Tascam US-16x08 – USB Audio/MIDI Interface (16 in/8 out)

Product Information

SSL 12 is a 12-in/8-out interface, with four XLR combo mic/line inputs with high gain ‘SSL-designed’ mic preamps (including a +48v option for using condenser mics). Two inputs at the front can be poached for recording hi-Z instruments like guitars, bass, or vintage instruments. You get four balanced outputs and two sets of headphone outs. The extra eight inputs come by way of an ADAT connection.

Outputs: 2 x XLR (+4dBu/+19dBu), 1 x Optical Toslink (ADAT, S/PDIF), ,1 x 1/4", 1 x 1/8" (Headphones) I use MIDI extensively and the Fireface has 2 MIDI in/outs. It accepts ADAT, S/PDIF, AES/EBU, XLR, 1/4 line and the MADI connection which on its own provides up to 64 simultaneous channels. The best news is that the MOTU 16A is around half the price of the Fireface and still provides similar overall quality, similar latency (as long as you use the Thunderbolt connection), and up to 32 simultaneous channels.The 16A is no different. With a self-noise level of -110dB THD+N and a dynamic range of 123dB (A-weighted, 20Hz-20kHz), the 16A’s 16-channel analogue I/O provides some of the cleanest audio available, and an extra 16 channels of digital I/O through ADAT optical ports brings your total channel count to 32 x 32. MOTU supplied the 16A ultra-fast Thunderbolt connectivity (in addition to USB 2.0) to go with this remarkable array of high-quality I/O, so you get epically low system latency as well. You can even hook up Behringer's very own ADA8200 mic preamp unit to the ADAT input of the UMC to create more mic preamps for your recording needs.

Some popular brands of 16 channel audio interfaces include Focusrite, Presonus, Behringer, Universal Audio, and MOTU. Do I need special software to use a 16 channel audio interface?

Digiface AES

Love 'em or hate 'em, Behringer make audio interfaces at an affordable price, giving the budding producer the opportunity to kit out their studio on a budget.

The Audient EVO 16 is a 16-channel (24-in/24-out) USB 2.0 (USB-C) audio interface with a maximum bit depth of 24 bits and a sample rate up to 96 kHz. The interface has a USB 2.0 connection and is designed to be compatible with all major DAWs. The unit comes with EVO’s extensive bundled professional software and services as well as a manufacturer’s warranty of three years. Another feature of note, which may make this interface a winner for you, is the DC coupling on the outputs, which enables CV/gate information to be sent to modular synths and other hardware. We have to add that the vocals sounded absolutely stunning! The control was easy with the Control App and Motion Ui. There’s also this super cool Smart gain feature (that automatically sets the input volumes) and the interface has way more ins and outs that most people usually need.One unique offering of this unit is to save and recall mic/line gain levels but it’s only possible if you have the EVO app installed. If you’re not looking to drive your preamps to distortion and all color, then the preamps on the EVO 16 are really as good as anything else. They have detail, sound smooth and have the exact character you would want.I'm impressed with the quality of the preamps, given the affordability of this interface; they provide a strong signal and low noise operation. The setup process is straightforward. But then you might want to play guitar while you record vocals and you find that you need 2 channels. Then perhaps you want to record an acoustic drum kit and need several microphones to gain mixing control over every part of the kit. Still, with all these improvements, I would like to have them give this interface more gain in the headphone amp to drive my higher-impedance headphones a bit louder. Symphony I/O Mk II includes the most refined analog-to-digital converter we’ve ever designed. The analog stage uses the same fully differential op-amps as found in the original Symphony I/O, but now in a circuit precisely streamlined to provide the most transparent path to the A/D stage possible. A Dual Sum A/D stage – where two conversion stages are summed for each analog channel – offers the lowest distortion and greatest dynamic range of any A/D converter we’ve ever designed – you get digital recordings that are true to your analog inspiration. Once you've selected your audio interface of choice you'll be able to record pretty much any instrument you like, from guitars and synths to vocals and even drums. For the latter, you'll need a multi-input interface but for the most part, any of the interfaces on this list will allow you to record a huge selection of instruments.