Get the right Audio Interface for your Macbook, MacBook Pro, Mac Mini, iMac and Mac Pro
There are a few things to watch out for if you have a late model Mac. First, the PCI interfaces are not going to work with any of the Mac Pros, and of course not with any of the Mac Books, Mac Book Pros or iMacs. Today's Mac Pro has a PCIe slot format. This will not work with PCI cards. Most of us would probably not need a Mac PCIe interface. Professionals with high i/o needs may want to go the MOTU PCIe route with a MOTU 24io, and a MOTU 2408 Mk 3. These are for large multi track systems with digital mixers. The Home studio enthusiast has many other options and they are mainly firewire options. That is what we'll mainly focus on here.
Tweak: This is the back of a Tascam FW1884, and audio interface with plenty of i/o. Click the pic to enlarge.
Set up audio devices in Audio MIDI Setup on Mac. Use Audio MIDI Setup to set up audio input and output devices, such as microphones and multichannel audio interfaces. You can also use it to route audio from iOS and iPadOS devices directly into your Mac. Available settings in Audio MIDI Setup depend on the audio device you’re using. Like a lot of other pro audio equipment, interfaces come in plenty of shapes and sizes. For home studios, DJing or semi-portable setups, your best bet will be desktop interfaces like the Universal Audio Apollo Twin DUO or the Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 USB Audio Interface. About the audio ports on Mac. Your Mac includes one or more audio ports. You can use these ports to connect to headphones, speakers, or an audio system. Other ports can transfer audio data as well. Some speakers and professional audio interfaces connect to your computer’s USB port or FireWire port. And some video ports transfer both audio. Get the right Audio Interface for your Macbook, MacBook Pro, Mac Mini, iMac and Mac Pro. There are a few things to watch out for if you have a late model Mac. First, the PCI interfaces are not going to work with any of the Mac Pros, and of course not with any of the Mac Books, Mac Book Pros or iMacs.
When comparing features like i/o be sure to check out these comparison charts
That doesn’t mean the cylindrical Mac Pro isn’t good for audio work. Rather, Apple simply expects you to use a just-as-professional audio interface for moving sound into your Mac.
Firewire interfaces generally work well with the currentiMacs, MacBook Pros, Mac Minis and the Mac pro. Note that newer Macbooks do not have firewire. USB 2.0 interfaces are valid for those Macbooks and all the others as well. At the bottom of the page you'll find lots of polls, user reviews and discussions from our forums.
Keep in mind there are more audio interfaces that will work with your Mac. This is more of a list of those that should form the basis of your research. I am not including Digidesign interfaces here because they have done extensive compatibility theses on their website. That is where you should research matching your Mac to an appropriate Digidesign or m-audio interface.
When considering any audio interface there are 4 things that create the perfect storm for you.
- 1. excellent functioning drivers for your OS and applications
- 2. excellent sounding converters
- 3. excellent sounding preamps
- 4. sufficient and appropriate i/o for your studio
You can always add on different preamps and converters to nearly any audio interface. Preamps will plug into the line inputs and converters will use s/pdif i/o. But there are two things you cannot change, or fix, with the interface you eventually choose. You can't go in and re-write driver code. The drivers manage the 'traffic' from inputs to software to outputs and are at least partially to blame for latency issues, clicks and pops, and other nasties. Also you cannot change your i/o. If you get a box with 2 analog inputs and outputs, even if you buy a 100 channel mixer you can't change the fact that from the standpoint of the computer you have 2 channels in and 2 out and that will limit how many tracks you can record at one time to two. Its a great plan to get more i/o than you need. You can do this by choosing an interface with an ADAT 'lightpipe' input. This gives you 8 digital inputs into your system. You could add a rack of 8 analog preamps that have ADAT digital out.
The back panel of the MOTU 828mk3. Click the pic to enlarge
You can find audio interfaces for your Mac from $150 to $2,000 on this page. What is the difference? As above, quality of components for the preamps, converters and the number of hardware i/o. There is the research and development cost of making solid drivers, beta testing them among various applications, keeping the drivers updated through software and Operating system revisions. Finally there is the build quality of the box, brand name recognition, status in the professional community and how well the company follows Apple through its changes.
Low Cost (under $500)
PreSonus FireStudio Mobile FireWire Audio Interface |
Tascam US1641 USB 2.0 Audio/MIDI Interface
Apogee Duet
Also, look at the Mackie Onyx 820i 8-Channel Premium Analog Mixer with FireWire Interface
Mid Cost ($500-$1000)
Motu ultralite Mk3
Motu 8 pre
Motu 828 mk3, Traveler
| Mark of the Unicorn (MOTU) 896mk3 Firewire Audio Interface |
Digital Audio Interface For Mac
Higher Cost ($1000.00 plus)
Tascam FW 1884
RME Fireface 400
| Mark of the Unicorn (MOTU) 2408mk3 Digital Audio Interface |
| Mark of the Unicorn (MOTU) 24IO 24-Channel Audio Interface |
Apogee Ensemble
Mackie Onyx 1640i 16-Channel Premium Analog Mixer with FireWire Interface |
Best Audio Interfaces For Mac
Metric Halo
Usb Audio Interface For Mac
Cool Threads
- Poll The Best Firewire Interface Under $300 for MAC is
- Poll The Better Firewire Interface for a MAC $300 to $500 is...
Cool Links
Audio Recording Interface For Mac
- Apple Discussions: Presonus Firestudio Project (See for Tascam us1641)
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