$500 vs $2000 audio interface - Prism Sound Lyra 1 vs Focusrite Saffire pro 40
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- Опубліковано 18 жов 2024
- I recorded the samples from my mpc straight into the audio interfaces, same cables and settings. Can you tell which one is which?
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i would say B has more AIR in the high end, a bit more crisp. A has more depth and an allround wamer tone. both sound great.
Spot on , B also loses definition .
Felt The Same
you can take a lavry gold 10k converters and still you will notice no big difference .....the difference will be notice if you mix and master with analog gear and the way converters like prism lyra will capture the sound.......most of peoples still think that an expensive audio interface just plugged to listen music will give you back a huge different sound.
Glad I'm not the only one who preferred B. The difference is hardly noticeable and doesn't really make much of a difference. As you said the average listener wouldn't be bothered which one was used.
The difference is more obvious when you start stacking the recorded tracks. Still very small differences, mostly in the noise floor.
^^^ This comment 👌
@@ZAYAZOfficial Agree, but still very slight.
It’s worth it if you’re making money from music. I noticed the difference and the prism sounded professional/expensive.
What does that even mean?
@@kltz78 what part don’t you get? The money part or the professional/expensive part?
we need more videos like this that compare the sound of the higher end interfaces in case we want to save up and invest in them.
The fact that the comments vary so much shows that it doesn’t matter! The people that actually buy the music could care less. I just recorded drums thru a pro 40 with a Nady mic on snare, fake Pyle sm57’s on Tom’s, digital reference kick mic, and the blue ember mics for stereo overheads with a major artist and the engineer was floored at how the drums sounded! If you can’t get AMAZING sound from the pro 40 you suck!
Can you share how you have your Pro 40 integrated into your system/DAW. I just picked one up and want to use it on a Mac 2023 laptop. What would I need to be able to interface the Pro40 into the laptop?
@@ryansmith577 hey there. You can make the pro40 into an 8-channel preamp and run it thru another interface via adat light pipe. Thats how I’ve used them for years. They still sound good! 👍🏿
@@southpau Thanks much! Any suggestions on a reasonable current interface that's under $ 500.00.
I found the wider stereo image of the Prism was obvious as well as the depth and roundness of the bass. Had also more clarity in the mid and upper mid range. I appreciate the comparison.
I agree but , say that to a normal listener how is not able to judge professionally. people won't hear or feel the difference.
I agree, I’ve been researching and listening to high end equipment. The stereo width was very noticeable and the mids / lows had more character to the sound. This could be because of the clarity of the unit, but it’s definitely noticeable. Marlow is also right though, the average listener will probably not notice the difference.
Difference to my ear is that the expensive has nice master compression and a better defined bass frequency...less boomy
The question is which interface sounded more faithful to the original source, not what interface is flattering the sound more. And that question can not be answered with these comparisons. Most people here choosing B, i am one of them, but the point is the sound flattering should be in the control of the mixing engineer
A all day. A lot smoother flat in a good way. sounds wet and wide. instruments separation. More clarity less distortion. You can hear individual sounds a lot easier.
B has the sound more centred, and A is tiny bit wider.. (keep the ear on the snare while wearing headphones)
NO WAY! II bought my Pro 40 new over 15y years ago & still have it! I paid around $800AUD for it at the time! I genuinly thought B sounded a little wider & clearer, & was expecting it to be the $2k interface!!
M mixes improved by at least 30 percent when I went from a cheap interface to a prism. And that was within my first 2 mixes of switching so there is something to it.
its amazing what the brain can do when you believe something huh?
A sounds smooth and balanced. B sounds harsher not bad though.
Sounds to me like A is carrying more sonic information.
quick question , can you record vocals with the saffire? I just got one as a left over in a studio . do you use it in MAC?
You can yes
Speaking of audio interfaces, I forgot which one The Alchemist uses exactly but i'm pretty sure it was one of the non rackmount Universal Audio Apollo's. Problem is, I cant even pinpoint what video I've seen him use it in, but I remember it vividly and him speaking on it briefly.
I have an older ZOOM R8 4 track, I'm using as an audio interface.. it is very transparent... when i sample into it, it sounds exactly like the source.. I have an audiophile/Jazz engineer-producer neighbor, who recommends zoom... i think they are reasonably priced as well.. my 2 cents...
I don’t know if A was quieter or what, but it sounded a little bit darker and less punchy. Felt like I was listening more into the sound
Love the insight. I just got a pro40 secondhand to record drums at home. As for the difference, i noticed that the prism had a slightly warmer tone, whereas the pro40 seemed to have a barely noticeable increase in attack/sharpness of the sound? I think that makes sense anyways.
Keep doing what you do man. 🤘
I also just picked a Pro40. What type of computer are you going into with that and what software? Trying to see if I can use a 2023 Mac with the Pro40.
@@ryansmith577it's a Mish mash of spare parts I chucked together and slapped windows 7 on. 8gb of ram and a gtx650 graphics card I think? Amd fx6300 processor.
I got a FireWire card for it and it works but is temperamental a d occasionally forgets the saffire is plugged in. To be fair the saffire is more typically used with macs.
The DAW I use is Reaper because I'm a cheapskate 😂 hope this helps haha
From my Audio Technica Headphone B has more presence on the high end, got some air to it.
A sounds wider in the stereo image (I own a Prism Titan and I figured A was the Prism immediately). The Stereo Image on the Focusrite feels much more narrow/monophonic, so bass build up is bigger, but it's not as musical to me. Now caveat. I did a huge shootout with dozens of converters professionally years ago, and the Prism Titan was my favorite by the end. So I'm that rare person with ear training who bought a Prism Titan and have been using it exclusively for years now. I think a range of genres of music would more clearly identify the advantages of the Prism because a canned drum beat is going to sound partially like whatever converters were used to create the sample as well. But it wasn't a bad a test.
I tried with my eyes closed. B definetly had a much deeper and exclusive sound. Especially in the bass. Bass notes with B ring for a slight moment longer than A. A cuts the notes a bit earlier while B rings out the notes more complete. I have no previous experience btw. Bit funny I find the Prism less appriciable
I am in full agreement. As I listened critically, I found myself saying, "wow, I didn't think I'd be able to tell, but I really love the sound of the B" ... And that ended up being the Focusrite! I guess I'll keep my Scarlett 18i20 after all.
Clarity, Depth, Punch, Clear Bass.
Sapphire is also very good and close to Prism. But when you mix through prism, by the end of the mix, Mix done on Prism will outsmart Focusrie.
Easy to spot out the difference on laptop speakers.
Great vid.
We’ve come a long way since the SoundBlaster days man!
Thanks, it's been a great ride so far
@@mpchead 🤜🤛
Hahaha
It Sounds Like The Kick Was Hitting Harder On "B"
A seemed to be slightly overdriven giving a thicker low bass. Some of that same low was tightened up in B especially the kick. In places B seemed to be missing some low sub. B is more defined in the upper mids and more spacious above. Id like to hear B with a 300hz and down boost of maybe 3-5db.
Both sound good but A Suits my taste. Great topic
yes it's hard to tell them apart (disappointingly). But for artists that need to be syndicated globally, across age groups, across genres and pockets of society, frankly for some sort of uncanny influence - then these tools are a must, along with U87's and master bus compressors and such
You brought up a good point. The average listener can’t hear the difference. The way I look at it is if you can afford to splurge then go ahead but if you can’t don’t stress because there’s excellent alternatives. I compare it to deciding between an American Fender or a Mexican Fender.
Exactly! Ive toured with both a MIM and a USA p basses and I got rid of the USA because people wont try and steal a MIM lol.
I use a Saffire Pro 40. I closed my eyes and opened them at various times and could tell with my eyes closed which one was A and which was B. The Prism has more definition and detail, a deeper image. Still, I paid just over $100 for my Saffire, new in box. At some point, good enough is good enough. I don't have $2000 to spend on an interface, and if I did, it would probably be a Burl. But 've been training my ears for decades to hear this kind of thing. 90% of the general public wouldn't be able to hear the same nuances.
Heard the differences in imaging depth and transparency in the high end and weight.. all on my iPhones speakers.. prisms man..
Which one do I think is the better one?
- Yes!
Hola, Marlo. Granted, I was listening on cheap headphones, but I really couldn't tell the difference. Thank you for the video. Bendiciones!
Yeah it's really hard to tell the difference
Where is the vocals and multi tracking? recording a live source.🎵🎵🎶🎹
Wow, I'm listening loudly in flat studio headphones and I definitely liked B better. I very surprised to hear that was the Focusrite. I currently have the Focusrite Scarlet 4i4 and have been entertaining the idea of upgrading to UAD Apollo, but I'm still unsure if it's worth it. My music is heavily vinyl sampled, but I also use guitar, bass-guitar, and hardware synths so that's where I really wonder if an upgrade would be beneficial.
Yeah b sounded way better 😭
My question is which interface did you use to mix those joints?
I assume you used one to mix, then bounced them with both interfaces..🤔?
I just got a Lyra in the mail today and I plan to A and B to see(..no pun intended) if there is a discernible difference AFTER a print.
Printing aside, I can certainly tell a difference in the details just playing a Studio One session through my headphones.
I could easily hear the difference on just my iPad. B had flubby kicks and muffled snares. A was crisp and precise. Which does not make me happy, as I have a Focusrite Scarlett…. I’m hoping that Focusrite has improved since 2009. Mine is a Gen 3 from 2021- that has to narrow the variance, right?
Maybe their differences are more apparent when comparing vocal (or other higher fidelity) tracks???
I'm about half way through and feel there is a little more midrange detail and impression of more top in B. I love my Pro 40. To the point that I bought another. I'm not tracking much and the two of them together give me more than enough I/O for my current rig. I also really like the older Mix Control over more recent options with newer boxes. These things really are great budget interfaces. Even with fw400. The Prism may be more neutral and balanced but for my needs, the Pro 40 set is not leaving me frustrated in any way.
I've since picked up two more. One is slaved to my main rig in my mix room along with an old Digimax 96 and an M Audio Tampa. One Pro 40 serves as my 5.1/5.1.4 Atmos I/O and the other for my tracking and mixing needs. The third is in a mobile rack with another Digimax 96 for remote drum tracking. Old gear need not be useless.
@@JAMPROSOUND what OS are you on? I'm interested in buying one but I'm not sure about the firewire connection and the drivers (I'm currently using an M2 Mac Mini and Cubase)
I have my Pro 40 running on Mac Monterey @@cccchristo .., I also have it aggregated with the Behringer UMC 1820 & ada8200.
I have a Mid 2010 MP 5,1 128gb ram 12core with the highest CPU upgrade. I love this cmptr. It is still able to handle whatever I throw at it. I've recorded 24 trks on it without a hiccup.
Oh let me say that The Pro 40's quality is absolutely stellar!!! The Pres sound much better than the Midas Pres on the Behringer units. And the Pro 40 is very well built. It's 2024 & it is like new!!!
Also, I am using Cubase Pro 12. I haven't decided on upgrading to 13 yet. For my needs, 12 is more than sufficient😊.
...., cheers 🥂
Lo-Fi is not the ideal genre for comparing audio interfaces. Also the Focusrite Saffire Pro 40/Liquid Saffire 56 are pretty descent interfaces. I think a better comparison would be Prism Sound and Universal Audio Interfaces using higher fidelity genres such as Jazz, R&B, Classical, Etc. Ultimately it’s not the audio interface it’s the converters and how it’s applied that we’re listening too.
I think any genre is a good genre to compare, sound is sound at the end of the day. But I understand what you're saying.
A seemed to have more clarity and the layered parts sounded more distict.
The saffire had more air in the top end. I actually like it more. I use a scarlett 18i20 so maybe my ears are adjusted to the focusrite stuff... Anyway in my oppinion there is no way im gonna ever spend 2k on that. I will save the 1.5k on other things that actually make a big differense.
I can’t believe how much Prism wants for their interfaces now, I paid several hundred dollars less for them year’s ago.
Both sound great. I really cant tell the difference. I am older in my 40's. Younger ears might hear a slight difference. More money does not always equal to a better product.
Right? To me B sounded "brighter" but I also ran live sound for years, so wtf do I know? Lol.
@@str8frmthacr8 i thought the same. b was brighter, but if you're making beats like marlow is, then A fits the sound better, it has a more buttery sound.
Cheer for this bro - wheres the A/B results??
Both sound good. Couldn't really tell the difference. I would be happy with either or.
over youtube, out my PreBox S2 digital, on my M40x, there was extremely little difference, but I bet, that flac files with a streamer, filters, reclocking, good sounding amp, good dac... 2500+ Euro system, the difference will be noticeable. The question is what are your customers? Radio stations, Apple music subscribers, or audiophiles with $100K dac and personal power transformer outside their home?
If I could spot the difference listening through the built-in mobile loudspeaker how much of the dynamics could add the good interface to a considerably dynamic audio setup? I could agree that for a ringtone-maker the difference may be negligible.
It does not matter its a scam you could buy something else for 2000€ like analogue mixing desk or summing mixer that actually makes difference. People who listen dont notice nothing that just shows you nothing matters except good beat
It's a night and day difference. B was more harsher and brighter. A was smooth like like an easter fade.
I have Saffire Pro 40, and I tried extensively Focusrite Scarlet 18i20, Auedien ID14, SSL2+, MOTU M4, and now RME DSPE RayDat
And guess what I liked most (with Yamaha MSP5 speakers)?
Focusrite Saffire Pro 40
Isn't it funny how 15 year old device has the nicest bass and presence without hurting your ears like Scarlet 18i20.
Saffire Pro 40 sounds like a good reel tape playing, it's not super clear, but lows are very deep and midrange is deep. It's great for listening, recording, and playing video games.
When helicopters take off in the video game, you feel it. It makes your hair move with MSP5 by Yamaha
listen to the reverb on the snare. on A it sounds like it has space and in B it sounds boxed in and a little dead.
A is tighter than B!
I preferred the Focusrite overall - more presence throughout.
Thanks bro, the focusrite was definitely a very good purchase
There is a difference, but not $1500 worth that a tiny bit of eq adjustment couldn't remedy. I thought about replacing my Pro 40 with an RME only to realize that the typical listener is not going to notice the audible difference in the price range of converters. Not to be bias but I thought B sounded better.
the sounds is almost identical. I wouldn't upgrade tbh. Saffire is great.
I regret selling my RME rig. The Pro 40's have removed my want to buy another RME. At least for as long as I can still run w/ my FW card.
Doesnt matter....beats are dope💥
Question?? I have the mpc one. Is it worth it to get the live 2. I know they have majority of similar experience but I know the live 2 is more portable.. so what ya think???
B definitely sounded better; not by a whole lot but with B you could hear more depth, crisper highs, more room.
Hello , I have a question regarding the Sound Prism Lyra 2 . Since it was released back in 2013.
1 ) Could it have deteriorated or deteriorated in quality during this time of storage ?
2 ) I work on a Mac computer. How compatible is Lyra 2 with M1 processors? I know that now it works through Roseta 2, does this create a delay ( problem latency ) when working?
3 ) There are two devices Lyra 2 black and light do they differ technically or year of manufacture?
4 ) And the main question is whether the original driver for the M 1 processor will be made in the future to work without Roseta 2.
since in the future the rosette will probably be removed as it has already happened before, so I'm interested in it. Help me please I need to make a decision . Thank you very much .
I do Love saffire 40 💚❤️
B has a deeper sound scene
B has more presence in the high end
They both sound good but I would lean towards B myself.
Also Marlow, I had reached out to you before about if you still have any more copies of the Come Home Vinyl. Please let me know 🙏
I am gonna put a new pre order on Qrates if people grab it
@@mpchead I would grab a copy if it was available.
I leaned in on B. Personally I like the airy sound on the high end. It reminds me of SSL 4K legacy preamp.
The thing with the saffire is that its as good as the expensive Focusrite Gear in terms of sound quality!
These preamps won prices not just because.
If you listen with schooled ears on honest monitor speakers, and do not let yourself be blinded by the prices, its very clear that saffire brings more transparency, musicality and dept.
Yes they have good preamps, I still use the focus rite all the time.
A.had more density to the sound, while the highs on B. had a brighter sound, - giving the illusion of a more open sound.
Yeah, the difference is there, but one could probably eq the source going into the focusrite to mimic the sound of the Prism, - which just had a more flattering sound, due to the attenuated highs, - I personally wouldn't say one was better, they just sound different. I personally prefer a fuller, denser sound.
Thanks for the input
A - sounds wider and cleaner.
B - almost sound like it folds more in mono compared to A... but I think it's just "A" being a great AI. And I think this is why B sounded like it had an overall more "punch to it" .
Reason you choose B it’s that FireWire gives more pristine information than Usb)
Wow, I like the Saffire more
I have the Pro 40 and love it to this day. When I think of upgrading, I say; “why?” Cheers bro!
i heard a $1500 difference fasho
did you clock externally to each of them?
damn..... I am surprised I preferred focusrite. Both sound amazing.. the Beats helped defintely.
Listen on my phone I could here a difference. B sounded louder (was it level matched?) and more compressed like sound. On my phone I can't tell what's overall better sounding due to the limited frequency range.
Listening on a crappy TV.. B sounded louder, Especially on the last couple of examples. The prism has a much higher dynamic range than the saffire pro…. So if they were peak level matched then that might explain why it sounded louder. And also might explain the more compressed sound you mentioned. The saffire does have a notoriously low dynamic range
It's the timeless question. Do you really require professional equipment if your not producing an actual product or providing a service?
If you can afford it, by all means buy whatever you want. The companies that make musical equipment rely on people buying out of their depth or requirements. All the people with home studios with great setups(myself included) provide the funds that develope the next generation of gear.
Salute.
I agree it's not something the average beatmaker needs unless he's providing service to other or recording arrists.
Both sound good. but B has more AIR in the high & the Kick sounds harder . if I had to choose = B
Hey marlow,
Have you ever used the push 2?
Yeah I used it for a little while
Yo marlow, do u put ur drum samples on tier 2 patreon?
some of them yes
Prism is 5 percent brighter. Negligible difference. You’re buying a Prism for the converters.
I guess youtube and my phone are not the best mediums for listening to this shootout lol. I actually have a Focusrite Liquid Saffire 56 and it sounds great. I would still buy an expensive interface if I had "Marlow Money" 😉
I was listening on a laptop with terrible speakers.. and at at 360p.. which has a lot more MP3 compression then I would want for this kinda a testing.. AND STILL.. the difference for me was really huge. When I first heard A I was like "holy crap that sounds good." Like way better then what you really expect from a home project studio producer.. Then when I heard B it was like.. so much less good to me...
I don't really know how to put it into words..
I agree with the basic idea that when starting out, and you're just learning.. you don't need the big expensive stuff.. I mean it's more important that you get stuff together so you can focus on the work.. but once you've got your basics together, and you've been in this stuff for a while.. and you know this is a big part of what you're doing with your life.. I think it becomes more of a question of how seriously you're taking your self..
It might help if you take a sorta engineering centric point of view which is.. what makes an amazing sounding record versus something that's more normal.. is really kind of a game of inches.. for every step in the process.. the small differences.. how they eventually add up. Could someone with untrained ears hear the difference? I think they might not know it consciously.. but I think you feel it.. I think there's no escaping it.. it's just that it can take a while to recognize the difference.. and its a very weird thing to me, at this point, how so many folks don't.. and once you have something of this quality.. it effects how you hear everything.. you become much more fined tuned.. which puts you in a better position to gain inches all over the place...
I say this and I'm about to drop $600 on the latest interface from MOTU.. I don't really know how good it'll be converter wise.. MOTU makes some big claims about it.. all I know is there stuff has been super dependable in the past.. and they have a sterling reputation, at least in my experience, for continuing support for there stuff wayyy longer then anybody else.. and it looks like it'll work with an MPC, iOS, my Mac and my PC.. it gives me a lot of i/o, it's totally portable.. has midi i/o.. and I'm pretty sure with the light pipe I'll still be able to use my old apogee as a converter.. while working with computers that ether don't have firewire, or aren't Macs...
Exactly B sounded amateurish and brittle to me.
A sounds "mixed" while B sounds "unmixed". B sounds as if all instrumnts were separate. Not sure how to explain it, but to me the difference is huge.
My answer is “NO”! But it might have to do with the UA-cam compression. 🤷🏽♂️
The question here is, prism price is x4 more than Focusrite but, the sound is x4 better? The answer is NO (maybe 1% better). No questions for me. I would buy the Focusrite and spend this 1500 of diference in a good pair of studio monitors
Get really shocked when u say that the cheap one was b, from my ears ( listening with some cheap home use sony headphones) b sounded with more character in the low freq, like for example i notice that little "bounce resonance" in the kick in example 2 and 3 more pronounce, maybe the expensive is more clear in that sense, they sound pretty good, now the question, is it worth it? imo depends on where u r in your music "career", like if you r just starting, get the cheap one , then when you got your shit figure it down get the expensive, of course "normal listeners" wouldn't appreciate the sound, why? because they will be listening with some cheap headbud, crappy laptop speakers, o fully boosted bass speakers, the difference will be when you'll be the one listening with your monitors, or other beatmakers listening, they will go like "oooh i can hear the crunchy texture of the tail of the reverb that the snare leaves" good ADDAC are necessary, when you have everything else, good video.
Same here
I might spring for a Lyra if I had any funds left over after paying the acoustics consultant to redesign my humble composer's suite to a level where it could maximize the benefits - then again, after that, I might not need it. Both sound good, really, and preferences are subjective. That said, I've been know to fall for a pretty face before...
PreferB, more crisp, can here it in the snare, a little more highs, very nice but not a huuuge difference
B obviously sounds more muddy, lack of definition when compared. But definitely not worth the extra 1.5 grand. That being said, picking a Lo-Fi track is a horrible decision to make a comparison.
🤘
You can definitely hear how the Saffire pro has less resolution than the Lyra *thru UA-cam*. A reference DAC is for mixing decisions. Lofi music for a Hifi comparison Tho? huh? Fuego NE way my G.
The average user will never be able to tell the difference because they have nothing to compare it too. That’s the key. Shiny new gear is cool when you have no gear but when the gear you have is just old then the lack of a good sound is the user not the gear. I’m still rocking my old 2012 Mac mini and Presonus Firestudio project and it works fine. I also have an old iPad Air 2 that I’m using as an effects processor.
lmao i liked b. thought it put out snappier low end transients. might be me imagining things. i have a loud basscentric sturdio setup though. a hifi guy might beg to differ.
A has better depth,clarity and dimension. ADA dream here I come :)
Of course A was the Prism because the difference in the stereo field; B sounds brighter because the stereo is way narrower than A; something that is typical of cheaper convertors. That is one of the reasons you paid the extra bucks $$$🤙
Whatever A is I like that one better 🤷🏿♂️
Honestly, to me the Saffire B was way better in the Blind Test. It had much more Deepness and got straight into my Feelings while to me a was holding something back. The Resolution is way better on B
I preferred B