The first thing you should know about hardware audio interfaces is that they do not have any type of speakers! They mostly transmit audio in such a way that you cannot hear yourself talk or play music from Spotify! Audio interfaces usually have multiple inputs and outputs. For example, you have the input/output connected to your computer, you might have another input for instruments and suchlike. Unlike input/outputs that you find in all other family of devices, audio interfaces will usually do you no good if you don’t have a computer nearby, to process any of your audio information. Key takeaway: An audio interface should provide you with everything you could possibly need, sound/music. But do not get excited and start spending your money on headphones because this is neither useful nor necessary! The second thing you should know about hardware audio interfaces is that they are quite different and offer many possibilities. Firstly, there are the ones that are integrated into the computer system and do not need any external device to work. They can transmit audio in stereo or quadraphonic (24-bit/96kHz) or 8-bit/48kHz (your computer will reconstruct the waveform from the analog audio source). Secondly, you can find hardware audio interfaces that are workstation-oriented (like STOMP) or that only work with some DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) and can connect to your computer directly (card-less). And before we go further, here is the cover of our mentioned DAW, Audacity. Now let’s see the main differences between them.

The Mac OS is a UNIX-based Operating System that runs on IBM-compatible Personal Computers (usually called PCs), beginning with the Mac’s earliest form in 1984. Among their other distinguishing traits, Mac OS was designed and implemented to make all computing “user friendly”, so that non-technical users could easily understand what was going on under the hood and could fix the computer when it was not behaving the way it should. Key takeaway: Based on the Mac OS, Mac audio interfaces are OS-agnostic. Arguably, Apple’s M1 Mac desktop chipset features the best CPU hardware I have ever used, with an absolutely gorgeous 16 Core (32 Thread) CPU, and 32 GB of RAM, all in a compact design. Thank you, Apple! Apart from the hidden cost of increased power consumption, the 16 Core architecture also derails some of macOS’ most innovative features. In macOS Big Sur, Apple announced their rendering engine and unified audio unit. You could also choose between Intel or Apple-designed integrated graphics. Last but not least, macOS Big Sur introduced widgets on the home screen, something unheard of before. The Mac OS X was due for a refreshe. Apple announced their first attempt at an ARM CPU. The third generation of the A-series chips called A14 exhibited astonishingly fast and efficient performance aplenty for its relatively modest 6 core configuration.

There are numerous aspects of audio production that require professional audio interface choices. Perhaps most obvious are tools for monitoring and composing such as professional mixers and vocalists, as well as live sound support for processing drums, live instruments, and microphones, as well as vocal monitoring and enhancement. There are also audio post production and mixing practice applications essential for achieving professional quality recordings and mixing, as well as monitoring Bluetooth headphones and hearing loops on computers. Key takeaway: There are countless audio interface choices, and even among these, there are variations that rely on what kind of input devices you have and how you use them, as well as the kind of data you ingest into them. Setting up an audio interface is not as difficult as it looks like. I use the multi-core and hyperthreaded Intel Mac Air I built right after receiving my MBA as my daily driver as my desktop workhorse at home, and find it capable of sound editing and mixing without breaking a sweat, as well as performing benchmarking, testing and diagnostics for critical audio and music production tasks.

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