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Old 10-14-2021, 03:01 PM   #1
The Kid
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Default Behringer U-phoria Umc1820 vs Focusrite Scarlett 18i20

The Focusrite is twice the price in my country.
Will it get me twice the clients?
Does it sound that much better?
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Old 10-14-2021, 04:14 PM   #2
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should I aim for a higher end solution (for clients)
Which high end interfaces work with linux?
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Old 10-14-2021, 04:20 PM   #3
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I'm not sure if I want to get into an arms race against other studios for overeducated clients who ask for the brand of your audio interface.
A friend of mine says that people have interfaces at home, that they look for high end gear in a commercial studio.
Can you make them pay more?
Not sure.
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Old 10-14-2021, 05:29 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by The Kid View Post
The Focusrite is twice the price in my country.
Will it get me twice the clients?
Does it sound that much better?
It does not sound twice as good. That's not how gear works. You pay more and more for smaller gains in quality. It gets more expensive because fewer and fewer people buy...

You need to be able to tell clients what your studio has to offer:

Is it a big performance space with good acoustics, and a control room with good acoustics? A great selection of mics? Will you be recording drums? Do you know how to setup mics for recording a set? What about iso booths? How many? Can *anybody* listen to a CD and say what brand of audio interface was used?

Why do people pay for a studio? Some people want gear - they want to see the same brands in a studio that they see in *advertisements* They surely didn't go to the sessions where their heroes recorded the latest hits.

People who ask about your interface probably don't know much about what makes a quality studio. Back in the day I recorded some guitar tracks for a guy who had a studio... this was back when 16 tracks on a 1" tape was a thing. The bass sounded really wierd, so I flipped the polarity on one set of speakers, and boom! He looked a me like I was superman! He asked if I needed to check the other speaker to see if it was out of phase, too.
Moral - A lot of people who do music have no idea *how* to do it. There are a million little things that make a big difference. If your control room has poor acoustics, no interface is going to make it sound good.

More questions:

Who is your target market?
You are posting in the Linux forum, so I'm *assuming* you want to run Linux. Will your potential clients want to bring project files from their home studio and finish them in your studio?

Do you have clients now? If so, do they ask about your interface?

I used to get all excited about gear & plugins, but at the end of the day, people have been making great music on all sorts of gear. I remember when a 1 gigabyte HD was $1,000. I thought - "if only I had one of those"
The only people who win in the gear wars are the gear vendors.
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Old 10-14-2021, 06:14 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PMan View Post
It does not sound twice as good. That's not how gear works. You pay more and more for smaller gains in quality. It gets more expensive because fewer and fewer people buy...

You need to be able to tell clients what your studio has to offer:

Is it a big performance space with good acoustics, and a control room with good acoustics? A great selection of mics? Will you be recording drums? Do you know how to setup mics for recording a set? What about iso booths? How many? Can *anybody* listen to a CD and say what brand of audio interface was used?

Why do people pay for a studio? Some people want gear - they want to see the same brands in a studio that they see in *advertisements* They surely didn't go to the sessions where their heroes recorded the latest hits.

People who ask about your interface probably don't know much about what makes a quality studio. Back in the day I recorded some guitar tracks for a guy who had a studio... this was back when 16 tracks on a 1" tape was a thing. The bass sounded really wierd, so I flipped the polarity on one set of speakers, and boom! He looked a me like I was superman! He asked if I needed to check the other speaker to see if it was out of phase, too.
Moral - A lot of people who do music have no idea *how* to do it. There are a million little things that make a big difference. If your control room has poor acoustics, no interface is going to make it sound good.

More questions:

Who is your target market?
You are posting in the Linux forum, so I'm *assuming* you want to run Linux. Will your potential clients want to bring project files from their home studio and finish them in your studio?

Do you have clients now? If so, do they ask about your interface?

I used to get all excited about gear & plugins, but at the end of the day, people have been making great music on all sorts of gear. I remember when a 1 gigabyte HD was $1,000. I thought - "if only I had one of those"
The only people who win in the gear wars are the gear vendors.
Hi!
I've had the studio for 9 years, made 46 records, with a Tascam US-1800 and an analog Yamaha board. Decent mics.
I have a few loyal clients that are my age or older (I'm 49)
I have the infrastructure for making records sorted (cue system, etc)
I have a medium size live room, a guitar amp room and a control room.
It's a dark wooden cabin. I'm going to paint it white.
Today, talking to a younger, trendy studio owner from a city nearby he said that people indeed ask for brand of converters.
Thanks for your long reply.

EDIT: I'm not getting millennial clients lol I'm running out of old clients
EDIT 2: I want to run Linux of course, and upgrade my studio somehow.

Last edited by The Kid; 10-14-2021 at 06:26 PM.
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Old 10-14-2021, 10:07 PM   #6
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Sounds like you're in good shape (no pun intended).

As far as interfaces that work, my understanding is that Focusrite interfaces *don't* work out the box, they need custom drivers. There is a thread here: https://linuxmusicians.com/viewtopic...21163&start=90
about the 18i20. The member sudko4u has created a custom driver that makes the gen3 units work.

Jack Winter (who I think, started this "Reaper Linux" forum) uses the RME Multiface/Babyface (it's in his tag line). Seems to me that someone else posted in this forum that they use RME hardware.

Hopefully they will chime in

One last thing: when I said "A lot of people who do music have no idea *how* to do it", I was *not* talking about you. When I hear about people asking what interface is in a studio, I think they have been reading too many ads, and have very little experience.

Last edited by PMan; 10-14-2021 at 10:13 PM.
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Old 10-15-2021, 07:41 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PMan View Post
Sounds like you're in good shape (no pun intended).

As far as interfaces that work, my understanding is that Focusrite interfaces *don't* work out the box, they need custom drivers. There is a thread here: https://linuxmusicians.com/viewtopic...21163&start=90
about the 18i20. The member sudko4u has created a custom driver that makes the gen3 units work.

Jack Winter (who I think, started this "Reaper Linux" forum) uses the RME Multiface/Babyface (it's in his tag line). Seems to me that someone else posted in this forum that they use RME hardware.

Hopefully they will chime in

One last thing: when I said "A lot of people who do music have no idea *how* to do it", I was *not* talking about you. When I hear about people asking what interface is in a studio, I think they have been reading too many ads, and have very little experience.
Just get the UMC1820. I've used a lot of different interfaces including Focusrites of various generations and the UMC1820 is just as good in my opinion. It's a quality product.
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Old 10-15-2021, 07:57 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BethHarmon View Post
Just get the UMC1820. I've used a lot of different interfaces including Focusrites of various generations and the UMC1820 is just as good in my opinion. It's a quality product.
I use an UMC1820/ADA8200 combo for 16 Midas mic pres, and the combo works great for my needs.



I used to run a commercial studio with a 1" Ampex AG440B-8 recorder, but now I record for my own entertainment. I keep everything plugged in and ready to record, including a full set of acoustic drums with dedicated mics, so I use a lot of channels.
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Old 10-15-2021, 09:02 AM   #9
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I'll get the Behringer box, and the extra preamps.
For the moment I'm using a UMC202HD and I keep the Tascam around for drums, with an old Windows laptop.
In march I'll buy the stuff.
(I'm in South America)
In the summer there's no work in the studio.

Last edited by The Kid; 10-15-2021 at 09:07 AM.
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Old 10-15-2021, 01:42 PM   #10
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Great choice!

I don't try to give "advice" about situations that are outside of my experience... but the Behringer will be my next interface as well.

I don't think many people on the planet can tell the difference, plus I don't want to give $$ to vendors who don't support Linux.
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Old 10-15-2021, 05:18 PM   #11
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I have never had a Focusrite class compliant interface not work. Behringer makes a fine product.

Heck the Audient is great... you have to choose on YOUR main purpose... the one area that you can live with the best. Focusrite are pretty clean sounding. best of luck
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Old 10-24-2021, 08:08 PM   #12
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Apparently, according to the discussions on LinuxMusician previously mentioned, Focusrite Gen 1 and Gen 2 interfaces work, but Gen 3 are problematic because some controls are software only. I have used a Steinberg UR44 for years now that has a switch on the back that makes it class compliant. This weekend I set up a system with a Mackie Onyx 2x2 Performer that also worked immediately with no switches, no drivers, and no problems. The Behringer interfaces mentioned are also known to work.
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Old 10-25-2021, 02:17 AM   #13
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Default ... the clients ...

Quote:
Originally Posted by The Kid View Post
The Focusrite ...
Will it get me twice the clients?
Haaahooo ....

It is of course an absolute "NoGo" for customers and clients when
a Behringer mark is emblazoned on a device! You have to stick it
over and replace it with RME, SSL, "Manley" or "Telefunken"!

Otherwise it would be important for customers and clients if you
have some dummy metal rack inserts that simply have lots of
flashing LEDs - and occasionally emit a "beep".

An electric arc that sometimes illuminates the room for a few
meters, like in an alchemist's kitchen, would also be very
impressive! You will see: These customers then consider you a
kind of guru or the "Gyro Gearloose" of music! Your impression
will be unforgettable - and you can even increase your price
considerably.
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Old 10-26-2021, 02:36 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by enroe View Post
Haaahooo ....

It is of course an absolute "NoGo" for customers and clients when
a Behringer mark is emblazoned on a device! You have to stick it
over and replace it with RME, SSL, "Manley" or "Telefunken"!

Otherwise it would be important for customers and clients if you
have some dummy metal rack inserts that simply have lots of
flashing LEDs - and occasionally emit a "beep".

An electric arc that sometimes illuminates the room for a few
meters, like in an alchemist's kitchen, would also be very
impressive! You will see: These customers then consider you a
kind of guru or the "Gyro Gearloose" of music! Your impression
will be unforgettable - and you can even increase your price
considerably.
You nailed it lol
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Old 08-21-2022, 07:23 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by enroe View Post
Haaahooo ....

Otherwise it would be important for customers and clients if you
have some dummy metal rack inserts that simply have lots of
flashing LEDs - and occasionally emit a "beep".
excellent advice. i also recommend the set up shown here: https://youtu.be/arCITMfxvEc
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Old 08-21-2022, 07:54 AM   #16
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Originally Posted by cporro View Post
excellent advice. i also recommend the set up shown here: https://youtu.be/arCITMfxvEc
And, if you make it crystal clear that your Behringer interface has in fact been modded internally with super-premium parts tested against each section of the signal chain by one of the world's top audio engineers, everyone will suddenly be able to hear the difference.
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