4 mic input

Good People, can anyone recommend a decent 4 mic input digital interface for a macbook pro?

Any help appreciated!
Anne

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I fear you might end up paying quite a bit for a digital interface with that many inputs. Do you really need them as dedicated separate inputs or could you make do with a cheap Mackie mixer that mixes 4 inputs down to a single channel for recording?

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I fear you might end up paying quite a bit for a digital interface with that many inputs. Do you really need them as dedicated separate inputs or could you make do with a cheap Mackie mixer that mixes 4 inputs down to a single channel for recording?

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thanks for chiming in, Groove!

Yes, i really DO want 4 separate inputs for 4 separate tracks.
I'm seeing some possibilities with Tascam and Behringer...

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just a few links really quick - please check notions of iOS support:

https://www.thomann.de/gb/steinberg_ur44.htm?offid=1&affid=209

https://www.thomann.de/gb/focusrite_scarlett_18i8_2nd_gen.htm?offid=1&affid=209

get something with decent pre-amps and A-D converters, spending 300-400 bucks on such a device is really not too much IMO - of course you may spend way more, too :)

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thanks for your input, Dick - I'm betting you know what you're talking about.
:)
Appreciate the helpful pointers, Guys - thanks so much.

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Another alternative would actually be to buy a dedicated digital recorder such as the Zoom R16 which has 8 inputs and is in the $300 region. It will interface with most DAW software.

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Thanks so much for the help, both of you. I'm such an old dog learning new tricks - these pointers save me of time and anguish. I appreciate it.

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I've got the Focusrite Scarlett that Dick recommends, it's a great trouble free unit, the only downside is that it is a bit big. I'd recommend Focusrite over Steinberg for the Mac, since Steinberg always takes ages to update its drivers when a new version of MacOS comes around, whereas Focusrite uses native MacOS drivers, which don't need updating.

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This. Ensure the device supports Apple's Core Audio. It's proven, works out-of-the-box and is, to me, faultless.

You could also consider second-hand interfaces. If they support the discontinued Firewire connectivity (which is why they're often cheaper), Macs support them via an adapter cable into one of the Thunderbolt ports. My 8-in Terratec Phase88 device I record my drums with (I use 7 inputs concurrently) is a Firewire 800 machine which I connect via the Thunderbolt port and a Firewire-Thunderbolt adapter (OK, that cost me £25). It has never caused me any problems or any latency issues. I paid £95 for the interface second-hand from a chap on Basschat...

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Thank you, Johannes and Martin for chiming in with your perspective. But now of course I see this is a 2-part question. Now that I'm more clear on the first question, what to connect it to must surely be my next question. My macbook pro is a dinosaur from mid 2010 using Logic, so that will most likely not survive the upgrade. Are any of the 4 of you using a macbook pro? And would you lay some specs on me? I appreciate your brain sharing through this painful interlude. :)

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I've got a 2009 Macbook Pro for recording in my Hammond studio, no problem at all. I did not upgrade the OS any further than El Capitan, but did max out the memory an put in a SSD, running really well. I don't think you'll have any problems running Logic X on your Macbook, or if you feel it is a bit sluggish up the RAM and put in an SSD if you did not do that yet.
If you do want to get new hardware, I'm very pleased with my 2014 Mac Mini, 16GB RAM, 128/1T fusion drive which I use for recording at home with the Focusrite, but any newer Mac or Macbook should be just fine.

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thanks, Jo - you are giving me Hope.....

:)

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My Mac is a early 2015 MacBook Pro Retina. It's the last of the MBPs before the facelift where they annoyingly took just about every port off the machines!

The latest MBPs only have USB-C ports on them so I can't vouch for their interoperability.

The era of MBP I have is the last of the ones before Apple really changed them round. It has a quad core processor, 256 SSD and 16GB of RAM and has no problem running the latest MacOS (Sierra). It has two USB-3 ports and two Thunderbolt ports on it. I use Reaper to record with. It's a lot cheaper than the £200 for Logic but if that's what you're used to, it may be worth sticking with.

As said above, your machine is able to have drives changed, RAM upgraded etc whereas you can't do that on mine. It may work but, off the top of my head, I'm not sure if your era machine can take advantage of an SSD being put in it - I'll look around for the answers. There is no benefit to putting an SSD in a machine if it physically can't take advantage of its speed.

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Thanks for helping me navigate this treacherous path, Martin.......

:)

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I have the Focusrite Scarlett 18i8 interface!
I am very satisfied with the device! Good quality for that price!

Cheers,

Marc

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Looks like I'll have to upgrade my laptop to System 10.10.
What computer do you use, Marc?

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I use a windows laptop with a large screen connected!
Windows 10 is installed, got a i7 processor and 16 gig of ram. works good!

I only use it for music and edditing some video's for work!

My DAW is Cubase 9. A strong processor and enough RAM is great to have on a computer but when the specs are a bit lower it will still work and do the trick good enough!

Cheers and good luck with your new gear!

Marc

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Great system and great Keys player 👍

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Nothing beats RME for homerecording,specs are way above the competition.
https://www.thomann.de/gb/rme_madiface_pro.htm

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