Pre-sales enquiry: UR824 Dynamic Range

Steinberg Hardware
1

Hi

I am new to recording and still trying to decide between the Steinberg UR824 and an MOTU unit.

Can anyone tell me if the dynamic range of the UR824 will be suitable for B and C tuned heavy guitars? MOTU units have a greater dynamic range, but to be honest I am not knowledgeable enough to know if this is relevant to me. I just don’t want any sound quality restrictions if I spend $$$ on an interface.

The other strange UR824 omission is a MIDI input. I guess people have worked around that with a connector without any side-effects…?

Any advice is appreciated prior to my purchase. Thanks.

2

I experience the steinbergs UR pre-amps as very very good, also the ADDA conversion is really good (compared it to RME and found very little differences).

What do you mean by that the dynamic range of the motu is bigger?

I used a usb capable midi keyboard, but also have a midiman 2x2 for midi connectivity.

3

Hi - many thanks for your reply.

Regarding the dynamic range, the UR824 is listed as having a dynamic range of 105 dB (A-weighted), whereas the lesser UR models are listed at 101 dB (A-weighted).

The MOTU Ultralite, in comparison, has dynamic ranges listed at 110 dB (line input, A-weighted) and 112 dB (mic input, A-weighted). They are larger than the UR series.

http://www.motu.com/products/avb/ultralite-avb/specs.html

I am just trying to figure out if this actually matters all that much…or only for some recording styles/genres…or specific instruments at specific tunings??

I am leaning towards Steinberg due to Cubase integration but I would like to understand this technical aspect before I proceed.

Thoughts are appreciated.

4

The difference between 105dB and 110dB is very small, even if you compress the crap out of your tracks.

5

Ok, remember that not all manufacturers are truth full about their measurements (there are many ways to calculate and measure the dynamic range), I’ve read that there are many ways to measure dynamic range like rms values etc etc. As I understand that comparison these values between manufacturers isn’t telling the whole truth.

6

OK sounds like the difference is negligible; and sounds like overall the UR824 processing is professional standard (unless anyone wants to interject here…). Sounds like a pretty good option for me. I really appreciate you all taking the time to write an answer.

I plan to use it with Windows 7 x64. Hopefully that is all good (interject here too if I am wrong!).

Thanks.