I'm now in a position to get myself an audio interface, but with so many out there, which one should I go for?
Ideally, I want to have at least 2 in (most are), have a good sound quality & also have midi jacks (so I can use my keyboard to play VSTis). My budget is @ £100 (preferably less, but can go a little above).
I had been set on the Steinberg UR22 as it meets most of the criteria, but after further investigation, it appears that although it has a nice solid case, the sockets, knobs & buttons on the front are a bit on the flimsy side.
There's the obvious choice of the Focusrite 2i4 as it, like the Steinberg, has all that I need & seems to be of a better build quality. But, this would most likely need to be a 2nd hand one as new is just outside my budget.
I've also saw the Behringer UMC204, which is also similar to those above, but bearing the stamp of Berhinger, I'm not sure what the actual sound quality is going to be like compared to the other interfaces.
Then I've found a new contender that ticks the above & also has an added feature - I can use it with my iPad. The Presonus iTwo, which I can get new for £106 (which is just in my budget.
I don't need the DAW which comes with any of these (though I might see about putting any instruments into Logic).
The Presonus does seem to sway me on features & build quality, but how good is the sound quality?
There's also an outsider that it over budget & tempted to wait until next month for...
The Zoom Tac-2. It doesn't have midi, but unlike the above interfaces, it uses thunderbolt instead of USB & it has come down massively in price.
Question is... is it better sounding than the USB? Does thunderbolt make a difference when it comes to audio quality or are those Is & 0s getting there just the same?
Help!