Confused about audio interfaces.

[jestarz]

Hey there! I recently decided to upgrade a bit of my gear for live playing during my church worship services. Decided to purchase an MIDI to USB interface, which I got and now I'm deciding on the audio part. So basically my rig is input from keyboard to my mac through the midi to usb, mainstage picks it up and then it outputs through an audio cable with a 1/4 adapter to the DI box.

 

Problem is it sounds weird and I researched a bit and audio interfaces seem to do the trick. But I'm not sure how it works. So would my mac be able to identify it once I plug in the audio interface and then i could use a 1/4 cable from the audio interface to the DI box?

 

And just another question, would a Behringer UM2 U-Phoria do that just fine?

 

Thanks a lot!

[David Nahmani]

I researched a bit and audio interfaces seem to do the trick.

No. In fact you already own an audio interface that's perfectly decent (your Mac's built-in audio interface), and it should not sound weird in the first place. So getting another audio interface isn't going to solve anything. My guess is that you have a connection issue somewhere. Can you describe the "weirdness" in more details? Do you hear hum? Noise? Phasing? Is the sound weak? Narrow?

 

What keyboard is this? What 1/4 adapter are you using? What DI Box are you using?

 

And just another question, would a Behringer UM2 U-Phoria do that just fine?

The DI Box and audio interface you already own are most likely better quality than that Behringer, so I would move on. The day you're ready to up the quality of your system, splurge for a quality audio interface that will really be a step up from what you're using now. At the very least a Presonus AudioBox. But I would first make it work with what you already have.

[Wolfie2112]

The U-Phoria would work if you don't mind RCA outputs. I would personally opt for something like a Scarlett 2i2, or a Steinberg UR22 (which actually has MIDI input); both of these have 1/4" outputs and they are only around $150.

[jestarz]

I researched a bit and audio interfaces seem to do the trick.

No. In fact you already own an audio interface that's perfectly decent (your Mac's built-in audio interface), and it should not sound weird in the first place. So getting another audio interface isn't going to solve anything. My guess is that you have a connection issue somewhere. Can you describe the "weirdness" in more details? Do you hear hum? Noise? Phasing? Is the sound weak? Narrow?

 

What keyboard is this? What 1/4 adapter are you using? What DI Box are you using?

 

And just another question, would a Behringer UM2 U-Phoria do that just fine?

The DI Box and audio interface you already own are most likely better quality than that Behringer, so I would move on. The day you're ready to up the quality of your system, splurge for a quality audio interface that will really be a step up from what you're using now. At the very least a Presonus AudioBox. But I would first make it work with what you already have.

 

It sounds very weak compared to plugging in from the keyboard straight into the DI box. The problem I guess is because my mac earphone jack is broken, so I connect a USB audio adapter. The DI box I'm using is actually from Behringer, It's an Ultra DI. The keyboard is a Roland RS-5 and the 1/4 adapter is just a generic one. Thanks for the insight!

 

The U-Phoria would work if you don't mind RCA outputs. I would personally opt for something like a Scarlett 2i2, or a Steinberg UR22 (which actually has MIDI input); both of these have 1/4" outputs and they are only around $150.

 

Yea, I was kind of looking at a Scarlett 2i2.

[David Nahmani]

Ok so if you can't use the built-in audio input and you currently have a low quality USB/Audio cable as an audio interface then I recommend you purchase a decent quality audio interface.

 

I was kind of looking at a Scarlett 2i2.

The Scarlett is alright but I would recommend the Presonus AudioBox instead. More reliable and more stable in my experience. And on top of that you're saving a few bucks.

[jestarz]

Ok so if you can't use the built-in audio input and you currently have a low quality USB/Audio cable as an audio interface then I recommend you purchase a decent quality audio interface.

 

I was kind of looking at a Scarlett 2i2.

The Scarlett is alright but I would recommend the Presonus AudioBox instead. More reliable and more stable in my experience. And on top of that you're saving a few bucks.

 

Alright I'll have a look at the Presonus Audiobox. How would I then go about to output the audio? By plugging in a 1/4 cable into the output jacks at the back of the device?

[David Nahmani]

1 stereo 1/4 inch connector for headphones (PHONES), 2 mono 1/4 inch connectors for powered speaker monitors (MAIN OUT).