Hello. Looong time user of Ardour here (well, mostly my wife, back to version 2-ish). We’ve gone through various input devices over the years and we’re currently using Behringer U-Phoria devices. The trouble is, they have a fairly intrusive background hiss which cuts in when the channels are connected up and we’re recording. We’ve done a bunch of rewiring and layout changes to try to find a fix but so far no luck, and we’re starting to think we just need better quality kit.
It’s been a long time since I looked at the availability of this kind of thing, and I need something which runs on Linux. I was looking at the RME devices such as the FireFace UCX II and it looks like they are class compliant but you get more bells and whistles with Win/Mac but I have no idea if that’s a shortcoming I need to worry about. Actually I might also get away with the Babyface Pro, which will save a few quid but is still reassuringly expensive.
Cost (to an extent) not an issue and I’m happy to move to built-in cards rather than USB items, but I’m completely out of the loop on professional level kit that’s good on Linux nowadays. Has anyone got any recent experience at this “prosumer” level of expenditure? Need at least four input channels, preferably including at least a couple of XLR options. Many Thanks.
I’m an RME user for 20+ years, on Linux for about 10 years… At the moment I’m working on a Fireface UFX II… The unit works flawlessly as a class compliant device.
But… I am still missing all RME bonus tools very much, that I loved so much on Win/Mac… AFAIK - without having one - the Babyface seems to be supported by Linux now, so at least all device settings can be changed and managed from Linux. That is a start, I guess, but still by far not the full RME experience… Maybe a Babyface with an additional ADAT converter could be a good solution for you?
So again: The RME hardware as such works rock solid on Linux. But so far lacking many of the goodies you get on Win/Mac, unfortunately…
“Prosumer” hardware quality has deteriorated pretty badly, I feel they all are using crappier source components and this is making stuff that once had a solid name (ie Mackie) and current stuff like Presonus to be risky propositions and you get what you pay for…
It appears to me that Solid State Logic (ie SSL 12) makes pretty good interfaces (hopefully the extra expense vs. their competitors means better components). I have a Zoom LiveTrack L-20 that also ‘seems’ good and has the added benefit of multi-track recording in itself which is great for mobile gigs but it has yet to prove itself long term.
I’ve never had a Focusrite device but they are also spoken of very highly and now are better supported on Linux across their whole product line. Personally I’d avoid Presonus at all costs and Behringer seems to have a blend of crap and super-good stuff (ie Midas) so buyer beware on that…
I have a Focusrite Solo (older generation) that I like. If they kept the same quality across their product line and in the newer generations then the Focusrite Scarlett devices would definitely be worth considering. Probably the 4i4 would be the starting point. The next device is 16i16. Despite nominally have 4x the channel count it is about 50% more expensive than the 4i4. Be aware that most of the additional channel count comes from the addition of S/PDIF and ADAT I/O, not more analog connectors, so unless you already have devices with those digital I/O options there probably is no advantage of the 16i16 over the 4i4.
Most of these will work on Linux (if not all) although, where there are proprietary control apps (like the Lewitt Connect) those apps mostly won’t work.
I think you are probably referring to the internal routing and mixing capability. The Solo was always an exception because it did not have that, just the front panel controls, but someone created an open source app a few years ago for the higher channel count devices:
@geoffreybennett has also done a ton of work (with hardware support from Focusrite) to expedite support for their new interface models in mainstream kernels.
I concur with the previous comments on Focusrite. I recently got an 18i20 4th gen for our rehearsal room / studio and with Geoffrey Bennett’s outstanding work, everything and more works. Focusrite was even made aware of his work (after G.B started a funraiser) and started to support his effort by donating h/w and information to him. The h/w will even become an 26i28 with the newer firmware, which G.B. is currently working on. Really nice looking / sounding and versatile piece of h/w which is fully supported in linux (I use debian trixie with a 6.14 kernel, minimum kernel version for G.B’s linux-FCP framework). The only thing that could need some rework is the alsa-scarlett-gui (all functionality is available via the GUI but the GUI itself gets a little unwieldy the more IO the h/w has).
Also recommendable: The single channel Zoom U-22 which works out of the box on Debian 11 here and is dead silent when idle. Obviously relatively high-quality preamps. They build comparable multi-channel DIs, too, certainly worth looking into.
All guitars in the song below have been recorded through a VOX AC30S1 and an AC15C1 into a Zoom U-22, the bass directly into the latter and EQ in the DAW:
I use older (>13 years old) Presonus hardware that no longer works on Windows (and I assume neither on Mac) like the 8-channel 1U rackunit 1818VSL. I don’t know what quality you are looking for, but it’s a pretty decent unit and unlike under Windows it’s supported under Linux/Ardour (though not all functions!). There are/were pitfalls: Intel made a buggy USB chipset that made it produce cracking and pops. As it turns out, that was not Presonus fault but intel’s. If you can avoid those chipsets for example by using an AMD based machine you’ll have no trouble. (For more info I wrote a post on this forum about it). If you can find a cheap one second hand that might be a good fit for you.
Basically Firefaces and Babyfaces work but you don’t have TotalMix on Linux which sucks. Older Hammerfall DSPs had hdspmixer as a replacement but that doesn’t AFAIK work with newer cards. You can do some stuff with jack (forgive me mentioning the evil audio server) or with the “good” audio server -Loonixplumber or Pipemaster or what’s its’ name - that never seems to works for me, like connecting inputs and outputs but it’s just not the same. Also, no plugins (dynamics, eq) directly on the HW - unless, of course you set them as a preset from TotalMix and run a Fireface UCX standalone. Which won’t let you record from Linux.
I have a Clarett+ 2Pre and can only second the excellent work @geoffreybennett has done to support that on Linux. The device has pretty good latency (I measured about 1.7 ms on-device latency a few days ago, using jack_iodelay). The app Geoffrey develops also exposes features that are not possible using the official software – turns out these things have a full-fledged mixer built in as well.
That’s right. I really enjoy the flexibility of the internal routing and mixing (resembles what I was doing with the hdspmixer on the Multiface II back then). But since I got the 18i20, I tell you, the mixer window is huge and gives me brain-pain every time I have to change something. Fortunately, one can save and load configs so I made sure to have the saved card state every time I knew I would recall that state eventually (we share the 18i20 with other bands and I always find the card state completely messed up when I have to use it ).
Another big RME fan here: very fond of the Babyface Pro FS in CC mode. If I ever need to replace or upgrade it, I’ll stick with RME.
There’s a third-party mixing/routing app for the Babyface here that works pretty nicely. Personally, I switched distributions, got lazy, did the signal-routing in JACK while I summoned up the energy to recompile it, and… never got around to it. The latency is pretty darn good, these days, and all I want from an audio interface is ADC/DAC anyway.
RME put a video on Youtube a while ago, explaining why they weren’t moving on from USB2 any time soon: the short version is that it’s already fast enough.
If you want more I/O without patching in external converters via ADAT, the UCX-II is worth a look. Or you can patch in (and under-utilise) a Ferrofish Pulse 16, which I can attest is also very neutral.
Focusrite are also popular, and much cheaper, but their preamps colour the sound - some like it, but I’m not among them.
So that’s worth bearing in mind as well: if you’d prefer neutral (and very clean) converters, and to add tonal colouring via your own choice of mic preamps, RME is a good way to go.
We’ve tried a BabyFace, delivered today. Works really well to remove the hiss, so that’s a win, but now we can clearly hear something really dirty over the power somewhere (specifically through the Roland Fantom synth… even when it’s powered off). Some kind of ground loop or similar but so far I’m damned if I can find where it’s picking up the noise. A subject for a different thread though.
I hate ground loop trouble shooting lol. been there. Years ago, I tore up my studio looking for ground loop to find out it was a card in the computer… Fun days.
Sometimes on old amps patching the send and return help with the dodgier electronics. maybe the roland has a send and return?
I have heard good things on both RME and focusrite clarett+ in linux.
).