Ableton Recording

[TheDJRemi]

For the people who record using Ableton, what type of audio interface do you use or would recommend?

[jamthrax]

first question is .... what you wanting to record?

[mostapha]

and how much do you have to spend?

There are a lot of offerings, and they're all pretty good at this point. Figure out what you need, and start looking at reviews. Here's what I'd buy at a few different levels……

Basic ITB setup: I like the focusrite scarlett 2i2 okay for the price. It's a little unstable in Lion and occasionally requires a restart. But, it works fine the rest of the time.

Mid-Range ITB: Apogee Duet 2. Great converters, decent pres, small, etc.. Apparently, it might have some issues on Lion, but it's probably the same rebooting thing from what I've read. And it's portable.

Mid-Range OTB: Echo Audiofire 12. Make sure they work with your firewire card, but they're supposed to be awesome if they work at all. Also, doesn't come with any pres. So, you'll need some standalone pres or a recording mixer with direct outs if you want to use mics or whatever.

High-end ITB: The sky's the limit…there are $5000 2-channel cards that only do DAC or ADC, not both. I know almost nothing about them. MOTU and RME make well respected cards, and Metric Halo has a big following (and benchmarks that deserve it). I haven't heard any of them in person.

High-end OTB: Apogee Symphony I/O system. You can choose your IO configuration, and price varies based on what you want. They also work with the Avid HD cards (though not HDX, yet, IIRC). Though, that doesn't matter too much for Ableton. A 48x48 analog system costs like $14,000 or so, but in some ways you don't get much better.

Now…other than that…what are you recording? what do you have now? what do/don't you like about it? what are you recording? etc.

[Dingo210]

Focusrite

[RajMahal]

I do not recommend the Alva Nanoface for recording. I have one and luckily I hardly ever need to record anything.

[ImNotDedYet]

Could depend on the OS you're running. If it's Windows, some of the recommendations mostapha made won't suit you. You also want to pay particular attention to the drivers of the audio interface if you're running Windows. Some manufacturers make great hardware and crap drivers for Windows. RME is typically known to have the best, most stable drivers for Windows, but they're not cheap. I'm just going based on research I've done. I just use my mixer interface until I actually buy hardware synth/drum machines, which I'm holding out for as long as possible...

[calgarc]

I am running a focusrite 18i8, but i have also had studios where i used 10x10 presonus firepods. for me its all about multi outputs. I find the 18i8 is a decent compromise between portability and ins/outs.

are you recording a guitar and some vocals, or an orchestra lol... a 2x2 from focusrite, presonus and a number of other manufacturers should work for small stuff.

[Patch]

Before you buy ANYTHING, try recording to the built in line/mic in.

There are a number of tweaks you can do, and you might just get good enough results using the built-in input...

I recorded a TON of vinyl direct to the inputs on a Soundblaster 5.1 on an old desktop (years ago!) using Ableton Live, and still use those wavs (now converted to .mp3) with Traktor today. They sound PERFECT.

[deevey]

I picked up a little Behringer Xenyx 302USB mixer primarily for splitting audio from my various devices to speakers and headphones, buts its a handy little (low noise) USB recording interface as well which has Mic + 2 line inputs, 2 band EQ per channel and can be powered by a Standard USB phone adaptor or powerbank when used as a standalone mixer

Its ideal for podcasts as well - best $50 I ever spent

[robdquick]

Basic ITB setup: I like the focusrite scarlett 2i2 okay for the price. It's a little unstable in Lion and occasionally requires a restart. But, it works fine the rest of the time.

I have a scarlett 2i2, running on windows with ableton, and it works beautifully all the time. 2 mic/line/inst inputs should be enough to record most things you need to. Have used it for recording vocals, guitar and ripping vinyl and did an admirable job every time.