Picking the best audio interface under $500 that will help you record your guitar and vocals on your computer isn’t easy. There are a few great audio interfaces in the $500 price range that will do just about anything you need them to, so how are you supposed to choose which one to get?
Well, I like to look several different key features when I’m buying an interface for you computer. Obviously, the recording quality has to be there, but beyond that I look at how easy it is to use, what types of inputs and connections it has, and the software it’s compatible with. I’ve reviewed all of the most popular guitar interfaces out there to find the ones with the best features, so you don’t have to. 🙂
Let’s check out the top-rated audio interfaces under $500 and compare their features, so you can get the right one to record your music.
Compare the Top 10 Audio Interfaces Below $500 for Guitar in 2020
Contents
- 1 Compare the Top 10 Audio Interfaces Below $500 for Guitar in 2020
- 2 What We Recommend and Why
Here is a list of the best $500 audio interfaces for your guitar and studio setup in 2019.
- Roland Octa-Capture
- Focusrite Clarett 2Pre USB
- Behringer U-Phoria UMC1820
- Focusrite Scarlett 18i8
- Resident Audio T4 Thunderbolt
- M-Audio M-Track Eight
- Native Instruments Komplete Audio 6
Roland Octa-Capture
Specs, features, and benefits
The Roland Octa-Capture is an audio interface with eight VS preamps, two coaxial inputs, eight balanced TRS outputs, two coaxial outputs, Midi In/Out ports, Sensitivity/Auto-Sens knob, +48V phantom power button, Compression button, Headphones Out, Main Out level control knob with Headphones/Main push-button, Direct Mixer control knob for setting different Mixes to several different outputs, and graphical LCD display with Cursor/Value control knob that lets you control the input, output, and DAW meters, and allows you to set 1 and 2 channels to high impedance, add Compression, invert the phase, and engage a High-Pass filter on every channel.
It has an Auto-Sens feature that sets the optimal levels for your recording automatically. It offers four different direct mixes, which is great for recording a live band.
It has Analog to Digital resolution of 24-bit Bit Depth and a sampling rate 192kHz.
The Roland Octa-Capture is built very sturdily, and it is compatible with both MAC and PC machines. It also comes with Cakewalk and Ableton Live Lite software.
Pros and Highlights
- Great number of inputs and outputs – If you want to record a drum kit, or a full live band professionally – you will need at least eight inputs/outputs.
With the Octa-Capture, you can do that without compromising audio quality! - Direct Mix – You can send up to four different mixes with the Octa-Capture… This is a great feature – when recording, every member of the band can set its mix in the Headphones the way he wants to!
- Powerful sound, great features – The preamps are great on this unit; you can add compression, high-pass filter, invert phase; Auto-Sens feature allows you to start recording in seconds!
Cons and Potential Flaws
- No cons!
Bottom line
If you want to build a studio, where you can record drums, and full bands, the Roland Octa-Capture audio interface is a great solution. It has awesome features that can help you out with the process, and the audio quality you will get out of it is on a professional level!
Focusrite Clarett 2Pre USB
Specs, features, and benefits
The Focusrite Clarett 2Pre USB is an audio interface perfect for singer-songwriters.
It is compatible with both MAC and PC machines. It comes with two USB cables – one with which it can be Bus-powered, and with the other, you must use the power adaptor for powering the unit. On the front, it has two Mic Preamp inputs that also accept TRS signals for Instruments or Line levels. They both have a Gain control knob and a +48V phantom power button-switch. Also, on the front panel, you can find a big Monitor knob for controlling the monitor output level, a Headphones jack and Headphones level control knob, and led indicators.
On the back panel, the Focusrite Clarett 2Pre USB has Midi In/Out ports, four Balanced TRS Output jacks, Optical ADAT input, a USB-C port, a power adaptor input, and a Power on/off button switch. The Focusrite Clarett 2Pre USB has an “air” feature on the preamps, which basically makes everything sound better.
It has an A/D resolution of 24-bit/192kHz.
It comes with Focusrite Control iOS app, Softube Time and Tone, XLN Audio Addictive Keys, Red Plug-in Suite, Focusrite Plug-in Collective, Ableton Live Lite software and 2GB of royalty-free sample library (Loopmasters) included in the price. The Focusrite Clarett 2Pre USB is a thunderbolt audio interface, which means that you can have recording sessions with a lot of channels without the hassle of latency.
Pros and Highlights
- Sounds great – The Focusrite Clarett 2Pre USB sounds amazing! The Air feature on the preamp is just amazing…
- ADAT – With the ADAT feature, you can record more channels, meaning you can record a drum kit, or even a full-blown rock band!
- Four outputs – This is great for tracking vocals, re-amping, or just setting two sets of Monitors!
Cons and Potential Flaws
- No cons!
Bottom line
If you are a singer-songwriter, the Focusrite Clarett 2Pre USB audio interface is one of the best on the market that will serve your needs. It sounds great, it has a lot of great features including Air feature, ADAT connectivity, four outputs, and it is a thunderbolt interface. It is also sturdily built, and it looks fantastic.
Behringer U-Phoria UMC1820
Specs, features, and benefits
The Behringer U-Phoria UMC1820 is offering a lot more than the other audio interfaces in the price range in terms of inputs and outputs. It has eight XLR/TRS inputs with Midas Preamps (two on the front and six on the back panel) – all of them have its Gain control knob, Line/Instrument button switch, PAD button switch, and Signal and Peak led indicators on the front panel of the unit. Also on the front panel, you can find the power on/off switch, two Headphones jacks with separate Level control knob and routing 1-2/3-4 button switch, a SPDIF/ADAT switch, a Main Out level control knob with Mute and Dim buttons, and Mix Monitoring control knob with 1-2/1-8 button-switch and Stereo/Mono button switch.
On the back panel of the unit, you can find the inputs 3-8, Main Outputs, Eight Line outputs, SPDIF In/Out ports, Midi In/Out ports, the USB port, and the power adaptor input.
The Behringer U-phoria UMC1820 has an Analog to Digital resolution of 24-bit Bit Depth and 96kHz sampling rate. It comes with a Tracktion DAW included in the price.
It is compatible with both MAC and PC devices.
Pros and Highlights
- Lots of Inputs and Outputs – You can record a full band with the U-phoria UMC1820!
- Cheap!!! – You can get the Behringer U-phoria UMC1820 for less than $300!
- Good sound quality – Midas preamps are award-winning ones! They sound great…
Cons and Potential Flaws
- It has its limitations – You can’t have any effects in your headphones during zero-latency monitoring, and you should be careful with the +48V phantom power – it has a single switch for a group of four channels. Also, some owners have had driver problems. So, please do your research.
Bottom line
If you have a home studio on a tight budget project going on, and you want an audio interface that you can record multiple channels with, you should check the Behringer U-Phoria UMC1820. It is certainly not the best audio interface, but it is very low-priced, and it has a lot of Inputs and Outputs for the price. It has its limitations, so please be sure you have made your research before purchasing one of these.
Focusrite Scarlett 18i8
Specs, features, and benefits
The Focusrite Scarlett 18i8 Generation 2 is a small footprint, versatile audio interface, perfect for home recording situations.
On the front of the unit, you can find four XLR/TRS inputs with Focusrite preamps, Gain control knob, +48V phantom power button-switches and led indicators (Instrument, PAD),
a Monitor Level control knob, Mute button, Midi and USB led indicators, two Headphones jacks and their control knobs for level.
On the back of the Focusrite Scarlet 18i8 (2nd Gen), you can find four Line Inputs, Two Monitor Outputs, Optical Input (ADAT), the USB port, Midi Input, and Output jacks, SPDIF In/Out ports, the power adaptor input, and the Power on/off button.
The Focusrite Scarlett 18i8 (2nd Gen) has an A/D resolution of 24-bit Bit Depth and a sampling rate of 192kHz. It comes with a ton of software included in the price: Red 2 and Red 3 Plug-in Suite, Softube Time and Tone Pack, Exclusive Pro Tools | First Focusrite Creative Pack, Ableton Live Lite DAW software, Loopmasters sounds and samples (2GB), Novation Bass Station VST and AU plug-in synth, XLN Addictive Keys, and Focusrite Control iOS remote control software.
Pros and Highlights
- Great sound! – You will be astonished by the sound quality you will get out of this unit!
- A great number of inputs and outputs – The Focusrite Scarlett 18i8 (2nd Gen) has four inputs with mic preamps, four line-outputs, and Midi In/Out ports. Plus, it has an ADAT port! It has two Headphones output jacks, a set of Monitor outputs, and even a SPDIF Input and Output!
- Affordable – It is cheap, considering the quality, the features, and the software you will get for the price!
Cons and Potential Flaws
- The third generation is out! – For a hundred dollars more, you can now get the third generation of the Focusrite Scarlett 18i8 audio interface. Check it out!
Bottom line
The Focusrite Scarlett 18i8 (2nd Gen) is an affordable, sturdy, great sounding audio interface that you can record your full band with at your home. It sounds awesome, it has a small footprint, it comes with a ton of features and it has everything you will need to get you started. Also, if you like it, you might want to check out the third Generation of the same audio interface.
Resident Audio T4 Thunderbolt Audio Interface
Specs, features, and benefits
The Resident Audio T4 Thunderbolt audio interface has an Analog to Digital resolution of 24-bit Bit Depth and 96kHz sampling rate. As the name suggests, we are talking about a thunderbolt audio interface, which means it is twenty times faster than USB 2.0 which results in very low latency, and increased audio quality, but it also requires Thunderbolt-equipped computer. It is compatible with Windows 8.0 or higher, and MAC OS X 10.9 or higher
On the front of the unit, you can find four XLR/TRS inputs (On the front of the unit you can find four XLR/TRS inputs (each of them has a Gain control knob, each pair of them has Instrument/Line switch, and they have a +48V phantom power switch),
Input Mix control knob, and a Monitor Level control knob. On the back panel of the T4, you can find Midi In/Out ports, the Thunderbolt port, the Headphones output jack, and four balanced outputs (number three is a second Headphone output jack).
The Resident Audio T4 is bus-powered, it has two preamps per channel, and each knob on the unit has a led-light ring around it showing you the level that is set on.
Pros and Highlights
- You can forget about latency – With this unit, you won’t have any latency problems… It is a Thunderbolt one!
- Great sound – Crystal clear!
- Portable – It is bus-powered!
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Limited compatibility – We don’t recommend buying this interface unless you have the compatible machine to use it, and a big budget.
Bottom line
Technology is continuing to improve, and the fact that we already have interfaces without latency is great. However, it seems like the Resident Audio needs to do some improvements on the T4 before we start buying them as crazy!
M-Audio M-Track Eight
Specs, features, and benefits
The M-Audio M-Track Eight is an audio interface with eight Mic preamps, great for bands that want to record themselves playing live.
On the front of the panel, you can find two Mic preamp inputs, and on the back panel you can find six more. They are XLR/TRS inputs, which means you can use them for either a Microphone or for an Instrument. On the front of the unit, there are eight Gain control knobs – one for each channel. The first and the second channel also have an Instrument push-buttons. On top of them there is a LCD display that shows the Input and the Output meters of each channel.
On the right side of the front panel, you can find a Standby button, a Monitor output level control knob, a Mono push-button, a Dim push-button, two Headphones jack with a separate Volume control knob and source switch, a Direct Monitor/USB Mix control knob with a Direct Mix push-button, and two +48V phantom power push-buttons – one for channels 1-4, and one for 5-8.
On the back of the unit, you can find the USB port, the power adaptor input, the Main Monitor Outputs, Eight additional outputs, and of course, the Inputs 3-8.
The M-Audio has an Analog to Digital resolution of 24-bit Bit Depth and a sampling rate of 96kHz. It comes with Pro Tools First software, Eleven Lite plug-in, X-Pand!2, Mini-Grand and Strike included in the price.
Pros and Highlights
- You can record a full band with this unit! – Eight Channels… Or you need more?
- Great sound – The preamps sound fantastic!
- Affordable! – Having in mind the number of channels…
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Driver problems; It gets hot- Many owners who use Windows machines experienced driver problems with this unit. Also, it gets very hot after a few hours of use.
Bottom line
The M-Audio M-Track Eight audio interface offers enough Inputs/Outputs for recording your band. However, many owners have had unpleasant experience using the interface due to poor drivers. Also, it seems like M-Audio does not care about that. Not recommended.
Native Instruments Komplete Audio 6
Specs, features, and benefits
The Native Instruments Komplete Audio 6 is a small footprint audio interface that offers a lot for the price.
On the front of the unit, you can find two XLR/TRS inputs with Gain control knobs and Line/Instrument switches, Monitor Volume control knob with On switch and Mono switch, and Headphones jack with Volume control knob and 1-2/3-4 button switch.
On the back of the unit, there is a +48V phantom power button, the USB port, Midi In/Out ports, SPDIF In/Out ports, Main Output Balanced Jacks (1,2), two Balanced Inputs (3,4), and a set of Balanced Outputs (3,4).
On the top of the unit, you can find led indicators for all the features that the interface has, and one big Main Volume 1/2 Out control knob. The Komplete Audio 6 by Native Instruments has an A/D resolution of 24-bit/192kHz. It is bus-powered. It comes with Cubase LE 6, Tracktor LE 6, and Komplete Elements pack with 3GB of sample sounds.
Pros and Highlights
- Affordable! – It is actually a cheap one, considering all the things that this unit offers!
- Portable – It is a small footprint audio interface, and it is bus-powered!
- Great sound, great features – The preamps sound great, it has plus two balanced inputs, Midi ports, SPDIF ports, and two sets of balanced Outputs! Plus, it comes with software included in the price!
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Not durable – Many owners of this unit claim that after a few months of use, their unit started to be noisy and creates loud clicks and pops.
Bottom line
The Native Instruments Komplete Audio 6 USB audio interface might be great for a home studio, or for DJ-ing. However, it seems like it is not durable enough to pass the test of time. Many owners claim their unit is not usable after a few months of use… Hey Native Instruments, take some notes from your customers!
What We Recommend and Why
We recommend the Roland Octa-Capture. It is durable, high-quality audio interface, with a great number of Inputs/Outputs, amazing sound, and fantastic features. It is unbeatable for the price!