why so little xlrs on interfaces?

[iris186]

Hey all,

Tryin to figure out what interface to buy and such - upgrading from a disgracefully buggy fasttrack pro (never m-audio again!!)

Anywho, ive a band with 3 vocalists, (I wish I could say there was a lead vocalist, but there really isnt) and your average interface with ok preamps has just 2 xlr inputs - so sorta stuck!

Its actually not THAT important - the 3 vocalist thing - but just trying to wrap my head around something - the amount of xlr to balanced trs inputs ratio. What mics do you normally relegate to balanced trs? Everything apart from vocals? Does it mean youre never allowed use condenser mics in balanced inputs? Would you ever run vocals through a balanced trs input? Would the differences be too great recording 2 vocals through 2 xlr inputs, and 1 through balanced inputs?

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated
Thanks!

[J-man]

Just overdub one of the vocalists, or if they're singing harmonies have them share a mic.

[JosephB]

my interface only has one xlr input and one 1/4'' in, so what i do is plug my mics into the mixer and then go from the mixer headphone jack into the 1/4" with a guitar cable...i do it for vocals, acoustic guitars, drums...anything that requires multiple mics.

As archaic as it sounds...it works out pretty darn well.

[Tim Armstrong]

Decent mic preamps cost money, so the less expensive gear has fewer of them...

Tim

[woodman]

0verdubbing the third part is the simplest solution, but the mixer approach has worked well for me too. the biggest challenge to get rolling with a home studio is finding creative ways to work around the limitations of your gear — there are always trade-offs, but if the results are good, no worries, right?

[Old Cane]

Yeah, you're not quite thinking it through like a rich guy, are ya? Buy a bigger, more expensive one is the answer you need.

But seriously folks, most of us record one or two instruments at a time and vocals one at a time most of the time. If you need more, get more. Stupid deal of the day yesterday was the tascam rack unit with usb and 8 preamps plus 6 lines in for $299. Lots of similar units around the $400 mark. In my opinion the next step up would be the RME fireface and from there I like the prism orpheous. So, from about $400 to over $4000. Just pick one with more. Don't worry about what the "average" unit comes with. Get one that works for you.

[Tim Armstrong]

Heck, my answer for situations when I want/need to record a bunch of tracks simultaneously was to get a couple M-Audio Delta 1010lt soundcards and use a mixer (an old Yamaha) that has aux outs from each channel. Pretty good-sounding mic preamps for cheap...

I can record up to 16 tracks simultaneously, theoretically...

Tim

[Ben Harmless]

Of course, the other answer is that the most affordable interfaces are USB, and while some units exploit full USB 2.0 bandwidth, the cheaper ones can really only do two tracks of I/O before they start running into problems.

Also worth considering is that some of the interfaces without XLR inputs are designed that way in order for you to take advantage of a quality external mic preamp instead of jamming a budget preamp into the package and forcing users into paying for something that isn't what they're looking for.

Personally, if I were looking for the best possible results, I'd go for a unit with line inputs, and use one of the various preamps I've picked up used and cheap along the way.