I’m on my second Focusrite Scarlett 18i6 interface and it continues to cause problems on my system. I regularly have to close cubase and restart to get audio. When computer goes to sleep it doesn’t wake up with the audio working and a host of other problems. Support with the device has been less than mediocre at best.
Can anyone recommend a rock solid audio interface similar to this one but actually works? Some multi-track recording capabilities would be nice as i sometimes jam with some friends and record multiple tracks.
I had a number of audio cards. Reading your post I can recall exactly why I dumped Focusrite. A LOT to be disliked on Focusrite, that device is really pain in the @$$. For me, UR44 is rock solid. Now, you mention 18i6, and I had 6i6. That was supposed to be an ASIO interface, and ASIO was the main problem with 6i6.
How much do you want to spend? I have 2 Aurora 16s with pcie …best sounding card I’ve ever had. Heck…best I’ve ever heard even. But sir…it ain’t cheap!
Anything by RME and you’ll never need to worry again. Been there, done that; all the messing about with dodgy drivers is simply not worth it, and doesn’t even make economic sense if you add up all the money and time wasted on lesser cards. RME have the best drivers, period.
Love my UR44 - preamps sound pristine, two powerful headphone outputs with individual mixing options (giving a singer headphone reverb for instance) can’t fault it. My headphones are quite hard to drive and yet this manages with ease.
So far no driver issues at all - it just works. Built in DSP (no lag) effects useful when tracking but perhaps not as good as dedicated plug ins for mix. Nice sturdy metal case - what’s not to like?
I’ve had issues with the PC USB ports shutting down to save energy after “x” time. Any device connected to those ports was essentially disconnected. Not sure this is your problem but may be something to look into
I’ve owned (actually still own) RME Multiface and MOTU 2408, though they are just collecting dust. RME was rock solid and frankly you likely can’t go wrong with MOTU either. Currently I own and use the Lynx Aurora 8 which I recommend for both stability and sound. But be prepared to spend $$$$ on the unit itself, interface card and specialty cabling. I can’t comment on the Focusrite as I have never owned any of their interfaces.
For decades, I’ve owned many audio interfaces and used them in many PC and Mac builds across many DAWs: my two Focusrite Saffire Pro 40’s are the most stable and trouble-free I’ve had.
