Audio Interface choice in 2011 - help with final decision

[NoOneIsInnocent]

It's my 1st post here so... Hi! And thanks for reading.

I've been looking for an audio interface but I'm having a hard time making a decision.

Here comes some info about what I want to do:
- home recording ONLY,
- one man band (--> no multitrack recording)
- no intention to record acoustic drums (will use samples instead, maybe with the help of an Electronic drum kit --> MIDI in?)
- recording primarily electric bass and electric guitar,
- will mostly rely on amp/cabinet/effect simulations for the next few years (--> could benefit a high sampling rate / bit depth ?)
- will at some point record vocals and acoustic guitar (--> Mic in with switchable +48V ?)
- budget is NOT a concern; sound quality is (goal: semi-pro recording quality),
- efficiency is also a concern: I'd rather not spend my bucks on features I will never use (e.g. insane number of in/out)
- OS = Windows - not sure yet if it will be XP or Seven, 32 or 64, but it would be nice to keep the options open. Any suggestions, btw?
- Firewire or USB : not decided yet: I will build the PC based on the interface requirements. I've heard that noise can be transmitted from the PC to the interface through the Firewire cable. I've also read that USB devices draw on CPU resources to work; this may not be a concern for me as I plan to invest in some nice CPU, plus I'll only be recording one track at a time (possibly at high sampling rate and bit depth, though). Could you guys comment on this?
- DAW: I will probably use Cubase (I've read that some interfaces don't work very well with some DAWs...)
- direct monitoring would be nice, with headset out and dedicated volume knob
- so would dedicated volume knobs for monitoring speakers and level meters

Typically, Motu, RME, TC-electronics mostly propose interfaces with way too many in/outs for my needs, and the interfaces with the right in/out feels a little too cheap...

Here's what I've found so far:
- NI Audio Kontrol 1 : I like the little plus that the controller gives but it seems to be more popular amongst DJs than guitarists...
- TC Electronic Desktop Konnect 6 : No MIDI input on that one :/

Also, for my culture: what should I think of manufacturers that ship the hardware with tons of software? Cheap trick to attract newbies like me?

Many thanks!
JB

[fxhounds]

the best I can give you as far as advice is a list of things to stay away from. I'm running Windows 7 64-bit and have worked unsuccessfully with all of the following sound cards.

Native Instruments Audio 2 DJ - not a concern for you as it has no inputs, but if you're looking at their sound cards be warned that the A2 was plagued by mysterious bouts of heavy digital noise. No idea whether this would be present on the Kontrol 1.

M-Audio Fast Track Pro - on Windows 7 the inputs flat out don't work. At all. They can be direct monitored through the hardware but your computer will not pick up any signal coming through the inputs.

Tascam US1641 - Works great for audio processing but has caused bluescreens and other crashes while running other software, notably anything graphics intensive.

Sorry I couldn't give you a recommendation. However I'll be looking forward to seeing what other people say because I could really use the same advice.

[Andrew_Malloy]

If price isn't a concern, I could give you quite a solid recommendation on the RME Babyface. RME is always on point with their drivers and support. The interface sounds great and it has the expansion available if you ever need more channels. They are fully supporting XP through W7, 32/64.

[paukiki]

It's my 1st post here so... Hi! And thanks for reading.

I've been looking for an audio interface but I'm having a hard time making a decision.

Here comes some info about what I want to do:
- home recording ONLY,
- one man band (--> no multitrack recording)
- no intention to record acoustic drums (will use samples instead, maybe with the help of an Electronic drum kit --> MIDI in?)
- recording primarily electric bass and electric guitar,
- will mostly rely on amp/cabinet/effect simulations for the next few years (--> could benefit a high sampling rate / bit depth ?)
- will at some point record vocals and acoustic guitar (--> Mic in with switchable +48V ?)
- budget is NOT a concern; sound quality is (goal: semi-pro recording quality),
- efficiency is also a concern: I'd rather not spend my bucks on features I will never use (e.g. insane number of in/out)
- OS = Windows - not sure yet if it will be XP or Seven, 32 or 64, but it would be nice to keep the options open. Any suggestions, btw?
- Firewire or USB : not decided yet: I will build the PC based on the interface requirements. I've heard that noise can be transmitted from the PC to the interface through the Firewire cable. I've also read that USB devices draw on CPU resources to work; this may not be a concern for me as I plan to invest in some nice CPU, plus I'll only be recording one track at a time (possibly at high sampling rate and bit depth, though). Could you guys comment on this?
- DAW: I will probably use Cubase (I've read that some interfaces don't work very well with some DAWs...)
- direct monitoring would be nice, with headset out and dedicated volume knob
- so would dedicated volume knobs for monitoring speakers and level meters

Typically, Motu, RME, TC-electronics mostly propose interfaces with way too many in/outs for my needs, and the interfaces with the right in/out feels a little too cheap...

Here's what I've found so far:
- NI Audio Kontrol 1 : I like the little plus that the controller gives but it seems to be more popular amongst DJs than guitarists...
- TC Electronic Desktop Konnect 6 : No MIDI input on that one :/

Also, for my culture: what should I think of manufacturers that ship the hardware with tons of software? Cheap trick to attract newbies like me?

Many thanks!
JB

See this post about audio interface

http://homestudio-recording.blogspot.com/

[Jason.Harris]

with the addition of Midi in and out, 12 xmax pres, fat channel processing, flexible routing and the Studio One DAW included, this little mixer cannot be beat for the price and feature set.

hands down!

[Chris_Anderson]

I think an Avid Eleven Rack would be a good choice also.

[AlexDrummerVanOver]

Roland makes some good interface's for guitarist that are also control surface's. Check them out.