My otherwise trusted Focusrite 6i6 has become a bit too "small" for my needs, inputs wise, with the things I want to mic up and do. Long story short I was looking at the Focusrite 18i20 3rd gen without checking other options, but I've now started looking at other options as the Focusrite is out of stock here in Denmark till 3-5 weeks from now.

Basically it needs to have at least 3-4 mic inputs, as well as some line inputs of course. My 6i6 only has 2 mic inputs. I have been eyeing the Steinberg UR816C, which is slightly more expensive than the Focusrite 18i20. I'm reading mixed reviews on both of them of course, but also very good things about both.

Does any of you have experience with Steinberg interfaces? Are they any good?

Not me, but I'm curious. I've a loyal Cubase user since the 5th edition, now we are on 10.5!

My interface is RME babyface pro, it's killer!

RME makes great gear to be sure! That one only has 2 inputs though right? Ben is wanting to upgrade as he wants more ins/outs than his current unit has.

The BEHRINGER has a lot of ins/outs and it's nice and cheap! However, the FOCUSRITE is just a superior unit in terms of hardware/preamps/features/build/etc. It's just a better all around unit from a higher end builder. If you want to order one sooner than a few weeks out, can't you just go online and get one? So that you don't have to wait for your local retailer?

The one I'm looking at is a Steinberg though, not a Behringer, though I know Behringer makes a cheap one with quite a few ins/outs as well.

The Steinberg is actually more expensive than the Focusrite. It's about 650 USD vs 550 USD for the Focusrite.

https://www.amazon.com/Steinberg-UR816C-Int...s/dp/B07YFGPN2J

Unfortunately it seems most places in Denmark are out of stock for the Focusrite, and I had to go for a payment plan (with little to no interest), which meant it had to be from Denmark, which is not ideal, but it's okay.

I've been checking reviews and some forums and it seems that Steinberg has better quality. I would go for that one unless you decide to for Focusrite Clarett which is much superior compared to Scarlets.

One question? Why do you need as many mic inputs? Are you going to record drums?

It's for streaming music on Twitch. I can't make it work with my current setup, which is a 6i6. I have used up all my inputs (the 6 inputs "only" include 2 mics/2 line in and midi in and spdif I think it's called) in my setup current setup, and there's no room for an extra mic. So instead of just going for something with say one or two more inputs, I think I will go for the Steinberg ur816c, so I make a good upgrade instead.

I'm going to mic up my amp, have a mic to speak into as well, then an XLR input from my DI box, and some stuff from my other computer. It just suddenly added up to having to switch cables around constantly and I was not able to do what I wanted to do anymore.

Ah, I see. Ok, one important feature that I don't know if all interfaces have... my RME has a function called "Loopback" which allows you to make a mix of everything you want to stream or record on a daw. This function is fantastic for live streams and things like that. I recommend you to go for a sound card that includes it.

This one has 2 mic and 2 line inputs.



You can assign this virtual output to any service like skype, youtube, zoom and twitch.





https://tinyurl.com/yy56sh3c

My bad! That is a very nice unit. Steinberg makes some great gear.The STEINBERG unit looks like it supports the LOOPBACK feature that gabe was talking about!! That would be pretty handy for streaming.

https://new.steinberg.net/audio-interfaces/

Here is a vid about the loopback function





This post has been edited by Todd Simpson: Oct 14 2020, 06:33 AM