Affordable Audio Interfaces

  In fear of the impending failure of my aging laptop, I was persuaded to purchase a new laptop. It was not a prolonged arm-twisting negotiation, more like, Okay. That makes sense. Ever since I migrated from a desktop PC to a laptop for my musical explorations, I have been using the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 USB interface and counted myself lucky to have found such a capable USB replacement for my previous M-Audio Audiophile 2496 board in my now doorstop PC. The M-Audio board had a lot of features I never used, but they were there just the same. The Scarlett 2i2 was a step down in some interface options, but the functionality and performance more than made up for that. The direct monitoring feature, built-in switchable phantom power, and Scarlett's small footprint greatly pleased me. I assumed I would pick up another one for my new laptop to have two audio-recording laptops working, at least for the immediate future. My old computer is still chugging along, and now that it is no longer burdened with non-audio applications, it is reasonably fast again.

 Then I found the Presonus Audiobox iTwo at just under ninety dollars on Sweetwater. I'm happy to report that this was not merely a fortunate bargain but a competitive alternative to the Scarlett with some features I love.  

 Both units have a lot of free software that makes either purchase worthwhile. Both offer current versions of Ableton Live. The Focusrite included a basic version of Pro-Tools. As expected, the Prosonus came with Studio One Artist, which I use along with Reason 11. They both work very nicely on both devices. Installation on both devices is basically plug-and-play. You will only have to configure your sound input and output preferences in your current DAW, and you should be in business. It took me mere minutes to be up and running in all my audio applications.

 There are a couple of features the AudioBox has that need to be added to the 2i2. Midi in and out for one. This would have been very useful when using my Korg Tritan as a controller. I will have to busy myself testing all my midi enabled devices through these connections! But the Mix control pictured below was the one feature I was instantly sold on.

 What this little knob does is simply allow you to control the output signal sent to your monitors or headphones to allow you to increase the levels on your track or whatever instruments you are recording live. It makes the juggling act of being able to clearly hear yourself and the music you are adding tracks to simple and intuitive. Turn it clockwise, and the playback levels come up in the mix - counterclockwise, your live input level steps right up. All this without changing the input levels you struggled so hard to get perfectly staged. 

 The PreSonus takes up a bit more real estate than the Focusrite unit. According to my measurements, the PreSonus is 2mm wider and approximately 4.5mm deeper. They appear to be exactly the same height. Both are solidly built with nonslip rubber "feet." 

 

 An excellent addition for iPad users is a device port that I have yet to test. I suspect it works as advertised, provided you power it through the laptop port attached to the proper wall plug. To summarize, the Audiobox iTwo is a wonderfully simple, capable, and affordable option. I am pretty happy with both these interfaces and most glad I decided to try something new to connect to my second laptop!

 Here is the Sweetwater Link to the PreSonus AudioBox iTwo :
AudioBox iTwo