Higher end Audio Interfaces.

[Bassline Brine]

So I have the Audio 2 DJ at the moment. It gets the job done, but I'm starting to think about something with... more.

I've been looking between the Motu Ultralite, Apogee Duet 2, and the Komplete Audio 6.

I really just want something with the best sound quality and decent durability (plan on traveling with it and playing out with it eventually).

I have a Macbook Pro, and am primarily using Ableton at the moment. I need something that I'll be able to hook into another mixer, and cue on the headphones if I so choose (depending on how I setup my workflow).

Right now I'm honestly leaning toward the Duet 2 (which isn't even out yet, but I've only heard great things). It looks like it's a small interface that packs a punch, I just want to make sure that it will be decent and durable enough for production and playing at home.

I don't have much I'd plug into it, so having a lot of inputs really isn't something I need. A microphone at some point and outputs to the speakers, and a separate headphone out.

Anyone have comments and/or suggestions on this level of audio interface? Is it really worth the extra cash over the audio 2 for sound quality?

[photojojo]

Sound wise the NI cards are top notch. The only thing you'll gain from the other cards are I/O's.

[Fatlimey]

Sound wise the NI cards are top notch. The only thing you'll gain from the other cards are I/O's.

... and balanced inputs/outputs.

[lethal_pizzle]

Audio 2 is fine for playing music out.

But you may want more I/O for djing/production.

[Yep.]

I'd say the Komplete Audio 6. The Duet is smaller, looks a bit cleaner, but the sound won't be as good, and the price is a bit high. The Motu, while sounding good, is bulky, and comparing the sound from my Audio Kontrol 1 to the Motu card in my school's studio, the Audio Kontrol 1 is exponentially better. The price is fair and the sound quality is unrivaled. Never cut yourself short in I/Os when you're still in the process of building your studio. The more you get earlier means that you won't need to upgrade to a larger card to get more from your setup.

I say go with the Komplete Audio 6, whatever you choose will work well for what you need, but the Komplete Audio 6 seems to fit the bill the best.

[Bisimoto]

I say go with the Apogee IMO they have one of the best audio converters in the business.
Depending if your looking for dj-ing only soundcards then go with NI, if not i'd go for a duet! I owned the older version a while back and got rid of it because i bought traktor and didn't really do any production at this point.

my 2cents and as said above whatever you may choose in your options are all good i'd stick with either the duet 2 or the komplete 6.

*edit: just thought of this, my teacher has been doing huge vegas productions with only apogee and i recall him telling they were "in his opinion: the best he's came across so far for live/studio performance". Now i can't really tell you which productions for cause of contracts but! i do trust his opinion.

[mike_o]

The Motu, while sounding good, is bulky, and comparing the sound from my Audio Kontrol 1 to the Motu card in my school's studio, the Audio Kontrol 1 is exponentially better.

I have a hard time with this statement as I've compared NI sound cards to my MOTU Ultrlight MK3 and heard no noticable difference, they were mid level speakers but I heard no difference in level or clarity.


was it an older gen MOTU unit?

what model was it?

what type of speakers or listening environment?(hi, lo or mid quality)


just curious...

[padi_04]

... and balanced inputs/outputs.

Doesn't Komplete 6 have balanced I/Os, just like Audio Kontrol 1 has?

[Yep.]

I have a hard time with this statement as I've compared NI sound cards to my MOTU Ultrlight MK3 and heard no noticable difference, they were mid level speakers but I heard no difference in level or clarity.


was it an older gen MOTU unit?

what model was it?

what type of speakers or listening environment?(hi, lo or mid quality)


just curious...

It's a fairly old Motu Unit, I'm not sure exactly which model, but it's oldish.

It's in my school's studio, which is pretty top of the line. My friend was mixing with me and he was using my school's Motu while I used my Audio Kontrol 1. They were hooked up to a Mackie Onyx Mixer which runs to speakers. The speakers are top of the line ADAM Studio Monitors and KRK VXTs all hooked up through a Furman Power Conditioner and a couple of devices in a rack. My Audio Kontrol 1 literally blew the Motu out of the water. Maybe it was because he wasn't used to the Motu, or didn't have his EQs right, but I had only had my Audio Kontrol 1 for a few days at that point, so that is a testament to how easy to use they are. This may have been a specific situation where my friend was using a bum card or maybe it's an old, bad model, but from my experience, NI rocks the socks off of Motu.

[Bisimoto]

It's a fairly old Motu Unit, I'm not sure exactly which model, but it's oldish.

It's in my school's studio, which is pretty top of the line. My friend was mixing with me and he was using my school's Motu while I used my Audio Kontrol 1. They were hooked up to a Mackie Onyx Mixer which runs to speakers. The speakers are top of the line ADAM Studio Monitors and KRK VXTs all hooked up through a Furman Power Conditioner and a couple of devices in a rack. My Audio Kontrol 1 literally blew the Motu out of the water. Maybe it was because he wasn't used to the Motu, or didn't have his EQs right, but I had only had my Audio Kontrol 1 for a few days at that point, so that is a testament to how easy to use they are. This may have been a specific situation where my friend was using a bum card or maybe it's an old, bad model, but from my experience, NI rocks the socks off of Motu.

by sound quality what do you mean? was the motu flat sounding?
also by blew out of the water are you referring to output level?

First off don't want to sound rude but top of the line soundcards are gonna sound flat with the less amount of coloration so if this was the case no emphasis on bass or anything like that. They are made for mixing as in mixdowns of tracks or songs, you want those to be the flatest sound possible to give you an accurate representation of the instrument recorded or in playback. As to mix it properly for all other audio source i.e:. ipods, personal house systems, car systems etc..

Second off! your NI x1 is gonna be louder because NI tend to give their soundcards a output boost compared to a lot of other studio devices for live applications! Only reason is when your doing a live show whatever kind of show it is, you might need that extra boost if something in the set up has a low output.

hope this was clear
like i said don't want to discredit your personal experiences with these soundcards, i personally never tried a MOTU! so i have no clue how they sound like! i've heard fairly good things about them though!

Sorry for the novel!