USB interface, up to 200 quid. AKAI or Focusrite?

[RPaul]

So here's the question. I've got 200 quid and a desire to buy a simple USB interface for home use. I play jazz standards and blues, don't mess with effects and generally don't do anything complex, sophisticated or even loud. I just want to record how I murder backing tracks at home - mostly to prove to my wife that "50 quid, honestly, not a penny more" I paid for the Fender were not a complete waste of money. In other words, recording the bass into Audacity, maybe occasionally with mic and even another guitar. Latency as low as possible. And a bit of future-proofing: I'd rather pay a wee bit extra for something that I might only need in the future; after all, I won't be able to buy a new interface every time things change a little.
I did the homework, read all the 'Eight USB Interfaces Under £200" articles as well as a fair few forums, and narrowed it all down to either Focusrite Scarlett 2I2 or AKAI EIE Pro. The former because it's on all list of recommended interfaces, and quite a few forums say it's a good'n. But it's a bit minimalist, isn't it? Cheap, though. AKAI - because it's on lists to, within budget, has a lot of knobs on it, and above all, has those real' cute-looking analog meters. See, I'm a real technical expert.

Am I missing something? If I were buying right now, I'd probably go for AKAI. Anything wrong with them? Amazon reviews are not that great on average, but the rest of t'internet is more positive.

Oh, and my two hundred quid come in the form of an Amazon gift card, so buying second-hand is not an option.

Thanks in advance,
Paul

[Reverend]

If you are not spending very much on audio equipment, the ones with cheap 'analog' meters, loads of knobs and a lot of IO, and say PRO on the front are likely to be less good.

It just shows where the manufacturer has prioritised the spending on the product development. Flashy things that look nice, or decent components (for the money) that sound good and will last.

Focusrite are a heritage brand who go back decades in making excellent gear. A lot of their cheap stuff in the past (OctoPre and Platinum ranges) has become pretty well regarded for the money you paid for them. I haven't tried the Scarlett range - I have a Saffire, and it's everything I'd want a cheap audio interface to be - quiet, low noise inputs, decent headroom on the mic amps, good clean loud headphone amplifier, and robust drivers. I'd recommend going for the Focusrite. Good, innovative British company as well.

The only thing I'd say is that if you want 'future proof' you might want a few more inputs in case you want to record a little jam session with guitar and keys etc. The AKAI does have more inputs - maybe look at the Focusrite Scarlett 6i6, which has a few more ins and outs. Looks like that comes in under £200 if you shop around.

[lurksalot]

My advice would run with the Reverend on this one , I use a scarlett 2i2 , its a great little bit of kit , I think there are bundle deals aswell so you can pick up Mics and cables , so work out if you would prefer more inputs or more bits of kit for your money .

[Bolo]

Out of the two I'd vote focusrite. Roland's quadcapture is good too though!

[Dood]

[quote name='Bolo' timestamp='1382809010' post='2256858']
Out of the two I'd vote focusrite. Roland's quadcapture is good too though!
[/quote]

Roland's Quad Capture and the newer ipad friendly model are both exceptional. I chose the Roland in the end as the drivers are rock solid and the end to end latency of the units is superbly miniscule. For critical listening, it has been suggested that the Focusrite kit preamps colour the sound, but I don't really think it'll be an issue here.

[RPaul]

Thanks guys, Focusrite it is then.

[funkle]

Not trying to muddy the waters, but the Zoom B3 can allow recording with direct monitoring and you can also use the effects/amp sims/etc and of course take it out on a gig. Just saying!

I use the B3 to allow direct monitoring while I play along with YouTube, Transcribe, etc. I've also recorded into Audacity with it.

Of course, you could only record bass (or at a stretch guitar) with it.

For the record, I also have a proper set-up with an M-Audio 2496 and a mixer.

Edited October 28, 2013 by funkle