So USB audio interfaces are the most common and you should find one that will suit you. As long as you have an available USB port or a USB adapter in the case of a tablet then you can connect one up (you will need to check the hardware specs to make sure it will be compatible). Most audio interfaces are USB soundcards. How do I connect an audio interface to my computer? These are tried and trusted home recording studio solutions. With so many to choose from, how do you decide which on is the best? Here are 5 of the most popular audio interfaces on sale right now. Which Are The Most Popular Audio Interfaces? An audio interface is the equipment that sits at the heart of any home recording studio. You can almost certainly already record and playback with your laptop, pc, mac or tablet, but buying an audio interface will take you one step towards sounding more professional. Gone are the days when the only way to improve your recordings was to fit a new sound card inside your machine. That’s what the soundcard or interface does.īasically, an audio interface is an external sound card, perfect for laptops and tablets, and now widely used by people with desktop computers too. To get sound in and out of your laptop, pc, mac, tablet so that you can process and edit it you need something that turns the sound into a digital signal and back again. Is an audio interface the same as a sound card?Įssentially yes, a sound card and an audio interface do the same basic job. So you can get an XLR-USB cable to connect a mic up to your computer, and also guitar-USB, line out to USB etc etc. They work on their own and don’t need any other equipment. There are other USB audio adapters that fit into this category. It may just be a recording mic or it may also have a headphone output too and be a complete input and output device. This means you simply plug the mic’s USB lead into a USB port and it will work. In fact, if you are confused you may find our article on a USB Microphone vs Audio Interface useful.Įffectively a USB microphone is a mic that contains an audio interface. But there are lots of other devices that are effectively “audio interfaces” too. Aha, this is such a common question and a source of much confusion! You tend to think of an audio interface as a box with various inputs for mics, instruments etc and outputs for speakers and headphones.

What is a usb audio interface