I’ve owned all of these. I work at Sweetwater so get to test them extensively. The Neumann MT48 is far and away the best sounding converter and interface overall. The preamps are not adding any transformer or tube style harmonic saturation like I normally prefer from my BAE preamp but they still sound incredible. I normally like using an RND RNHP headphone amp, but the MT48 has one of the best sounding headphone amps I have used.
@@jordangunit3078 I agree. I had to keep that one! It was too clean for me at first but once I got adjusted to the sound I couldn’t go back to the Apollo. I use it with the RND Newton channel and it warms it up and adds some saturation. I connected it to my X6 through ADAT for recording so I can use the mt48 conversion before it hits the Apollo. Then I can use the real time UAD plugins. Best of both worlds.
@@jacksp8de agreed! yeah I kept my UA Apollo on the side for the same reason. I could easily just rock a UAD satellite too to support plugins but the extra IO is nice. In the future, I do think I’m Going to go all in for the Merging Hapi and connect the MT48 over AES 67 for high channel count but it will be expensive so the Apollo stays for now. RND newton is killer as well. Has their transformers and excellent signal processing.
@@jordangunit3078 Yeah I have an x6 and x4 and was thinking of selling the x4 but Im selling that DSP power too. I like having 10 Processors for mixing. The Merging hapi sounds incredible from what I heard online. I'm so good with current setup though. Testing some Neumann KH120s right now and this is it. I think I'm going to buy these and I'm good.
I have listed to. huge amount of reviews, I am only interested in the sound, and most them hardly mention this. All the other stuff is straight forward if you don't know how to run an interface you must be a novice, so how does it sound
Excellent video, mate! Glad I found your channel. New subscriber. I'm not a music engineer or producer. I just love listening to great music and playing games on my PC. I have a pair of the Adam A7V + SVS SB3000 sub running through an Apogee Duet 3. Everything sounds great, but my Duet has failed twice. After the 2nd repair, I decided to look for something else. The devices you tested are a lot more $$ than I'm ready to spend, so I'm looking more towards stand-alone dacs. Since I don't create/record any music, an audio interface probably isn't quite right for me, anyway.
Thanks for that!! I really appreciate it! Funny your name is mad max, I got a song called Fury Road. Man sorry to hear about your apogee troubles. Maybe you should just get an Audient interface like an ID4 since you’re not recording. I’ve heard good things about the new personus quantum as well.
@@jacksp8de I purchased the Presonus Quantum ES2 back in September. Lovely tone compared to most of the affordable interfaces I used and certainly better than the very expensive older Arturia Audiofuse Rev 2. The Quantum leaks audio when muted, I can't take it on the go without a laptop with a proper USB C port since even AUX power won't let it monitor out. The Presonus is also very finicky I found with AUX power used. Quantum of course is good sound but I want a touch cleaner monitors and a but less self noise. I am looking at the Apollo Twin X2 REV 2 studio software pack which is more limiting for on the go due to the thunderbolt requirement. The Quantum ES2 / 4 looks comparable to the Audient but from a reliability track record point of view. Audient is likely the better option to hold up in the long term, our local area music store stopped selling Presonus to the lack of quality control.
Fire Video as usual fam! If you're a person that travels a lot or want to be as portable as possible think about the RME Babyface Pro FS as well. It's Bus Powered and has INSANE stability and low latency on both Mac and PC. It replaced my Apollo X4 due to stability issues on Windows and it's size when traveling. It's also half the price of these. Personally if I drop around $2k it'll be to upgrade my Rack Mount Interface in my home studio.
@@v3zMedia thanks for watching bro. I know you didn’t like the x4 because you can’t bypass the preamps. I can bypass the preamps on the X6. The x4 is a monitor controller and extra dsp. I might sell it though. A rackmount would be the way to go I want a Symphony Mk2 SE
I don't think so. Mytek 8x192 is king. Neumann is the new prince. Crane Song Avocet II is great also as is Burl. RME is not even a duke. It's maybe an ayatollah but that's the best it can hope for. Great review by the way.
@@hayesbrotha I use a RME ADI -FS pro AD/DA & Motu Ultralite Mk 5. Sonically they sound similar to my ears , I wound gladly trade them both in for a Burl Bomber B2 interface . Out of my price range ☺️.
Well I beg to differ, RME is very clear and controlled noise with great width. Other interface seems to add color to them but they also seems to distort sound quality. RME for me wins it. Thank for the vide
You’re welcome. I agree the others color the sound. I like that color or harmonic distortion. I am not primarily a mixing or mastering engineer though so I care about “vibes”
love the vid, just throwing this out there, those jacks that accept both xlr and 1/4" inputs are commonly called combo jacks. Just in case you do more of these, which I hope you do, maybe this tid bit will help you out. So I couldn't help but notice that all of the interfaces you reviewed were all desktop units, and none from the rack mount form factor, which, for under 2G it should be pretty easy to have some really top notch rack units in there, and a lot of them will have a lot more onboard preamps, commonly 8 mic preamps on the 1U rack unit interfaces. And there are a lot of good units like that from manufacturers like MOTU, Presonus, Focusrite, UA, Apogee, Lynx, um.....even Behringer, yeah i know, but they are slept on and not really that bad. I've gotten great recordings from an X32 more times than I can count. Heck, for less than 2G, you can get a x32 now, and a bunch of other digital mixing consoles that have built in USB audio interfaces that enable you to get really high simultaneously recording track counts an)d a lot more including DAW control and a live digital console for performance. I feel like your review is aimed at producers that are generally doing a lot of VST's and maybe recording a guitar or bass guitar one at a time, and then doing some vocal overdubs, maybe trying to get a few keyboards in to the computer, but for the people that are trying to record whole bands playing the song live, (which is 100% necessary for the right feel if you ask me, if you overdub everything it will loose something, every time, I wish that it didn't but it does) they are going to need at least 8 mic inputs simultaneously and ideally the ability to make 4 separate headphone mixes, one for each player. At l east 2 separate headphone mixes, one for the vocalist and one for the band, or one for the drummer that has the click and one for the rest of the band. These are the choices you'll have to make if you don't have the ability to have more than 2 headphone mixes. The nice thing about that RME that you showed, is that it has the ability to use all of it's outputs as separate headphone mixes, you would just have to hook it up to a decent headphone amp. And if you add more inputs and outputs via one of the digital inputs like the ADAT lightpipe input, then you can use all of those outputs as well. The mixing app RME includes in their software is really great for tracking live bands, but let's be real, RME is a top tier interface manufacturer. They ain't no slouch. Having said that, an X32 which you can pick up for around 1400 used these days, also has the ability to have 8 separate stereo headphone mixes because it has like 16 XLR outputs right on the back of it. That is not including your main XLR outs or the 8 quarter inch aux in and outs that you can use to route effects in your studio. Anyone that tells you that you can't get great sounding recordings from something like a x32 is just lying to you. The difference between these units is honestly miniscule, and more often than not, has more to do with how much they cost or how much the person telling you about it actually spent on it. The RME is rock solid and their software is highly capable and you totally get what you pay for, but it isn't going to sound that much better than an x32, which input for input is probably the cheapest option, I mean you get 32 simultaneous inputs and 16 simultaneous outputs with an x32, with a 32x32 usb interface with it, that means you can record 32 inputs all at the same time into your DAW, all for the low price of 2G as of today. And you get an actual physical console that you can use either for your studio or live, you can use to take with you to record live also. They even have an expansion card that allows you to record and playback 32 tracks at a time without a computer straight to an external hard drive or dual SD cards. You can just keep some big SD cards in there and anytime anywhere, just hit record and it's recording whatever is playing through the board, all multitrack without a computer attached. That's just too cool if you ask me. So if you want to buy into the UA Apollo ecosystem and get the benefit of it's onboard DSP so that you can track through their plugins in real time, then by all means, do that. And that might be the best option especially for the desktop producers out there who are just recording vocal overdubs every now and then and also oing a lot of other production work with beat machines, keyboards, and VST instruments. The Neumann is definitely geared towards someone that wants the highest quality inputs and AD/DA for the money but what brings it down is the fact that the RME has awesome converters on it too. They are known for that, Neumann makes great microphones and is brand new in the interface world, this is their first offering of a music interface, keep that in mind. RME has been making only audio interfaces and ADDA converters. That is all they do. And they are really good at it. So I wouldn't sleep on that interface, but it's probably going to shine for someone that wants to add an additional preamp with more inputs and outputs to it, and use it as a desktop controller too. Just my 2 cents or 26 or whatever cents...Peace.
Mannn I got too much ADD to read every word but I agree with what I read. Yeah I know those are combo jacks and Neumann is great, but mostly I did this video to show it really doesn’t matter which one you pick. You can make great music with whatever allows you to record.
1. Neumann 2. RME 3. Apogee 4. UAD I had the Neumann MT 48 and UAD Apollo X6, X8 and some Twins back in 2021 in my studio. But back to 2024 the Neumann MT 48 came out on top as absolut king in my testing and stayed as main interface for my studio.
I’ve had all except UAD and would agree with this ordering. MT48 is very revealing and in well recorded music is second to none except I use external headphone amp because it doesn’t drive planar very well. ADI2 Pro FS is a close second for me. I have UFXIII and not close to ADI2 pro feel for monitoring but overall excellent in all other areas…
When it comes to the best A/D converters for music, I think Apoge is the best for my taste. Yes, the Neumann is a touch (maybe 10%) cleaner, more detailed and more “natural” sounding. But the Apogee has a fullness, breadth, musicality, a roundness that sounds very, very beautiful and is still EXTREMELY high-resolution. Since we make music and don't measure speakers, I find the Apogee much more suitable.
RME is rock stable. Best drivers, period. especially for pc. they make their own from scratch. they still support and update drivers for products they discontinued decades ago. Plus totalmix is a game changer. I have 3 rme interfaces, adi2 pro fs r, babyface (original), and HDSP 9632.
Yeah I know about the rock solid drivers and everything. It's just not as user friendly to me. I'm sure total mix is a game changer when you learn it. I didn't have enough time.
Got RME today and was disappointed. The power delivery looks very dodgy. The way it turns on. Amount of random contstant feedback when you simply plug it into the speakers until power on. Noise floor.... Also the highs were very distorted which kind of surprisingly goes inline with what Jack mentioned. Damn idk maybe I got unlucky but my uac-232 & ssl2+ interfaces sounded much better. I would double check RME units before settling on them.
@@veritas7010I have an UCX II for some time without any of the problems you referred. Maybe yours is unfortunately damaged. I believe you should try to change it.
Amazing. My favorite is : For Vocal: 1. Apogee 2. Neumann 3. RME 4. UAD For Monitors : 1. Neumann 2. Apogee 3. UAD 4. RME I have a UAD SOLO and I'm thinking of going for the APOGEE, because the sound it delivers is everything I like. Thanks for this amazing review!
i own an rme ucx ii. i have researched all of these. for anyone interested definitely do a deeper dive into your research and what your needs are. The rme is probably the best interface of the four. it probably has the best clocking and the best conversion and its suppose to sound completely transparent with no coloration. totalmix software gives you the best routing and you get the most features. but to each his own...hopefully you do your own additional research because these are not cheap interfaces.
from what I could hear from both tests is that my favorite out of these is the RME. It doesn't have the depth as some of the others put it's the tightest and most pleasing to my ears. I'm currently using a Lynx Hilo and I'd strongly recommend checking one out if you haven't already.
@@sandyhollowstudio It so interesting how we hear differently. I find it a little plastic and I like the organic smooth sound of the Apogee the best. I would love to try the Lynx Hilo as well as an Apogee Symphony SE
Thank you, bro! I really enjoyed the comparison. I liked the Newman and the Apollo. I would not know which one to choose; they are both great. The Apogee sounds great, too. C'ya around, greetings from Rocksario, Argentina
Thanks for this! I have been on the fence about upgrading my Apollo Twin X. Like you, I love the workflow and the plugins. My main reason to upgrade would be for noticeable ad/da improvement, but I think from your testing these other units, the difference is so marginal and subjective. I’m gonna keep my Apollo Twin X for a while longer, and see what UA does on the next Apollo Twin and X4 release. Thanks again!
@@jerdonsbabbler3515 wow didn’t know you could get all of that out of that short interaction but yea we been together for 20 years, we have a lot of respect for each other.
I hate to love Apogee because there are a lot of versatile interfaces (Apollo/ MT48) out there, but sadly don't sound as great in my opinion. Great review by the way, and even better tune. I don't listen to a lot of rap, but this a great song. Keep up the great work.
Haha I understand the love hate thing with Apogee. They have an amazing sound though. And thanks I appreciate the feedback! I am releasing more music soon. Thanks for watching!
@@jacksp8de "Help me Devvon" makes a converter comparison between the Apogee and the Prism converters. The video is called : "STOP Using Cheap Audio Interfaces | APOGEE SYMPHONY IO MKII SPECIAL EDITION". The comparison begins at around 20 minutes. I think the Apogee has a huge soundstage that Prism can't match. It sounds really pleasent.. modern, clear, musical.! Next Level!
@@rtdrec yeah I know, seen that video a while back. I would love to have the Symphony SE but I think it starts at around 5k or 6k. It better sound good! I wanna see the sound waves coming out the speakers for that price 😂
Hey man, Thanks for your great review. became a new subscriber. I just wanted to comment on what I think is one of the most important feature on the MT48 as the owner which did not get mentioned too much in the video. And it is the Audio Networking (Audio over IP) Capability of the interface. Having native support to the AES67 means that it has the ability to grow its input and output to 128 ins and outs by using the virtual sound card on your computer and could integrate the MT48 into it. You could also connect it to dante-enabled products such as Yamaha Rios for more analog inputs and outs. You could convert the audio to SFP or madi and have a fiber cable deliver your audio to destinations only capable with such cable. Clock syncing and working together with other devices such as media servers, lighting equipment and so on could be done via the network. above are just examples of what could be achieved with audio over IP and it surely makes your studio a lot more flexible and expandable. The prices might look a bit high for MT48 when you compare the interfaces you mentioned the video, but I personally feel that the audio over IP capabilities of the interface more than justifies the cost of the device. Of course, I understand that many of the viewers might not need such a feature, and thus went over it briefly in the video. So please understand that I'm in no way trying to point fingers or criticize the opinions in the video and in the comment section. Just wanted to provide extra context haha. but anyways, thanks for your content and hope to see great content like this in the future as well.
Thanks for the info! I’m sure it’ll help someone. I knew about that stuff vaguely but since I never used it, and probably won’t for a while, I didn’t have the authority to talk about it. Thank you for subbing by the way!
Great comparison. You would not fail buying any of these interfaces. But as far as Converters go Neumann wins IMO. It is the most revealing giving you the best advantage at sculpting what you want and also having the confidence to know how your mixes translate across many speakers. But I really do agree with you on workflow in terms of knowing which suits you, because getting the job done matters more than anything else.
I was an apogee user for years. Couldn’t keep them working. Great sounding, terrible software and driver support. Switched to Rme. Very clean, not colored like apogee, so I get the color when I mix. No problems since I switched!
I had an Apogee element and it sounded good but the software was buggy, then they end of lifed it. I do love that apogee color, but yes RME is transparent and you can add the color in. Thanks for watching!
Almost exact same story. The Duet I owned just wouldn't behave in terms of drivers. Bought the One as a headphone amp/converter on the go and Apogee refuses to support it with modern devices. RME not only saved the day with rock-solid drivers and firmware, but the level of transparency on my UCX was shocking compared to the Apogees.
I bought last year a used RME FireFace UCX 1 for 630€ and im sooo Happy with this Interface, TotalMix is also wonderful (Once you understand it, it's like riding a bike) . That was the best decision in my life, ngl
Hi, thanks for this comparison, personally I have been using an X6 and a Twin X for about 5 years, I also have RME Babyface. All the interfaces are extremely top and sound really good. After that it will depend on what you want to do with it. I like the Apollo system and its Plugins, because in my opinion, when recording it is the closest to real studio conditions, but that's just my opinion. Luna is really fantastic in recording, yeah always the impression of working on a big analog console ...
@@scorpion-unitrap5452 I totally agree. The Apollos have a sound that is really good for most popular music. Alone Again is one of my favorite songs and it was done with just an Apollo and an SM7b. And I love Luna. Thanks for watching.
@@wpaul1975 Hi yes the converter of the twin X is slightly below the X6, on paper or in the characteristics, but personally I did not really make the difference it must be quite minimal, I do not hear it ....
good review. there is an envelope of luxurious dynamic range that this level of box wraps around your notes that the $100-200 entry level boxes don't offer. something to strive for. btw nice sample track there, if that's you, that shows real talent imho, little bit of marvin weaving into the beats. and lovely lady as well, nice to see
Yes even though entry level stuff is very good these days, it does get a lot better. Yes that is a song I produced and rapped on. Thank you for the compliments and support. I’ll let wifey know too. 🙏🏾
Hmm.. very useful comparison. Thanks for doing this. RME is brutally honest, so it sounds a bit "colder" and more clinical, what may seem "brittle". The symphony has a beautiful balance across the frequency spectrum, kinda like the name implies, think classical music recordings, and maybe it ever so slightly gates quick attacks... The UAD has some of that similar "pleasant" sound, but you're right the bottom end is muddier, and just overall the image is less focused (we're of course splitting hairs, but once our ears 'zoom in', they can look like big hairs 😅). The MT48 is definitely the most impressive sounding - the image is very tight, and there's definitely a 'sound' or a color to it - not drastic, but it's there. It flattered the music the most it seems, bearing in mind we're only discussing the D/A right now. The bass is accentuated a bit, but not hyped, just super definite and there seems more "distance" in terms of frequency separation from other instruments so you can pay attention to each more easily, and it almost invites you to listen to separate parts at a time instead of listening to the whole, which of course you can (and will if you work on it regularly). You're right each one is plenty good to make great records... it's a time of great access to quality like never before
I agree. The pleasant sound is probably harmonic distortion. I feel like that can be good for AD but for DA you may want a more neutral sound for mixing or mastering. For production it’s just about what you prefer. I feel like the MT48 is neutral enough but still has that color as you say. RME sounds slightly crunchy to my ears more digital I guess. It’s hard to explain but it sounds like plasticky. It has a good sound tho just not as organic imo
In terms of sound quality, these are what I find on each of them from most to least favourite: Neumann = immersive Apogee = pristine Apollo = natural RME = transparent I enjoy producing on my Apogee SD but when I mix on it, it can be a bit too pleasant sometimes. It translates well but at the same time also brings emotion in the translation which can be somewhat distracting when you try to be critical. I’m not saying it’s colored. It’s transparent. The sound is full and in 3D in a good way. I don’t know, man. May be I need a pair of speakers which are quite clinical to compensate on it. 😂
I like your ranking. You put into words how I’ve been feeling about the SD. It sounds almost too good lol I feel that way about Neumann too except the separation can be a bit too much. The Apogee has the best preamps. Hold on to that SD. I sold mine and I regret it
Basically, RME's D/A lets you wake up and step out the door in your pajamas with your hair undone and no make up, just dead honest. While the other three insist on fixing your appearance at least a touch before letting you out the door - each to their own taste...
I agree with the ranking for Sound quality - the Neumann is made by Merging Technologies and it is the main contender with the Apogee. I agree, some people might prefer the Apogee sound.
Thank you! At that elevated price, the Neumann's connectivity options are pretty much limited. Other things I love, but this particular thing, sadly not so much.
Yeah you’re paying for the sound mostly. Also it’s very expandable in specific situations. Normal home users won’t come across those situations though.
The playback from the apogee is crazy. The A to D id give to neumann tho with the apogee being a close second. I feel the apogee has more depth mixed with clarity over all of the others. It has a great balance to it. Clear but not too clean and warm enough to add whatever else you want in the mix vs having to eq mud out. I will say the apollo twin x is great bang for your buck tho. im team symphony desktop right now man, it just works and you can use it with any system including a ipad which is crazy! The rme always sounded to clean for my workflow but its nice. Iv'e owned the MT48 and i did like it but i was a little underwhelmed with it for the price when it came down to workflow, The sound from the mt48 was surgical which is great for mixing if you just want that flat sound with no vibe, it translates well. The symphony however changed the entire vibe of my studio. From my monitors to the mic input. I love it.
@@Lanatemusic Yeah I like that the Apogee is warm and has the clarity and separation. It’s sort of like an in between mt48 and Apollo. I do like the preamps of the mt48 a lot but the D/A is very clean and almost to wide. It’s like the soul is gone. I think highs are darker as well.
@@jacksp8deyep that’s my exact thoughts 💭 on the mt48 preamps are definitely crazy but overall unit for me was a little hard to get a vibe. it literally does nothing for the music other than provide a transparent signal for both the ins and outs which is great for a mastering pro user. The apogee on the other hand does something similar but in a more musical way. I like also like the emulation apogee has built into it even though I use external preamp. it’s also class compliant like the mt48 so I can use it with my older protools rigs and even windows 🪟 which is crazy. The used prices on the symphony also makes it a no brainer. I was able to send my mt48 back get the apogee and some extra monitors on the used market . Don’t feel like I lost anything quality wise honestly. Mt48 is definitely the more pro unit though no doubt but for my needs the apogee is the sweet spot for mastering grade quality and home studio vibes.
@@Lanatemusic yup you make great points. I think the preamp is actually colored on the MT48. It makes the vocal sound alive and is clear but the highs seem muffled. It’s missing the high airy sound of the Apollo and Apogee. It still sounds good though. Apogee sounds warm and musical yet very clean as well. The Apollo can sound a bit congested in the mids sometimes, seems like I do more eqing but it has that oomph and that air . The apogee is the sweet spot even though the build quality could be better. Sometimes I feel like I should sell everything and get a Symphony mk2 SE lol
@@jacksp8de that’s my untilmate goal too get the big symphony but my pockets ain’t agreeing wit that. The symphony desktop sounds close enough for me ,although I’ve heard people say even the older symphony and the mk2 is a step up but compared to everything else in its price range and some even cost more it puts up more than well enough of a fight . Now if they drop a 2nd gen desktop ima definitely be all over that. That mt48 vibing tho 😂I was planning to sale some stuff to keep it but it wasn’t worth that sacrifice. How the symphony ? It’s hard for me to get rid of that. The quality jump up from my x was crazy as far as the width and depth of the overall mix. Now the Apollo did have similar top end but much more warmth in the low mids which most people cut out anyways. So my mixes improved a lot with symphony. It was scary hearing the difference. It’s like 1080 vs 4k. Most people thought I changed my whole setup 😂 😅
@@Lanatemusic Thats wild. Yeah I have to EQ the Apollo a little more. The low end can be a little murky lol. I'm debating on keeping the mt48 or getting the SD back. I just watched a video where Leslie Brathwaite uses the Apollo to mix WAP and Happy, so I think it's good enough, especially for hip hop and pop.
I think all four sound good. What differences harmonically you hear could also be done with plugins. So I guess in the end, it comes down to Workflow, I/O that meets your needs the best, which one you think looks coolest for your setup.
@@Seraph137 I totally agree with that. The Apollo looks the coolest and I love the workflow but the mt48 sounds the best and still looks dope. I got the mt48 running into the Apollo
@ I have the symphony Io mkii SE and man oh man is it good. The Neumann had id say a more professional final sound. But you can’t fail with either. Great choice and fair better looking than the apogee desktop
@ Oh man that SE is the one. I know you're loving it. The symphony desktop is the same converter as the previous symphony which is still very good. I think I like the preamps better on the SD but The Neumann is all I need for now.
@@jacksp8de trust me when I say most things are straight marketing. Sure we can get crazy conversion and more and more features. At the end of the day people have been making amazing music with much much less. Only reason to ever upgrade anything anymore is because it’s no longer supported or you’re trying to go full atmos mixing. Other than that meh.
Finally I made a decision , I’m getting the Apollo twin X Quad Heritage . I was thinking about this for 2 weeks . Was going against the RME due to all the good reviews but for the first interphase I think the Apollo will due great. Only making rap music anyway .
@@younggkush I think that’s a good choice. If you’re mainly a recording artist, Apollo is the way. Get the Gen 2. Also use this link, and I get a little piece. www.zzounds.com/a--3979345/item--UADAPTWINXQUDG2E?siid=360407
Thank you for the review but RME UCX II is the best, for quality sound and chanels versus price, no doubts. Just think in this: 20 Chanel in/ 20 Chanels out; 8 analog in/8 out. MIDI port, 1 ADAT I/o , 1 SPDIF I/o, 2 MICS, 2 Lines inputs, 1 world clock, 1 sprig in/out, and more. You can record, guitar, bass, battery, synths and vocal chorus without any problem. You can work stand alone without computer or if you want with your USB out to OC or Mac. You can record all your tracks in a USB stand alone 2 TB device. Do you want Equalizer, Room FX Mix? You have it. Do you want remote control with tablet or phone? You have it. You can add extra remote controller ARC USB if you want it. The drivers are for all your life, if you have to change your computer, RME will give you support. The latency is 0 in RME, no jitter problems.
@@ricardopineda8224 I agree. It has so many features, that I won’t really use. if I had a lot of synths maybe. All I record is vocals and maybe one synth every now and then.
@@jacksp8de You don't necessarily need to record synthesizers or organs. Tomorrow, when your studio grows and you need to record drums, guitars, bass, MPC, backing vocals and other instruments, you wouldn't need to buy another interface. When you change your computer in five years, the RME will continue to work you will get the drivers for and other equipment will not. Anyway, the Apollo is great. Thanks for answering and for your work you have very good videos. Have a happy new year.
@ I think because, to my ears, tube mics and tube compressors are a little slower; like there is a fraction of a second “bloom” to the sound, and a slight chestiness compared to solid state. I like to match a C800 with a V72 or a U47 with an AEA or Millenia sometimes. Sort of best of both worlds. For instance, if I’m recording an upright bass, I often use a Rode Classic (tube) into an AMEK 9098 preamp, OR a FET 47 into a GT Vipre. (The Vipre is especially useful with slew rate.) Of course, my focus here is on mics and preamps. For converters, I’m not sure if the same metrics apply. But I will say that RME and Lynx converters have a fast kind of glint to them, to my ears, compared to the rounder sounding Apogee or Burl. All that could just be the way I hear things, of course. Happy recording and Merry Christmas!
@@jerdonsbabbler3515 Thanks for the response, I was genuinely curious. I thought you were going to say the RME and Neumann are more transparent so the harmonics of the tube mic is more noticeable. My favorite is actually the apogee for recording but I can't afford the Special Edition symphony just yet. The Neumann is amazing as well so I'm using that with my tf51 and Atlantis going through the Newton channel. Sounds amazing.
@ The Newton is the channel strip sweet spot:) My friend just brought one over. Saving for one. My gear is mostly old stuff from studio close-outs, lovingly abused!
@@jacksp8de what about the Antelope Discrete 4 Pro, have you already compared the sound? I think the Neumann is in another category but Antelope is $1K less
thanks for video!!! RME is the best.... - neutral conversion "as it is", - best routing\mixer software, - best driver and support of all time. - (!!!) best round-trip latency performance (2 or 3 times better than any competitor!) - you can track real-time in daw with plugins with small buffer size without any problem (!!!) - thats why with RME you do not need any "built-in" (aka UAD) plugins. - i know that people dont like RME just because it doesnt have this "fancy vibe look" and "feel" ... but honestly it's just in our mind... technically RME is much better than other interfaces. - you forgot to notice room and headphone correction feature on RME (its so important for serious mixing and production) thanks man! good luck! with love, from Russia! sorry for my funny English))
@@jacksp8de thank you! i forgot to mention one more point about RME - its clock technology is much much better than anything else. SteadyClockFS. Most of other interfaces use generic "okay" clock)) quality of clock is so important for conversion and sync)
I downloaded the files.. Ran the vocals through a bit of processing. The apogee sounds best. Trust. I will be switching because it had the most character which is most important. Like it sounds like MUSIC!!! The others are just so clean and surgical it takes away from the musicality.
@@ElReyStevonOfficial Dope! I agree! The apogee preamps are my favorite. Although I really love the MT48. I’m curious how you processed those vocals. Let me know if you can send them
If you want the pro sound where everything will be as good as possible, then you get, RME AES/ADAT card to give you the latency, and even clock your system, it is the best, then use Burl audio for AD conversion, and use either a Mytek or Dangerous for D/A on your playback system, the Neumann will give you a monitoring system as well and its future proof with AES 67. In this 4 converters, Neumann is hands down the best, the depth of the image is incredible, you can also mono the signal so you can see the difference,very handy. Apogee has very good sound, it always has had it and with a Mac is flawless. You also are getting sick ass mic pre on the Neumann, Rme in third place and Apollo in last. The higher end Rme the two channel AD is incredible, so they can make better converters, its matter of price. The industry is in a bad shape with converters, they are all using AKM chips or some hifi chips, only the high folks are pushing the boundary of sound, the Burls, Cranesong, Lavery, Prism, Neumann/Merging technologies.
Thanks for watching! I’m coming from a music producer and artist perspective, not necessarily a engineer so the Apollo is the best for my workflow and I think it sounds good enough. The gen 2 is supposed to be better. But yeah the MT48 is on another level. The RME I tried was good but liked the sound of the Apollo not because it was better but I just like the color.
I love the Apogee. I've compared it pretty extensively against the Apollo and some against thr Neumman, but the biggest difference to me is the highs and lows. The Apogee doesnt hype them like the Apollo does and gives a more true to life sound. When I do the car test now, I pretty much hear exactly what I heard in the studio.
@@outlawedbeats Yeah the Apollo has more forward midrange. The apogee has that clarity for sure but still has a warmness. Very pleasant to listen to for a long time.
The Neumann sounds nice!!! Followed by the Symphony and Apollo. It's a toss up between those two for me. The Rme was my least favorite. I have an Apollo X 6 and I love it. I have a Newton channel and the Atlantis also. Dope content Bro.
Yup! You have the same vocal chain I got and yeah man the sound is so good. I do like the preamps on the Apogee better but the Apollo user experience is hard to let go.
My two choices are the apogee symphony to Neumann mt48 as far as sound quality goes. Id go with the Neumann for the features and more I/o than the symphony.
@@arirahimzadehthat’s what I’m currently using. On my channel my latest single “you inspire me “ was tracked with the symphony and u87 mixed on my genelecs. Turned out crazy
RME no doubt at all. More I/O, never fails, drivers works rock solid, good sound quality, DSP (comps, eq, rev, delay). You can map and route it however you need. Great conversion. I have one from 2010, still works perfectly, still receive firmware updates from RME. No doubt in my opinion…
I respect it man. Gotta give it up for being reliable and hella flexible. It’s deeper but seems more complex. I imagine all RME users have androids lol
I think the new generation 2 Apollos might change your mind. I did sell my black Thunderbolt 2 Apollo and Focusrite Octopre and replaced them with two new Gen 2 Apollo x8s. Couldn’t be happier and I get to keep my plugins
The discontinued Clarett 8PreX (if you can find one) Is the best Audio interface for the money on the market. Reason being is because focusrite made a mistake and put converters that belong on a 3k audio interface on the output of the 8preX 😳 Now why did they do this? 🤷♂️ But its a little secret thats known in the audio world 😊
All of these are going to sound great. The Neumann clearly has the edge on conversions with RME and Apogee closely behind it. When i went from my Apollo Twin X to my now RME UCXii there was a DRASTIC difference in clarity. I dont think the Twin X has the exact same conversion as the X4 though. I believe X4 is a dual path or something. Either way, RME is known for being transparent. Not adding or removing anything. That said some people perceive that as sterile or cold. Its what i want personally. Havent used Apogee. The Apollo workflow just wasnt for me even though i love the plugins. RME and TotalMix is my absolute jam. At this pricepoint honestly its all about which workflow you prefer.
@@LaminarSound yep it’s cool that we have all of these choices. RME wasn’t for me but the sound was good. I do hip hop so I like the harmonic distortion of Apollo but I switched to the MT48 because it just sounds so damn good but still keeping the Apollos for I/O and the console workflow.
They all sound great with slight differences. Most of the time the interface doesnt matter as you just want a clean signal with fast transfer and good conversion which most modern interfaces have. I would just get a uad volt with kali monitors instead of breaking the bank over minuscule differences personally 🤷♂️
I'm not mad at that. You have to do whats right for you. I make an income with music so I invest for high quality gear, because it makes my job easier. If it was a hobby I'd be fine with a much cheaper interface.
WOW I AM SURPRISE, I HAVE APOLO X4 GOOD. HONESTLY THE 1st WINNER HIRE IS THE NEUMANN MT48 HAVE MORE CLEAR SOUND PRESENCE AND THE 2nd SYNPHONE. 3rd APOLO X4, 4th RME, this what i ear and feel in my Dr.Dre beatpro monster.
I totally agree when you said there is no best. It depends on what you are looking for. Does it serve the purpose that you need to finish your production? They’re all great upgrades from the lower budget interfaces and some of those are even good but it’s definitely a difference when you step up you can do more things you can bring your outboard gear into effect and things like that. Also, some of these interfaces like the Apollo, you can use your plug-ins in real time I can only imagine what the step over these would be like.
Yes the cork sniffing is really not necessary. I just went down a rabbit hole and wanted to know for myself. The x4 won for me because I have an X6 to pair it with so I can use outboard gear. If I was purely recording and wanted to be minimal I would actually go for the apogee because you can bypass the mic pre and the conversion is amazing
Tive oportunidade de comparar a conversão A/D e D/A de uma Apogee Essemble versus RME Fireface 800, e achei a RME com a qualidade de conversão superior. Um equívoco com este teste, comparando estas interfaces, é que somente a RME tem entradas diretas para os conversores. Nas demais, você é obrigado a passar por um circuito de pré amplificação de nivel de linha, que afeta a sonoridade do sinal que está entrando na interface
Thanks for the information! I went line in into the preamp with the RME so technically it should bypass the pre. I am also able to bypass the pre on the Symphony Desktop and it sounds much better to me. Also the Symphony Desktop has more updated conversion compared to the Ensemble by the way.
RME for the win imho. I'm not gonna get sold on peer pressure and glitzy glamour......the stability on RME baby face pro FS makes me appreciate it EVERY.SINGLE.DAY Hope someday I have the money to afford the UCX ii or III in the near/distant future
Symphony was the most musical. RME did sound a bit "sharp". Neumann was boring sounding- albeit accurate (just like their monitors) Used to be an Apollo twin user. I rock with BLA now. Great for the $
@ thank you, do you know if through the MIDI in you can control the standalone mixer console or is it only through their console app ? I would like to map some controller and use that for live situations.
RME every single time. I'm using my RME Hdspe AIO over 15 years now with zero problems. I'm also a user of the RME UCX II and it's the best in class and beats a lot of 4-5k products.
Personally i use a fireface ufx+ which is waaaaay more than id ever need but i got it for the low its got incredible sound quality. The only drawback to rme is the total mix software. Its a nightmare to learn and theres been a couple times where i just plug in the focusrite 8i8 to do something simple like a zoom call because total mix makes me wanna pull my hair out
@@parkavenue6006 See that’s what I felt when I looked at it for the first time. I’m like nah I’m not doing this. I don’t care if I can hear God’s voice through that interface 😂 I don’t understand why they just don’t redesign it to be more user friendly. They would get so many more users.
I am an RME guy. Got a UFX+ and a Babyface pro FS. I mainly went with REI for the rock solid drivers and I know that we support my interfaces for 20+ years. And when you’re spending $3000 for an interface, that’s the way it should be. The fact that it sounds good is icing on top of the cake for me. And they keep on giving me stuff like the new room option and total mix FX.
@@darkmaer yes that’s awesome. I’m the kind of person that likes to upgrade to check out the newest things but I can appreciate that RMEs will last longer than my car lol
Agree on total mix for RME. I had no problem with my FF800 hardware years ago, great quality. But the TotalMix was so small and dark and busy. I didn’t really get it, and avoided it as much as possible.
@@jacksp8deidk bruh it took me an hour to figure out total mix and I’m the opposite of a square….that shit basic as hell….and I know im probably not getting the most out of it but I’m only recording vocals thru logic and pro tools so it was nothing
@@dollamanhomie Dope. I guess the look of it turned me off mostly. After coming from UAD it threw me off. One of the homies swears by RME so I know it’s a good interface even if not for me
I have an RME and I love it. When first listeningen to it, I thought the sound was "thin", but that is because it is so clean as it has extremly low harmonic distortion. It is also very flat also in the high frequency range, which may make you think it has too much of it. The other interfaces have varying degrees of extra harmonic distortion and as this is what we are used to listening to in modern music, I assume this is the reason you liked the sound of the other intefaces more. If you record with the RME, you will have to add extra harmonic distortion later during mixing to get to the sound of modern music. With RME you get almost 0 harmonic distortion from the interface, so you can pick any type of saturation you like. Or leave it out completely for that extra clean and crispy sound. Your choise.
@@BengtSkogvall I recorded through a Neve Newton channel with silk so there was harmonics. It didn’t sound bad or anything. They all sound good, I just prefer the others. I like the apogee pres the best. RME is does have less color. I enjoy the coloration of the Apogee. It also has the lowest noise based on loop back testing that I’ve seen on other channels. Thanks for watching.
Exactly what I was thinking the RME is the best sounding interface with the apollo in my opinion the transients on the other interfaces doesn't sound smooth
@@nils2660 you gotta hear the others in person the apogee is super smooth, the MT48 is sharp but super clean, and you can change the filter in it and other choices are smoother. It has 4 settings
Yeah Apogees preamps are amazing. Thanks for watching
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No one is talking about how great his rap and punch is 🔥. Man please keep making music, we need more of your songs. I will be checking it out streams. By the way have uiu tried antelope zen q and zen Quadro? Please check them out
Thanks man!! I do it more for fun and branding purposes but comments like yours definitely make me want to take it more serious. I haven't tried any antelope stuff. Maybe I'll get something in. I want to try the rack mounted one.
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@@jacksp8de wow, that's cool to hear, please take the music serious, you are too good to let it waste. I know sometimes the process will wanna make us feel like it's too late but just keep dropping and add some promo to it too. You good for 💪🏾🔥🔥
I appreciate that! I plan to release more just so I can show my audience how it’s done. I just been focused on other things but I’m a student of business and marketing. I wear a lot of hats. Im into film music and comedy as well. I’m a jack spade of all trades. Thanks for the encouragement though. I needed to hear this.
Man, as a proud owner of the Neve 88m, I'm convinced it stomps any of these other similarly priced interfaces.
I wanted to try that one. I'm sure its dope, but I'm just done trying new ones for a while.
I’ve owned all of these. I work at Sweetwater so get to test them extensively. The Neumann MT48 is far and away the best sounding converter and interface overall. The preamps are not adding any transformer or tube style harmonic saturation like I normally prefer from my BAE preamp but they still sound incredible. I normally like using an RND RNHP headphone amp, but the MT48 has one of the best sounding headphone amps I have used.
@@jordangunit3078 I agree. I had to keep that one! It was too clean for me at first but once I got adjusted to the sound I couldn’t go back to the Apollo. I use it with the RND Newton channel and it warms it up and adds some saturation. I connected it to my X6 through ADAT for recording so I can use the mt48 conversion before it hits the Apollo. Then I can use the real time UAD plugins. Best of both worlds.
@@jacksp8de agreed! yeah I kept my UA Apollo on the side for the same reason. I could easily just rock a UAD satellite too to support plugins but the extra IO is nice. In the future, I do think I’m
Going to go all in for the Merging Hapi and connect the MT48 over AES 67 for high channel count but it will be expensive so the Apollo stays for now. RND newton is killer as well. Has their transformers and excellent signal processing.
@@jordangunit3078 Yeah I have an x6 and x4 and was thinking of selling the x4 but Im selling that DSP power too. I like having 10 Processors for mixing. The Merging hapi sounds incredible from what I heard online. I'm so good with current setup though. Testing some Neumann KH120s right now and this is it. I think I'm going to buy these and I'm good.
I have listed to. huge amount of reviews, I am only interested in the sound, and most them hardly mention this. All the other stuff is straight forward if you don't know how to run an interface you must be a novice, so how does it sound
if your doing a sound test and I am listening on my apogee duet 2 do I hear the true sound of the test
OOOOH I was waiting for this comparison, Great review! Have to try them all out.
Yessir!! Thanks for watching!!
Man, thank you, great video and a new subscription! Happy New Year from Berlin /Germany! (Probably going for the Berlin Neumann MT48 tho . . .)
@@vonwolfersdorff I appreciate the sub more than if I went to Jimmy John’s. Yup the Neumann is my main interface now. Love it
Excellent video, mate! Glad I found your channel. New subscriber. I'm not a music engineer or producer. I just love listening to great music and playing games on my PC. I have a pair of the Adam A7V + SVS SB3000 sub running through an Apogee Duet 3. Everything sounds great, but my Duet has failed twice. After the 2nd repair, I decided to look for something else. The devices you tested are a lot more $$ than I'm ready to spend, so I'm looking more towards stand-alone dacs. Since I don't create/record any music, an audio interface probably isn't quite right for me, anyway.
Thanks for that!! I really appreciate it! Funny your name is mad max, I got a song called Fury Road. Man sorry to hear about your apogee troubles. Maybe you should just get an Audient interface like an ID4 since you’re not recording. I’ve heard good things about the new personus quantum as well.
@@jacksp8de Thanks for the suggestions. I'll check'em out.
@@jacksp8de I purchased the Presonus Quantum ES2 back in September. Lovely tone compared to most of the affordable interfaces I used and certainly better than the very expensive older Arturia Audiofuse Rev 2. The Quantum leaks audio when muted, I can't take it on the go without a laptop with a proper USB C port since even AUX power won't let it monitor out. The Presonus is also very finicky I found with AUX power used. Quantum of course is good sound but I want a touch cleaner monitors and a but less self noise.
I am looking at the Apollo Twin X2 REV 2 studio software pack which is more limiting for on the go due to the thunderbolt requirement. The Quantum ES2 / 4 looks comparable to the Audient but from a reliability track record point of view. Audient is likely the better option to hold up in the long term, our local area music store stopped selling Presonus to the lack of quality control.
best video I've come across for a general understanding of these interfaces
Oh wow that’s cool. Glad I could help! Thanks for the comment!
Fire Video as usual fam! If you're a person that travels a lot or want to be as portable as possible think about the RME Babyface Pro FS as well. It's Bus Powered and has INSANE stability and low latency on both Mac and PC. It replaced my Apollo X4 due to stability issues on Windows and it's size when traveling. It's also half the price of these. Personally if I drop around $2k it'll be to upgrade my Rack Mount Interface in my home studio.
@@v3zMedia thanks for watching bro. I know you didn’t like the x4 because you can’t bypass the preamps. I can bypass the preamps on the X6. The x4 is a monitor controller and extra dsp. I might sell it though. A rackmount would be the way to go I want a Symphony Mk2 SE
Elephant 🐘 2 stepping on bubble wrap had me 😂😂😂😂😂. Another dope video bro!!!
LMAO I forgot I said that lol thanks for watching mane
I’ve had all the brands. Hands down RME IS KING 👑
@@hayesbrotha I hear ya. Thanks for watching
I don't think so. Mytek 8x192 is king. Neumann is the new prince. Crane Song Avocet II is great also as is Burl. RME is not even a duke. It's maybe an ayatollah but that's the best it can hope for. Great review by the way.
Burl is Emperor 👑
@@bubz75 I don't like Burl converters, but love Crane Song Avocet II - and what now? :D
@@hayesbrotha
I use a RME ADI -FS pro AD/DA & Motu Ultralite Mk 5. Sonically they sound similar to my ears , I wound gladly trade them both in for a Burl
Bomber B2 interface .
Out of my price range ☺️.
Well I beg to differ, RME is very clear and controlled noise with great width. Other interface seems to add color to them but they also seems to distort sound quality. RME for me wins it. Thank for the vide
You’re welcome. I agree the others color the sound. I like that color or harmonic distortion. I am not primarily a mixing or mastering engineer though so I care about “vibes”
Hey much appreciated on these videos and reviews just ordered my mt48
Nice! Happy it helped! Hope you like it
love the vid, just throwing this out there, those jacks that accept both xlr and 1/4" inputs are commonly called combo jacks. Just in case you do more of these, which I hope you do, maybe this tid bit will help you out. So I couldn't help but notice that all of the interfaces you reviewed were all desktop units, and none from the rack mount form factor, which, for under 2G it should be pretty easy to have some really top notch rack units in there, and a lot of them will have a lot more onboard preamps, commonly 8 mic preamps on the 1U rack unit interfaces. And there are a lot of good units like that from manufacturers like MOTU, Presonus, Focusrite, UA, Apogee, Lynx, um.....even Behringer, yeah i know, but they are slept on and not really that bad. I've gotten great recordings from an X32 more times than I can count. Heck, for less than 2G, you can get a x32 now, and a bunch of other digital mixing consoles that have built in USB audio interfaces that enable you to get really high simultaneously recording track counts an)d a lot more including DAW control and a live digital console for performance. I feel like your review is aimed at producers that are generally doing a lot of VST's and maybe recording a guitar or bass guitar one at a time, and then doing some vocal overdubs, maybe trying to get a few keyboards in to the computer, but for the people that are trying to record whole bands playing the song live, (which is 100% necessary for the right feel if you ask me, if you overdub everything it will loose something, every time, I wish that it didn't but it does) they are going to need at least 8 mic inputs simultaneously and ideally the ability to make 4 separate headphone mixes, one for each player. At l east 2 separate headphone mixes, one for the vocalist and one for the band, or one for the drummer that has the click and one for the rest of the band. These are the choices you'll have to make if you don't have the ability to have more than 2 headphone mixes. The nice thing about that RME that you showed, is that it has the ability to use all of it's outputs as separate headphone mixes, you would just have to hook it up to a decent headphone amp. And if you add more inputs and outputs via one of the digital inputs like the ADAT lightpipe input, then you can use all of those outputs as well. The mixing app RME includes in their software is really great for tracking live bands, but let's be real, RME is a top tier interface manufacturer. They ain't no slouch. Having said that, an X32 which you can pick up for around 1400 used these days, also has the ability to have 8 separate stereo headphone mixes because it has like 16 XLR outputs right on the back of it. That is not including your main XLR outs or the 8 quarter inch aux in and outs that you can use to route effects in your studio. Anyone that tells you that you can't get great sounding recordings from something like a x32 is just lying to you. The difference between these units is honestly miniscule, and more often than not, has more to do with how much they cost or how much the person telling you about it actually spent on it. The RME is rock solid and their software is highly capable and you totally get what you pay for, but it isn't going to sound that much better than an x32, which input for input is probably the cheapest option, I mean you get 32 simultaneous inputs and 16 simultaneous outputs with an x32, with a 32x32 usb interface with it, that means you can record 32 inputs all at the same time into your DAW, all for the low price of 2G as of today. And you get an actual physical console that you can use either for your studio or live, you can use to take with you to record live also. They even have an expansion card that allows you to record and playback 32 tracks at a time without a computer straight to an external hard drive or dual SD cards. You can just keep some big SD cards in there and anytime anywhere, just hit record and it's recording whatever is playing through the board, all multitrack without a computer attached. That's just too cool if you ask me. So if you want to buy into the UA Apollo ecosystem and get the benefit of it's onboard DSP so that you can track through their plugins in real time, then by all means, do that. And that might be the best option especially for the desktop producers out there who are just recording vocal overdubs every now and then and also oing a lot of other production work with beat machines, keyboards, and VST instruments. The Neumann is definitely geared towards someone that wants the highest quality inputs and AD/DA for the money but what brings it down is the fact that the RME has awesome converters on it too. They are known for that, Neumann makes great microphones and is brand new in the interface world, this is their first offering of a music interface, keep that in mind. RME has been making only audio interfaces and ADDA converters. That is all they do. And they are really good at it. So I wouldn't sleep on that interface, but it's probably going to shine for someone that wants to add an additional preamp with more inputs and outputs to it, and use it as a desktop controller too. Just my 2 cents or 26 or whatever cents...Peace.
Mannn I got too much ADD to read every word but I agree with what I read. Yeah I know those are combo jacks and Neumann is great, but mostly I did this video to show it really doesn’t matter which one you pick. You can make great music with whatever allows you to record.
1. Neumann
2. RME
3. Apogee
4. UAD
I had the Neumann MT 48 and UAD Apollo X6, X8 and some Twins back in 2021 in my studio. But back to 2024 the Neumann MT 48 came out on top as absolut king in my testing and stayed as main interface for my studio.
Order correct is:
1. Apogee.
2. Neumann.
3. RME.
4. Apollo UAD.
😎🫡
@@user-xowo3vxy92b73h I like the Apollo SOund more then the RME. But Apogee is Nr.1 for sure.
I’ve had all except UAD and would agree with this ordering. MT48 is very revealing and in well recorded music is second to none except I use external headphone amp because it doesn’t drive planar very well. ADI2 Pro FS is a close second for me. I have UFXIII and not close to ADI2 pro feel for monitoring but overall excellent in all other areas…
@@user-xowo3vxy92b73h Apogee is last for me because of it's doggy drivers. Apollo and RME are top two for me just for rock solid stability
Agree Apoggee is the best but disagree with MT48, it's below Apollo for me
Apogee Symphony is absolutely the BEST! Thanks for another confirmation!
Thanks for this brother. I have been looking for a review for Neumann vs Apogee for sometime now and this was insightful
@@XolaniNaku you’re welcome. I was looking for that too and couldn’t find anything so I just did it myself. Glad it was valuable for you
When it comes to the best A/D converters for music, I think Apoge is the best for my taste. Yes, the Neumann is a touch (maybe 10%) cleaner, more detailed and more “natural” sounding. But the Apogee has a fullness, breadth, musicality, a roundness that sounds very, very beautiful and is still EXTREMELY high-resolution. Since we make music and don't measure speakers, I find the Apogee much more suitable.
@@rtdrec I would agree with that. I chose to keep the Neumann but it was a hard choice. I love the apogee sound.
Thanks for doing this comparison! This was awesome
@@ianbee1959 Thanks for watching and for the comment!
RME is rock stable. Best drivers, period. especially for pc. they make their own from scratch. they still support and update drivers for products they discontinued decades ago. Plus totalmix is a game changer. I have 3 rme interfaces, adi2 pro fs r, babyface (original), and HDSP 9632.
Yeah I know about the rock solid drivers and everything. It's just not as user friendly to me. I'm sure total mix is a game changer when you learn it. I didn't have enough time.
Got RME today and was disappointed. The power delivery looks very dodgy. The way it turns on. Amount of random contstant feedback when you simply plug it into the speakers until power on. Noise floor.... Also the highs were very distorted which kind of surprisingly goes inline with what Jack mentioned. Damn idk maybe I got unlucky but my uac-232 & ssl2+ interfaces sounded much better. I would double check RME units before settling on them.
@@veritas7010 sounds like a defective unit, return it
@@veritas7010I have an UCX II for some time without any of the problems you referred. Maybe yours is unfortunately damaged. I believe you should try to change it.
@@veritas7010 which model of RME you've got? Share some details please
Amazing. My favorite is :
For Vocal:
1. Apogee
2. Neumann
3. RME
4. UAD
For Monitors :
1. Neumann
2. Apogee
3. UAD
4. RME
I have a UAD SOLO and I'm thinking of going for the APOGEE, because the sound it delivers is everything I like.
Thanks for this amazing review!
Great choice!! Thanks for watching!
yea, apogee clearly wins
i own an rme ucx ii. i have researched all of these. for anyone interested definitely do a deeper dive into your research and what your needs are. The rme is probably the best interface of the four. it probably has the best clocking and the best conversion and its suppose to sound completely transparent with no coloration. totalmix software gives you the best routing and you get the most features. but to each his own...hopefully you do your own additional research because these are not cheap interfaces.
@@ITSYABOYDONTE Respect. I actually like the sound of the RME. It’s a great interface for sound designers with a lot of hardware synths.
from what I could hear from both tests is that my favorite out of these is the RME. It doesn't have the depth as some of the others put it's the tightest and most pleasing to my ears. I'm currently using a Lynx Hilo and I'd strongly recommend checking one out if you haven't already.
@@sandyhollowstudio It so interesting how we hear differently. I find it a little plastic and I like the organic smooth sound of the Apogee the best. I would love to try the Lynx Hilo as well as an Apogee Symphony SE
Thank you, bro! I really enjoyed the comparison. I liked the Newman and the Apollo. I would not know which one to choose; they are both great. The Apogee sounds great, too.
C'ya around, greetings from Rocksario, Argentina
Thanks for watching man! I kept the Neumann and Apollo and I’m loving the sound.
Thanks for this! I have been on the fence about upgrading my Apollo Twin X. Like you, I love the workflow and the plugins. My main reason to upgrade would be for noticeable ad/da improvement, but I think from your testing these other units, the difference is so marginal and subjective. I’m gonna keep my Apollo Twin X for a while longer, and see what UA does on the next Apollo Twin and X4 release. Thanks again!
@@marvsowell684 You’re welcome! I can’t wait until UA comes with new Apollos, I have a feeling they will be at the top of the chain again.
this was fire bro. thanks!
@@elevatormusikgroup Thanks man! I appreciate you’re welcome.
Good shoot-out. But an even better marriage. It was beautiful seeing them interact. Lots of trust.
@@jerdonsbabbler3515 wow didn’t know you could get all of that out of that short interaction but yea we been together for 20 years, we have a lot of respect for each other.
UAD❤❤❤
💯 thanks for watching
hoi hoi
the Apogee and the Neumann have the best sounding converters
@@richardgordon9939 I agree! Thanks for watching
I hate to love Apogee because there are a lot of versatile interfaces (Apollo/ MT48) out there, but sadly don't sound as great in my opinion. Great review by the way, and even better tune. I don't listen to a lot of rap, but this a great song. Keep up the great work.
Haha I understand the love hate thing with Apogee. They have an amazing sound though. And thanks I appreciate the feedback! I am releasing more music soon. Thanks for watching!
Great review 👏🏻👏🏻
@@danieleanzanello thanks for watching!!
I owned Prism, Apogee, RME, Antelope, Focusrite, Audient etc….
Prism Sound sounds the best.
RME works the best.
Nice, would like to try a Prism Sound. Thanks for watching
@@jacksp8de "Help me Devvon" makes a converter comparison between the Apogee and the Prism converters.
The video is called : "STOP Using Cheap Audio Interfaces | APOGEE SYMPHONY IO MKII SPECIAL EDITION". The comparison begins at around 20 minutes.
I think the Apogee has a huge soundstage that Prism can't match. It sounds really pleasent.. modern, clear, musical.! Next Level!
@@rtdrec yeah I know, seen that video a while back. I would love to have the Symphony SE but I think it starts at around 5k or 6k. It better sound good! I wanna see the sound waves coming out the speakers for that price 😂
Yeah prism is the best sound but the MT 48 is super close. I have both.
Hey Jack, this is great comparison. Thanks.
@@behzad4x thanks for watching!
Hey man, Thanks for your great review. became a new subscriber.
I just wanted to comment on what I think is one of the most important feature on the MT48 as the owner which did not get mentioned too much in the video. And it is the Audio Networking (Audio over IP) Capability of the interface.
Having native support to the AES67 means that it has the ability to grow its input and output to 128 ins and outs by using the virtual sound card on your computer and could integrate the MT48 into it.
You could also connect it to dante-enabled products such as Yamaha Rios for more analog inputs and outs.
You could convert the audio to SFP or madi and have a fiber cable deliver your audio to destinations only capable with such cable.
Clock syncing and working together with other devices such as media servers, lighting equipment and so on could be done via the network.
above are just examples of what could be achieved with audio over IP and it surely makes your studio a lot more flexible and expandable.
The prices might look a bit high for MT48 when you compare the interfaces you mentioned the video, but I personally feel that the audio over IP capabilities of the interface more than justifies the cost of the device.
Of course, I understand that many of the viewers might not need such a feature, and thus went over it briefly in the video. So please understand that I'm in no way trying to point fingers or criticize the opinions in the video and in the comment section.
Just wanted to provide extra context haha.
but anyways, thanks for your content and hope to see great content like this in the future as well.
Thanks for the info! I’m sure it’ll help someone. I knew about that stuff vaguely but since I never used it, and probably won’t for a while, I didn’t have the authority to talk about it. Thank you for subbing by the way!
Great comparison. You would not fail buying any of these interfaces. But as far as Converters go Neumann wins IMO. It is the most revealing giving you the best advantage at sculpting what you want and also having the confidence to know how your mixes translate across many speakers. But I really do agree with you on workflow in terms of knowing which suits you, because getting the job done matters more than anything else.
Absolutely so I kept the MT48 and it’s good into the Apollo through ADAT to keep the workflow. This merging Neumann sound is hard to beat
This was the video I needed to see! 🔥
@@SoundBySavii Nice!! Thanks for watching!
I was an apogee user for years. Couldn’t keep them working. Great sounding, terrible software and driver support. Switched to Rme. Very clean, not colored like apogee, so I get the color when I mix. No problems since I switched!
I had an Apogee element and it sounded good but the software was buggy, then they end of lifed it. I do love that apogee color, but yes RME is transparent and you can add the color in. Thanks for watching!
Almost exact same story. The Duet I owned just wouldn't behave in terms of drivers. Bought the One as a headphone amp/converter on the go and Apogee refuses to support it with modern devices. RME not only saved the day with rock-solid drivers and firmware, but the level of transparency on my UCX was shocking compared to the Apogees.
Rme is the best!
I bought last year a used RME FireFace UCX 1 for 630€ and im sooo Happy with this Interface, TotalMix is also wonderful (Once you understand it, it's like riding a bike) .
That was the best decision in my life, ngl
@@chronex. everybody loves RME. I wish I did. I may five the UCX another shot
Apogee forever ,,yeah from Norway
I love apogee
Hi, thanks for this comparison, personally I have been using an X6 and a Twin X for about 5 years, I also have RME Babyface. All the interfaces are extremely top and sound really good. After that it will depend on what you want to do with it. I like the Apollo system and its Plugins, because in my opinion, when recording it is the closest to real studio conditions, but that's just my opinion. Luna is really fantastic in recording, yeah always the impression of working on a big analog console ...
@@scorpion-unitrap5452 I totally agree. The Apollos have a sound that is really good for most popular music. Alone Again is one of my favorite songs and it was done with just an Apollo and an SM7b. And I love Luna. Thanks for watching.
Hi scorpion. Do you think the x6 has better converters than the twin?
@@wpaul1975 Hi yes the converter of the twin X is slightly below the X6, on paper or in the characteristics, but personally I did not really make the difference it must be quite minimal, I do not hear it ....
Love your review! Opinionated, well argued, and focused on real world aspects rather than pure specs. Thanks for sharing the audio files!
Thanks man! That means a lot. I put a lot of effort into these videos and I’m glad it resonated with you. 🙏🏾
good review. there is an envelope of luxurious dynamic range that this level of box wraps around your notes that the $100-200 entry level boxes don't offer. something to strive for. btw nice sample track there, if that's you, that shows real talent imho, little bit of marvin weaving into the beats. and lovely lady as well, nice to see
Yes even though entry level stuff is very good these days, it does get a lot better. Yes that is a song I produced and rapped on. Thank you for the compliments and support. I’ll let wifey know too. 🙏🏾
Hmm.. very useful comparison. Thanks for doing this. RME is brutally honest, so it sounds a bit "colder" and more clinical, what may seem "brittle". The symphony has a beautiful balance across the frequency spectrum, kinda like the name implies, think classical music recordings, and maybe it ever so slightly gates quick attacks... The UAD has some of that similar "pleasant" sound, but you're right the bottom end is muddier, and just overall the image is less focused (we're of course splitting hairs, but once our ears 'zoom in', they can look like big hairs 😅). The MT48 is definitely the most impressive sounding - the image is very tight, and there's definitely a 'sound' or a color to it - not drastic, but it's there. It flattered the music the most it seems, bearing in mind we're only discussing the D/A right now. The bass is accentuated a bit, but not hyped, just super definite and there seems more "distance" in terms of frequency separation from other instruments so you can pay attention to each more easily, and it almost invites you to listen to separate parts at a time instead of listening to the whole, which of course you can (and will if you work on it regularly). You're right each one is plenty good to make great records... it's a time of great access to quality like never before
I agree. The pleasant sound is probably harmonic distortion. I feel like that can be good for AD but for DA you may want a more neutral sound for mixing or mastering. For production it’s just about what you prefer. I feel like the MT48 is neutral enough but still has that color as you say. RME sounds slightly crunchy to my ears more digital I guess. It’s hard to explain but it sounds like plasticky. It has a good sound tho just not as organic imo
In terms of sound quality, these are what I find on each of them from most to least favourite:
Neumann = immersive
Apogee = pristine
Apollo = natural
RME = transparent
I enjoy producing on my Apogee SD but when I mix on it, it can be a bit too pleasant sometimes. It translates well but at the same time also brings emotion in the translation which can be somewhat distracting when you try to be critical. I’m not saying it’s colored. It’s transparent. The sound is full and in 3D in a good way.
I don’t know, man. May be I need a pair of speakers which are quite clinical to compensate on it. 😂
I like your ranking. You put into words how I’ve been feeling about the SD. It sounds almost too good lol I feel that way about Neumann too except the separation can be a bit too much. The Apogee has the best preamps. Hold on to that SD. I sold mine and I regret it
Apogee for the sound so far is the best, the workflow apollo but the sound is the most important if you make sound better 😊
I love that Apogee sound! Thanks for watching
RND MBP + a pair of pultecs + Burl B2 + Neumann MT48 = highest quality audio one can achieve as of today.
@@vandpiben it better for what you gotta spend lol I want all the RND Stuff after using the 5211 and newton channel
Basically, RME's D/A lets you wake up and step out the door in your pajamas with your hair undone and no make up, just dead honest. While the other three insist on fixing your appearance at least a touch before letting you out the door - each to their own taste...
I want to be able to at least brush my teeth and put on a decent outfit first 😂
@@jacksp8de 🤣 100%. There's a real difference between "natural" and "unkempt"
Thank you for the info
@@37records you’re welcome thanks for watching
I agree with the ranking for Sound quality - the Neumann is made by Merging Technologies and it is the main contender with the Apogee. I agree, some people might prefer the Apogee sound.
@@andreievkalupniek5717 yeah I had to keep the MT48. It’s part of my sound now, not going back. Thanks for watching!
Thank you! At that elevated price, the Neumann's connectivity options are pretty much limited. Other things I love, but this particular thing, sadly not so much.
Yeah you’re paying for the sound mostly. Also it’s very expandable in specific situations. Normal home users won’t come across those situations though.
Thanks for an honest opinion!
@@brucejoyce9934 no problem. Thanks for watching
The playback from the apogee is crazy. The A to D id give to neumann tho with the apogee being a close second. I feel the apogee has more depth mixed with clarity over all of the others. It has a great balance to it. Clear but not too clean and warm enough to add whatever else you want in the mix vs having to eq mud out. I will say the apollo twin x is great bang for your buck tho. im team symphony desktop right now man, it just works and you can use it with any system including a ipad which is crazy! The rme always sounded to clean for my workflow but its nice. Iv'e owned the MT48 and i did like it but i was a little underwhelmed with it for the price when it came down to workflow, The sound from the mt48 was surgical which is great for mixing if you just want that flat sound with no vibe, it translates well. The symphony however changed the entire vibe of my studio. From my monitors to the mic input. I love it.
@@Lanatemusic Yeah I like that the Apogee is warm and has the clarity and separation. It’s sort of like an in between mt48 and Apollo. I do like the preamps of the mt48 a lot but the D/A is very clean and almost to wide. It’s like the soul is gone. I think highs are darker as well.
@@jacksp8deyep that’s my exact thoughts 💭 on the mt48 preamps are definitely crazy but overall unit for me was a little hard to get a vibe. it literally does nothing for the music other than provide a transparent signal for both the ins and outs which is great for a mastering pro user. The apogee on the other hand does something similar but in a more musical way. I like also like the emulation apogee has built into it even though I use external preamp. it’s also class compliant like the mt48 so I can use it with my older protools rigs and even windows 🪟 which is crazy. The used prices on the symphony also makes it a no brainer. I was able to send my mt48 back get the apogee and some extra monitors on the used market . Don’t feel like I lost anything quality wise honestly. Mt48 is definitely the more pro unit though no doubt but for my needs the apogee is the sweet spot for mastering grade quality and home studio vibes.
@@Lanatemusic yup you make great points. I think the preamp is actually colored on the MT48. It makes the vocal sound alive and is clear but the highs seem muffled. It’s missing the high airy sound of the Apollo and Apogee. It still sounds good though. Apogee sounds warm and musical yet very clean as well. The Apollo can sound a bit congested in the mids sometimes, seems like I do more eqing but it has that oomph and that air . The apogee is the sweet spot even though the build quality could be better. Sometimes I feel like I should sell everything and get a Symphony mk2 SE lol
@@jacksp8de that’s my untilmate goal too get the big symphony but my pockets ain’t agreeing wit that. The symphony desktop sounds close enough for me ,although I’ve heard people say even the older symphony and the mk2 is a step up but compared to everything else in its price range and some even cost more it puts up more than well enough of a fight . Now if they drop a 2nd gen desktop ima definitely be all over that. That mt48 vibing tho 😂I was planning to sale some stuff to keep it but it wasn’t worth that sacrifice. How the symphony ? It’s hard for me to get rid of that. The quality jump up from my x was crazy as far as the width and depth of the overall mix. Now the Apollo did have similar top end but much more warmth in the low mids which most people cut out anyways. So my mixes improved a lot with symphony. It was scary hearing the difference. It’s like 1080 vs 4k. Most people thought I changed my whole setup 😂 😅
@@Lanatemusic Thats wild. Yeah I have to EQ the Apollo a little more. The low end can be a little murky lol. I'm debating on keeping the mt48 or getting the SD back. I just watched a video where Leslie Brathwaite uses the Apollo to mix WAP and Happy, so I think it's good enough, especially for hip hop and pop.
A to D very close
For D to A
1.RME
2.Neumann
3.symphony
4. Hard last Uad X4
I respect it. Everybody got their own list. Thanks for watching
@blasegangbeats1865 Spot on .
I'm sorry but I listen to comparisons but I'll keep my Focusrite
@@blairchatmon3612 yeah I wouldn’t upgrade don’t fix what’s not broken
I'll swap MT48 and Symphony
If you thinking long term, RME is the goat
Yeah RME will survive nuclear holocaust lol
I think all four sound good. What differences harmonically you hear could also be done with plugins. So I guess in the end, it comes down to Workflow, I/O that meets your needs the best, which one you think looks coolest for your setup.
@@Seraph137 I totally agree with that. The Apollo looks the coolest and I love the workflow but the mt48 sounds the best and still looks dope. I got the mt48 running into the Apollo
Apogee and the Neumann were good. Definitely the apogee wins.
Apogee more musical. Neumann more clean. I went with the Neuman but love them both.
@ I have the symphony Io mkii SE and man oh man is it good. The Neumann had id say a more professional final sound. But you can’t fail with either. Great choice and fair better looking than the apogee desktop
@ Oh man that SE is the one. I know you're loving it. The symphony desktop is the same converter as the previous symphony which is still very good. I think I like the preamps better on the SD but The Neumann is all I need for now.
@@jacksp8de trust me when I say most things are straight marketing.
Sure we can get crazy conversion and more and more features.
At the end of the day people have been making amazing music with much much less.
Only reason to ever upgrade anything anymore is because it’s no longer supported or you’re trying to go full atmos mixing. Other than that meh.
Thank you for spending so much time to put this comparison together. What is the song you are using to demo the interfaces?
@@karabinerstudios You’re welcome! Thats one of my songs Fury Road
th-cam.com/video/ESCflwHZKas/w-d-xo.html
Finally I made a decision , I’m getting the Apollo twin X Quad Heritage . I was thinking about this for 2 weeks . Was going against the RME due to all the good reviews but for the first interphase I think the Apollo will due great. Only making rap music anyway .
@@younggkush I think that’s a good choice. If you’re mainly a recording artist, Apollo is the way. Get the Gen 2. Also use this link, and I get a little piece. www.zzounds.com/a--3979345/item--UADAPTWINXQUDG2E?siid=360407
I was skeptical that the Neumann was gonna sound that good over even apogee. But dang. The detail! 😦
Yeah I was too, but I kept the Neumann and sold the apogee lol
I 've had all the brands. Apollo is the king❤❤❤ Apollo is THE BEST EVER❤❤❤❤
Yup!I love the Apollo workflow and plugins. They are like the Apple of the music world. Thanks for watching!
Apogee Symphony Dsktop WOW⭐️🎤🔥💁🏾♂️
Apogee is 🔥 Thanks for watching!
the wife test is amazing
@@waltervenicio4790 😂 I thank her because she was busy. I pulled her into my shenanigans lol
Thank you for the review but RME UCX II is the best, for quality sound and chanels versus price, no doubts. Just think in this: 20 Chanel in/ 20 Chanels out; 8 analog in/8 out. MIDI port, 1 ADAT I/o , 1 SPDIF I/o, 2 MICS, 2 Lines inputs, 1 world clock, 1 sprig in/out, and more. You can record, guitar, bass, battery, synths and vocal chorus without any problem. You can work stand alone without computer or if you want with your USB out to OC or Mac. You can record all your tracks in a USB stand alone 2 TB device. Do you want Equalizer, Room FX Mix? You have it. Do you want remote control with tablet or phone? You have it. You can add extra remote controller ARC USB if you want it. The drivers are for all your life, if you have to change your computer, RME will give you support. The latency is 0 in RME, no jitter problems.
@@ricardopineda8224 I agree. It has so many features, that I won’t really use. if I had a lot of synths maybe. All I record is vocals and maybe one synth every now and then.
@@jacksp8de You don't necessarily need to record synthesizers or organs. Tomorrow, when your studio grows and you need to record drums, guitars, bass, MPC, backing vocals and other instruments, you wouldn't need to buy another interface. When you change your computer in five years, the RME will continue to work you will get the drivers for and other equipment will not. Anyway, the Apollo is great. Thanks for answering and for your work you have very good videos. Have a happy new year.
@@ricardopineda8224 Right well I use the MT48 connected to the Apollo for more I/O lm loving it. Thanks for the kind words. Happy New years bro.
If you use a lot of tube mics and tube compressors, the RME and Neumann are ideal. If you record with bright modern mics, maybe Apogee is the choice.
@@jerdonsbabbler3515 interesting. What made you come to this conclusion?
@ I think because, to my ears, tube mics and tube compressors are a little slower; like there is a fraction of a second “bloom” to the sound, and a slight chestiness compared to solid state. I like to match a C800 with a V72 or a U47 with an AEA or Millenia sometimes. Sort of best of both worlds. For instance, if I’m recording an upright bass, I often use a Rode Classic (tube) into an AMEK 9098 preamp, OR a FET 47 into a GT Vipre. (The Vipre is especially useful with slew rate.) Of course, my focus here is on mics and preamps. For converters, I’m not sure if the same metrics apply. But I will say that RME and Lynx converters have a fast kind of glint to them, to my ears, compared to the rounder sounding Apogee or Burl. All that could just be the way I hear things, of course. Happy recording and Merry Christmas!
@@jerdonsbabbler3515 Thanks for the response, I was genuinely curious. I thought you were going to say the RME and Neumann are more transparent so the harmonics of the tube mic is more noticeable. My favorite is actually the apogee for recording but I can't afford the Special Edition symphony just yet. The Neumann is amazing as well so I'm using that with my tf51 and Atlantis going through the Newton channel. Sounds amazing.
@ The Newton is the channel strip sweet spot:) My friend just brought one over. Saving for one. My gear is mostly old stuff from studio close-outs, lovingly abused!
For me the winner is Neumann MT48. Hope to get it soon!!!
You’ll most likely love it. It’s what I chose although I use it with the Apollo
@@jacksp8de what about the Antelope Discrete 4 Pro, have you already compared the sound? I think the Neumann is in another category but Antelope is $1K less
@@YOLO-pj3hh No I never had an Antelope. Ive heard they have a great sound. They had software issues though so IDK if that's fixed.
I dropped Apollo for RME, but I also wanted to go to PC, so RME and their drivers were the only choice.
Yeah Windows and RME seem to get along from what I hear. I’ve been on Macs for 15 years
Bro you jive flowing. Need you on one my tracks..
Thanks man! Send me something!
@@jacksp8de coming your way bro. I’ll email you bro
thanks for video!!!
RME is the best....
- neutral conversion "as it is",
- best routing\mixer software,
- best driver and support of all time.
- (!!!) best round-trip latency performance (2 or 3 times better than any competitor!) - you can track real-time in daw with plugins with small buffer size without any problem (!!!) - thats why with RME you do not need any "built-in" (aka UAD) plugins.
- i know that people dont like RME just because it doesnt have this "fancy vibe look" and "feel" ... but honestly it's just in our mind... technically RME is much better than other interfaces.
- you forgot to notice room and headphone correction feature on RME
(its so important for serious mixing and production)
thanks man! good luck!
with love, from Russia!
sorry for my funny English))
Thanks for the info! It was just so deep and I didn't have enough time with it. Thanks for watching!
@@jacksp8de thank you!
i forgot to mention one more point about RME - its clock technology is much much better than anything else. SteadyClockFS. Most of other interfaces use generic "okay" clock)) quality of clock is so important for conversion and sync)
I downloaded the files.. Ran the vocals through a bit of processing. The apogee sounds best. Trust. I will be switching because it had the most character which is most important. Like it sounds like MUSIC!!! The others are just so clean and surgical it takes away from the musicality.
@@ElReyStevonOfficial Dope! I agree! The apogee preamps are my favorite. Although I really love the MT48. I’m curious how you processed those vocals. Let me know if you can send them
@@jacksp8de sure thing whats the email?
@@jacksp8de sure thing whats the email?
If you want the pro sound where everything will be as good as possible, then you get, RME AES/ADAT card to give you the latency, and even clock your system, it is the best, then use Burl audio for AD conversion, and use either a Mytek or Dangerous for D/A on your playback system, the Neumann will give you a monitoring system as well and its future proof with AES 67. In this 4 converters, Neumann is hands down the best, the depth of the image is incredible, you can also mono the signal so you can see the difference,very handy. Apogee has very good sound, it always has had it and with a Mac is flawless. You also are getting sick ass mic pre on the Neumann, Rme in third place and Apollo in last. The higher end Rme the two channel AD is incredible, so they can make better converters, its matter of price. The industry is in a bad shape with converters, they are all using AKM chips or some hifi chips, only the high folks are pushing the boundary of sound, the Burls, Cranesong, Lavery, Prism, Neumann/Merging technologies.
Thanks for watching! I’m coming from a music producer and artist perspective, not necessarily a engineer so the Apollo is the best for my workflow and I think it sounds good enough. The gen 2 is supposed to be better. But yeah the MT48 is on another level. The RME I tried was good but liked the sound of the Apollo not because it was better but I just like the color.
The Apollo hands down!!! It just has the overall quality that the others are lacking. The Apogee comes in second for sure.
@@shadowchaos288 OK I can dig it. I like the Apollo for the workflow.
Thank you for this Video, you're Thorough .
You’re welcome, thanks for watching brother
Awesome video with lots of information. Great deal of effort and work went into it. Highly appreciated 🙌🏾.
Glad you enjoyed. Thanks for watching!
Your audio comparison isn't using the same vocal take or mic placement across all samples, so it's difficult to determine which one is better :/
The limitations of this type of test are many. I’m not super techy but I gave it shot. Thanks for watching!
I love the Apogee. I've compared it pretty extensively against the Apollo and some against thr Neumman, but the biggest difference to me is the highs and lows. The Apogee doesnt hype them like the Apollo does and gives a more true to life sound. When I do the car test now, I pretty much hear exactly what I heard in the studio.
@@outlawedbeats Yeah the Apollo has more forward midrange. The apogee has that clarity for sure but still has a warmness. Very pleasant to listen to for a long time.
The Neumann sounds nice!!! Followed by the Symphony and Apollo. It's a toss up between those two for me. The Rme was my least favorite. I have an Apollo X 6 and I love it. I have a Newton channel and the Atlantis also. Dope content Bro.
Yup! You have the same vocal chain I got and yeah man the sound is so good. I do like the preamps on the Apogee better but the Apollo user experience is hard to let go.
@@jacksp8de Facts 💯
My two choices are the apogee symphony to Neumann mt48 as far as sound quality goes. Id go with the Neumann for the features and more I/o than the symphony.
Thanks for watching! I sold the Apogee and I regret it. I’m realizing it has my favorite preamps
@@jacksp8de i told you you would, im still rocking the symphony , returned the mt48. Apogee to me was best bargain when it was on sale.
@@Lanatemusic Yeah that Apogee is fire. I may get another one but I like the mt48 a lot more now though. Sounds good with the Newton Channel
@@arirahimzadehthat’s what I’m currently using. On my channel my latest single “you inspire me “ was tracked with the symphony and u87 mixed on my genelecs. Turned out crazy
RME no doubt at all. More I/O, never fails, drivers works rock solid, good sound quality, DSP (comps, eq, rev, delay). You can map and route it however you need. Great conversion. I have one from 2010, still works perfectly, still receive firmware updates from RME. No doubt in my opinion…
I respect it man. Gotta give it up for being reliable and hella flexible. It’s deeper but seems more complex. I imagine all RME users have androids lol
@@jacksp8de hahaha lol. Great video, bro.
@@WilSantanaMusic Thanks 🙏🏾
I think the new generation 2 Apollos might change your mind. I did sell my black Thunderbolt 2 Apollo and Focusrite Octopre and replaced them with two new Gen 2 Apollo x8s. Couldn’t be happier and I get to keep my plugins
Nice! Yeah that’s a bigger step up than from Gen 1, but I plan on trying them out soon
The discontinued Clarett 8PreX (if you can find one) Is the best Audio interface for the money on the market. Reason being is because focusrite made a mistake and put converters that belong on a 3k audio interface on the output of the 8preX 😳 Now why did they do this? 🤷♂️ But its a little secret thats known in the audio world 😊
Interesting. Thanks for sharing that info. I was gonna get an octo pre to expand my I/o
Universal Audio will always be my go to as well bro! Lot of flack coming from folks but they stick around for a reason.
Facts! They got staying power because the user experience is great.
Can you measure the SINAD of the analog in and outs of the four interfaces so that we can get an objective ranking of how good the sound is?
@@AlbinoTigerBarb I don’t really get that technical. This is more of a surface level overview.
All of these are going to sound great. The Neumann clearly has the edge on conversions with RME and Apogee closely behind it. When i went from my Apollo Twin X to my now RME UCXii there was a DRASTIC difference in clarity. I dont think the Twin X has the exact same conversion as the X4 though. I believe X4 is a dual path or something. Either way, RME is known for being transparent. Not adding or removing anything. That said some people perceive that as sterile or cold. Its what i want personally. Havent used Apogee. The Apollo workflow just wasnt for me even though i love the plugins. RME and TotalMix is my absolute jam. At this pricepoint honestly its all about which workflow you prefer.
@@LaminarSound yep it’s cool that we have all of these choices. RME wasn’t for me but the sound was good. I do hip hop so I like the harmonic distortion of Apollo but I switched to the MT48 because it just sounds so damn good but still keeping the Apollos for I/O and the console workflow.
i use Neumann MT48.. For me BEST😍
@@cubaseman1487 Love the sound! Thanks for watching!
They all sound great with slight differences.
Most of the time the interface doesnt matter as you just want a clean signal with fast transfer and good conversion which most modern interfaces have. I would just get a uad volt with kali monitors instead of breaking the bank over minuscule differences personally 🤷♂️
I'm not mad at that. You have to do whats right for you. I make an income with music so I invest for high quality gear, because it makes my job easier. If it was a hobby I'd be fine with a much cheaper interface.
WOW I AM SURPRISE, I HAVE APOLO X4 GOOD. HONESTLY THE 1st WINNER HIRE IS THE NEUMANN MT48 HAVE MORE CLEAR SOUND PRESENCE AND THE 2nd SYNPHONE. 3rd APOLO X4, 4th RME, this what i ear and feel in my Dr.Dre beatpro monster.
I agree! Thanks for watching!
They’re all amazing for the studio… if you work live a lot - RME is supreeeme
Cool thanks for watching!
I totally agree when you said there is no best. It depends on what you are looking for. Does it serve the purpose that you need to finish your production? They’re all great upgrades from the lower budget interfaces and some of those are even good but it’s definitely a difference when you step up you can do more things you can bring your outboard gear into effect and things like that. Also, some of these interfaces like the Apollo, you can use your plug-ins in real time I can only imagine what the step over these would be like.
Yes the cork sniffing is really not necessary. I just went down a rabbit hole and wanted to know for myself. The x4 won for me because I have an X6 to pair it with so I can use outboard gear. If I was purely recording and wanted to be minimal I would actually go for the apogee because you can bypass the mic pre and the conversion is amazing
Tive oportunidade de comparar a conversão A/D e D/A de uma Apogee Essemble versus RME Fireface 800, e achei a RME com a qualidade de conversão superior. Um equívoco com este teste, comparando estas interfaces, é que somente a RME tem entradas diretas para os conversores. Nas demais, você é obrigado a passar por um circuito de pré amplificação de nivel de linha, que afeta a sonoridade do sinal que está entrando na interface
Thanks for the information! I went line in into the preamp with the RME so technically it should bypass the pre. I am also able to bypass the pre on the Symphony Desktop and it sounds much better to me. Also the Symphony Desktop has more updated conversion compared to the Ensemble by the way.
RME for the win imho. I'm not gonna get sold on peer pressure and glitzy glamour......the stability on RME baby face pro FS makes me appreciate it EVERY.SINGLE.DAY
Hope someday I have the money to afford the UCX ii or III in the near/distant future
That’s cool! Thanks for watching!
Symphony was the most musical. RME did sound a bit "sharp". Neumann was boring sounding- albeit accurate (just like their monitors)
Used to be an Apollo twin user. I rock with BLA now. Great for the $
@@skennymane Yes good points! Thanks for watching.
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RME and Apogee are great, have very similar conversion. But this Neumann MT48 is insane, what is this stereo image?
Neumann MT48 sounds less wide but so much more depth. RME, Apogee & Apollo sounds 2d in comparision
Where do you see MIDI IN/OUT on the MT48 ?
@@al8xandros the back but you need an adapter
@ thank you, do you know if through the MIDI in you can control the standalone mixer console or is it only through their console app ? I would like to map some controller and use that for live situations.
@ I don’t use midi or mixers so I have no idea
RME every single time. I'm using my RME Hdspe AIO over 15 years now with zero problems. I'm also a user of the RME UCX II and it's the best in class and beats a lot of 4-5k products.
Yeah RME is super solid. Wasn’t for me but I respect it. Thanks for watching 🙏🏾
Personally i use a fireface ufx+ which is waaaaay more than id ever need but i got it for the low its got incredible sound quality. The only drawback to rme is the total mix software. Its a nightmare to learn and theres been a couple times where i just plug in the focusrite 8i8 to do something simple like a zoom call because total mix makes me wanna pull my hair out
@@parkavenue6006 See that’s what I felt when I looked at it for the first time. I’m like nah I’m not doing this. I don’t care if I can hear God’s voice through that interface 😂 I don’t understand why they just don’t redesign it to be more user friendly. They would get so many more users.
@jacksp8de precisely
Edit- that's God's voice part got me rollin 😂
I am an RME guy. Got a UFX+ and a Babyface pro FS. I mainly went with REI for the rock solid drivers and I know that we support my interfaces for 20+ years. And when you’re spending $3000 for an interface, that’s the way it should be. The fact that it sounds good is icing on top of the cake for me. And they keep on giving me stuff like the new room option and total mix FX.
@@darkmaer yes that’s awesome. I’m the kind of person that likes to upgrade to check out the newest things but I can appreciate that RMEs will last longer than my car lol
RME is the boss vocals symmetry and are upfront and kind tight
@@Te-BiL I agree but also it felt a little less organic. Thanks for watching!
@@jacksp8de I appreciate it great content you did👊
@@Te-BiL 🫡 Salute to you!
I’m a RME Fireface guy myself
Respect. 🫡
Agree on total mix for RME. I had no problem with my FF800 hardware years ago, great quality. But the TotalMix was so small and dark and busy. I didn’t really get it, and avoided it as much as possible.
Yeah it’s like RME was made by nerdy engineers for nerdy engineers.
@@jacksp8deidk bruh it took me an hour to figure out total mix and I’m the opposite of a square….that shit basic as hell….and I know im probably not getting the most out of it but I’m only recording vocals thru logic and pro tools so it was nothing
@@dollamanhomie Dope. I guess the look of it turned me off mostly. After coming from UAD it threw me off. One of the homies swears by RME so I know it’s a good interface even if not for me
I have an RME and I love it. When first listeningen to it, I thought the sound was "thin", but that is because it is so clean as it has extremly low harmonic distortion. It is also very flat also in the high frequency range, which may make you think it has too much of it.
The other interfaces have varying degrees of extra harmonic distortion and as this is what we are used to listening to in modern music, I assume this is the reason you liked the sound of the other intefaces more.
If you record with the RME, you will have to add extra harmonic distortion later during mixing to get to the sound of modern music. With RME you get almost 0 harmonic distortion from the interface, so you can pick any type of saturation you like. Or leave it out completely for that extra clean and crispy sound. Your choise.
@@BengtSkogvall I recorded through a Neve Newton channel with silk so there was harmonics. It didn’t sound bad or anything. They all sound good, I just prefer the others. I like the apogee pres the best. RME is does have less color. I enjoy the coloration of the Apogee. It also has the lowest noise based on loop back testing that I’ve seen on other channels. Thanks for watching.
Exactly what I was thinking the RME is the best sounding interface with the apollo in my opinion the transients on the other interfaces doesn't sound smooth
@@nils2660 you gotta hear the others in person the apogee is super smooth, the MT48 is sharp but super clean, and you can change the filter in it and other choices are smoother. It has 4 settings
@@jacksp8de I know all of them it's a clear difference for me
@@nils2660 That’s what’s up! Appreciate the input
I am RME boy , buuut here i like Apogee's sound ))) Cleaner , Softer , and Warmer . if its real comparsion )))
Yeah Apogees preamps are amazing. Thanks for watching
No one is talking about how great his rap and punch is 🔥. Man please keep making music, we need more of your songs. I will be checking it out streams. By the way have uiu tried antelope zen q and zen Quadro? Please check them out
Thanks man!! I do it more for fun and branding purposes but comments like yours definitely make me want to take it more serious. I haven't tried any antelope stuff. Maybe I'll get something in. I want to try the rack mounted one.
@@jacksp8de wow, that's cool to hear, please take the music serious, you are too good to let it waste. I know sometimes the process will wanna make us feel like it's too late but just keep dropping and add some promo to it too. You good for 💪🏾🔥🔥
I appreciate that! I plan to release more just so I can show my audience how it’s done. I just been focused on other things but I’m a student of business and marketing. I wear a lot of hats. Im into film music and comedy as well. I’m a jack spade of all trades. Thanks for the encouragement though. I needed to hear this.