Best Audio Interface for Mesa Mk IV

[atlst7]

I recently purchased a mesa boogie mark iv. Tone will cut u in half. Now, i just need to find a way to record it at such quality. I am looking at interfaces. I don't want to have a $2,000 amp that sounds like a $200 amp when recorded. At the same time, i dont want to spend more than around $200-250 on the interface. I have a mac, powerbook g4. OS: os 10.4 i think, tiger. Does anyone have any suggestions for a audio interface that suits me at the right price. Thanks for ur time

[youcomebeforeyo]

There's a lot of threads similar to this one with good advice if you troll through the pages.

Essentially the starting point would be an MBox. If you have REALLY trained ears you'll notice some loss of tone.

I'd recommend a really high end soundcard with a good A/D convertor (look at M-Audio Delta) and a tube pre if you are really serious.

[SlightlyStoopid]

well theres alot of routes man

the line 6 ux2 and tone port gx have gotten reall good reviews

just cheap plastic interfaces

ux2-$199

gx-$79


id check out some cheap presonus stuff if i were you, its worth the money

blue tube has a 12ax7 in it, def worth boosting your sound
runs about $200

this thing is also meant for high gain freq.


or if you wanna invest some more skrilla go for a firepod

[youcomebeforeyo]

There's no point in getting a tube pre if the conversion of your system isn't up to scratch. While Firepods/MBoxs are of good standard they aren't perfect. No point in buying a tube pre to put it through a firepod and lose all the edge.

[SlightlyStoopid]

There's no point in getting a tube pre if the conversion of your system isn't up to scratch. While Firepods/MBoxs are of good standard they aren't perfect. No point in buying a tube pre to put it through a firepod and lose all the edge.

that made absolutley no sense,

dont listen to this guy, he either doesnt understand what i wrote or hes challanged to see you only wanna spend $200.

[youcomebeforeyo]

that made absolutley no sense,

dont listen to this guy, he either doesnt understand what i wrote or hes challanged to see you only wanna spend $200.

No you're just an idiot.

When sound enters a microphone the sound is represented as a voltage. To enter a computer the voltage must be converted into a digital signal, a series of zeros and ones. The quality of that conversion relies on the pre-amp as well as bit rate and depth.

The pre-amp is a Firebox costs about $60. A pre-amp is a top of the line desk $200. There is a noticable difference in the quality of the preamp. I know this because I work in a recording studio.

What I am saying is, there is no point in telling him to get a tube preamp which would sound fantastic to put it straight into the computer or through a Firebox. If he buys a tubepre then plugs it into his soundcard the quality of the A/D convertor will be horrible. About $5 in a Chinese factory. He may as well just use the firebox or soundcard preamp straight because he will gain only a minimal improvement in using the tubepre. If he was using a desk then he could go for it..

Now if that still confuses you, please go onto the internet and read more on A/D conversion, Soundcards and PreAmp technology.

[SlightlyStoopid]

ehh thats a personal pref.

but if you feel so strongly then whateva, i was just suggesting int. under $200

[Tristan Needler]

No you're just an idiot.

When sound enters a microphone the sound is represented as a voltage. To enter a computer the voltage must be converted into a digital signal, a series of zeros and ones. The quality of that conversion relies on the pre-amp as well as bit rate and depth.

The pre-amp is a Firebox costs about $60. A pre-amp is a top of the line desk $200. There is a noticable difference in the quality of the preamp. I know this because I work in a recording studio.

What I am saying is, there is no point in telling him to get a tube preamp which would sound fantastic to put it straight into the computer or through a Firebox. If he buys a tubepre then plugs it into his soundcard the quality of the A/D convertor will be horrible. About $5 in a Chinese factory. He may as well just use the firebox or soundcard preamp straight because he will gain only a minimal improvement in using the tubepre. If he was using a desk then he could go for it..

Now if that still confuses you, please go onto the internet and read more on A/D conversion, Soundcards and PreAmp technology.
I was pretty sure that using a high quality outboard pre even with an interface with shitty converters is going to have substantially better sound than using the garbage pres on the interface. At least that's what pretty much everything I've read has told me.

For example I use the EMU 0202 usb interface and if I were to buy an FMR RNP or something along the lines I'm pretty sure it would make a huge difference in the quality of my sound, even though the converters are pretty lame. Of course not as good as it could be, but definitely and noticeably better than the 0202's pres.

[theguy77]

I recently purchased a mesa boogie mark iv. Tone will cut u in half. Now, i just need to find a way to record it at such quality. I am looking at interfaces. I don't want to have a $2,000 amp that sounds like a $200 amp when recorded. At the same time, i dont want to spend more than around $200-250 on the interface. I have a mac, powerbook g4. OS: os 10.4 i think, tiger. Does anyone have any suggestions for a audio interface that suits me at the right price. Thanks for ur time

i mean, for OPTIMUM quality, you'll want an interface with tubes, but that costs way more than you're willing to spend. i personally use the edirol UA-4FX interface which has a tube SIMULATOR along with lots of other effects and it works wonders. it costs like 190 dollars if you buy it online.

microphone placement has a lot more to do with the way your amp will sound though. do some research for awhile first, get a shure SM57 mic -- or even better -- a sennheiser mic specifically designed for micing amps, and then spend like an hour or two just testing the microphone in different positions trying to see which placement captures the sound of your amp most accurately.