Guitar Interfaces - Breakdown & Shootout

[@ghur83]

Xsonic: Dist 5:07 ; Clean 5:18 Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 : Dist 6:26 ; Clean 6:37 Apogee Jam+ : Dist 7:48 ; Clean 7:59 IK Multimedia iRig : Dist 8:12 ; Clean 8:23 UAD Arrow : Dist 10:41 ; Clean 10:52 Arturia Audiofuse : Dist 12:24 ; Clean 12:35 PRS Waves : Dist 13:58 ; Clean 14:11

[@Chrisna012]

hi @Michael Nielsen, I really enjoyed watching this video. but i have a problem when comparing the preamp sound of apogee jam with focusrite scarlet 2i2. can you tell me which sound better between the two sound interfaces. right now I only have apogee jam, and I'm not satisfied with the sound output, because it sounds so thin. so should i buy focusrite scarlet 2i2 or keep use apogee jam ? and if somebody can help answer me, I will be very appreciated.

[@smy2d269]

Great content as always - this channel clearly deserves more subscribers.

[@elnyoutube123]

I've had a bunch of these interfaces over the years... the apogee jam, the scarlett, the SSL2, the arrow... out of all of them I find myself coming back to the apogee jam. Something about the sound of it is much more "professional" than all the other ones, and I figured out how to hook it up to a mic preamp so I can record vocals on it too.

[@LucasMastropasqua]

Would love to have gotten your input on the latency differences between these. That makes a huge difference with amp sims.

[@stefanozurich]

Thunderbolt will have a much lower latency than anything USB.

[@jonnygardiner4073]

Thats why I came here.

[@LucasMastropasqua]

@@stefanozurich Idk why KZbin didn’t notify me of your comment 5 months ago but yeah you’re 100% right it would be way lower with thunderbolt. Even my FireWire 400 interface blows away all the usb 2.0 stuff. I wish I could afford thunderbolt.

[@TeleCustom72]

The differences in the distortion characteristics were surprising. Quite an eye opener. Nice work and some wonderfully unashamed 80s rock tones 🤘🏻

[@MrVyrtuoso]

The awesome thing about the 6 footswitches and expression pedal jack of the XTone Pro with those 7 controllers you are given a total of 21 in banks of 3. You can toggle between the 3 banks to access the 21 controllers. So with one expression pedal, you can assign volume in one bank, filter position in a second bank, and maybe amp gain in another. I typically set the 3rd bank of footswitches for utility controls like preset up and down navigation, toggling the tuner, tap tempo, etc.

[@POGFROGULPOP]

Personally liked the Apogee Jam for the Distortion sound with open upper mids/ front to back depth. Then the UAD Arrow for the clean sound, where you can hear a sense of space/ ambience around the sound, not just the flatness of the sound itself. They all sounded a bit 'boxy' in the low mids overall, but for

[@vejichan]

Which is better apogee jam plus or irig hd2 for guitar?

[@marcjohnson5148]

Thanks Mike. Yes you’ve helped me greatly

[@nathansongne9790]

I'm a Paul Reed Smith employee who just started getting into recording. Bought the 3rd Gen 2i2 and the PRS Waves plugins. Glad to see even us getting a shoutout lol. Guess I need the GTR now! Thanks for the video, I learned a lot.

[@BigHairyGuitars]

ha! Awesome!

[@raysmetaltracks6782]

Nathan Songne, you may want to check out the PRS Archon sims - they are amazing and the sound is incredible. Lots of options with the 3 amps they include in the Waves plugin. You most likely dont have to pay for it, but just tossing in that they often drop the price for the Archon to like $40, which is very cool. 👌

[@nathansongne9790]

@@raysmetaltracks6782 I do have them. I said that in my comment lol

[@georgebarry3153]

Micheal, I found this VERY helpful. I have long looked for a meaningful comparison of interfaces re: guitarists..and this is an excellent overview. I listened very carefully thru my studio monitors (Events, active 20/20 BAS) and I agree completely with your comments/evaluations. The Xsonic sounds best,imho. There is an immediacy to the signal..somehow a lil more presence somewhere in the 2k-8k range. hard to describe..but desirable. The IK sounded worse than all others. Flat. And I found it SO TRUE that distorted sounds don't reveal as much as clean and crunch sounds, in terms of quality audio. I play covers and originals, and stay alot in the VoxAC30 gain-universe....and it has been quite a challenge to get that to sound right out live and on recording sessions. This Video helped...and I thank you immensely!

[@ShadyRapture]

On the clean comparison at the end I listened twice and the focusrite had the least noise. Funny cuz I hate my 6i6

[@wolverine3344]

I appreciate you taking the time to make videos like this, particular 14:25 where you run them back-to-back. I've got an Apogee Jam 96 and Duet 2 that I love. Do you the plans to review the Apogee Symphony Desktop that seems like a true professional class audio interface with plugins for $1400 ? Many thanks in advance.

[@michaeltoren]

Great video! I could have totally used this when I was starting out. My path started with the Steinberg UR-RT4 (Neve transformers) and have used Focusrite since. Scarlett 18i8 and now Clarett 8Pre.

[@underpressureman]

Not sure if anyone chimed in, but just FYI the UA stuff is backwards compadable with TB2 with an adapter. That's how I'm running my x8p and Sattelite.

[@Cpt_Adama]

Since this was guitar focused, I’m surprise you didn’t also look at ikmultimedia’s flagship guitar interface Axe I/O.

[@Stringprodigy]

Their products are garbage

[@barrymurphy5548]

@@Stringprodigy Well the AXE I/O is probably one of the best dedicated guitar IO's out there at the moment, totally different to the iRigs etc. I was going for a UA or an Apogee, but for guitar, the Axe I/O tops them both, both in sound and guitar features.

[@Group_Anonymous]

@@barrymurphy5548 Garbage

[@barrymurphy5548]

@@Group_Anonymous whatever 🙄

[@farricco1]

My ik multimedia stuff all crapped out on me.

[@gurlerium]

this is the best true shootout. no hidden secrets to sell product. hatss off thnx for video

[@EhsanImani]

would love to know how much latency the small ones such as Apogee Jam would have. I'm looking for the smallest most portable one to carry around with me and plug it to my laptop for recording quickly. Got an Apogee Symphony Desktop in the house but wondering how different the Jam would be regarding latency and characteristics for guitar :)

[@rileyioacura]

I think the Universal Audio Arrow is only Thunderbolt 3 not Usb C same look but USB C is still slow... until USB4 comes out later this year/early next year which will be Thunderbolt 3 compatible... but awesome video dude!! I enjoyed it a lot thank you

[@brainsniffer]

Riley IoAcura my kingdom for a thunderbolt hub.

[@rileyioacura]

Ross J MacGregor usb C still has only 10gbs or the more enhanced USB C 2x2 which is 20gbs but they still don’t talk straight to the processor straight away, as with thunderbolt 3 it talks directly to the motherboard instantly (hence the reason for low latency) and runs at 40gbs.... USB4 will use that thunderbolt 3 programming and have the same speed and display port functionality with also being able to be backwards compatible with USB Type C 3.1 and 3.2 and 3.2 gen 2 with thunderbolt 3 also

[@iwilrage]

This is the review I wanted!

[@shorerocks]

Goode one. I came from RME, which I wanted to leave, and settled for a 6i6 purely for SPDIF (Kemper, re-amping, you name it). Never looked back. Upgraded to the Clarett 8Pre, couldn't be happier.

[@georgebarry3153]

I use Reaper as my DAW and the Reaper forum preaches on how good the RME works so well with Reaper. Were you using Reaper when you had the RME?

[@shorerocks]

@@georgebarry3153 No. I was on Nuendo then switched back to Cubase Pro in 2011 and stayed there. Long answer: When I started producing, I wanted the best audio quality, but to an achievable price. RME was what I was recommended - we are talking mid to end 90s. When I heard it after first install, I did hear the better audio quality. I was so happy. But then you get used to it, and it's the new normal. I left RME because of a new Multiface I bought, and the batch had a problem they officialy acknowledged, as they had to change a part in the Multiface. What happened was that I got back a used, older Multiface from someone else, not my new one. Secondly, I had issues for over a year it not really working. And even though I had great support from my music store RME were not willing or able to solve it. Even though it is a German company (and I am German), and happily buy local, 20 years later it still angers me how they treated me and leaving me with an unusable device. Looking back I would simply have rejected the hardware given to me and insisted on a new one. But I never thought this to happen. Over and out!

[@robfulco4739]

The Apogee was noticeably different, better to my ears than all the others. With the Waves GTR DI a very close second.

[@georgebarry3153]

what monitors did you use to hear it? My ears told me different.

[@robfulco4739]

George Barry Focal Shape 65.

[@MesaGuitarGuy]

great video! have you heard about this new one coming out? Solid State Logic SSL 2+ - 2x4 USB Audio Interface

[@BigHairyGuitars]

I haven't played through it. It's a good price for the features. For me, it's hard to beat Focusrite for inexpensive desktop interfaces. That said, if you like the looks of the SSL better, I'm sure it'll be at least AS GOOD as the Focusrite stuff.

[@ronrobins3513]

I heard a little noise with the 80s guitar riff on all the interfaces. I suppose since it was such a high gain sound, that comes with a bit of noise without gating.I think the difference really showed itself in the clean sound, where stereo imaging and clarity are important. To my ears, the most surprising unit was the X tone. It held up really well against the more expensive interfaces. That may be the best bargain if you need a device with all those bells and whistles. The sleeper would be the (long since discontinued 😏) PRS/Waves Guitar Interface, The power chords just exploded in my headphones. I don’t know what kind of magic that box has in it, but it sounds GREAT!!!

[@jelmeromero]

I’m updating mine soon and found your vid. Thanks dude! I was leaning towards apogee or UA but Jeez I really don’t want to spend that much. My L6 UX2 has served me well but I feel it’s time to progress. I got mine back when it first came out.

[@adamlen85]

great content, thanks heaps

[@NO-TALK-GuitarPlugin]

Great! Noticed that apogee one had less treble and a lot more noise on your dry signal comparison...

[@BigHairyGuitars]

It felt like a particularly noisy day when I was recording this. Maybe because I had studio lights, and a laptop plugged in. It's such voodoo.

[@NO-TALK-GuitarPlugin]

Michael Nielsen but I think usb powered interfaces are much noisier, you’re perfectly right :) Using single coils is the only thing I don’t do that much with my plugins,.. Kemper is a lot more quiet for a reason I can’t really understand:)

[@DANTHETUBEMAN]

I use a old scarlet, for me,, it's great. They say they have improved it, but I'm good with the 6l6.

[@dianathompson7597]

Scarlett is great,, good sound. They all should good,, irig got a hotter signal or is doing more with the mids on the electric guitar,, sounds more amp like..Thanks

[@thomasfokas]

Universal Audio Apollo and/or Arrow

[@drdelewded]

The cheapo Xsonic with just the single guitar input looks like what I might want. I already have Lavry Blue ADA and Focusrite 215 Pre/eq... But I just want a simple guitar input

[@MajorUpgrade]

Very helpful. Nice video!

[@gcentanni1012]

I wonder how the IK multimedia Axe I/O compares sound-wise to the rest. It’s supposed to cater to guitar players with the Z-Tone feature and expression pedal ports.

[@Ilitan004]

I wonder the same but it's sooo expensive compared to others

[@RabihSaadguitars]

Since this is a guitar focused video/channel, im surprised you left out the Audient Sono anf the AXE IO by IK multimedia..

[@davidvarela8739]

8:12 the irig has some noise actually ?

[@vibrevtonez2421]

Hey man! Live your vids! Are you gonna do a VH4 Kemper pack anytime by chance?

[@Blavod6V6]

Hi Michael! Love your channel! What about Behringer Uphoria? That's by far the cheapest usb interface out there with decent quality... The 202HD is pretty impressive!

[@YsAbTones]

seems that the waves one will do a killer job with amp sim ! did you kept it ?

[@jonelordieta7573]

There's extra software on the Focusrite? That gain/distortion sound is not just from the Scarlett DI'ed is it?

[@Mountline]

Great video😊 I use the Focusrite, and just like you I don’t like to set the input gain. If I set it all the way down, and get a good sond, does that effect the recording in a negative way? I mean is the signal normally strong enough?

[@t_sosh]

You ever use the Behringer UMC stuff? I've been using a UMC404HD for a few years now and I've been happy with it but I honestly don't have much of a basis of comparison.

[@thesgambifiu]

Great review. Just a question, which one do your recommend between Irig hd2 and focusrite solo 3rd gen. Price is quite similar but........please let us know

[@Jeffsguitargroove]

Yes I’d like to know too. I have the irigHD2 now but looking to upgrade

[@MrTDembinski]

Thank you. Great explanations. One question, can these accept my line out from amp? I really like what I get from rig and want to be able to capture with a DAW (totally new at this). Thanks

[@alanjayreed457]

You forgot RME Michael. Best German quality and super low buffer sizes that work (1,7ms IN and 2ms Out)

[@garrettshuck7441]

Not sure how it took me a dozen videos to notice the NS-10s dissapeared and the cubes came in. Have you had a chance to play around with the MEME speaker emulations on the new barefoots? If so, thoughts?

[@BigHairyGuitars]

Mine don't have that. It's a Barefoot v2 thing. Ive had these a long time.

[@nicolasaraistrujak208]

if you press 2 buttons on Xtone ie. A+D, does it work like another extra midi button? Could I use it with a guitar in one input and a mic on the XLR input, then making they go out on separate outputs without blending? (i.e. mic going to one channel in the mixer and guitar going to a different channel on the mixer)

[@ritchxmusic]

Michael, would a device as small as an Apogee Jam or iRig have grounding issues, and does it need a DI to get a strong signal?

[@zazuzonker]

I’m kind of a plug-in ignoramus. Could you compare the Neural Plini (or another Neural amp pack if you prefer) to Overloud THU? Maybe STL Tonehub too?

[@Bigjunk9999]

Got Latency numbers on the Xsonic?

[@CentaurusRelax314]

It's kind of a kick in the pills to see that _my_ interface is the one _for the kids._ Womp-womp.....

[@BigHairyGuitars]

haha! Nah man! I've been using that interface to years! It's ace!

[@raysmetaltracks6782]

HA! Right?! Always good to learn we are using the "toy" of the bunch... 🤣 Actually I used this before moving to a "bigger" interface (PreSonus), and I gotta tell ya, I really don't hear any difference between my (much more expensive "pro") PreSonus and the Focusrite. Its always at the top of picks for bang for the buck and quality. 👍

[@internetmoney221]

What are the rules of setting level controls on an interface?

[@BigHairyGuitars]

Really there's no rules. It seems like every plugin is looking for a slightly different nominal input. So, it's a tweak to taste kinda thing. When I'm working, I don't really worry about clipping if it all sounds good.

[@victorcastrooficial]

Have you tried the Eleven Rack? I've used it for a long time, maybe familiarity is playing a role here, but I've compared it to a good few other interfaces, and it just feels better to play with every plugin I've tried.

[@BigHairyGuitars]

I liked the 11. I had it for a while. I didn't love the actual guitar modeling, but as an interface it was great.

[@anthonyschreck]

What about using a Kemper for the DI? My setup is Kemper SPDIF--> 18i8 1st gen. Does the interface matter if its SPDIF from the Kemper?

[@timothy5974]

Hello Michael. I’m trying to get a latency question answered. I’m interested in your Overloud Rig packs. Is the latency better with the XTone ore the Scarlett 2i2/solo? I hope you can help. Thank you.

[@BigHairyGuitars]

I really don't know. You might want to check out the companies spec sheets for that. To be honest, these days, I don't find a noticeable latency difference between companies. Even the cheap ones are pretty solid.

[@adsfaedaer]

do you think the arrows single processor would be up to driving Luna?

[@AndrewSmith-lg8dj]

How do you handle hi-Z on the Apollo with hot pickups? There is no pad and my guitars with hot pickups clip the interface no matter what. I know there are a couple workarounds but none seem great. Thoughts on that? I end up using my focusrite for those guitars which is kind of annoying.

[@AndrewSmith-lg8dj]

Leo mac. Its we’ll documented on the Apollo forums that this is an issue but am trying to figure out different people’s solutions.

[@thurmanjuan]

I have a Focusrite that I don’t really know how to use. 😝 ... I’m really just commenting cuz I’m a Cody Bellinger fan. Nice shirt‼️

[@isoladellerosetv]

you look like Negan of the walking dead lol... I have a question: I'm confused, why the apogee costs the same as the Focusrite and is very small? For me, it means that the focusrite is very bad and you pay only because you have more outputs... am I right? If I have to record only my guitar it is better the apogee because has better sound than the Focusrite... right?

[@tease6966]

Super interesting how they all have their own subtle qualities! I've got my Focusrite Saffire Pro 40 that lives in the rack, and my little Focusrite Scarlett for on-the-go projects!

[@Yupppi]

The waves guitar info sheet didn't have a price!

[@BigHairyGuitars]

They don't sell it anymore. It's been discounted for a while.

[@poplex222]

what software you used the scarlett with?

[@rikshredder]

Michael! What were you using for sound guitar tones? Sounds great!

[@BigHairyGuitars]

Thanks! It's the Overloud TH-U plugin with my new rig pack based on the Soldano tones. overloud.com/products/bhs-sold

[@rikshredder]

@@BigHairyGuitars Wow. Now another guitar based thing to think about!

[@jadonx]

@@BigHairyGuitars before I watched this your rig was just on offer, went back to site and back up to full price. Ill wait for offer again as paid enough for full thu version. Do you think the rigs are better than the standard banks in THU? I must admit Ive just been using the american classic rig often and love the sounds and the bass rig for my bass.

[@BigHairyGuitars]

@@jadonx For 80's hard rock and metal, and Lukather tone. 100%. There'll be more packs coming too, so you can always wait and snatch up one of those on the entry sale price.

[@PrometheusDigital]

What studio monitors are those?

[@BigHairyGuitars]

The big ones a Barefoot MM27 The little ones are Avantones

[@ottoplainview]

Steinberg UR22C FTW.

[@crystaloffrost]

Apogee jam plus does not work with windows, yes it is written that it works, nmbit it does not. It is because it does not have a propritary asio driver. Asio4all is kot working. Period. Irig on the other hand works plug and play with windows. So if you are a windows guy, forget about apogee.

[@robbievalentine8239]

Hey mike. Can that irig go into a iPhone?

[@BigHairyGuitars]

Yes. Totally!

[@gilbertfalling493]

Just bought a t-shirt brother. I'm contacting THE YANKEES. Picture this. Stacks of cabs,right field,short porch,dingers forever. I'll let you know when Hal and Cash get back to me. We'll split it 50/50. The shirt gave me the idea. This is it! We're all in brother! GO YANKEES!

[@BigHairyGuitars]

haha! Love it!

[@Locoandchooch]

What, in your opinion is the best sounding USB interface? For guitar.

[@BigHairyGuitars]

These were all USB. I can't really tell what the best is. They all sound different. If I could have the UA input without the DSP and UA infrastructure, I'd prefer that. On my laptop, I just want small with grab and go.

[@Locoandchooch]

Michael Nielsen Looking for an interface is getting to be silly. I want the Audient ID14 but it’s literally sold out everywhere.

[@Locoandchooch]

Paul Yougreat Hows the latency?

[@Locoandchooch]

Paul Yougreat I’ll check it out, a lot of interfaces are sold out everywhere, I was initially looking for an Audient ID14 but not one store has one available.

[@Dontwantahandle111]

“Not too hard” famous last words 😂😂🤣🤣

[@garyshepherd9226]

You ignored the Audient Sono?

[@BigHairyGuitars]

The Sono is really it's own thing. More of an amp that is an interface. Audient makes good stuff though.

[@garyshepherd9226]

@@BigHairyGuitars No - it is an audio interface which does everything needed, but also specialises in electric guitar - not more of an amp really. Anyway, I have the Audient ID14 which is great and better than the ID4 for not much more money.

[@BigHairyGuitars]

Gary Shepherd are you talking about the Sono that has a built in amp and integrated TwoNotes can sim?

[@garyshepherd9226]

@@BigHairyGuitars it is not an amp, it has amp modelling and cab modelling and a valve on the input - but is still an interface and not a power amp. You should have a look at it.

[@baseboardmatt]

Luna requires Thunderbolt. I don’t think your UA box will work.

[@ErebosGR]

Is it just me or does the Focusrite sound the most lifeless? I noticed a big drop in high mids and sparkly highs. Does it also compress the dynamic range the most?

[@georgebarry3153]

My ears tell me..its ok...but not great.

[@ErebosGR]

@@georgebarry3153 Yeah, that's what I thought. Fine for home recording but it lacks the oomph and sparkle of professional recordings.

[@hammer5475]

Mr. NELSON! Love all your videos. Just wondering if you’ve blown up any of your heads using the OX or Two Notes? I haven’t so far but it really seems like something is starting to happen with my favorite head after I started using the two notes. I don think I’m over cranking anything but just checking as I’ve always mic’d cabs until a few months ago.

[@BigHairyGuitars]

Yikes. No, but I'd settled into using only the Fryette for my load. It's my favorite, and I know that it's bulletproof.

[@gilbertfalling493]

Great content as always. Thanks brother. I'm down to watching the 1976 World Series. I'm in bad shape. GO YANKEES!

[@raysmetaltracks6782]

I use PreSonus DAW, Studio One pro, and the Slate stuff (got into the Overloud/THU sims), and do the monthly Slate deal for like $13 a month (you get everything they offer, which is a lot). But, if I didn't use the Slate, I would probably check out the Universal Audio Arrow. The fact that you get all of their VSTs and amp sims is a pretty dang good incentive in my opinion. Great video as always Michael! PS - when is the rest of the world going to realize what we (your subs) already know about all the amazing knowledge and info you share? 8-)

[@Jeroha]

Hello negan from the walking dead!

[@landonheath7914]

ffiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiirrrrrrrsssssssstttt

[@thomasfokas]

Arturia hardware is shit.