More ‘bit depth’ means you can record a greater dynamic range. The higher the number of ‘bits’ captured in each sample, the more detail there will be. You will see this number range from between about 45kHz up to 192kHz, so there is a big range. You will see this value in the product description in kHz and the higher the number the more samples and therefore the better. The sample rate refers to the number of audio samples that the interface can process in one second. This is different from having to use the headphone jack on your laptop or computer to hear the sounds you are recording. You can always get a thunderbolt to USB converter or a USB to Thunderbolt converter depending on your computers connection types.ĭirect monitoring means that you can directly monitor the sound from the audio interface itself, i.e it has a headphone and/ or speaker outputs on the device. Very few audio interfaces come with direct thunderbolt connections and most are still USB so this shouldn’t be a concern, but make sure you check the description carefully. Thunderbolt connections appeared in 2011 and are mainly found on newer MacBooks. The final type of connection that has started to appear is ‘Thunderbolt’. But don’t go spending more money or feeling like your interface has to have USB 3.0 if your laptop doesn’t even need that connection! I have never owned a machine with USB 3.0 and have never had an issue with speed so I wouldn’t spend time worrying about this. If you have a USB 2.0 connection the audio interface will still connect and work but data will just transfer at 2.0 speeds. Do bear in mind that this will only actually make a difference if your computer or laptop also has a USB 3.0 connection. Some newer interfaces have USB 3.0 technology which is an improved faster type of USB. USB connections are present on pretty much all laptops and computers so you shouldn’t have a problem connecting. The most likely connection type you will see is USB. It is unlikely your newer computer or laptop has a firewire connection so try and avoid any audio interfaces with a firewire connection. Firewire was an old connection type which first appeared in the 1980s. The oldest connection type that you are unlikely to encounter these days is ‘firewire’. The type of connection that you use to connect your interface to your laptop or computer may vary so make sure you check this to see if it is compatible with your machine. To try and decipher what the difference between them is can be tricky but here is a quick guide to some of the technical terms you may see in an audio interfaces specification listing: I have owned a few over the years but I have never spent a fortune on one.Īs with all musical equipment you are greeted with a wide range of options when shopping around and these options will vary in price significantly. There are hundreds of options out there which range in price, sound quality and number of inputs.
As a beginner, I believe it should be one of your first investments. You are likely to get latency, as the soundcard isn’t good enough to cope.Īudio interfaces are an essential part of any home studio. So if you just grab a quick adapter and plug your guitar directly into your laptop. They also have soundcards that are designed to play a bit of music but not to be used to process audio signals efficiently. And for that reason, they aren’t fitted with inputs for guitar leads or microphone leads….or most other types of leads. They were created for business and are still used primarily for that today. Unfortunately, computers weren’t designed specifically for music production.