Oops...just ordered something that might be silly

digitalscream

One of these:

http://www.thomann.de/gb/behringer_umc404hd.htm

Having sold the Eleven Rack, I still need an interface...didn't want to spend much, though, because later in the year I'll be upgrading significantly (most likely something by MOTU, or perhaps an ADAT-based rig). This seemed like a good compromise, and I thought I'd try it out to see if Behringer can genuinely make some decent kit in this area - it also seems like it might be class-compliant, which would be a massive bonus 'cos I'd be able to use it in Linux too.

I don't hold out much hope for on-board DSP or driver features, though.

Anybody tried one?

(yes, I realise that would probably have been a good question before buying it)

IanSavage

Birthday present to yourself? looks pretty much like their take on the M-Audio Quad, which is a decent bit of kit - hopefully work out for ya!
 

digitalscream

IanSavage said:

Birthday present to yourself? looks pretty much like their take on the M-Audio Quad, which is a decent bit of kit - hopefully work out for ya!
 

Something like that Actually, I had to sell the 11R because I just need the money at the moment 'cos of a few disasters, so I needed a cheap interface for recording demos.

It could also be a copy of the Akai EIE Pro, or the Tascam US-1200, or...you get the idea I know it's not the ideal way to choose an interface, but the XLR outs are a handy touch because it means I don't have to fart around with cabling since the 11R also uses XLR out.

I really wanted a Tascam US-1800 - there were a couple on eBay yesterday for £150, but they've gone now. Bloody annoying.

equalsql

Oooh, I'm well interested to see how you get on with this. What DAW are you using?

I'm looking to be able to record with up to 4 mics at the same time into Reaper, so this looks like a cost effective solution.

digitalscream

equalsql said:

Oooh, I'm well interested to see how you get on with this. What DAW are you using?

I'm looking to be able to record with up to 4 mics at the same time into Reaper, so this looks like a cost effective solution.

Yep, I'm using Reaper too Once it's here, I'll do some test clips - single mic, 4 mics, direct-from-preamp-with-impulses and perhaps a mixture of those too.

EDIT: Oh, and a DI guitar using Amplitube too. I've had problems with other interfaces in the past where Amplitube picks up a horrible whine around 12kHz (particularly on my old Impact Twin), so I'll be interested to see if that happens here.

digitalscream

@equalsql - it's probably worth considering the UMC404 instead. I only got the HD because the non-HD version is out of stock; the only difference is that the HD one can record at 192kHz (which I don't need), whereas the standard version maxes out at 96kHz (which is fine for me).

equalsql

Thanks for that recommendation @digitalscream, Yep the non hd version is fine for my purposes.. so that will save me a few quid

PolarityMan

Very keen price for 4 mic pre's, would defnitely be interested in how you get on. My portable unit only has 2 which isnt quite enough, I ideally want 4 so i can do overheads plus bass and snare if im doing roughs for drum tracks.

My main rig (which would be portable if i had a laptop that had firewire) is 16 channels so this would sit nicely for me in between the sersious recording and better quality than a zoom hand held recorded type scenarios.

ecc83

The only bit of Behringer kit that I have had that needed proper drivers was the BCA2000 and the drivers were crap. So was the unit for reliability (# 3 still in loft) but when it worked it was excellent.

I shall keep an eye on this thread and if the interface proves even passing decent buy one for son in France.

Dave.

Hertz32

If/when you decide to sell it after you upgrade, can I have dibs? Looks perfect for my needs, and I prefer buying used.

equalsql

I'm really interested to see how it will work in Reaper. Like @ecc83 says, it's probably going to be down to the quality of the ASIO drivers that come with it. 

ecc83

Heh! We are all and often admonished in this and other forums, "Buy cheap, buy twice" or/and "buy the best you can afford".......

But! Don't we ALL just LOVE a bargain?????!!!!

Dave

digitalscream

Spotted a few reports of the UMC404 working fine under Ubuntu with Reaper, which gives me hope that I might be able to get the holy grail (for me) - running Reaper with full recording capability on my main machine without any need to reboot into Windows. Addictive Drums also works under WINE, so this could turn out to be a total winner.

The only potential snag is that I've got the UMC404HD, which doesn't have any reports at all.

digitalscream

Just FYI...completely unrelated to you guys, but I've just managed to get Reaper running under Ubuntu with almost no pain at all. This guide here's the one you want:

https://alexanderstechcorner.wordpress.com/2014/03/24/install-reaper-on-ubuntu-linux/

There's a bit of a gotcha in that you need to log off and on again, and add a couple of lines to a config file (which it doesn't tell you).

Next up...BFD3. If that doesn't work, then it'll have to be Addictive Drums. Here's hoping that @Drew_fx's colleagues behaved themselves when they wrote it, and didn't use any undocumented API calls...

digitalscream

Okay...first observations...

1 - It doesn't come with a UK power supply. Fortunately, it's fine being bus-powered (from a desktop, at least) as far as I can tell, so we're OK there. Otherwise, you'll need to find a 5V, 1000mA adapter from somewhere.

2 - The inputs don't work under Linux (although they do under Windows). Rats.

3 - The outputs do work under Linux, and the quality difference between my motherboard's sound output and this is astonishing. It actually made me switch back and forth to make sure I wasn't imagining things. Clearer, more defined and a vastly improved stereo image.

4 - You don't get drivers in the box; the "manual" (such as it is) says to go to Behringer's site and download them...but none exist on the UMC404HD page. I took a gamble and went to the non-HD page, and downloaded the "All Windows Software" package; it's broken, and won't even open. As a last-ditch effort, I downloaded the latest non-HD driver package on its own - the old version (1.6.x) doesn't work, but the new one (2.3.x) does.

So...bit of a mixed bag so far. Interestingly, the outputs work out of the box on Linux, but absolutely nothing works without the drivers under Windows 7 - the device won't even start.

I'll do some demo clips over the weekend, once I've got all my audio software installed on my the Windows drive of my main machine, which was previously dedicated to Elite: Dangerous.

digitalscream

Oh, and BFD3 actually works pretty well under WINE. There are a couple of GUI issues, particularly with regard to grooves, but audio-wise it's basically flawless.

equalsql

Thanks for the feedback. That's pretty shocking about the windows drivers. I think if I purchase one I'll make sure it's from a place with a good returns policy.

I has been looking at the Tascam 8x8.. but that seems to have driver problems from the reports I've seen

digitalscream

It's worth noting that all of the UMC404 stuff also seems to apply to the UMC404HD - firmware included. I figured I'd risk it to see if there was an update which enabled the inputs in Linux (no dice), but the update that's there includes files marked 192k and the firmware installer does recognise the device perfectly well.

So...if you do get one of these, then this is the page you're looking for:

http://www.behringer.com/EN/Products/UMC404.aspx

digitalscream

Okay, been noodling around with it a bit this evening. More observations...

1 - Latency is reasonably low. 96kHz/256 samples results in latency of 4.3ms each way. I'm pretty happy with that.

2 - It sounds pretty good (to my ears) when running from the effects send of my Soldano to the interface preamp and then using impulses. On a par with the Eleven Rack, I reckon.

3 - I've got a bit of noise creeping in somewhere along the line - there's a low hum in there. Couldn't really experiment much, given that I was trying to do the "silent recording" thing. I'll have more opportunity to test that tomorrow.

4 - It definitely runs perfectly fine recording on all four preamps when powered purely from the USB bus. This is good, because I still can't find that 5V power supply I had kicking around.

equalsql

Thanks for all the feedback so far. Do you find you're getting the hum if using just a single channel?
Just wondering if there's an earth loop coming into play at some point.

PolarityMan

Bummer doesnt work at all on win7? That's me out then.