I assume (please corect me if wrong) these will never beat MOTU M2/M4 despite being slightly more expensive.
Completely different use-case/target audience. The MOTU devices are first and foremost DAW interfaces, with some monitoring capability. These devices are almost the reverse, aimed at studios, mostly small/home/project that have multiple monitors for tracking/mixing. They *might not* even be used as an interface, instead *just* being used as a way to provide cue/headphone (and talkback) mixes and reliable mixdown options in the control room that has multiple sources and multiple sets of monitors.
As far as VCA's go, they are far from a dying breed in this use-case (tracking/mixing)... in fact VCA's are a feature of many digital mixing desks/software including for live sound. Assuming a 'quality' VCA is used, the ever present potential (see what I did Mum?) for the Volume pot to go scratchy is eliminated, and the opportunity to set the sweet spot of the to a point that makes sense to you is there too. These Behringer units have trim controls (+/-) for each input, so you can also match the input sources volumes and outputs (or make them different for that matter) so that e.g. two disparate input sources will have equal volume at through a monitor set.
Whilst not necessarily being used as a computer interface, the option is there, and could be useful for quickly adding an overdub in the control room, rather than having to go to the 'live' room... I have 24 tracks of I/O in my 'live' room (garage
) so being able to add a 'quick cowbell track' from the mix position is handy. There's also a mini-stereo input, so being able to play an iPhone track (demo/other version) to *everyone* listening to the cue mix is handy, or to audition an MP3 render on a phone through the studio monitors is also handy.
On that note, and finally, the gain available is allow the use of mics that need it... especially e.g. Shure's SM7B or Rode's Procaster, which need lot's of pre-amp gain, being primarily designed for radio/voiceover use... Broadcast folk like control over the gain staging and tonality of their sources. Again, assuming a 'quality' preamp is used, being able to bring *any* signal up to the 'best' level for recording – without introducing noise – is a 'good thing'. The MOTU units would (I assume) do this as a matter of course, but Behringer is answering a potential show-stopper buying question by making a big deal out of this... it would be a 'no' from me without it, as I have both those mics.
I arrived here whilst researching buying one of these. If I go ahead I'll report back
IMHO, FWIW, YMMV, break-a-leg. Mike
