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S/PDIF interface recommendations?

heanjurrera

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Hey folks! I'm looking for interface recommendations in the 750-800 euro range for music work. I'm currently recording vocals and acoustic instruments, as well as using an AxeFX II for all guitar and bass needs; but it's getting cumbersome to switch between my interface and AxeFX, as that doesn't really allow me to have a consistent I/O setup in my DAW. And so, an interface with S/PDIF seems like my best bet for the purpose of simplifying my workflow.

From what I've seen so far, the best bet is the seemingly nearly impossible to find Ultralite Mk5. My only problem with that is that I would never ever use the amount of I/O available so it's a bit overkill from that perspective, but otherwise it seems excellent... apart from the availability.

Other options I've considered are:

- Audient ID14 mkII - This is the runner-up. My problems with this is that I'd have to add a TOSLINK converter into the mix, which... fine, I guess? But I've also heard about reliability issues from Audient, or general software quirks like the volume knob issue that have been present since launch and doesn't seem to be fixed yet. This part is a bit less fine to me.
- Focusrite Clarett+ 4Pre - I currently have a Scarlett and while it's generally reliable, I've had a bunch of odd issues with the build quality (pretty sure one of my inputs is faulty, got headphone crackling at some point, etc.), so am a little bit wary about Focusrite; but hopefully the higher price point might come with a better build. All in all, it seems good and somewhat safe an option.
- Antelope Zen GO - I don't know if I've seen such a divisive piece of gear ever. This sounds like a hot mess, at least from the software and support perspective, and I've also heard some issues about them faulty/cheap components. And yet some people love it! So yeah I'm super wary about this.

Am I missing any other potential alternatives worth looking into?

For more info I'm mixing using DT 770s, so no special DAC needs. I might get some LP6s in the future. I'd prefer quiet, quality preamps for tracking vocals and other instruments. Low latency. Reliable. I don't need/care about DSP. I'm currently on Windows, but will be upgrading to an M1 Mac in the coming months so that's that too.

Thanks a lot in advance!
 

AnalogSteph

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And so, an interface with S/PDIF seems like my best bet for the purpose of simplifying my workflow.
Not your only bet though. I see the Axe-Fx II also sports analog line outputs, so you could run those into a spare pair of line-ins as well... it's not like an extra round of D/A and A/D conversion would be of much concern in this use case, and you wouldn't have to be concerned with clock sync either, which could get messy. (Basically, with SPDIF the source dictates the clock, and the receiver has to slave its clocking to that.) Like this, you could record everything at once in parallel.

Incidentally, I would research what it would cost to replace the Axe-FX with an "in the box" (VST) solution. I hear you can get some killer plugins these days.
 
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heanjurrera

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What about the RME Babyface Pro fs? According to the manual It has optical SPDIF I/O. It's been reviewed here at ASR.
Thanks for the heads up! That RME is also in my radar and it seems really great but I excluded it from my post because, at least in Europe, most RME products also seem to be out of stock everywhere I’ve looked. :(

Incidentally, I would research what it would cost to replace the Axe-FX with an "in the box" (VST) solution. I hear you can get some killer plugins these days.
Yeah this is something I’ve been thinking of on and off in the past. I’ve gotten some pretty good results with the NeuralDSP sims in the past, and it’s definitely simpler to use; but in general, I like the specific character of the Axe’s models/tweakability. NeuralDSP is absolutely fantastic though.

And regarding the analog outs; thanks for the tip, but all in all SPDIF seems like a more flexible solution in general as I’d be able to send and record both the wet and dry signals in case I wanted to reamp (or indeed use other amp sims).
 
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HCT-5808

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I'm also looking for a optical interface, only I just need digital optical in and have no need for analog inputs. Something like the RME Digiface USB would do the job, but is there something eqivalent at a cheaper price point?

And a general question, since this is all digital and there is no ADC involved, I'm assuming that any interface with a optical in could do the job. Any reason to spend RME money? Would it improve captured sound quality?
 

Blumlein 88

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I'm also looking for a optical interface, only I just need digital optical in and have no need for analog inputs. Something like the RME Digiface USB would do the job, but is there something eqivalent at a cheaper price point?

And a general question, since this is all digital and there is no ADC involved, I'm assuming that any interface with a optical in could do the job. Any reason to spend RME money? Would it improve captured sound quality?
Probably no reason to spend RME money for this. So you want an optical input which goes to what? Into USB or into an audio interface that is connected via USB?

I don't usually suggest Behringer gear, and this one has way more ins/outs than you need, but it does have both optical and coax SPDIF input and output for $279.
 

HCT-5808

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Probably no reason to spend RME money for this. So you want an optical input which goes to what? Into USB or into an audio interface that is connected via USB?

I don't usually suggest Behringer gear, and this one has way more ins/outs than you need, but it does have both optical and coax SPDIF input and output for $279.
Thanks for the suggestion. I'm looking for an optical in to USB then into a PC. Is that an audio interface? I've found this Mini DSP USB Streamer B in my research but on their forum people have had problems and they don't offer a return policy so I'm wary of spending $130 on something that may not work.
 

Blumlein 88

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Thanks for the suggestion. I'm looking for an optical in to USB then into a PC. Is that an audio interface? I've found this Mini DSP USB Streamer B in my research but on their forum people have had problems and they don't offer a return policy so I'm wary of spending $130 on something that may not work.
Yes the Behringer is an audio interface with 8 mic inputs, 8 line inputs and I think 8 line outputs. Way more than you need, but maybe the cheapest way to get the toslink input you want. Seems toslink inputs on cheaper interfaces aren't common anymore. You might find a 2nd hand one on reverb or ebay which has what you need.

That Mini DSP unit is just what you need, but I've no experience with that unit. Seems it would be a simple thing which works. Something to be aware of is SPDIF Toslink and ADAT Toslink are two different digital formats. Some interfaces only work with ADAT, some do both. I see the miniDSP unit has to have firmware changed depending upon which you wish to use. I wonder if this confusion isn't the source of those forum complaints. Also I didn't check if the Behringer does both. Which are you needing ADAT or SPDIF optical?

EDIT to add: I did look at the manual and the Behringer UMC1820 is switchable between ADAT and SPDIF on the optical connections.
 
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LTig

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Looking at thomann.de and filtering for USB interfaces with 1 SPDIF the cheapest is the ART USB Phono Plus PS for € 119.
 

mdsimon2

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Thanks for the suggestion. I'm looking for an optical in to USB then into a PC. Is that an audio interface? I've found this Mini DSP USB Streamer B in my research but on their forum people have had problems and they don't offer a return policy so I'm wary of spending $130 on something that may not work.

I've used the USBstreamer and it works great.

I understand the concerns about miniDSP's return policy but in my experience their support is actually really good and they will resolve any issue you have. The only complaints regarding the USBstreamer that I have seen are folks attempting to use external clocking on devices that do not allow the user to change the clock source (apparently iOS devices do not have this option) or wanting to use I2S inputs that are not synced to the USBstreamer clock. I've used it on Linux and Mac with both internal and external clocking via SPDIF and ADAT without issue.

As @Blumlein 88 mentioned you can do a variety of things with the USBstreamer depending on firmware which is nice if you need the flexibility to switch between ADAT and SPDIF for example. If you just need SPDIF check out the inexpensive options below. I've also used these and they work great.

Hifime UR23 SPDIF Optical to USB converter
Hifime S2 Digi – Optical SPDIF input and output to USB (32-192kHz/16-32bit)

Michael
 
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