Computer Music choice
The Presonus Studio 24c won out in our Budget Audio Interface buyers guide and is still one of the best low-priced option here. It offers superb sound quality and comes with a well-stocked bundle of software audio tools.
If you want to buy a great budget interface for less than £200, you might be quite surprised at the quality of the models you can get. We’ve got the best audio interfaces under £200 from big audio hitters including SSL, Audient and Focusrite in this buyer’s guide. And pretty much all the interfaces in our roundup offer exceptional sonic quality considering their relatively low prices.
However, now we’ve upped the budget to £$200, we can get some additional sonic clout and connectivity from some of the biggest names in music production. SSL makes arguably the best mixing desks used in studios the world over. Its SSL 2 interface offers some of the sonic quality from these desks for silly money.
With a budget of £200 you can now also expect to get decent additional features as well as that great sound quality. Indeed most of the interfaces in this buyer’s guide go well beyond the very basic connectivity you get just by spending double digits. Those cheaper interfaces will offer you one or two inputs and outputs to allow you to record voice and instrument into your DAW and play the results out to some decent speakers. Up the budget to £200 as we have here and you can expect extras like decent software bundles, better input quality (for better recordings), and extra inputs to allow you to record more than one instrument or voice simultaneously.
Audient too has made some excellent studio desks and has similarly delivered some of their flavour in its interface range. Our favourite, though, is the EVO 8 which offers an amazing amount of connectivity for the price. Universal Audio has made some great audio gear over the years too and its Volt range delivers some of that expertise at a great price.
We’ve listed all of the main specifications, like audio recording quality and the number of ins and outs, but we’ve also detailed some of the software bundle highlights as this could be an equally important factor to consider in your buying decision.
Finally, in what is a very crowded part of the interface market, Focusrite delivers some of the best connectivity with its Scarlett 4i4 3rd Gen, right at the top end of our budget range.
You can skip to the bottom if you want to know more about interface options and how we test audio interfaces, but before we get into the detail of each interface individually, let’s break down some of the things to look out for when starting your search….
Buyer ’s Advice
Do you actually need an audio interface?
If you’re a musician who wants to make great quality recordings and listen back to them on decent speakers, then you really need an audio interface. They allow you to record any audio into your computer or smart device. You can capture anything, from strumming guitars and your singing through to a complete band or orchestra. Once recorded, you can then mix that audio into a song in your DAW and hear the results back through pro-grade speakers.
How many inputs and outputs do I need?
When choosing the best audio interface for your studio, the first thing you need to work out is the number and type of inputs and outputs you need. If you only want to plug in one microphone or instrument at a time – if you’re a solo producer who generates most of their sounds inside the computer, this is probably you – just one or two inputs will be plenty. If this is the case then most of the interfaces featured in this Best Audio Interface For Under £200 will suffice. However, if you want to record a live band, you’ll need to think about more inputs. Multiple outputs can also be useful if you want to set up separate headphone mixes (if you’re a DJ, for example) or send audio elsewhere for further processing.
What types of inputs and outputs do I need?
On most audio interfaces you’ll typically find both XLR and 1/4- inch inputs, often combined into combo connectors so that you can plug mics, guitars, synths and the like into the same input. Many interfaces also offer a phantom power option, which is required if you want to use certain mics.
Some audio interfaces also have MIDI I/O on them, which could save you from having to buy a separate interface for external MIDI gear. If you only intend to use a MIDI keyboard, though, remember that this could plug into one of your computer’s other USB ports, so MIDI I/O might not be an essential requirement.
How to connect your audio interface
Most audio interfaces connect to your computer by USB or Thunderbolt or by using a Lightning adaptor with iOS devices. The cable required for connectivity usually ships with the interface but not always with Thunderbolt 3 and Lightning, so do check what you get in the box.
Most interfaces are classcompliant, so will work out of the box – just plug them in and start using them straight away. Some come with extra software that you’ll need to access some of their more detailed functions and routing. Many, especially mobile interfaces, are bus-powered so you don’t have to plug a mains power supply into them.
Specs always include the numbers of audio inputs (as XLR or 1/4-inch jack or a combination of the two) and audio outputs. Inputs indicate the number of instruments or microphones you can connect up to record simultaneously. Check the interface has a phantom power option if you want to connect up a condenser mic which requires external power. The number of outputs refers to the number of connections available to your studio speakers or other hardware boxes, including outboard effects.
What is low-latency recording exactly?
You’ll find that most contemporary audio interfaces offer a lowlatency recording option, which means you can stay in time with your project when adding more tracks. Some interfaces also promise latency levels that are low enough to use effect plugins in ‘real-time’ on the input as you record, while others have their own DSP processing built in.
What should I be expecting to pay for an audio interface?
The best audio interface for you will at least partly come down to price. This buyers guide is for those with a budget of $/£200 and as you can see, you get some great interfaces for that outlay. If your budget is less than $/£100, we also recommend reading our guide focused specifically on the best budget audio interfaces if you have less to spend.