Arturia has announced that it plans to introduced a next-generation audio interface at the 2015 NAMM Show.
While the audio interface seems like a crowded category to enter, Arturia argues that current interfaces don’t meet the needs of todays musicians, who need to connect audio sources at multiple levels and interface with several types of MIDI devices, computers and mobile devices.
In this extract from an Arturia management keynote, the company discusses the issues they see with the current state of audio interfaces.
Arturia will introduce a high-end audio interface at NAMM that they say will be “their vision of what an audio interface for the musician should be.”
sad to see control voltage is not on the table.
And so long as the jacks are balanced, they will work with control voltage apps like Volta.
No, they will not. You need DC-coupled outputs there, not just balanced.
Sorry. True.
They also seem to have left out the espresso maker, and of course the kitchen sink to clean it after use…
im not interested in android or worldclock but i would def buy an audio interface that makes espresso
And use it as vapor powered compressor!!!
I’ve known about this for a few months now… tried hinting at it in a previous post. Glad to see they finally announced it!
Looks versatile.
I am sure it will be great but if the interface covers all the options mentioned above it does about 10x more than I need. So this is an answer for some and probably lots of people but not everyone. For in the box people a really simple interface is all thats required and there are plenty of these.
As the sound was hilariously left as a “just one more thing” at the end are we going to expect a very high end audio interface with its own beefy power supply? Or, based on the interface design of other Arturia hardware, are we expecting an ergonomic break through? Or based on the too small GUIs on their software, are we to expect a breakthrough there? The balance between track record and hope!!!
I am a happy Arturia owner but I have can see their failings too. Good luck.
I think also this level of hype gives the crowd really high expectations, and those often go above and beyond what is going to come from the company. All this talk is got me thinking of a sound box that has a iPad, Mac and PC sharing a sound interface at the same time, and directly talking to each other and inputting and outputting streams and data with near-zero latency, but are they doing that? I don’t think so – which means the announcement has already failed me unless it is equally revolutionary. As you have already said, just slamming a bunch of protocols onto one box just gives you a bunch of stuff you are paying for that you will never need.
You cannot be all things to all people. Not everybody, in fact I would have to say nobody, needs ALL of those connections. Pick a few things and make them really good. Windows/Android, OS X/iOS, etc. Unfortunately Arturia’s “tech support” is so abysmal, which is bad enough when dealing with a software fix, would make me very hesitant of having such a crucial piece of my studio with their logo on it. I do love their soft synths! Those are fantastic.
I’m very curious as to what will be so “revolutionary”!?
An old RME hammerfall covers all of the above connections bar IOS which can be easily adressed by the likes of iConnectMidi interfaces along with multiple Midi/OSC/USB connections.Current decent interfaces are already capable of sub 2ms latencies in most cases, further reductions are approaching the limit of what is possible and I don’t see that having a huge impact on anything much. Nothing that has been anounced thus far is exciting me but hey you never know…
The iConnectivity – iConnect MIDI boxes offer good audio I/O in the digital domain.
If you look on their website they also have an analog audio I/O box coming (but no specifications are given)!
If one needs CV outputs from an audio interface, one should check for DC coupled outputs.
– or something like an Expert Sleepers module.
iCOnnectivity is not in the same league as this interface by Arturia.
The OTHER THING not mentioned in the video is having ROCK-SOLID, RAIN-OR-SHINE FIRMWARE AND DRIVERS. Rock solid means well-tested, and frequently updated. “Rain or Shine” means the drivers and firmware won’t be the first thing to crash or cause problems when there are other weirdnesses occurring in the system.
I’ve gotten the impression that Arturia has kind of a mixed reputation with the software side of their hardware. So they’d have to overcome that reputation by really over-delivering on this. I think if they are careful and do it right, this is a promising product, especially if they hit the right price point.
I agree about RME, i have FireFace and its all about these things, except iOS connectivity. And its rock solid, because…you know, its RME. But at the same time it costs pretty much, because you are paying for quality and stability. I highly doubt that Arturia, which is targeting to a low cost market (which is compromising thing), can handle with such a delicate job, as audio interface with features they described.
I have a FF800 and I hate it.
Sounds clinical.
The software is a mindfuck.
The guys at RME are very unfriendly too.
One pre-amp died, have to send the unit to them and they will replace the whole motherboard for a fixed price of 180-euros. How dumb is that? The local repair guys fixed just the one pre-amp for a couple of euros.
SPL Crimson looks great for the money.
I’m not sure what you mean, but I’d hesitate to buy an interface that didn’t sound clinical. I.e., I want an interface to be accurate and uncolored. I want the quality of my sounds to come from the sounds and not the interface.
I have a FF800, have been pretty happy with it. But recently have had some system trouble and removing it from my system seems to have helped– (but I don’t know if the FF800 or its software is to blame).
Anyway, sorry you had so much trouble with yours. And you’re right about the software being difficult to learn.
An all-in-one box, with decent converters, clock, in/outs and user friendly software, seems like a dream. It will definitely have to be made in China, to keep the price down, so I wonder how accurate those converters are.
Where is control voltage and video.
Arturia to really set yourself apart add control voltage and video (picture scoring). Then you speak to audio heads and video heads.
i really hope they live up to the hype
i need a good audio interface
but not something that cost ….Thousands of monies \(0_o)/
Not thousands, but if it does live up to the hype, I would lay a grand down!
I too need and have been shopping for, but have yet to pull the trigger for something.
Some have said they don’t need all of that, but as you go along, someone else you work with might and would it not be nice to already have it?
Is wireless connectivity part of the equation?
I’ve been really excited about this since the first promo, I am putting all hardware purchasing on hold until I know what solution they’ve come up with and what the competition comes up with.
The worst aspect of music making is having to use a mouse and keyboard for the daw, which is why touch tablets are a huge deal if implemented properly.
I hope it has ultra fast latency and possibly a thunderbolt port.
MIDI over Bluetooth and audio over Wifi would make this a powerful tool for mobile devices. I don’t really expect to see it this coming NAMM, but there should be plenty in 2016.
Maybe Arturia have looked at the MOTU website.
AudioFuse! Yep, well, as expected this new device brings absolutley nothing new to the table, despite their ridiculous hype!
Much more interested in their new BeatstepPro.