More on the next generation audio interface
Why are we creating
our own audio interface?
- Our customers are musicians who use software and hardware instruments.
- They need audio interfaces to connect these instruments together.
- We believe Workflow is important, and technology should not get in the way of being creative.
- We think we can offer a better solution that will make recording easier, more productive, and more creative.
What are the issues
with current solutions?
Issue#1 : The workflow
If you need a premium quality compact interface, an interface that you can carry with you, it is likely your product will be built around one big knob. One knob to control everything, and that's all.
This approach is calling for a lot of unnecessary actions to select and unselect, change value and come back.... In the end, it is stopping you in your creative flow.
Many audio interfaces come with breakout cables. They make your desk congested and create unecessary noise.
If you hit something on your table, you may record interferences from the breakout cable itself...
While many audio interfaces claim to be mobile, in reality they may not be. Often, they can be fragile and difficult to transport due to size.
Issue #2: the Connectivity
"Musicians should not have to choose their computer, the audio equipment or even their phone based on their audio interface. But many musician's feel that have to do just that.
The reason? Many audio interfaces do not bring the connectivity that will allow you to work the way you want with the connectivity you need."
Issue #3: the Latency
Latency is a critical aspect of any audio interface that will influence an artist's performance.
The signal you produce goes to your audio interface, then to your computer, then back to your audio interface and that route adds latency. There is a delay between the moment you play a guitar chord and the moment you hear it back.
Even a small latency can ruin your performance by confusing your sense of timing.
Many manufacturers claim to offer "zero latency monitoring". In reality they bypass audio treatments in your DAW. This means you cannot use plugins on the sound you are recording. You have to use their own software on top of your DAW, resulting in a clumsy workflow.
Issue #4: The Sound
Many audio interfaces claim they bring superior audio quality.
But what does that mean and what is key when you want to know if your audio interface sounds good?
A key point in measuring audio quality is the Signal/Noise ratio
It is not always easy to get the real value for every audio interface, since many manufacturers will choose favorable parameters when they measure it.
Another crucial aspect of sound quality is harmonic distortion.
Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) is used to characterize the linearity (or transparency) of your preamp. Here again, you will often find out that the figures you are given are skewed by appropriate ways of measuring this data...
The sad truth of gain : the more it amplifies your sound, the worse your audio interface will perform in the preceding fields.
Therefore some manufacturers will conduct their measurements at mid-level gain and let the device perform poorly at high gain. Some other will simply settle for a medium max gain, preventing you from capturing softer sounds.
In the end, what you need once you have amplified your input signal is to convert it in digital format.
The Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) is often the forgotten link of the sound chain, although it can greatly influence the quality of your sound. Do you actually know how your ADC performs ?
In 2015 Arturia will deliver
an audio interface
We have looked at the way you work. We have listened to what you had to say.
And we are coming with our own solution.
There are many audio interfaces in the market. But it is a crowded market as long as everyone keeps doing the same thing.
Sometimes a bold new approach is what is needed. We invite you to decide if we got it right.
On January 22, at the NAMM show in Los Angeles we will unveil our audio interface.
It will be a high-end product adressing the problems you face and empowering you. So you can focus on what is important : your experience, your sound.
Get ready for something different!