Tascam US-16x08 – USB Audio/MIDI Interface (16 in/8 out)

Product Information

ADAT I/O pairs accommodate up to 16 total channels at 96kHz recording quality, with room for archive-grade 192kHz quality without using every channel Inside your audio interface is some hardware and software that interprets the analog/electrical signal and turns it into a digital signal/digital information. This part of the process is called analog to digital conversion. In our experience, Focusrite’s Scarlett USB interfaces have traditionally combined excellent sonics and audio flexibility at affordable price points, and the third-generation units keep up the good work.

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 microphones. Even though this is the last thing I’ll mention, it is the most crucial and cannot be ignored. To connect to your computer, audio interfaces typically have one of three types of ports: USB, Thunderbolt, or Firewire. Each of the inputs has independent phantom power, plus a low cut filter, phase invert, and digital compression to tame those wild peaks.

Customer Added Media

SSL 12 is a 12-in/8-out interface, with four XLR combo mic/line inputs with high gain ‘SSL-designed’ mic preamps (including a +48v option for using condenser mics). Two inputs at the front can be poached for recording hi-Z instruments like guitars, bass, or vintage instruments. You get four balanced outputs and two sets of headphone outs. The extra eight inputs come by way of an ADAT connection.

In this article, we're choosing 8 channel audio interfaces that have at least 8 analog inputs. So you can rest assured you'll have the capacity to fully mic a drum kit, or capture your 8-piece kazoo orchestra as it performs its latest opus. Fortunately, a new options panel that is compatible with Windows software and helps to increase driver stability has been introduced. As a result, the majority of these software problems have been significantly fixed. Users of the Tascam US 1608 are generally pleased with its performance. Therefore, you should definitely pay special attention to the Tascam US-1608 if you’re looking for a fantastic 16-channel audio interface. especially if you have a limited budget. Things to Consider when choosing a 16 Channel Audio Interface (Buying Guide)

While we’re hands-down in love with this interface, we did encounter a slight issue with the smart-gain feature. The gain basically just glitched out as we were testing it. However, it could’ve easily been a coincidence or a random happening. The interface loses settings when powered off. So our settings were getting reset, but then we went into the EVO app and it showed in realtime all the changes we were making. That’s where we stored the mixer settings and once the preferences were set up the interface would power on and the saved settings would remain! This is a bit of a process, but it’s good to know that there is a workaround. Secondly, there are no MIDI ports. But that’s not a problem either if you have USB MIDI controllers The transport controls were responsive to my DAW and punching in recordings felt faster. At this point, any marginal improvement to my workflow is a major improvement to my overall production so the ioSTATION 24c wins my vote in that regard.

Another feature of note, which may make this interface a winner for you, is the DC coupling on the outputs, which enables CV/gate information to be sent to modular synths and other hardware. Still, the bottom line is that, as long as you get a mixer/interface that suits your recording requirements, and is capable of handling a bit extra if you wish to record more channels, the combination approach ought to make your life significantly easier for years to come. The Decision Is Yours... The XLR inputs, which include pre-amps, are designed to receive signals from microphones. Yet, some audio interfaces create a combo channel by combining the line level and mic level channels. The 18i8 is in a broader segment in the Focusrite range. It has the expandability of a full audio interface while remaining as compact as possible for road use. It doesn't have all the inputs of the 18i20 but is a definite step up from the 8i6. Tech Specs The prospect of combining the functionality of a mixer and an audio interface is an attractive one, for a number of reasons...With only four mic preamps you're a little limited in what you can record unless you have other Apollo interfaces lying around to combine with it.