I'ma novice when it comes to Live, but working to get my chops up. I've started looking to use Live out when I DJ, and as I do research re: this matter I continuely come across mentions of having to use a audio interface. What for? Why would one need to use such a thing? I always thought one would use this only if they were using Live on a PC; I use a Mac. Can someone straighten me out once and for all and tell me what an audio interface really does and why I'd benefit in using one.
Thanks a lot in advance.
-Chucky
Live + Audio Interface = Huhhhh????
depends on what you need.
If you're happy with the macs built in soundcard, you don't need anything else.
Main thing is audio quality. The macs buitl in soundcard are pretty OK (from what I've heard), at least better than most PC built in cards.
If you record with mics an external soundcard is better. This regarding latency, audio quality, mic preamps, phantom power.
A reason a lot of DJ's use one is that they can use a soundcard with 4 outputs to cue your mixes (2 main output L + R, 2 for cueing L + R).
If you're happy with the macs built in soundcard, you don't need anything else.
Main thing is audio quality. The macs buitl in soundcard are pretty OK (from what I've heard), at least better than most PC built in cards.
If you record with mics an external soundcard is better. This regarding latency, audio quality, mic preamps, phantom power.
A reason a lot of DJ's use one is that they can use a soundcard with 4 outputs to cue your mixes (2 main output L + R, 2 for cueing L + R).
there are a few reasons for using an interface. in general the 1/8th input jack on the computer isn't going to deliver in terms of quality. if you use that jack you're probably going to have noise issues to deal with.
There is also the actaul conversion quality to consider along with latency. I recently, for the first time in my professional life, dumped my audio interface. I've been kicking myself ever since. Latency is much worse with onboard audio. in terms of quality, it's dramatic, even with an inexpensive (firebox) interface. I was working on a track at a friend's studio. The whole track was done in Ableton. We saved as a self contained set and I brought the session home to work on arrangement. before i left, we listend through one last time and it was sounding great. when i came home, the whole thing sounded like "the walls closed in" The rough mix now has the stereo width of a small hall closet.
This is on a windows machine, but i've been forced to watch countless demos and listen to countless sessions/soft synths, etc from a Mac's onboard audio. 9 times out of 10 these are plagued with noise and generally sound like doo doo.
There is also the actaul conversion quality to consider along with latency. I recently, for the first time in my professional life, dumped my audio interface. I've been kicking myself ever since. Latency is much worse with onboard audio. in terms of quality, it's dramatic, even with an inexpensive (firebox) interface. I was working on a track at a friend's studio. The whole track was done in Ableton. We saved as a self contained set and I brought the session home to work on arrangement. before i left, we listend through one last time and it was sounding great. when i came home, the whole thing sounded like "the walls closed in" The rough mix now has the stereo width of a small hall closet.
This is on a windows machine, but i've been forced to watch countless demos and listen to countless sessions/soft synths, etc from a Mac's onboard audio. 9 times out of 10 these are plagued with noise and generally sound like doo doo.
If you aren't recording audio in then you probably don't need one. Another benefit of an external sound card other than sound quality (which really isn't important in a club setting) is if you are planning to run a lot of plugins and tracks. If you pile a lot of those on with just your internal soundcard than it could start to glitch, pop, slow down, clip, spike, and other things that will make it look like you suck.
i'd recommend some kind of interface, even if you're not recording. in my case, i wasn't recording anything at home, just playback, and the "collapse of the mix" was very noticable. i spent some time tying to figure out what went haywire between his studio and my place. monitoring was a small factor, as I'm on headphones, but they're quality cans and the mix sounded fine with the phones plugged into his interface.
Re: Live + Audio Interface = Huhhhh????
ChuckyBronsun wrote:I'ma novice when it comes to Live, but working to get my chops up. I've started looking to use Live out when I DJ, and as I do research re: this matter I continuely come across mentions of having to use a audio interface. What for? Why would one need to use such a thing? I always thought one would use this only if they were using Live on a PC; I use a Mac. Can someone straighten me out once and for all and tell me what an audio interface really does and why I'd benefit in using one.
Thanks a lot in advance.
-Chucky
Well for starters if you're using a newer Mac what is the difference between it and any GoodQuality Notebook/PC etc really bar the Operating System for starters
.They're both Intel Core 2 Duo Chip based Machines
.Somewhere between a rock and a hard place is actually nowhere.
beats me wrote:If you aren't recording audio in then you probably don't need one. Another benefit of an external sound card other than sound quality (which really isn't important in a club setting) is if you are planning to run a lot of plugins and tracks. If you pile a lot of those on with just your internal soundcard than it could start to glitch, pop, slow down, clip, spike, and other things that will make it look like you suck.
Quite frankly telling anyone that sound quality isn't important in a club setting is telling them it's ok too patronize the punter.
Nothing worse than a club with shitty sound and I've walked out of many a gig or club in my time due to that one simple factor.
Usually it's too much bass, shitty and shrill high end and a mid range that's had life sucked out of it by some moron playing V for Vendetta on the eq and driving everything into the red ( music is so much better when it's all one big distorted square wave )
.And don't get me started on cruddy PA systems and the like either.
Punters deserve better sound than they get alot of the time.
It's not much to ask really is it.
Somewhere between a rock and a hard place is actually nowhere.
-
ChuckyBronsun
- Posts: 6
- Joined: Fri Jan 19, 2007 5:52 am
Cool. Thanks so far to all! OK, so if I want to record it's worth going through something else, got it. And for overall quality of sound it might worth to use an outside source so I don't tax the intrenal card, sounds good. thanks again. But I don't understand why one would need 4 outputs to cue a song, why wouldn't you just use headphones?
Hiiii---ya!!
-
rbmonosylabik
- Posts: 2659
- Joined: Thu Mar 09, 2006 7:27 am
Hmmm, I think everyone is missing a very important point.
You say you are starting to DJ with Live. One thing you can do with a proper audio interface that you can't with the built in soundcard is use Live's Cue. This allows to listen to a track through a 2nd output pair before bringing it into the mix.
For this you need an interface with at least 2 output pairs or an independent headphones output. Macs built in sound card only have one output pair.
You say you are starting to DJ with Live. One thing you can do with a proper audio interface that you can't with the built in soundcard is use Live's Cue. This allows to listen to a track through a 2nd output pair before bringing it into the mix.
For this you need an interface with at least 2 output pairs or an independent headphones output. Macs built in sound card only have one output pair.
MBP 2.3 GHz i5, Live 9.6.1, Push, MPD32, Rane SL2
true. it's also not a complete sin to send the left channel to the house PA and use the right for a cue.
+1 on sound quality, mainly that computers won't be built to be as quiet as music people would like them to be.
+1 on latency/processing horsepower, it's a safe bet you can run more tracks with more VSTs with an external sound card
a sound card is your interface to the world, it's not something you want to cheap out on.
chuck - why would you think external cards are for PC users?
mac people are weird.
+1 on sound quality, mainly that computers won't be built to be as quiet as music people would like them to be.
+1 on latency/processing horsepower, it's a safe bet you can run more tracks with more VSTs with an external sound card
a sound card is your interface to the world, it's not something you want to cheap out on.
chuck - why would you think external cards are for PC users?
mac people are weird.In my life
Why do I smile
At people who I'd much rather kick in the eye?
-Moz
Why do I smile
At people who I'd much rather kick in the eye?
-Moz
-
rbmonosylabik
- Posts: 2659
- Joined: Thu Mar 09, 2006 7:27 am
D'OH!longjohns wrote:The first reply was not missing that pointrbmonosylabik wrote:Hmmm, I think everyone is missing a very important point.
You say you are starting to DJ with Live. One thing you can do with a proper audio interface that you can't with the built in soundcard is use Live's Cue.
MBP 2.3 GHz i5, Live 9.6.1, Push, MPD32, Rane SL2