Now that we finally have our hands on the MacBook Pro 2018 and macOS Mojave, the best Macs are better than ever before. And, if you’re thinking about going out and picking up the best Mac for. Mac devotees will nod sagely when we say that the software available on Apple computers is the ideal companion for post-production. So if you've never used a Mac before, now might be the time to start. PC debate is one of the most controversial topics when it comes to computers. This page is meant to give a comparison between computers running Apple's macOS and those running Windows. We are looking to help users who are interested in buying a new computer, not dictating which brand is the 'best.' The best DAWs 2018: the best music production software for PC and Mac; The best DAWs 2018: the best music production software for PC and Mac.
Finding a DAW is like finding a partner.
Best Mac for video editing 2018 Macs are great for digital movie making, but with a huge range of powerful Macs available it can be tricky to buy the right one. We look at the best Apple hardware. Whether you want to spend on a Mac-powered system or get a budget laptop/PC and install any Linux distro for free. Personally, I’ll be happy with a Linux system except for editing videos and music production. [Updated: 14 April 2018] – We’ve curated the best laptops for music production this year. Go forth and make music! Go forth and make music! Choosing a good laptop for music production shouldn’t be too hard but it is a critical decision to make.
After you have designed your dream home studio, the next step is to commit to a piece of recording software.
And once you commit, you’re in it for the long game.
Sure, you can flirt around. You can open a different one up every time you sit at your computer.
But without committing to one DAW, you won’t get the benefits that come with a long-term relationship.
So today I’ve come up with a list of the top 11 DAWs out on the market today.
But before we continue, I’m guessing you’re here because you want to make music that sounds professional in your home studio.
Finding the right DAW is important, but it’s just one piece of the puzzle.
That’s why I created this new on-demand training for people who want the entire framework for pro mixes.
Inside, I share the single most important recording and mixing discovery of my life.
This ONE thing that I discovered gave me the ability to walk into my home studio and finish a track that sounded radio-ready in a matter of hours.
So, if you just want a shortcut to pro-quality mixes, watch this on-demand training now:
But if you just want to learn all about DAWs specifically, keep reading.
Contents
- The 11 Best DAWs of 2019
- Want to see my favorites?
The 11 Best DAWs of 2019
Now, think about what your goals are.
Do you spend more time writing music, or mixing music? Do you want a DAW that does one specific job well or an all-rounder?
Once you have figured out what you’re looking for in a DAW, you can choose the best DAW for you.
Here is the quick list of the best DAWs available in 2019 (in no particular order):
- Logic Pro X
- Pro Tools
- Studio One
- Ableton Live
- Cubase Pro
- Propellerhead Reason
- FL Studio
- Cockos Reaper
- Bitwig Studio
- MOTU Digital Performer
- Mixcraft Pro Studio
Now, read through this page and choose the DAW that suits your needs.
Once you have made a decision, stick to it. Learn it inside out. Use the stock plugins. The better you know your DAW, the better your results will be.
Trying to figure out which DAW would be best for you? Use these handy filters to select exactly what you’re looking for.
What price range are you looking for?
What are you using your DAW for?
What genre will you be working on?
Want to see my favorites?
What did you think of this post? Please give it a rating below.
Logic Pro X
An extremely popular piece of software. Although Logic Pro is great for composing and producing music, I love using it for mixing too. The stock plugins that come with Logic Pro X are perhaps the best stock plugins of any DAW.
This one is my personal go-to DAW!
What They Say: Logic Pro X puts a complete recording and MIDI production studio on your Mac, with everything a pro musician needs to write, record, edit, and mix like never before.
What It’s Best For: All Rounder
If you decide to go with Logic Pro X, I created an in-depth course that takes you through the entire DAW.
The full course costs $179.99, but I pulled out the first 3 modules to share with you as a bonus for this article:
Learn more about Logic Pro X here: Apple Logic Pro X
Pro Tools 12
This is perhaps the most popular DAW in the professional world. For professional mixing and editing, this is the industry standard. A lot of people have a love/hate relationship with Pro Tools.
The stock plugins are generally good, but it lacks a stock multiband compressor – this isn’t a huge issue though.
The stock compressor can still be used for sidechain compression and parallel compression.
What They Say: Power your sound with the tools that power the industry. Create music or sound for film/TV and connect with a premier network of artists, producers, and mixers around the world.
What It’s Best For: Recording, Editing and Mixing
Learn more here: Avid Pro Tools
Studio One 4
This DAW has become increasingly popular over the last few years, with good reason. It is now one of the most commonly used DAWs.
What They Say: Instantly familiar—yet nothing feels like it. Studio One® 4 contains everything you’d expect from a modern digital audio powerhouse. Once you touch its fast, flow-oriented, drag-and-drop interface, you’ll realize Studio One® 4 was built by creative people for creative music production.
What It’s Best For: All Rounder
Learn more here: PreSonus Studio One 4
Ableton Live
Top electronic music producers around the world use Ableton Live. Although it lacks some advanced editing and mixing features, it can seamlessly integrate into your live sets. If you use this DAW, check out these free production templates.
What They Say: Live is software for creating musical ideas, turning them into finished songs, and even taking them onto the stage.
What It’s Best For: Electronic Music Production
Learn more here: Ableton Live 10 Standard
Cubase Pro 10
Cubase has been around for a long time and remains popular to this day. It’s innovative, trustworthy and stable.
What They Say: Used by star producers and musicians for composing, recording, mixing and editing music, Cubase combines outstanding audio quality, intuitive handling and a collection of highly advanced audio and MIDI tools.
What It’s Best For: All Rounder
Learn more here: Steinberg Cubase Pro 10 Recording Software
FL Studio
Another affordable DAW that’s extremely popular among electronic music producers. FL Studio is easy to use and has some great composition features, but isn’t so great for working with audio.
What They Say: FL Studio 12 is a complete software music production environment or Digital Audio Workstation (DAW). Representing more than 18 years of innovative developments it has everything you need in one package to compose, arrange, record, edit, mix and master professional quality music. FL Studio is now one of the world’s most popular DAWs and is used by the most creative artists.
What It’s Best For: Electronic Music Production
Learn more here: Image Line FL Studio 20
Bitwig Studio
This little-known DAW is great for music production and live performance. Founded by ex-Ableton engineers, Bitwig Studio shares a similar concept based on ‘clips’. It has a great modular synthesis environment and networking features.
What They Say: Bitwig Studio is dynamic software for creation and performance of your musical ideas on stage or in the studio.
What It’s Best For: Electronic Music Production
Learn more here: Bitwig Studio 2 Music Production and Performance Software
Propellerhead Reason
This is the perfect piece of software for electronic music producers that love the look of analog equipment. The bundled virtual instruments are powerful and versatile, and Reason comes with some great collaboration tools.
What They Say: Reason is easy to get started with, yet as deep as you want it to be. Create, compose, mix and finish your music–Reason will help you along the journey,
from inspiration to mixdown.
What It’s Best For: Electronic Music Production
Learn more here: Reason 10
Cockos Reaper
This DAW is powerful for the price (it’s a steal at $60 for a personal license) and is one of my personal favorites. You can customize the layout and functionality of the software to suit your workflow.
What They Say: REAPER is a complete digital audio production application for Windows and OS X, offering a full multitrack audio and MIDI recording, editing, processing, mixing and mastering toolset.
What It’s Best For: Recording, Editing and Mixing
MOTU Digital Performer
Despite being one of the oldest DAWs available, Digital Performer has only recently made its way from Mac to Windows. Unlike the others they have a 30-day free trial available, so you can give it a whirl.
What They Say: Spark your creativity, then refine your mix — all in a singular workflow. Digital Performer 9 delivers inspirational features devised to ignite your creative muse, combined with state-of-the-art studio production technologies engineered for the most demanding, world-class recording and production environments.
What It’s Best For: All Rounder
Learn more here: MOTU Digital Performer 10
Mixcraft Pro Studio
This affordable option has gathered some serious fans over its lifetime. It’s simple, user-friendly and easy to use.
What They Say: Mixcraft is The Musician’s DAW – the ideal application for creating professional quality songs, mixes, and videos with ease.
What It’s Best For: All Rounder
Learn more here: Mixcraft 8 Pro Studio
Does your DAW really matter?
So, now you know what software is available.
But this is just one small part of the process. You can find the perfect DAW for you and still end up with mixes that sound like bedroom demos if you’re missing this one crucial aspect (it took me 10 years to learn this).
There is SO MUCH that goes into a good mix. It’s actually pretty overwhelming.
Once you’ve found a good DAW, there’s a lot of other stuff you need to get right if you want your music to sound professional.
But what if I told you that you don’t have to be an expert (with years of experience) to make radio-ready music at home?
Well…
That’s the truth.
It’s likely that you’ve already wasted time, money and effort on the wrong things. I know I did. I wasted years focusing on the wrong things.
So, what should you focus on if you want fast results?
Inside this new on-demand training, I share the secret to making radio-ready music at home.
After I stumbled upon this new approach, I knew exactly where to spend my time and energy. I was no longer confused and overwhelmed by the recording and mixing process.
Honestly, I was annoyed I didn’t learn this stuff sooner. It would have saved me at least 7 years.
This new approach hasn’t just worked for me either…
One of my students – his name is Patrick – was pretty new to home recording when he came to me for help. I shared this idea with him and he went from his first ever home recording to high-quality, professional mixes in just 2 and a half months.
This same approach has worked for hundreds of other musicians too.
Now it’s your turn.
If you want to learn the *exact* steps that will take your mixes to a professional standard in under a year…
Watch the on-demand training now:
It’s only playing for a limited time – we’re always updating the site and this could get removed soon. So go and check it out now.
Audio professional, musician and founder of Musician on a Mission.
So you’re looking to solidify your home recording studio with the best audio interface? To us, this is one of the most important parts of making music and we consider it to be the star on top of the Christmas tree. Without an audio interface, you simply can’t record optimally. Your gear is essentially missing half of its power and capabilities without one of these in your studio. The best audio interfaces help us with sound quality, phantom power and amplification, more overall control of our gear, organization of all of our inputsoutputs into one device, and lastly make the pesky concept of latency disappear. Today we highlight our top 10 audio interface picks available in the market and give you some info to help ease your shopping adventures.
What is an audio interface?
An audio interface is a device which connects your various audio equipment to your computer (microphones, MIDI keyboards, studio monitor speakers, etc). Some have even called them “external sound cards” since the components built into computers can’t make the cut (for good reason — they’re typically too expensive or aren’t big enough). In terms of capabilities (and it really depends on which model you go with), they can provide phantom power to amplify your microphones, hook up any instrument or controller you’ve got via MIDI inout, and use XLR ports for microphones. Audio interfaces convert the analog information into digital signals for your production computer or music laptop to recognize and lay down into your songs.
Ultimately, it helps get you that studio-quality sound that helps separate you from the newbies. Relying on consumer-grade sound cards in your PC or Mac isn’t ideal as it often gives us interference and delays in sounds — and to their credit, merely can’t fit powerful interfaces inside their computers. Audio interfaces are the standard sound card for any type of studio. Once I hooked up my audio interface to my setup, the headache immediately went away because I was not only more organized (rid a lot of cable clutter) but was able to record in a quicker, versatile and realistic manner. When producing music, my workload decreased, my songs sounded better and my overall creativity shot through the roof since my process was more efficient. Lastly and most importantly, the quality of my recording tracks increased dramatically – microphones were more clear, guitars crisp, and the overall sound I heard was better for mixing and mastering later on in my DAW.
How to choose your audio interface
When it comes to the best audio interface, it really depends on a few factors. We’d love to give you a straight answer, but it is too dependent on a lot of elements you must take into consideration when shopping for the device. It depends on what you need.
- What is your budget? Most of these are relatively affordable, but you can always go higher for some powerful features. We’ve seen audio interfaces go within price ranges from $30 to $2,000. We tried to grab a few from each price-point to give you options in your search.
- What type of connectivity? You can either go the more popular USB route, FireWire or even advanced Thunderbolt. The more advanced you go away from USB, typically the more money you’ll have to drop; however, it may be worth the investment if you have the cash.
- How many inputs and outputs will you need? This is something to really take into consideration not only for now but the future as well. A lot of musicians who record multiple instruments at once such as with a band need numerous inputs and outputs to handle all of the equipment. Of course in my position, i’m a one-man band, so i’m fine with fewer ins since I record everything separately. Do you need a few microphone inputs? Additional USB ports? MIDI connectivity? Try to look at the gear around you and plan what you envision hooking up to your audio interface. If you do plan on buying more gear in the future, buy an interface you can foresee needing a few extra connections for your future studio.
- Is there a software bundle you need? Some of these come with virtual instruments, effects, and even digital audio workstations. Is that important to you?
For some more info, check out the choosing your audio interface article by Sound On Sound magazine.
Our picks for top 10 best audio interfaces
The following is our list of top 10 best audio interfaces for both Mac and PC. Do some sifting through as we provide the retail price for your budget, the compatibility in terms of connectivity, how many inputs and outputs, as well as overall features for comparing. We tried to cover all ranges, all connectivity as well as I/O options. Let us know which one you ended up going with/already have!
Focusrite Scarlett 2i2
Compatible with: Mac, PC, all hardware
- Check prices and reviews of the Scarlett 2i2: US | UK
- USB connectivity
- A/D resolution: 24-bit/96kHz
- Inputs: Two XLR/TRS combo
- Direct monitor control on front panel (switch between headphones and speakers easily)
- Comes with Ableton Live Lite and Scarlett bundle (processors, effects)
This is in our opinion one of the best audio interfaces out there by a mile. This interface by Focusrite is best for home and semi-pro studios (I have two friends who make music full-time that use this). The Scarlet 2i2 gives us a great quality microphone pre-amp, a very rugged build for stability as well as portability, and quite a few selections for ins and outs. The ‘2i2’ name basically means that it has two inputs and two outputs, as well as two pre-amps built-in (their other models you’ll see have similar names which relate to the connectivity options). Highly talked about this is the amp quality, compared to mechanisms found in a lot of condenser and ribbon mics and more expensive interfaces. It’s ultimately just a simple interface for a great cost — one of the most popular choices out there if you read the user reviews.
Another huge plus with this one is that it comes with Ableton Live Lite, a very popular digital audio workstation among music heads. This is especially perfect if you’re looking for some software to start recording with or merely want to make the change over to one of the most popular pieces of software today — Ableton coming along with the package makes this a must. USB powered here, although it doesn’t have any MID ins or outs which bums me out but there are ways around that. The Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 is the best audio interface we’ve recommended to our readers numerous times for a reason — just make sure that it will cover your future needs in terms of connectivity if you plan on expanding later.
You can also check out the Focusrite Saffire Pro interface which is a step up (has some MIDI insouts and FireWire connectivity) but costs a bit more. There’s also a ton of other Scarlett models that pertain to ins and outs as stated previously — for only a few more bucks check out their Scarlett Studio Audio Bundle (comes with a mic, headphones, and the interface and it made first in our recording studio bundles guide).
Universal Audio Apollo Twin
Compatible with: Mac only
- Check prices and reviews of the Apollo Twin: US | UK
- 24-bit/192 kHz audio conversion
- Headphone and guitar input on front
- Preamp/monitor switches
- Dedicated master volume knob
- 2 XLR/TSR mic ins
- Realtime UAD Processing
- Comes with plug-in bundle (analog classics)
- Two mic/line pre-amps
- Thunderbolt connection
Up next, we have a mac only interface and this thing is extremely powerful. It’s a 2 x 6 thunderbolt connection and the audio conversion is quite telling at 24-bit/192 kHz for some of the clearest, zero-latency sound possible right now. It’s got real-time UAD processing so the tracking with compressors, EQ’s, and amps for various instruments is the real deal. It’s only compatible with Mac but it’s one of the best out there — Universal Audio brings us quality builds that’ll last you a very long time, so this is an investment.
Here’s a cool video on the Apollo Twin interface. You’ll need a thunderbolt cable for this, but it’s worth it if you’re going the full 9 — you won’t be let down by the Universal Audio Apollo Twin if you have the cash. It’s one of the best, pretty famous and will be for quite some time.
Mackie Onyx Blackjack
Compatible with: Mac and PC
- Check prices and reviews of the Onyx Blackjack: US | UK
- Two Onyx mic pre-amps
- Amps go up to 60 dB
- High-headroom design
- USB powered
- Separate studio monitor/headphone outputs
- Comes with Tracktion 3 production software
Mackie equipment is more tailored to DJ’s, but this audio interface is very solid for the price, giving us two high-quality Onyx mic pre-amps that are very powerful. Gives us some distortion protection due to its high-headroom design. Great zero-latency recording but what stands out to us is the amp gain control: great for electric guitars and dynamic microphones. You can crank each line in (1 and 2) up to 60 dB, turn up the phantom power to max on the monitor or phones, as well as have even more controls on the front.
Standard ins and outs with two XLR and TSR. A step up from a lot of audio interfaces due to its high-quality amps. One of the best audio interfaces in the lower price-point in our opinion. We recommend the Mackie Onyx Blackjack for those who need powerful amplification at an affordable price.
M-Audio M-Track Plus
Best Pc For Music Production
Compatible with: Mac and PC
- Check prices and reviews of the M-Track Plus: US | UK
- 24-bit / 48 kHz digital audio processor
- Very little latency when monitoring
- Solid aluminum build
- 2 XLR inputs, 2 balanced 1/4″, MIDI in and out
- Selectable phantom power
- Headphone out on front
- Comes with Pro Tools and Ignite by AIR
Here’s another one of the best audio interfaces for the money. This is a very solid model in terms of build and overall supply of necessary ins and outs, as M-Audio gear usually brings to the table. It’s USB powered and offers great phantom power for microphones and guitars, has insert jacks on each channel, and lastly comes with Avid Pro Tools Express and Ignite creation software by AIR. If you’re looking for a good software combo this is great, otherwise it’s still a solid audio interface as it offers us the essentials: 2 XLR, 2 TSR and MIDI ins/outs…what else do you need?
Unless you’re using and recording multiple instruments at a time, anything else is rather unnecessary. The M-Audio M-Track Plus is a solid audio interface for those looking for only a few ins and outs and some clear audio quality on top of it all. It’s pretty affordable and rivals the Scarlett model we previously recommended in terms of price.
Also check out our review of their M-Audio M-Track QUAD audio interface for a step up if you have a few more bucks to spare.
PreSonus AudioBox
Compatible with: PC and Mac
- Check prices and reviews of the Audiobox: US | UK
- Rugged steel build
- Combo XLR mic/balanced 1/4″ input
- 48 volts of phantom power
- 24-bit resolution and 44.1, 48, 88.2, and 96 kHz sampling rate
- MIDI inout
- USB 2.0 port
- Comes with Studio One software
Another 2 x 2 to check out here, and this one is a more simple and budget-friendly audio interface than many others. PreSonus gear has a very positive reputation around the equipment world and the AudioBox is a favorite interface among many. You get two very high quality pre-amps built-in, a nice small steel build, as well as two MIDI int/outs on the front. The back has your TSR ins, a USB port for power and connectivity as well as a left and right stereo inputs. Lastly, a headphone jack (on the back) although I usually like these on the front, but oh well. As it’s more budget-friendly, it isn’t recommended for those with instruments that need more than around 35 decibel of gain or headphones above 100 in impedance. Keep this in mind as the power is great for a lower price-point audio interface but it isn’t jam-packed either.
This is great for those on a budget and need the standard capabilities of an interface, and even though it doesn’t have any fancy digital conversion (like the Apollo Twin), you’re getting what you pay for. The PreSonus AudioBox is considered to be another one of the best audio interface picks if you wanted a simple solution and also need some software alongside your setup (it comes with their Studio One digital audio workstation which isn’t necessarily a heavy-hitter in the software community, but can get the job done if you need something simple and don’t have a DAW yet).
Check out our reviews on their latest models, the AudioBox iOne and AudioBox iTwo if you’re looking for some different alternatives.
Apogee ONE
Compatible with: Mac only (and iPad)
- Check prices and reviews of the ONE: US | UK
- A/D and D/A conversion: 44.1/48 kHz 24-bit
- Single input channel
- Internal condenser microphone
- XLR microphone pre-amp
- Encoder knob (gain control, output level control)
- Maestro software included
Apogee electronics brings us one of the best audio interfaces for Mac. It’s rather simplistic in terms of connectivity, but the reason it’s at such a high cost is because of the amp. It goes up to 63 dB which is pretty high for its size. Another plus is the 48 volt phantom power but it also has a built-in condenser microphone if you think you’ll be using it for that. You can merely mount it and use it as a mic while having an audio interface at hand at the same time. It doesn’t have any MIDI ins or outs or even XLR ports but it does give us a 1/8″ for headphones. What most people do is use a converter cable which can be plugged in to an external microphone, MIDI keyboard or controller, etc.
Check this one out as it gives us a bit of a different spin to audio interfaces. Don’t let the small size of the Apogee ONE make you assume it isn’t powerful — it’ll up the quality of your music like no other (if you’re on Mac, that is).
Although it’s two times the price, also check out the Apogee Duet audio interface for some power if you’ve got the dough. We review their new Avid Pro Tools Duet by Apogee as well, which is a new interface out that’s been paired up by both companies for a new spin on the interface.
Avid MBox + Pro Tools Express
Compatible with: Mainly built for Mac, but can with Windows 10
- Check prices and reviews of the Mbox: US | UK
- Two XLR mic/line combo inputs
- Two 1/4″ DI inputs
- Stereo S/P/DIF digital in and out
- MIDI in and out (1×1)
- Monitor control
- Dedicated volume knob
- Built-in guitar tuner
- Comes with Pro Tools Express
If you want Pro Tools and one of the biggest industry standards out there, we recommend going with this. Avid‘s bundle is a bit more expensive than the budget-friendly audio interfaces we’ve listed thus far but it’s very worth your money if you’re interested in investing in a DAW software that many call it the best — the golden Pro Tools (Express is not the full version, keep in mind). The Mbox is a very solid interface not just because it is Pro Tools’ sidekick — it comes with 4 x 4 channels of ins and outs (two XLR mic/line combos, two 1/4″ inputs and outputs, as well as a headphone out and MIDI ins/outs).
You have phantom power of the standard 48 volts for your condenser microphone, has a nice soft-clip limiter and if you play the guitar, it’s got a built-in tuner with some on-board effects. A nice package if you’re looking for a big punch. The Avid Mbox is great for semi-pro and even some professional studios.
Mac Vs Pc For Graphic Design
Lexicon Alpha
Compatible with: Mac and PC
- Check prices and reviews of the Alpha: US | UK
- 44.1kHz to 48kHz sample rates
- Record up to two tracks at once
- Inputs: One (1) XLR, Two (2) TRS, One (1) Hi-Z
- Two TRS & RCA outs
- USB powered
- Headphone output on back
- Low-noise mic pre-amp
- Comes with Cuba LE4 and their Pantheon reverb VST
Sleek and stable. This interface by Lexicon Pro has a lot of positive reviews and for good reason. At a super low retail price, it’s got one XLR mic, two TRS and one Hi-Z input. The only thing we’re missing here is the lack of phantom power as well as MIDI in and out, but if you don’t need these the price of this is a steal, especially for the audio quality for under $100. What’s highlighted with this is the low latency giving you no delays with recording, pretty much the benchmark of an interface so if that wasn’t possible we wouldn’t even list it here. This is basically a solid audio interface for recording instruments that don’t need phantom power as well as hooking up some studio monitors to your rig.
The Lexicon Alpha is perfect if you’re OK with switching cables to different equipment when recording, such as between a guitar and a keyboard. There is also some pretty decent software included as well with Cubase LE 4 and their Lexicon Pantheon VST reverb plug-in.
Native Instruments Komplete Audio 6
Compatible with: Windows and Mac
- Check prices and reviews of Komplete: US | UK
- 24-bit/96 kHz processor
- MIDI in and out
- 2 balanced mic/line/instrument XLR
- 2 balanced line 1/4″ TRS
- 4 balanced analog outputs 1/4″ TRS
- Two mic inputs headphone output
- 48 volts of phantom power
- Direct monitoring with mono input switch
- LED status lights
- USB powered
We’re huge fans of Native Instruments equipment and software, and this is a competitor to the Avid bundle we’ve listed previously. They were a top pick in our best VST plug-in guide for a reason. The Komplete Audio package here is very powerful, not only due to the solid build that will help with longevity but because of the software that it comes with — Cubase LE 6 (a solid DAW), Traktor LE 2 and Komplete Elements, giving you over 1k VST’s and effects. As far as connectivity goes, you’ve got some decent plugs — 2 balanced XLR’s, 2 balanced 1/4″ TRS, four balanced outputs, a MIDI in/out, and it’s USB powered for hassle-free hook ups with a dedicated volume knob up to for convenience.
This is an all around great package to look at if you’ve got the dough, especially if you’re looking to add some instruments and effects to your arsenal as well. The sound quality is very clear and reliable in terms of latency reduction. The Native Instruments Komplete Audio 6 is little cheaper than Avid’s bundle but you get Cubase instead of Pro Tools.
Behringer UCA202
Compatible with: Mac and PC
- Check prices and reviews of the UCA202: US | UK
- High-resolution 48 kHz conversion
- No drivers necessary — USB powered and connectivity
- Stereo headphone output
- Free editing software (nothing crazy) – KRISTAL Audio Engine and Audacity
Behringer audio equipment gives us the definition of a budget audio interface here. This is straight to the point and it’s powered via USB with no external power supply needed, great for portability. The resolution goes up to 48 kHz so in terms of conversion it is solid for the price. There’s just no XLR or TRS inputs here, so connecting a microphone might get tough — standard RCA ins (which can be converted with proper cables) while giving us a headphone jack and volume control. It also comes with a bundle of free software worth checking out.
I’d recommend grabbing this you’re on the go and need a simple digital converter, otherwise continue reading on. The Behringer UCA202 is a great model for those who want only the essentials at a very affordable price. We’d consider it the best cheap and budget-friendly audio interface in the market today.