zeronyne Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 For a variety of reasons stemming from my recent downsizing of my house (empty-nesting), I moved my studio to a rented location (it's in a retail building above a big hair salon...it always smells great). Due to that, and the fact that I have no where to have a permanent setup at home, I've spent the last 6 months or so creating a portable rig that I can also fly with. I decided to eschew a laptop and I went with an M2Pro Mac Mini and two portable monitors (they look like tablets). But I still needed a controller, MIDI interface, and an audio interface. But then I realized, my HX Stomp has both 5 pin MIDI in/out and stereo ins and outs. So now it's the computer, the Stomp, and a tiny controller keyboard...still trying a few out. So here is my informal survey question: It seems like serving as an audio interface is a relatively common side feature of a lot of devices. In your rig, how many items could serve as an audio interface in a pinch? Including a couple of old Pods and a few throwaway mixers, I think I have a dozen. Quote "For instance" is not proof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cassdad Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 I use my main keyboard as the “mixer”….. it has inputs (1/4 jacks and USB), and has a volume control on-board to control the incoming instrument volume relative to my main keyboard. Works great, no additional hardware required. 1 Quote Ludwig van Beethoven: “To play a wrong note is insignificant; to play without passion is inexcusable.” My Rig: Yamaha MOXF8 (used mostly for acoustic piano voices); Motion Sound KP-612SX & SL-512. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EscapeRocks Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 Both of the hardware boards in my gig rig setup can function as an audio i/o Quote David Gig Rig:Depends on the day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RABid Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 I have quite a few hardware keyboards that can be a USB audio interface but never use them. My old, unused Windows DAW has a RME interface. Since going to MacBooks I've been locked into UAD Apollo Twins. I'm too vested in UAD plugins to go with anything else. I have two, a duo and a quad. Quote This post edited for speling. My Sweetwater Gear Exchange Page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nursers Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 4 hours ago, zeronyne said: For a variety of reasons stemming from my recent downsizing of my house (empty-nesting), I moved my studio to a rented location (it's in a retail building above a big hair salon...it always smells great). Due to that, and the fact that I have no where to have a permanent setup at home, I've spent the last 6 months or so creating a portable rig that I can also fly with. I decided to eschew a laptop and I went with an M2Pro Mac Mini and two portable monitors (they look like tablets). But I still needed a controller, MIDI interface, and an audio interface. But then I realized, my HX Stomp has both 5 pin MIDI in/out and stereo ins and outs. So now it's the computer, the Stomp, and a tiny controller keyboard...still trying a few out. So here is my informal survey question: It seems like serving as an audio interface is a relatively common side feature of a lot of devices. In your rig, how many items could serve as an audio interface in a pinch? Including a couple of old Pods and a few throwaway mixers, I think I have a dozen. Apologies sir but just on a tangent - what are the specific portable monitors you got? And what do you display on them (Gig Performer / Mainstage etc) - looking at going down that route... Quote The Keyboard Chronicles Podcast Check out your fellow forumites in an Apple Music playlist Check out your fellow forumites in a Spotify playlist My Music: Stainless Fields Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RABid Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 I'm still waiting for someone to develop a faux laptop that is actually a monitor, keyboard, trek-pad and speakers to connect to the Mini. 1 Quote This post edited for speling. My Sweetwater Gear Exchange Page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stokely Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 Live, I've used the one in my Yamaha Modx. At home, for a while I was using my Zoom H2 as both a mic and usb interface. Way back, I had a Mackie mixer with Firewire that I used at home and at a few band rehearsals as a submixer (it worked fine with a computer hooked up.) Mostly though I've stuck with more traditional box interfaces (a Behringer umc404hd and now a Motu m4). Live, I am down to a single keyboard with no computer or ipad and love the simplicity, but maybe someday I'll use mainstage or similar. I'm 100% software at home so it's just a live gig mentality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzpiano88 Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 Consumer 1/8" stereo headphone out and 1/8" stereo mic/line input seem like they are often the poor man audio interface. I would go with pro A/D D/A units. Like who wants to stream their super Hi Fi Montage M8X out of a Mac Mini headphone jack (not that I've looked into their D/A's, but conceptually)? Quote J a z z P i a n o 8 8 -- Yamaha C7D Montage M8x | CP300 | CP4 | SK1-73 | OB6 | Seven K8.2 | 3300 | CPSv.3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnotherScott Posted March 20 Share Posted March 20 22 minutes ago, jazzpiano88 said: Consumer 1/8" stereo headphone out and 1/8" stereo mic/line input seem like they are often the poor man audio interface. I would go with pro A/D D/A units. Like who wants to stream their super Hi Fi Montage M8X out of a Mac Mini headphone jack (not that I've looked into their D/A's, but conceptually)? The 1/8" outs on a Mac are high quality. 10+ years ago, that's what Eddie Jobson was using on the U.K. tours. And they're better now than they were then (in 2021, I believe they upgraded the DACs from 48 kHz to 96 kHz). Also check this thread for the experiences of a number of people here... https://forums.musicplayer.com/topic/185921-live-laptop-users-what-compact-audio-interface/ Quote Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimboKeys Posted March 20 Share Posted March 20 Rehearsing with the originals band I’m using my FA08 keyboard as an audio interface. With the tribute band I have a mixer on the pedal board that functions as an audio interface. Solo gig I either use another mixer, or if I’m running on battery power I’ll use my (USB powered) mic FX processor as my audio interface. Also I have a vocal harmony processor that can act as an audio interface. So all of that, without a stand-alone interface. — Jimbokeys 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElmerJFudd Posted March 20 Share Posted March 20 21 hours ago, jazzpiano88 said: Consumer 1/8" stereo headphone out and 1/8" stereo mic/line input seem like they are often the poor man audio interface. I would go with pro A/D D/A units. Like who wants to stream their super Hi Fi Montage M8X out of a Mac Mini headphone jack (not that I've looked into their D/A's, but conceptually)? Uh oh, time for an A/B test of Pro Audio Interface balanced outs and MacBook Air 3.5mm to DI Box. Any takers ready to stake their rep on picking which is which? Quote Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzpiano88 Posted March 21 Share Posted March 21 3 hours ago, ElmerJFudd said: Uh oh, time for an A/B test of Pro Audio Interface balanced outs and MacBook Air 3.5mm to DI Box. Any takers ready to stake their rep on picking which is which? Here we go (I don't have a dog in the hunt. Maybe Apple has pro audio outs now. They don't market it possibly for a reason. I'll let you hash it out, thanks). Back in my day they had optical out on my Mac Pro and dual use 1/8" copper/optical on some products for a reason. Maybe that is now moot when comparing a decent mid-fi systems, especially live (non studio requirements). 1 Quote J a z z P i a n o 8 8 -- Yamaha C7D Montage M8x | CP300 | CP4 | SK1-73 | OB6 | Seven K8.2 | 3300 | CPSv.3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
octa Posted March 21 Share Posted March 21 had the HX stomp for a bit and iirc, after some finagling I was able to make it work as a USB audio interface, in addition to midi etc. Eventually went back to hardware w/ radial key largo and will probably use KL or MOTU m4 as audio interface on some upcoming fly dates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzpiano88 Posted March 21 Share Posted March 21 On 3/19/2024 at 7:22 PM, AnotherScott said: I believe they upgraded the DACs from 48 kHz to 96 kHz Frequency isn't everything, or necessarily anything. Usually it is used to make something cheaper via another spec. As you know, oversampling has been used since day one to relieve the converter of reconstruction specs within the audio passband via the cheap frequency roadmap. It comes automatically, not as if they're doing any audio engineering, unless you've heard Apple has entered that business. Quote J a z z P i a n o 8 8 -- Yamaha C7D Montage M8x | CP300 | CP4 | SK1-73 | OB6 | Seven K8.2 | 3300 | CPSv.3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElmerJFudd Posted March 21 Share Posted March 21 1 hour ago, jazzpiano88 said: Here we go (I don't have a dog in the hunt. Maybe Apple has pro audio outs now. They don't market it possibly for a reason. I'll let you hash it out, thanks). Back in my day they had optical out on my Mac Pro and dual use 1/8" copper/optical on some products for a reason. Maybe that is now moot when comparing a decent mid-fi systems, especially live (non studio requirements). I had a Mac with that brilliant optical out as well. Mainly it just has to do with time passing by and components becoming affordable. In many cases today’s $199 interface sounds better or as well as a decades old $999 model. On Apple DAC https://support.apple.com/en-us/108326 ”Mac computers feature a high-quality, built-in hardware DAC that can convert up to 96 kHz digital audio to analog audio. You can connect analog devices like headphones or speakers directly to the headphone jack on your Mac and monitor your audio at full resolution without needing an external DAC.” “These Mac computers have a built-in hardware digital-to-analog converter: iMac introduced in 2023 MacBook Air introduced in 2022 or later MacBook Pro introduced in 2021 or later Mac mini introduced in 2023 Mac Studio introduced in 2022 or later Mac Pro introduced in 2023” Regardless, only the user can decide if what they are hearing meets their needs. For me, if I can get reliable performance and quality audio output without carrying around additional gear and cables, that’s a win. I’ve used both 3.5mm to Radial DI and a Radial Key Largo. They both sound good, they both give me balanced outs. Do we need a $1k+ Antelope audio interface for live sound? Maybe people use better than that at some levels. Not for the low-end jobs I ever get. Just shooting the shit here with you. Take what I share with a grain of salt, I'm nobody. 2 Quote Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzpiano88 Posted March 21 Share Posted March 21 44 minutes ago, ElmerJFudd said: I had a Mac with that brilliant optical out as well. Mainly it just has to do with time passing by and components becoming affordable. In many cases today’s $199 interface sounds better or as well as a decades old $999 model. On Apple DAC in a https://support.apple.com/en-us/108326 ”Mac computers feature a high-quality, built-in hardware DAC that can convert up to 96 kHz digital audio to analog audio. You can connect analog devices like headphones or speakers directly to the headphone jack on your Mac and monitor your audio at full resolution without needing an external DAC.” “These Mac computers have a built-in hardware digital-to-analog converter: iMac introduced in 2023 MacBook Air introduced in 2022 or later MacBook Pro introduced in 2021 or later Mac mini introduced in 2023 Mac Studio introduced in 2022 or later Mac Pro introduced in 2023” Regardless, only the user can decide if what they are hearing meets their needs. For me, if I can get reliable performance and quality audio output without carrying around additional gear and cables, that’s a win. I’ve used both 3.5mm to Radial DI and a Radial Key Largo. They both sound good, they both give me balanced outs. Do we need a $1k+ Antelope audio interface for live sound? Maybe people use better than that at some levels. Not for the low-end jobs I ever get. Just shooting the shit here with you. Take what I share with a grain of salt, I'm nobody. Same here and completely agree! . For home use I'm always chasing performance as a semi HiFi and a EE Ph.D. Geek. For live, I totally agree as the weakest link in the chain is never what we're talking about. 1 Quote J a z z P i a n o 8 8 -- Yamaha C7D Montage M8x | CP300 | CP4 | SK1-73 | OB6 | Seven K8.2 | 3300 | CPSv.3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfields Posted March 21 Share Posted March 21 I remember the first laptop I bought was in 1999, a Sony 505tr to help me write my dissertation.... I'd listen to music while I worked, and wow was that thing noisy. I felt like I could hear every hard drive seek through the headphones. Audio and video playback is a core function of laptops these days in a way it was only just starting to be then, and nobody would accept that kind of flaw any more. The built-in audio on every laptop I've had since has been great. It may not be "professional" in the sense that it doesn't have some features you might want, but if all you need is a single unbalanced stereo output--I've never noticed any serious problems. (To answer the original question--one Zoom recorder, an x18 mixer, and a Scarlett 2i2 that I need to pass along to someone else, as I never use it. And I think my Zoom b3 effect pedal also does USB audio. Uh, and I think any android devices can work as USB interfaces these days? Alas, none of my keyboards support USB audio. The x18 is the only one I actually use as an audio interface.) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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