audio interface recommendations...

By soulrebel Sat Feb 04, 2012 12:44 am

hi. i'm enquiring about this interface - Focusrite Saffire Pro 14 Firewire Audio Interface at Gear4Music.com

i'm wondering if this would be the correct kind of interface to help connect and sync my mpc 2500 and macbook pro to help track out my drums through logic pro 9. i've been looking for a while now for what to get but there is so much choice that it all gets really confusing. i'm just looking for an opinion on what to get as i really want to get started with this. any advice you could give me would be great and very much appreciated.

cheers.

soulrebel

soulrebel

Posts: 16

Joined: Sun May 30th, 2010

Re: audio interface recommendations...

By Metatron72 Sat Feb 04, 2012 1:46 am

The Saffire series are excellent interfaces especially considering the price. You would be 2 analog inputs short of the 2500's 8 analog outputs on that one though. If you do need the full 8 inputs on an interface make sure that the manufacturer is not counting analog and digital inputs together to arrive at a larger number. The digital spidf inputs on an interface work on the 2500 as well.

Metatron72

Expert Member

Posts: 5801

Joined: Tue Aug 10th, 2010

Location: Earth

Re: audio interface recommendations...

By soulrebel Sat Feb 04, 2012 11:14 am

Metatron72 wrote:The Saffire series are excellent interfaces especially considering the price. You would be 2 analog inputs short of the 2500's 8 analog outputs on that one though. If you do need the full 8 inputs on an interface make sure that the manufacturer is not counting analog and digital inputs together to arrive at a larger number. The digital spidf inputs on an interface work on the 2500 as well.

this might sound like a very novice thing to say but would i need all 8 outputs to track out in to logic? is there only one method of connecting up an mpc, interface and macbook? if so, how does it all go together? as you can tell i'm not so clued up on connections between machines so i appologise.

cheers.

soulrebel

Posts: 16

Joined: Sun May 30th, 2010

Re: audio interface recommendations...

By soulrebel Sat Feb 04, 2012 11:26 am

Metatron72 wrote:The Saffire series are excellent interfaces especially considering the price. You would be 2 analog inputs short of the 2500's 8 analog outputs on that one though. If you do need the full 8 inputs on an interface make sure that the manufacturer is not counting analog and digital inputs together to arrive at a larger number. The digital spidf inputs on an interface work on the 2500 as well.

can you not connect through MIDI?

soulrebel

Posts: 16

Joined: Sun May 30th, 2010

Re: audio interface recommendations...

By scoobylol Sat Feb 04, 2012 11:37 am

1. Only you can decide if you'd use all 8 individual outputs in a single session. There are workarounds, but if you were happy with how everything was sounding then you can always record from the master stereo out.

2. An audio interface will connect to your Mac either via USB or Firewire.

3. Your MPC will then connect to this interface usually using the following:

* 1/4" Jack cables
* SPDIF cables

4. If the interface has MIDI connections then yes you can connect via MIDI. But you don't transmit audio down these cables (some older samplers did let you transfer samples this way but it was painfully slow). You transmit data which lets you control certain aspects of your software from your MPC. Or you can use it to trigger certain functions of your MPC from your computer.