I’m having trouble deciding between a Focusrite 4i4 4th gen and a Behringer UMC 404, or possibly the 1820 for additional outs. Would anyone who has used both care to share their experiences?
I would like to keep my budget under 300. I have a MacBook Pro with an M2 and two Thunderbolt/USBc ports.
Ideally, I would like 6-8 outs: a click, mono bass, stereo drums, and stereo keys, but I could live with 4 outs and sum the drums and keys to a single stereo out if need be.
I have looked through the forums, but I’m still undecided and have some concerns. Namely, that the Behringer is in my price range, and the 1820 would have the outs - but I’m a bit worried about the build quality and the stability. More importantly, I am curious about the latency between the two for playing VSTs - i.e., is there a noticeable difference between the Behringers and the Focusrites? I know a lot of people love the scarlett’s— I’m curious as to how they compare?
I’ve used both. I like the Scarlett, because it’s small and it’s power comes from the usb port, so less cables. I like the umc1820, because it has lots of inputs and outputs, and it’s built very sturdy (19”). But it has an external power adapter.
The latency of both units is comparable and both are stable.
I stopped using the Scarlett 4i4, because it burned it’s (inbuilt) power circuitry. I hope that that’s exemplary.
Thanks Frank - stable and good latency - thats what I wanted to hear. I appreciate the recommendation. I was a bit worried about the Behringers because of the feedback and comments on several YouTube videos, but they are older, and it’s a mature unit now - I assume the issues have been worked out. I appreciate you taking the time.