Nord User Forum

Does anybody know of a cheap good quality USB-Midi interface to use with my MAC Book Pro for live situations in which I can obviously send audio to the PA system and in separate output send a click to the drummer for him to play along sequences coming from the MAC ?

You talk about sending Audio, so nothing to do with MIDI, maybe what you are looking for is a USB Audio interface with at least 4 outputs (2 for the Virtual Instruments and 1 or 2 for the Click)?
A Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 could be a good choice, or a Behringer UMC204 if you want to stay cheaper (but still good enough).

I started using an UMC204HD recently - outperforms my scarlett 18i20 latency-wise. Havent done much with it but i got it for €50,- secondhand. Also has a pair of excellent midas preamps.

The new focusrites (mkII) are much improved latency-wise over the previous generation. They make excellent interfaces. Also look at the iConnectivity stuff which have multiple audio outs and redundant computer support.

maxpiano wrote:You talk about sending Audio, so nothing to do with MIDI, maybe what you are looking for is a USB Audio interface with at least 4 outputs (2 for the Virtual Instruments and 1 or 2 for the Click)?
A Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 could be a good choice, or a Behringer UMC204 if you want to stay cheaper (but still good enough).

Thanks all of you for the info, as you maxpiano mention of nothing to do with MIDI, but lets say besides using the interface for live situations, I would want also want to record audio trough midi clock synchronization for studio purposes, do you think the BEHRINGER U-PHORIA UMC404HD could be a good reliable option, or the Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 (2nd Gen) USB Audio Interface with Pro Tools ? These two seem to be kind of similar.

Venatt wrote:

maxpiano wrote:You talk about sending Audio, so nothing to do with MIDI, maybe what you are looking for is a USB Audio interface with at least 4 outputs (2 for the Virtual Instruments and 1 or 2 for the Click)?
A Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 could be a good choice, or a Behringer UMC204 if you want to stay cheaper (but still good enough).

Thanks all of you for the info, as you maxpiano mention of nothing to do with MIDI, but lets say besides using the interface for live situations, I would want also want to record audio trough midi clock synchronization for studio purposes, do you think the BEHRINGER U-PHORIA UMC404HD could be a good reliable option, or the Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 (2nd Gen) USB Audio Interface with Pro Tools ? These two seem to be kind of similar.

I am not sure I get what you exactly mean with "record audio trough midi clock synchronization for studio purposes", can you be more detailed or make an example?

In any case both the Behringer and the Focusrite provide a MIDI interface too and I haven't read of any issues on either of them (I use a Motu so I cannot provide a direct experience).

maxpiano wrote:

Venatt wrote:

maxpiano wrote:You talk about sending Audio, so nothing to do with MIDI, maybe what you are looking for is a USB Audio interface with at least 4 outputs (2 for the Virtual Instruments and 1 or 2 for the Click)?
A Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 could be a good choice, or a Behringer UMC204 if you want to stay cheaper (but still good enough).

Thanks all of you for the info, as you maxpiano mention of nothing to do with MIDI, but lets say besides using the interface for live situations, I would want also want to record audio trough midi clock synchronization for studio purposes, do you think the BEHRINGER U-PHORIA UMC404HD could be a good reliable option, or the Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 (2nd Gen) USB Audio Interface with Pro Tools ? These two seem to be kind of similar.

I am not sure I get what you exactly mean with "record audio trough midi clock synchronization for studio purposes", can you be more detailed or make an example?

In any case both the Behringer and the Focusrite provide a MIDI interface too and I haven't read of any issues on either of them (I use a Motu so I cannot provide a direct experience).

Maybe I didn't explain correctly, I know that anything you can do with MIDI in terms of sequencing and synchronizing clock can be done with USB as most hardware synths/keyboards have USB these days. but lets say for example I want to record and older synth that doesn't have USB, lets say for example I want to sequence with a DAW on my computer, but using the sounds from my Alesis Andromeda, so my way to synchronize the notes would be through MIDI and that is why if the Interface also has MIDI, (not just USB Audio) would be useful.

Those interfaces also have MIDI, as I wrote and as you may check yourself searching the web for their specs and images, best if at producers' websites