite expensive though it can be up to $600 but it will give you a better sound than say the focus, right? Two I two or the Sha X two U and the next audio interface is this focus right? Claret four pre you can get this with two preamps, four preamps and there's also an eight preamp version. So out of these four audio interfaces, the focus right? Claret is the only one that requires mains power. So for the studio, it's great. But if you want to record when you're traveling on location, I don't really recommend it. The microphone I'm speaking into right now. It's been recorded through this focus right Claret and as you can hear, it sounds great, this audio interface has very clean and clear microphone preamps. This focus right? Claret is a bit more expensive than say the scarlet. It is around $550. However, it has got really high quality microphone preamps. So if you do want to spend a bit more for a really great quality audio interface for the studio, I recommend having a look at the focus right? Claret. One more thing to mention is the claret does have additional line level inputs at the back, which can be useful if you have any additional preamps. Let's now have a quick comparison of these four different audio interfaces recorded with the same microphone using the same processing the microphone I'm speaking into at the moment is the Shaw sm 58 the microphone I'm speaking into at the moment is the Shaw sm 58 the microphone I'm speaking into at the moment is the Shaw sm 58 the microphone I'm speaking into at the moment is the Shaw Ss M 58. You may have noticed there that the more expensive audio interfaces give you a higher quality sound. However, the cheaper audio interfaces are more than adequate for most applications. So each of these four audio interfaces do offer different features and they do have different quality preamps, there are different price points as well. So it really depends on how much you want to spend. But if you're starting out, I do recommend having a look at the focus, right? Two I two. If you want to spend a bit more money for the studio, I recommend having a look at the claret and if you want to be more portable, I recommend having a look at the Aper G duets. But if you want to save a bit more money and you still want to be portable, then I recommend having a look at the shore X two U. So thank you for watching this lecture. I hope you understand a bit more now about audio interfaces and I'll see you in the next lesson.
Class Materials
Bonus Materials
Ratings and Reviews
Student Work
Related Classes
Audio Engineering