I have the MT-48. A massive feature is the power and quality of the headphone amps. They're phenomenal and I factored that into the high price. In regards to surround sound and Dolby Atmos mixing, Neumann mentioned that it would be coming to the interface. My biggest gripe with the thing is how hot it gets, but apparently it's designed to be a heat sink and the Anubis interfaces have not failed due to that heat. Thanks for the review!
@@superbaran9042 It's certainly not a dealbreaker. I set the fans to low when recording and set it to high when I'm mixing/listening to music on headphones. Setting it to high keeps it from getting hot.
Ya, I should have talked about the headphone amp at least a little bit. It’s fantastic, especially if you have really high impedance headphones. I wasn’t sure what to think about how hot it gets… I didn’t like it… but I don’t have a practical reason for not liking it, especially since the fans never even turned on.. What type of recording do you mostly do? And why did you choose the MT-48?
@@Get.Beautiful.Recordings Stuff for projects here and there; all a side hustle. I'd been using a Quad Cortex for my guitar/bass recordings and a Zoom H8 for everything else, including drums. It was a close tie between the Audient ID24 and the MT-48, and despite the big price difference, the latter won because I was also in the market for a high-end headphone DAC since I'm turning into one of those annoying, audiophile nerds 🤓. Safe to say the Neumann preamps much cleaner than the Zoom's. Now I just need to find a solid 8-channel ADAT preamp to marry the Neumann too and I'll be set!
@@Get.Beautiful.Recordings thank you! I think I just saw they don’t sell them anymore? You know why? How has been your experience with them? I’m looking for white monitors. I’m thinking on buying / comparing yours with ‘Dynaudio LYD 8’, ‘Yamaha HS8’, ‘HEDD Type07 MK2’. Any input here bro? Thank you!
Cool thanks for sharing, in terms of preamps how'd you think it would compare to a Prism Lyra 2? I'k planning for a single portable interface where to record high quality voice overs on the go, so I'm not going to bring an extra preamp. Thank you! Cheers
I got the Neumann MT 48 for a deal after seeing this review. The reviewer is so wrong. This interface sounds so good. Best interface I've tried. Do yourself a favor and get this interface, SoundID headphones and the Neumann NDH 30 Headphones. Just amazing, such a pleasurable listening experience. You can change the filtering on the ADCs and DACs which really effect the sound. I'm running my Neve Shelford preamp into the MT 48 and am getting the best low end detail on my voice. Just the best converters I've tried. Make sure to use TRS and not XLR cables for line level. The touch screen is a game changer when setting up levels quickly for monitoring during recording. When I've got a guitar and headphones on it's so convenient to not fiddle with a mouse. My biggest complaint is that it isn't bus powered like my RME Babyface Pro FS. So one more thing to plug in when on the go. However it sounds better than the babyface. It can send and receive 24 dbu which is a must for working with analog recording gear. My analog gear sounds better when running hot levels. If you aren't running hot levels you're missing out.
You barely mention the quality of the converters, which is one of the standout features of the unit. While I consider myself an aficionado and also own the Apollo Twin X , I must admit that the MT48 surpasses it in terms of sound quality. This distinction becomes evident when simply listening to music through the unit: the sound becomes more immersive and remarkably clear. To me, it feels as though a veil has been lifted from my ears. The synergy between the preamps and the converters places the MT48 in an entirely superior league, in my humble opinion.
Thanks for sharing. I did not experience the same thing. I’ve used many audio interfaces, and the overall soundstage of this unit is just as good as any high end interface. I did test the converters, they didn’t do so well, it’s in the video.
@@Get.Beautiful.Recordings The converters from Merging Technologies have been well-known for the past three years through the Anubis. They have maintained their reputation and are the same ones used by Neumann. Yours is the first video I've seen that claims they don't perform well.
@@Tav_cr The Merging Technolgoes Converters have been used for archiving by these institutions, below, I am not sure if neumann changed anything from from the Anubis to the MT48, inside because it is more limited , besides them adding USB and Adat on the back, USB is more limited then Aes67. I dont know about the chips and converters but I can tell you the Anubis is top of the line Box. and can do alot more then the MT48 including a higher channel count. these are the instituions using the Merging Technologies products for archiving including the Anubis, they cant be all worng. Anfd they surely would not use something that is consumer grade, They would definitely go for the highest quality converters , with unlimited budgets. Library of Congress, USA National Archives of Canada University of Calgary, Canada Bibliothèque et Archives Nationales du Quebec National Library of Norway NRK (Norwegian Radio and TV) Bibliothèque nationale de France Yanbian Korean autonomous prefecture archiving project China Film Archive Central Digital Archive (Poland) CDC, China Digital Corporation China Record Corporation Memnon Archiving Services S.A. Belgium (Sony company) Phonogrammarchiv - AAC Austria Universal Music Group Global Asset & Archive Team (UK)
I think this guy is doing something wrong. His recordings sound pretty dead.@@Tav_cr I've had the unit for several months and I can honestly agree that it has to be the best sounding interface on the market under $10k right now.
Very little discussion of the actual sound quality which is the star here. I've had mine for a few months and only my prism lyra was as detailed sounding or better. I just sold my RME because side by side I just couldn't deny the depth of sound on this thing especially with the great sounding headphone amps. Things like reverb tails and compression are so much easier to discern on this unit compared to other units you listed I've also tried and sold. Some good points though. I for one also love not being tethered to my computer screen when recording since I can do everything from the unit itself.
Thank you. I personally didn’t notice any difference in sound quality between this, and other high end interfaces such as UA volt, Apollo, metric halo and ssl. They are all at about the same level in my own experience, so I didn’t really talk about it.
@aaronthomas7790 "[...].only my prism lyra was as detailed sounding or better." Phew! It's such a reassuring thing to hear as a Prism owner, that I now don't have to rush to the store for a head-and-shoulders-above, better unit :)) Thanks!! (not that I wouldn't like my Lyra, just the GAS! lol) May I ask if you used a decent monitor controller/volume controller after the Lyra (and the MT48), or just used their built-in volume controls? I use a Heritage Audio RAM500 after mine, I didn't like how the Lyra is controlled in the digital domain.
@@galgogergo This guy can't hear the difference between an Apollo twin and this interface or Metric Halo so I don't know how much we can trust this video.
The Apollo can’t compete I have no idea what he’s talking about because I have three. Apogee, Apollo and now the Mt 48 and I give the edge to the Neumann and the Apogee because they are dependable and just work
@@Get.Beautiful.Recordings Thank you for the reply. I have reviewed the apogee and apollo, but I'm still learning about things like the noise floor. I think the Apogee sounds more clear and has better sound stage than the Apollo but I don't fully understand why
Fantastic review! I was curious about this new interface and have watched many reviews. Your review was the most comprehensive. I will stick with my Antelope ZenQ!
Hi bro! I'm wondering about what you said at [8:39] "It is not possible to by-pass the internal pre-amps regardless of which input you use". I just watched this other video saying: [1:48] "you can by-pass those internal preamps by just using the quarter-inch jack instead of the XLR jack" ua-cam.com/video/3SXy40K_o3s/v-deo.html Is he incorrect? or there do is a way to have the signal with the pre-amps by-passed? Let me know your thoughts. Thank you.
Good observation. I didn’t watch the other video all the way through, it I noticed it was published 4 months ago, which is before this interface was available to purchase, so I think Neumann sponsored that video. A preamp is an amplification circuit. A line input that does not have a preamp will not have an amplification circuit. Line inputs 3 and 4 have 66db of amplification available on them, which is only possible by routing the audio through an amplification circuit. You can check the specs on the Neumann website, that indicate line inputs 3 and 4 have a gain range of 0-66 db. Gain and amplification are the same thing. Also, the sound quality tests I did with it were consistent with line inputs that route the audio through a preamp. Even low cost interface that do have a proper line level input achieve a cleaner audio signal.
They’re actually APS Aeon II’s. they’re pretty good, but, like any ported speaker, they have accuracy issues in the bass frequencies. I went with them because I found them used at a good price. If I were buying a new set of monitors in that price range now, I would probably go with the Antelope atlas i8, because the isobaric design will provide very accurate sound quality.
Just stumbled across this video - 1 year late by the look of it! Interesting to see this and your other audio interface comparison video. I'm just not sure why we're all so obsessed with dynamic range, noise floor, etc. If you're still listening to, and enjoying, songs like Heard It Through The Grapevine, you'll appreciate that it's the music that's important. The engineers on those didn't have much choice about equipment but still produced fantastic sounding records. I have an MT48 as well as interfaces from SSL (2+, 12, Octo), Neve and Focusrite as well as many mic choices and just aim to get the best sounding recording from the artist. I also get presented with clean recordings that I put back through Neve preamps, for example, to add a particular tone. My choice of interface depends on the application. SSL 2+/MT48 if I want to travel light, MT48 with Octo to record a choir with multiple mics, etc. I've never had an artist complain about a noise floor. Some do prefer certain mics and preamps though. Neve is popular. The advantage of the MT48 for me is the ability to add reverb to the headphones during recording which vocalists really like and the quality/volume of the headphone amps which are extremely good. When I started recording many, many years ago, I built my own gear using discrete components. Just about anything on the market today would wipe the floors with those homebrew preamps. So I suggest refocusing on the music and buy the gear that fits best with your intended use.
So, what's the story with the preamps when using line-in balanced inputs? Are they able to be bypassed or not? Seems like a simple problem given the sophistication of this unit.
The short answer is no, they cannot be bypassed on the mt-48, even with the line in balanced inputs. I explain it in more detail in the video. Balancing a signal is simply a way of reducing electrical interference, it doesn’t affect wether or not the signal goes through the preamp.
Well done and thoughtful review. I just bought one to replace an Apollo Twin, mainly because the Twin has only ADAT in, not out, and also because the twin has only one headphone out, which I found to be an annoyance. I just received the unit so haven't had much time with it. One question though - you said in, the things you don't like, that you can't mirror outputs. However, under settings/monitoring, you can set any mix 2, 3, or 4 to "follow mix 1". Isn't that the same thing? Or am I mistaken? Thanks.
Yes, you are correct. I tried setting this in the output matrix, which I think would have been the initiative place to do this, but as you pointed out, it is possible to do from the monitoring menu. Thanks :)
Faced with the problem of monitoring headphones when recording vocals. Maybe you know how to disable playback on the audio interface itself? Because I have the sound from the MT48 doubled in Studio One
Thanks for the great review! It might be worth to dig deeper into the "bypass the preamps" topic. I don't know the exact design of the MT48. But some general notes: XLR/TRS-Combo inputs are built so that the XLR and TRS connections do not necessarily mirror each other - they can be wired independently. So nothing to tell just from the combo socket itself. It's pretty common that mic inputs are designed in stages. The first stage is the most critical for sound and technical performance. The second or third stage then might just be the same IC that is used for the "real" line inputs. So it is valid to bypass the first stage of the mic pre and groove into just before the second stage. Can't tell how it's done exactly in the Merging/Neumann devices. But this is something they might be happy to shed light on for everyone interested.
True, it can be done, but the fact that when “line input” is chosen there’s still the same 66 db of gain available, it clearly goes through the full circuit. I don’t know if any interface that uses combo inputs that does not send the line level input through the preamps. Take the apogee duet for example, it uses a breakout cable, and still doesn’t use combo inputs. I’ve used the duet, the line inputs don’t go through the preamps.
@@Get.Beautiful.Recordings I urge you and every one to get your info directly from the manufacturer. They'll be able to tell you all about it. - One possible reason why the Apogee Duet doesn't use combo sockets: Their breakout cable is proprietary and combo sockets are more complicated and bigger. Might be just a cost choice.
@@Get.Beautiful.RecordingsYou should read the manual for the Horus/Hapi/Anubis. They don't sell cards that are line only. All of their cards have preamps in them. It's how they designed it. There is a 12 DB boost switch that injects a different type of amplifier into the circuit if I remember correctly. The noise floor on these converters is significantly lower than almost anything else on the market. Your argument for running the signals through a "preamp" that's turned all the way down is not really valid. The difference between a preamp and a line amp comes down mostly to impedance. If you have a hot enough mic signal you can plug it straight into a compressor if the impedances are agreeable enough. Did you actually plug in a line or inst signal and notice a noise floor that you could hear? These converters blow away almost everything out of the market and the available gain is part of their design choice. Merging does not use combo jacks to save money.
hello, yu find a way to bypass préamp ? in MT48 diagram line 3, 4 i don't see preamp. small apollo (solo, twin, x4) no bypass .. is mt48 enaugh for small mastering, sound looks clear open .. cheers
Good afternoon! Please tell me if there is a loop back loop function on the card to send sound from any daw to obs, for example, usually on other cards such a function eats the first two inputs, which is not very pleasant. I will be grateful for the answer
Yes… but mkiii. Thanks for your question. Feel free to join my Facebook group , Get.Beautiful.Recordings , for more discussion, tips and tricks, and if you have any questions :)
I was thinking about this one because i could get a good deal. But like you say is right they all try to look better but in your test about the noise floor you used the output of the mt48 right? But the DA has only 122dB dynamic range, so maybe a higher noise floor then others? I don’t know all numbers of the other interfaces. It has great input numbers but the output numbers are a bit disappointing. Great that headphones can be loud but please think about your ears you all.
I just use it for live streaming and recordings but he didn’t mention a couple of things and that is you have to get use to the mic preamp’s because they are very sterile so what you sound like is what your gonna get but to me the best thing is that it just works even when my Mac updates it just follows along and just work so there’s no crashing like Apollo or Antelope Audio. It simply works and does it great
After trying the VOLT 4 at my friend's and not quite loving it, I'm curious what you think about the RME Babyface Pro FS? Are the inputs 3 and 4 on that dedicated line level? Remember I use some outboard rack pres like Chandlers and NEVEs so I really want true line-level like you suggested. There's also the RME UCX II but the converters on the BBF Pro FS on paper are actually slightly better and I don't need the other features of the UCX II. Thoughts? I appreciate your advice and I subscribed. :)
@@Get.Beautiful.Recordings pls do the recent ID24. Its a 2 channel interface with balanced send and return on both channel. It has ADAT in and out too. I just want to know how it measures up with what's out there and how the converters stack up
When you recorded the drums with the 8 input adat. Did you record totally raw from that ourboard preamp or did you rout through some analog or dsp compression/limiting.
@@Get.Beautiful.Recordings I've been away from audio for a long time and have less hardware. Back then I usually used a limiter or comp to catch transients on recording, how do you deal with that?
Hi my friend!! very useful video, thanks for the information :) In your opinion, what interface has better preamp and converter AD-DA between Neumann MT 48 and Apogee Symphony Desktop?
Hi, I haven’t tested the apogee symphony, so I can’t really say, but based on my experience with apogee, I would estimate the preamps and converters to be about the same quality.
@@Get.Beautiful.Recordings Thanks for you answer!! I would like to upgrade my apogee duet 2. I really love the preamps and converters...the results I’ve achieved have pleasantly surprised me in these 10 years of use. Now I'm looking for something with the best quality to record guitars, basses and vocals (Rock and Metal)... the rest I do with virtual instruments on my Macbook pro M1. Prism Lyra 2, Prism Titan, Lynx Hilo is already a lot for me. my ceiling is 2 thousand usd.I need 2 excellent quality preamps, 2 headphones and 1 output for monitors it’s enough for me. Based on your experience, is there anything you can recommend? For now I would choose Apogee Symphony Desktop, but I like Neumann MT 48 too as it has more outputs (usefull for reamping)... so... Difficult desision :)
The noise floor doesnt matter, if the dynamic range is so high like in the neumann. The converter and the preamps are some of the best out there. Please specify the signal´s maximum level you are recording.
The RME Babyface Pro has 1/4” inputs that are switchable from line level to hi-Z and RME workers have claimed that they don’t touch pre-circuitry in forums. Is that possible? I don’t understand the circuitry difference between Line and Hi-Z and if it’s possible to do that without some kind of pre or circuitry that effects the sound quality or degraded it.
Line level has already been amplified, so it doesn’t require a preamp. Hi-Z is for a guitar input, which requires a preamp. Yes, it is possible for a 1/4” input to be switchable, and if RME says the line level input doesn’t touch the preamp, then I would believe them. RME is an excellent brand.
FMR RNP is one of the quietest Preamps I did use and test. To see it on the second to last position questioning your entire test to be honest. Maybe you got a faulty device or bad/defective Power Supply ?
Faulty device is possible, I would need to obtain another one to double check this. I was also surprised by this noise floor. I tried 2 different power supplies.
Thanks for this!👍🏻 Question: I have the SSL 2+ and currently run external preamps through the combo inputs; given what you say about not being a direct path to the converters, do you think I would gain anything in upgrading to an interface that does have direct line inputs, like Scarlett 4i4 or Audient id24 (through inserts) or splurging on an RME Babyface? (the Neumann is just too much of a stretch)
Hi. I just bought this machine, cuz I have two Neumann mics at my studio and this would definitely help me get better recordings, but I'm really worried about the heat this one generates, it gets extremely hot, I've set the fans to mid, so sometimes the fans kick in, which is a pain when I'm recording something. I wanna know if the heat really is an issue. Please help.
I tested the noise floor of the preamps on this when it was cold, and also when it was hot, and there was no difference. It is designed to run hot, so I don’t t think that’s an issue.
Reading reviews by other pro's and enthusiasts, the one feature they discuss as the most valuable on this unit, is it's absolutely top of high-end conversion. As in, on par with absolutely anything you might think of (Lavry, MetricHalo, etc). You're right that if the pres are always in the chain to the A/D, that's a bit of a burn, though honestly the noise is still next to negligible in practical terms, and 99% of the tracks will get intentionally mangled far more than what was heard in your 200 pass, just in more deliberate and "colorful" ways (effects, etc). But to the conversion point, some folks pay more than this $ for a strictly standalone 2-chnl D/A, for high end monitoring/mastering purposes. Here you get 4-chnl plus two headphones at absolute world-class D/A. So running final mixes to final outboard analog mastering, or just great monitoring while mixing in-box, it's still high value that way. But you're right that bolting on the pre's and effects makes it look a bit like an "identity crisis", because those feature sort of obscure its strongest feature and selling point - stellar conversion. Honestly, if not for converters, why wouldn't anyone spring for an RME unit (who are also the single exception to your otherwise accurate comment on how most mfg's don't support products for more than a few years) RME's 20 yr old PCI cards are still running today, and their drivers are legendary and are the benchmark.Thanks for the honest review.
Can you tell us what is better. Which Audio Interface is the top of the line. That sounds better then all the rest? For those that have a unilimited budget.
The SSL audio interfaces have the best sound quality of any interface I tested. Cost no object though… Cranborne Audio Camden preamp going into a Universal Audio Volt 4 line inputs 3 and 4 if you just need 2 channels. If you need more channels, then a Millennia hv316 going into a Neumann MT-48.
@@Get.Beautiful.Recordings I can tell you, you are absolutely wrong, I had a SSl 2+ and i sold it got a Zen Go, way better sounding then the SSL overall, I even had both here at one time, and the zen go blew it, I also had setup the zen go vs merging anubis, the Anubis is hands down way better. You also have DAD, Merging, and Stagetec now blows them all away with the Nexus Compact, that has a staggering 158db of Dynamic range , costs 6500 euros, and blows everything out there away. zero noise floor and a headphone amp, that is insane clear. features, 8 x TrueMatch Mic in 4 splits each 4 x AES3 stereo in 4 x AES3 stereo out 8 x Analog out Stereo headphone 64 x Dante / AES67 I/Os, (option based on module confi- guration) 6 x GPI / 5 x GPO, GPIs in pairs also usable as encoders 64 x AES67 / Dante I/Os (option) SSL 12 you have to be joking, You have no clue, the merging stuff is top notch, i wonder why every major mastering house and mastering engineer are using it, and not the SSL
What’s your favorite 2-4 channel interface for music in this range? My Apollo just died and I’m deciding whether to use the insurance money to get another Apollo X Twin Quad (or X4) or one of these.
My #1 favourite is the ssl 2, because it has the best preamps, and I like the 4K mode on vocals My second fav is the volt 4 because I also like the vintage mode, and it has proper line inputs for connecting an external preamp.
Thanks, a lot of useful information here. It would be helpful if you could also measure latency in your interface reviews using something like RTL Utility from Oblique Audio as this information is very hard to come by. I know it depends on many factors, but measurements can at least give a sense of how different products compare when used with a similar setup. That said, this was very helpful in any case.
Thanks. I do a lot of interface testing, but rtl latency isn’t a parameter I consider important. This is only relevant when monitoring through a daw, and the computer itself plays a greater role in latency times than the interface. Different interfaces will have different amounts of latency depending on the computer. I use Mac, and I was testing rtl latency on numerous interfaces, but I gave up because the results there wasn’t a significant difference between any of them, even with testing done on 3 different machines computers. For latency induced by adda conversion, I did test this with the mt-48… it’s in the video, and I will be including it in future tests of other interfaces. Thanks :) Please feel free to join my facebook group Get.Beautiful.Recordings, to see my posts and join the discussion about my testing.
i feel like for the amount it costs, it should be more refined, no? 1) the screen needs to be way way more responsive. 2) the screen should be bigger by 1-2 inches. 3) Move the dial knob to the right to accomodate for larger screen. 4) the screen should have a 30 - 40 degree angle to it so you can still use the device when it's a bit farther away from you. Right now it looks like it's not tilted enough so you have to have the interface closer to you so you can see the screen easier from a more top down view. i've never used the interface before so i wouldn't know but that's what my thoughts are from watching a bunch of videos on it.
One quick detail to add. The extra preamp gain is useful when you have a mic that requires a phantom powered uplift. With this unit that isn’t needed… which save on connectors and gear and you won’t have that long lift xlr sticking out the back.
Greetings, I'm trying as an independent hiphop artist to have the most cost effective mobile professional homemade studio. So far I plan on buying in the near future the ({NUEMAN TLM 49 & THE NUEMAN MT 48 AUDIO INTERFACE}) along with a 16 inch 2023 Macbook Pro and The ISOVOX, All In Conjunction. Im trying to keep my budget under $8,500.00 as my professionally homemade mobile studio to make potentially million dollar hit singles. My question is would this be a wise investment lasting for the next 10 years before upgrading for a new mic or a new audio interface?
With that budget you should be able to put together a nice setup. Focus most of your budget on room acoustics and good monitors. That’s more important than the interface and microphone. The isovox will not provide a professional level of sound quality. The mt-48 and Tlm-49 are great, but you can get just as good, or even better for much less money. I’d suggest the Audient ID4 and an Aston Spirit…. Those will also last a long time, and sound just as good, or maybe even better. Then grab some Kali IN-8v2 monitors, and focus a significant budget towards proper room acoustics. Feel free to join me on Facebook at get.beautiful.recordings if you want help with this.
Though I haven’t properly tested those, I have a pretty good idea how it would perform. This is just my opinion and assumption. Roland would perform poorly, Audient would perform well, SPL crimson I have no idea, Moti would perform very well, and Anubis would be the same as the MT-48
Hey Chris, thanks a lot for this really well made and instructive video. I'm kinda new to this nerdy part of audio (but I love it haha), so my question might sound dumb but let's say I'm plugging some outboard gear like a stereo compressor to this mt48. As the preamps can't be bypassed, I guess, even though you said they were pretty transparent, they're gonna mess with the sound and add some color, maybe add gain to the sound and contribute to the overall noise floor of my signal chain. My question is : would you consider this a "bad" thing ? In a mastering scenario, where you'd not want anything unwanted to interact with the sound, would this be an issue ? Anyways thanks for taking the time to create all this educational content, it helps a lot ! Have a lovely day.
@@basilandrigsby Updates shouldn't slow down hardware like this. An interface doesn't undergo drastic changes to software like a computer, or phone. Not to say it's a total impossibility. Also, Apple intentionally slowing down devices is a misconception from people who really don't know how these things work. New updates are just optimized better for the newer devices. This is to be expected of any device. If you buy a new version of something - you expect that item to have priority over the older version. Also, as hardware progresses, so does software. As new features get added, the software (in this case an OS), becomes harder to run. So, older hardware, running a new OS, will usually feel slower. This will happen with any phone, or computer. Apple did, however, slow down phones that had a high level of battery degradation. This move should have been more transparent on their end, but was there for a pretty good reason. This is also remedied by replacing the battery.
Your comments about running an outboard preamp being degraded by running through an onboard preamp in line is nonsense. Interfaces are engineered to handle this. The camera lense analogy sounds reasonable, but in this case it's not true and not serving your viewer.
Anytime audio goes through a gain stage, the signal gets degraded. A proper line input doesn’t have a gain stage, it just sends the audio directly to the A/D. If there’s a preamp.. there’s a gain stage. I spent a lot of money on a preamp with the purest possible signal, and I don’t want to knowingly degrade it even just a little bit. Thanks for your comment :)
Reviewer definitely needs to read the manual. He claims it can't do things it can do, and sights problems that are adjustable in the settings. Poor review.
I was mistaken about its ability to mirror the outputs. I had flipped through the menus, and couldn’t find a way to do this. There’s an input output matrix where you can control the routing of the mixes…. That’s where I think it would make sense to do that operation. Turns out its in a different menu where it’s an on/off button called following. This goes with what I was saying about the menus being not very intuitive. Seeing as I call this feature “mirroring” and they call it “following” I didn’t find it in the manual. I would have contacted their customer support to ask this question, but the 2 previous questions I had asked a couple weeks prior had still not received a reply (as of now its 2 months later and still no reply). So their confusing menu, and lack of customer support is what led me to believe this feature was not possible. Is this the issue you were referring to, or is there also something else?
@@Get.Beautiful.Recordings Hello. Thank you for the great video review! Now I ran into the same problem of monitoring 2 headphones at the same time. Could you describe in more detail how to set it up? thank you
Yeah... I have a 1st gen duet and the preamps can be bypassed. I also tested an Apogee Boom, and it's also one of the few interfaces that can bypass the preamps.
Thanks for the video. I'm rocking a RME interface. They still make drivers for 20 year old interfaces for both Mac and PC. Absolutely great value even considering they're not cheap.
Thank you very much for this excellent video! Your review has helped me see this interface in a new light. I would love to see a video on the MOTU UltraLite MK5, and possibly the RME Fireface UCX II! I am looking to pairing either one of these with the Cranborne Audio Camden preamp.
Yeah… I really love the Camden. I’ve used a lot of preamps and it’s my favourite. Both the Motu and RME are excellent and I’ll think you’ll be happy regardless which one you choose.
we hope to see in the review the internal latency with its DSP effects, the round trip latency with DAW, also the quality of preamp, and if the reverb is a real studio quality or just a regular mixer reverb, last, if you can tell us what ADC and DAC used here.
Based on your thoughtful review, I was surprised to hear that there was no way to bypass the MT 48 preamps when using external line inputs. I contacted Neumann about this and, according to them, your analysis isn't correct. I'm no electronics engineer so I'm in no position to evaluate that. However, the following comes from Neumann's MT 48 web site. It seems to suggest preamp-free "clean AD conversion" but it doesn't address your point definitively, either: "Can I use my outboard preamp with the MT 48? Yes, all four MT 48 inputs can be set to Line mode for a clean AD conversion. This is done on the input's Preamp module on the MT 48. (Line Inputs 1-2 feature 138.5 db-A dynamic range.) Additionally, if your preamp has an ADAT or S/PDIF output, that of course can be connected directly to the MT 48’s optical input."
I have read all of the comments and subsequent replies, probably the best review and honest review I've seen. I have one of these units on hold at a local music store and will opt to not buy. I have a UA Volt 1 and will keep that since it does the job fine and I understand how to use it. I bought a pair of Neumann NDH-20 days ago and was looking to pair it for pure sound quality with the Merging Technologies 48 by Neumann but after watching this review I'm good without it. Thanks
I have used (and tested) the UA Volt, and I don’t think there’s any real difference in the sound quality between it and the mt-48. Thanks for your comment, I wish you all the best :)
You thankfully mentioned monitoring with up to 4 mixes direct from mt48 not through the daw, and it's around 1 ms, we were waiting for the most important latency figure with daw, not internally, that will allow us to use effects and plugins through the daw, MT 48 then is compared with other audio interfaces if we don't want to use internal monitors or fx.
Latency through the Daw depends on the computer. On Mac computers the interface doesn’t make much difference, the latency is about the same for all of them. On PC’s, there’s so many different brands and lack of standardized Bios programming, it’s hit and miss. An interface might have lower latency on one computer, but higher latency on another.
Thanks a lot for this honest review. With most of the other MT-48 reviewers you get the impression that they are blinded by the Neumann name tag and are not really capable of judging it critically and point out beside its pros as well its cons.
Thank you. I honestly had really high expectations, and was expecting to this to be another glowing review, so I was actually a little bit surprised that it didn’t do so good.
that's why the top comments are "people who purchased it upset he didn't mention their favorite feature". I can't believe Neumann is stooping to this level now.
This is a great video and you drill down on so many of its features, but you can not compare the converters of this unit with Scarlet and the rest on that list for the exception of the Metric Halo, the industry is suffering from proper AD/DA conversion, almost all gear use the same chips with some spec changes, companies like Merging/Neuman are not in that camp, they are more in the camp of Lavry, Burl, Crane Song, Mytek etc, you will hear the difference as you record multiple audio channels and start stacking and mixing, this is a pro product and is for serious recording, yes it has limitations but look at its foot print, with AES 67 you can really expand, we can not compare this to Behringer converters that is just apples and oranges. The way you dive into converters is just awesome, try to get your hands on some Mytek and Burls and run test tones for your viewers and A and B and you will hear the difference. Thank You.
Excellent video. I have always used UAD Apollo (Twin X) and got an Apollo X6 late last year at a good deal. Was considering selling the X6 and getting this. Watching your video makes me want to just keep what I have. I just do voice work for most part
Yeah… keep it, there won’t be a noticeable upgrade going to something more expensive. If you’re not happy with your sound quality, focus on room treatment and a good microphone.
If you're not using KH AES67 Neumann Monitors with the MA1 alignment software and are stuck on analog still then the MT48 isn't using it's full potential. You got to get the KH series Aes67 monitors, do all the headwork configurations which can be enormously frustrating, but it is very worth the ordeal in getting that setup. I hate analog, the older XLR connections it is just not as good as the AES67 Merging Technology setup. You're getting the pure digital signal without any DA conversion noiseless signal. That is cutting edge. The only cons of the MT48 is my lack of ability in understanding all that it can do.
Great video :-) Bad choice for camera though - Sony ZV-E1 ... 🤣 It will be great if you can do such extended review of the Anubis. I believe it is a much better audio interface.
You obviously don't know how to use a Sony ZV-E1, and what to make of its insane 15 stops of dynamic range, full-frame sensor, Flexible ISO etc etc. And how to use Slog3 in a color managed environment to get advantage of all the details of this huge dynamic range to produce great videos. And let's not touch the lens department. Don't blame the camera.
@@andy80sdrums yeah ... also I should get thermal gloves in order not to burn my hands ... which is again probably my bad, because I can't use the latest Sony embarrassment called ZV-E1 ... you're absolute correct ...
I want to buy this but everyone appears to be too happy, too quickly without even having had the device for long enough. See what happens when you get over the fact that you just spent $2/3 thousand on it, and have had it for more than a year going from project to project. See if the waiting time everytime you turn it on starts pissing you off everytime you want to use it. Then watch the screen start flickering, it heating up and the fan noise buzzing in your ear. Yeah, its gonna record great vocals but you can probably fix that in post depending on the quailty of your current interface. I'm just not sold on it yet, its too new. Every other interface has been around the block. My RME babyface just sits in the same spot like a rock, no turning on or off, no fan noise, no stupid screen (thats sluggish) because its completely unnecessary when you can do everything you need on your computer screen with your mouse.
I use Anubis interface. This is the interface that gives me the most headaches. The sound quality is very good but the user experience is very unfriendly. The drivers of RME and Apollo are really much better.
I think it depends on the overall song, but I have liked the sound of DPA condensers, km184s, as well as small diaphragm tube condensers for overheads. I did like the Coles that I have heard but so far not my favorite. Maybe for jazz.
You had my interest until you said you can NOT bypass the internal pres. No danke schoen for me. I would have to sell my 16 class A pre amps with transformers and I just can't do that!
"It doesn't support full channel counts at higher sample rates, that's something Berhringer does" ...Thats something a lot of companies do...Motu, Apogee.. it's more the protocol
I get where you’re coming from but have disagree, I want that preamp sound, that’s one of the many points of having an interface like this. Unlike you I’m only ever using the device as a complete standalone and I love the features, converters etc, it’s a no brainer, awesome bit of kit
Lots of useful info in here, but a correction: Preamp gain does matter. If you choose to keep your preamp gain low, and turn it up in the DAW, you will be turning up the noise of both the preamp stage, and the AD stage (which follows the preamp stage). Increasing the preamp gain is a better solution, as it does not increase the noise, introduced by the AD stage. When recording, you will ideally want the signal to be as loud as possible, without clipping. Edit: I took one of the corrections out. It was a miss understanding on my part. Sorry about that.
You are a modern day hero Chris, an unbiased voice in a world full of influencers that has sold out!
Eric, my friend, thank you so much :)
That's the best explanation of dynamic range and the noise floor I've ever seen. Bravo.
I have the MT-48. A massive feature is the power and quality of the headphone amps. They're phenomenal and I factored that into the high price. In regards to surround sound and Dolby Atmos mixing, Neumann mentioned that it would be coming to the interface. My biggest gripe with the thing is how hot it gets, but apparently it's designed to be a heat sink and the Anubis interfaces have not failed due to that heat. Thanks for the review!
I keep reading about heat issue. I think it is due to the large LED screen.
@@superbaran9042 It's certainly not a dealbreaker. I set the fans to low when recording and set it to high when I'm mixing/listening to music on headphones. Setting it to high keeps it from getting hot.
Ya, I should have talked about the headphone amp at least a little bit. It’s fantastic, especially if you have really high impedance headphones.
I wasn’t sure what to think about how hot it gets… I didn’t like it… but I don’t have a practical reason for not liking it, especially since the fans never even turned on..
What type of recording do you mostly do? And why did you choose the MT-48?
@@Get.Beautiful.Recordings Stuff for projects here and there; all a side hustle. I'd been using a Quad Cortex for my guitar/bass recordings and a Zoom H8 for everything else, including drums. It was a close tie between the Audient ID24 and the MT-48, and despite the big price difference, the latter won because I was also in the market for a high-end headphone DAC since I'm turning into one of those annoying, audiophile nerds 🤓. Safe to say the Neumann preamps much cleaner than the Zoom's. Now I just need to find a solid 8-channel ADAT preamp to marry the Neumann too and I'll be set!
Really not much hotter than the UAD Apollo X4 sitting next to the MT48 on my desk.
Hi! What are your white nearfield monitors at [24:00]? I can't see the reference. Thank you!
Hi,
Those are APS Aeon II’s
@@Get.Beautiful.Recordings thank you! I think I just saw they don’t sell them anymore? You know why? How has been your experience with them?
I’m looking for white monitors. I’m thinking on buying / comparing yours with ‘Dynaudio LYD 8’, ‘Yamaha HS8’, ‘HEDD Type07 MK2’. Any input here bro?
Thank you!
Great video. Would you happen to know if the Motu M6 or new 828 have dedicated line level inputs?
I don’t t know, but I’m currently testing a Motu m2, and numerous other interfaces for an upcoming 2024 video
@@Get.Beautiful.RecordingsI will definitely stay tuned for your new videos. Happy New Year.
M6 has a couple of dedicated line levels in the back that do not go through the preamps.
@@matthewphillips5483 Many thanks 🤓👍🏻
Have you done a review on the Merging Anubis?
Cool thanks for sharing, in terms of preamps how'd you think it would compare to a Prism Lyra 2? I'k planning for a single portable interface where to record high quality voice overs on the go, so I'm not going to bring an extra preamp. Thank you! Cheers
I got the Neumann MT 48 for a deal after seeing this review. The reviewer is so wrong. This interface sounds so good. Best interface I've tried. Do yourself a favor and get this interface, SoundID headphones and the Neumann NDH 30 Headphones. Just amazing, such a pleasurable listening experience. You can change the filtering on the ADCs and DACs which really effect the sound.
I'm running my Neve Shelford preamp into the MT 48 and am getting the best low end detail on my voice. Just the best converters I've tried. Make sure to use TRS and not XLR cables for line level.
The touch screen is a game changer when setting up levels quickly for monitoring during recording. When I've got a guitar and headphones on it's so convenient to not fiddle with a mouse.
My biggest complaint is that it isn't bus powered like my RME Babyface Pro FS. So one more thing to plug in when on the go. However it sounds better than the babyface. It can send and receive 24 dbu which is a must for working with analog recording gear. My analog gear sounds better when running hot levels. If you aren't running hot levels you're missing out.
Really great honest review. Thank you, man!
Bravo for the analogy with the LINE input and the lens on photographic camera.
You barely mention the quality of the converters, which is one of the standout features of the unit. While I consider myself an aficionado and also own the Apollo Twin X , I must admit that the MT48 surpasses it in terms of sound quality. This distinction becomes evident when simply listening to music through the unit: the sound becomes more immersive and remarkably clear. To me, it feels as though a veil has been lifted from my ears. The synergy between the preamps and the converters places the MT48 in an entirely superior league, in my humble opinion.
Thanks for sharing. I did not experience the same thing. I’ve used many audio interfaces, and the overall soundstage of this unit is just as good as any high end interface. I did test the converters, they didn’t do so well, it’s in the video.
@@Get.Beautiful.Recordingswhich audio interface has the best converters so far in all your test case
@@Get.Beautiful.Recordings The converters from Merging Technologies have been well-known for the past three years through the Anubis. They have maintained their reputation and are the same ones used by Neumann. Yours is the first video I've seen that claims they don't perform well.
@@Tav_cr The Merging Technolgoes Converters have been used for archiving by these institutions, below, I am not sure if neumann changed anything from from the Anubis to the MT48, inside because it is more limited , besides them adding USB and Adat on the back, USB is more limited then Aes67. I dont know about the chips and converters but I can tell you the Anubis is top of the line Box. and can do alot more then the MT48 including a higher channel count. these are the instituions using the Merging Technologies products for archiving including the Anubis, they cant be all worng. Anfd they surely would not use something that is consumer grade, They would definitely go for the highest quality converters , with unlimited budgets.
Library of Congress, USA
National Archives of Canada
University of Calgary, Canada
Bibliothèque et Archives Nationales du Quebec
National Library of Norway
NRK (Norwegian Radio and TV)
Bibliothèque nationale de France
Yanbian Korean autonomous prefecture archiving project
China Film Archive
Central Digital Archive (Poland)
CDC, China Digital Corporation
China Record Corporation
Memnon Archiving Services S.A. Belgium (Sony company)
Phonogrammarchiv - AAC Austria
Universal Music Group Global Asset & Archive Team (UK)
I think this guy is doing something wrong. His recordings sound pretty dead.@@Tav_cr I've had the unit for several months and I can honestly agree that it has to be the best sounding interface on the market under $10k right now.
White Sea mentioned it also does POE?
Very little discussion of the actual sound quality which is the star here. I've had mine for a few months and only my prism lyra was as detailed sounding or better. I just sold my RME because side by side I just couldn't deny the depth of sound on this thing especially with the great sounding headphone amps. Things like reverb tails and compression are so much easier to discern on this unit compared to other units you listed I've also tried and sold. Some good points though. I for one also love not being tethered to my computer screen when recording since I can do everything from the unit itself.
Thank you. I personally didn’t notice any difference in sound quality between this, and other high end interfaces such as UA volt, Apollo, metric halo and ssl. They are all at about the same level in my own experience, so I didn’t really talk about it.
@aaronthomas7790 "[...].only my prism lyra was as detailed sounding or better." Phew!
It's such a reassuring thing to hear as a Prism owner, that I now don't have to rush to the store for a head-and-shoulders-above, better unit :)) Thanks!! (not that I wouldn't like my Lyra, just the GAS! lol)
May I ask if you used a decent monitor controller/volume controller after the Lyra (and the MT48), or just used their built-in volume controls? I use a Heritage Audio RAM500 after mine, I didn't like how the Lyra is controlled in the digital domain.
Yeah, I heard the sound quality was a game changer
@@galgogergo This guy can't hear the difference between an Apollo twin and this interface or Metric Halo so I don't know how much we can trust this video.
@@Get.Beautiful.RecordingsI’ve used Prism Orpheus and Apollo Twin for a decade, the conversion/sound quality is miles apart.
Thanks for the info! Think I'll keep going forward with my Apollo Twin X.
The Apollo can’t compete I have no idea what he’s talking about because I have three. Apogee, Apollo and now the Mt 48 and I give the edge to the Neumann and the Apogee because they are dependable and just work
Love the detail in your review! Have you tried the Apogee Symphony Desktop? Would be cool to hear your thoughts
I have not tried the Apogee Symphony, but my experience with other Apogee products is that they are top quality.
@@Get.Beautiful.Recordings Thank you for the reply. I have reviewed the apogee and apollo, but I'm still learning about things like the noise floor. I think the Apogee sounds more clear and has better sound stage than the Apollo but I don't fully understand why
Fantastic review! I was curious about this new interface and have watched many reviews. Your review was the most comprehensive.
I will stick with my Antelope ZenQ!
Hi bro! I'm wondering about what you said at [8:39] "It is not possible to by-pass the internal pre-amps regardless of which input you use".
I just watched this other video saying: [1:48] "you can by-pass those internal preamps by just using the quarter-inch jack instead of the XLR jack" ua-cam.com/video/3SXy40K_o3s/v-deo.html
Is he incorrect? or there do is a way to have the signal with the pre-amps by-passed?
Let me know your thoughts. Thank you.
Good observation. I didn’t watch the other video all the way through, it I noticed it was published 4 months ago, which is before this interface was available to purchase, so I think Neumann sponsored that video.
A preamp is an amplification circuit.
A line input that does not have a preamp will not have an amplification circuit.
Line inputs 3 and 4 have 66db of amplification available on them, which is only possible by routing the audio through an amplification circuit.
You can check the specs on the Neumann website, that indicate line inputs 3 and 4 have a gain range of 0-66 db. Gain and amplification are the same thing.
Also, the sound quality tests I did with it were consistent with line inputs that route the audio through a preamp. Even low cost interface that do have a proper line level input achieve a cleaner audio signal.
would be cool to see a review of your dynaudios and why you went with those.
They’re actually APS Aeon II’s. they’re pretty good, but, like any ported speaker, they have accuracy issues in the bass frequencies. I went with them because I found them used at a good price.
If I were buying a new set of monitors in that price range now, I would probably go with the Antelope atlas i8, because the isobaric design will provide very accurate sound quality.
Just stumbled across this video - 1 year late by the look of it! Interesting to see this and your other audio interface comparison video. I'm just not sure why we're all so obsessed with dynamic range, noise floor, etc. If you're still listening to, and enjoying, songs like Heard It Through The Grapevine, you'll appreciate that it's the music that's important. The engineers on those didn't have much choice about equipment but still produced fantastic sounding records. I have an MT48 as well as interfaces from SSL (2+, 12, Octo), Neve and Focusrite as well as many mic choices and just aim to get the best sounding recording from the artist. I also get presented with clean recordings that I put back through Neve preamps, for example, to add a particular tone. My choice of interface depends on the application. SSL 2+/MT48 if I want to travel light, MT48 with Octo to record a choir with multiple mics, etc. I've never had an artist complain about a noise floor. Some do prefer certain mics and preamps though. Neve is popular. The advantage of the MT48 for me is the ability to add reverb to the headphones during recording which vocalists really like and the quality/volume of the headphone amps which are extremely good. When I started recording many, many years ago, I built my own gear using discrete components. Just about anything on the market today would wipe the floors with those homebrew preamps. So I suggest refocusing on the music and buy the gear that fits best with your intended use.
So, what's the story with the preamps when using line-in balanced inputs? Are they able to be bypassed or not? Seems like a simple problem given the sophistication of this unit.
The short answer is no, they cannot be bypassed on the mt-48, even with the line in balanced inputs. I explain it in more detail in the video. Balancing a signal is simply a way of reducing electrical interference, it doesn’t affect wether or not the signal goes through the preamp.
Hi, Does DSP work on Adat channels?
Yes, it does.
Hello
In Anubis same circuit with preamps?
Cheers
Well done and thoughtful review. I just bought one to replace an Apollo Twin, mainly because the Twin has only ADAT in, not out, and also because the twin has only one headphone out, which I found to be an annoyance. I just received the unit so haven't had much time with it.
One question though - you said in, the things you don't like, that you can't mirror outputs. However, under settings/monitoring, you can set any mix 2, 3, or 4 to "follow mix 1". Isn't that the same thing? Or am I mistaken? Thanks.
Yes, you are correct. I tried setting this in the output matrix, which I think would have been the initiative place to do this, but as you pointed out, it is possible to do from the monitoring menu. Thanks :)
Faced with the problem of monitoring headphones when recording vocals. Maybe you know how to disable playback on the audio interface itself? Because I have the sound from the MT48 doubled in Studio One
You enlightened me and kept me from making a costly purchase based mostly on the “Neumann pedigree”. thanks! subscribed.
Thanks for the great review! It might be worth to dig deeper into the "bypass the preamps" topic.
I don't know the exact design of the MT48. But some general notes: XLR/TRS-Combo inputs are built so that the XLR and TRS connections do not necessarily mirror each other - they can be wired independently. So nothing to tell just from the combo socket itself.
It's pretty common that mic inputs are designed in stages. The first stage is the most critical for sound and technical performance. The second or third stage then might just be the same IC that is used for the "real" line inputs. So it is valid to bypass the first stage of the mic pre and groove into just before the second stage.
Can't tell how it's done exactly in the Merging/Neumann devices. But this is something they might be happy to shed light on for everyone interested.
True, it can be done, but the fact that when “line input” is chosen there’s still the same 66 db of gain available, it clearly goes through the full circuit.
I don’t know if any interface that uses combo inputs that does not send the line level input through the preamps. Take the apogee duet for example, it uses a breakout cable, and still doesn’t use combo inputs. I’ve used the duet, the line inputs don’t go through the preamps.
@@Get.Beautiful.Recordings I urge you and every one to get your info directly from the manufacturer. They'll be able to tell you all about it. - One possible reason why the Apogee Duet doesn't use combo sockets: Their breakout cable is proprietary and combo sockets are more complicated and bigger. Might be just a cost choice.
@@Get.Beautiful.RecordingsYou should read the manual for the Horus/Hapi/Anubis. They don't sell cards that are line only. All of their cards have preamps in them. It's how they designed it. There is a 12 DB boost switch that injects a different type of amplifier into the circuit if I remember correctly. The noise floor on these converters is significantly lower than almost anything else on the market. Your argument for running the signals through a "preamp" that's turned all the way down is not really valid.
The difference between a preamp and a line amp comes down mostly to impedance. If you have a hot enough mic signal you can plug it straight into a compressor if the impedances are agreeable enough.
Did you actually plug in a line or inst signal and notice a noise floor that you could hear? These converters blow away almost everything out of the market and the available gain is part of their design choice. Merging does not use combo jacks to save money.
@@ezrashanti Did you watch the video? The inputs were tested.
hello, yu find a way to bypass préamp ? in MT48 diagram line 3, 4 i don't see preamp. small apollo (solo, twin, x4) no bypass .. is mt48 enaugh for small mastering, sound looks clear open .. cheers
Solid, solid review. Thanks mate
Good afternoon! Please tell me if there is a loop back loop function on the card to send sound from any daw to obs, for example, usually on other cards such a function eats the first two inputs, which is not very pleasant. I will be grateful for the answer
Yes there is
Hi, do you know how to setup loopback in MT48 for OBS? I can't get it, even though they say MT48 has loopback function
cool review! was it the Metric Halo ULN-8 MKIV you compared it to ? thanks
Yes… but mkiii. Thanks for your question. Feel free to join my Facebook group , Get.Beautiful.Recordings , for more discussion, tips and tricks, and if you have any questions :)
@@Get.Beautiful.Recordings cool thanks for the reply !
21:56 the noisefloor of the preamps/MT-48 unit is quite low, you gain a better signal-to-noise ratio overall. It is always useful to have more gain.
Amazing video ! Can you test the audient id44?
The Audient is next on my list. Thanks :)
In your opinion does it sound better than RME?
Great! This was helpful. Thanks!
I was thinking about this one because i could get a good deal.
But like you say is right they all try to look better but in your test about the noise floor you used the output of the mt48 right? But the DA has only 122dB dynamic range, so maybe a higher noise floor then others? I don’t know all numbers of the other interfaces.
It has great input numbers but the output numbers are a bit disappointing.
Great that headphones can be loud but please think about your ears you all.
Thanks a lot for your testing. Did you ever had your hands on a UA apollo x8p and can you tell something about the noise at this one?
What your think about RME?
I just use it for live streaming and recordings but he didn’t mention a couple of things and that is you have to get use to the mic preamp’s because they are very sterile so what you sound like is what your gonna get but to me the best thing is that it just works even when my Mac updates it just follows along and just work so there’s no crashing like Apollo or Antelope Audio. It simply works and does it great
After trying the VOLT 4 at my friend's and not quite loving it, I'm curious what you think about the RME Babyface Pro FS? Are the inputs 3 and 4 on that dedicated line level? Remember I use some outboard rack pres like Chandlers and NEVEs so I really want true line-level like you suggested. There's also the RME UCX II but the converters on the BBF Pro FS on paper are actually slightly better and I don't need the other features of the UCX II. Thoughts? I appreciate your advice and I subscribed. :)
I use the Babyface Pro and inputs 3&4 are dedicated line level. I use the preamps on my Chandler TG Microphone Cassette and sounds great.
Can you pls test the new Audient ID24 pleaseeeeee
I’m very curious about the Audient interfaces, so I will eventually do one.
@@Get.Beautiful.Recordings pls do the recent ID24. Its a 2 channel interface with balanced send and return on both channel. It has ADAT in and out too. I just want to know how it measures up with what's out there and how the converters stack up
Great Stuff! Any chance that you can do a similar video on neve 88m?
When you recorded the drums with the 8 input adat. Did you record totally raw from that ourboard preamp or did you rout through some analog or dsp compression/limiting.
Totally raw from the preamp.
@@Get.Beautiful.Recordings I've been away from audio for a long time and have less hardware. Back then I usually used a limiter or comp to catch transients on recording, how do you deal with that?
Are you sure you can't bypass the preamps for the line level inputs? That would be a bit of a deal breaker. Where did you get the info?
I got that info from testing it out, and trying to find a way to bypass the preamps.
Thanks for the comment.
Ok! Thank you for the reply. @@Get.Beautiful.Recordings
Hi my friend!! very useful video, thanks for the information :) In your opinion, what interface has better preamp and converter AD-DA between Neumann MT 48 and Apogee Symphony Desktop?
Hi, I haven’t tested the apogee symphony, so I can’t really say, but based on my experience with apogee, I would estimate the preamps and converters to be about the same quality.
@@Get.Beautiful.Recordings Thanks for you answer!! I would like to upgrade my apogee duet 2. I really love the preamps and converters...the results I’ve achieved have pleasantly surprised me in these 10 years of use. Now I'm looking for something with the best quality to record guitars, basses and vocals (Rock and Metal)... the rest I do with virtual instruments on my Macbook pro M1. Prism Lyra 2, Prism Titan, Lynx Hilo is already a lot for me. my ceiling is 2 thousand usd.I need 2 excellent quality preamps, 2 headphones and 1 output for monitors it’s enough for me. Based on your experience, is there anything you can recommend? For now I would choose Apogee Symphony Desktop, but I like Neumann MT 48 too as it has more outputs (usefull for reamping)... so... Difficult desision :)
The noise floor doesnt matter, if the dynamic range is so high like in the neumann. The converter and the preamps are some of the best out there. Please specify the signal´s maximum level you are recording.
Out standing!! And honest review thank you for sharing and I will follow 👌👏👍🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
The RME Babyface Pro has 1/4” inputs that are switchable from line level to hi-Z and RME workers have claimed that they don’t touch pre-circuitry in forums. Is that possible? I don’t understand the circuitry difference between Line and Hi-Z and if it’s possible to do that without some kind of pre or circuitry that effects the sound quality or degraded it.
Line level has already been amplified, so it doesn’t require a preamp. Hi-Z is for a guitar input, which requires a preamp.
Yes, it is possible for a 1/4” input to be switchable, and if RME says the line level input doesn’t touch the preamp, then I would believe them. RME is an excellent brand.
@@Get.Beautiful.Recordingsthanks so much for all your guidance. Great videos
many people would be very interested in what you think of the apogee symphony desktop
Great video but I would have liked to see some stuff from RME in the comparisons.
Can this interface connect via Dante using the Cat-5 connector?
Yes, but more specifically CAT5e, or higher such as CAT6 or CAT7
@@Get.Beautiful.Recordings so in theory you could use a Dante Virtual Card on a Mac or PC to interface with a DAW instead of USB?
@@JorgeParaglidingNo you cannot. It uses AES67/ravenna protocol. It's a competing to Dante using similar technology, but is NOT compatible.
@@Get.Beautiful.Recordings Dude, just stop. Misinforming people is not cool. This does not connect to DANTE.
FMR RNP is one of the quietest Preamps I did use and test. To see it on the second to last position questioning your entire test to be honest. Maybe you got a faulty device or bad/defective Power Supply ?
Faulty device is possible, I would need to obtain another one to double check this. I was also surprised by this noise floor. I tried 2 different power supplies.
Hi' Bro..what do you think about Babyface pro RME?
Thanks
Unfortunately, I have never tested it, but I’m also very curious.
Thanks for this!👍🏻 Question: I have the SSL 2+ and currently run external preamps through the combo inputs; given what you say about not being a direct path to the converters, do you think I would gain anything in upgrading to an interface that does have direct line inputs, like Scarlett 4i4 or Audient id24 (through inserts) or splurging on an RME Babyface? (the Neumann is just too much of a stretch)
Hi ,Nueamann mt 48 will be good for live streaming?
Yes, it would work well for live streaming. You can use the effects in real time.
Hi. I just bought this machine, cuz I have two Neumann mics at my studio and this would definitely help me get better recordings, but I'm really worried about the heat this one generates, it gets extremely hot, I've set the fans to mid, so sometimes the fans kick in, which is a pain when I'm recording something. I wanna know if the heat really is an issue. Please help.
I tested the noise floor of the preamps on this when it was cold, and also when it was hot, and there was no difference. It is designed to run hot, so I don’t t think that’s an issue.
@@Get.Beautiful.Recordings Thank you so much, I feel relieved. Phew! 😅
Reading reviews by other pro's and enthusiasts, the one feature they discuss as the most valuable on this unit, is it's absolutely top of high-end conversion. As in, on par with absolutely anything you might think of (Lavry, MetricHalo, etc). You're right that if the pres are always in the chain to the A/D, that's a bit of a burn, though honestly the noise is still next to negligible in practical terms, and 99% of the tracks will get intentionally mangled far more than what was heard in your 200 pass, just in more deliberate and "colorful" ways (effects, etc). But to the conversion point, some folks pay more than this $ for a strictly standalone 2-chnl D/A, for high end monitoring/mastering purposes. Here you get 4-chnl plus two headphones at absolute world-class D/A. So running final mixes to final outboard analog mastering, or just great monitoring while mixing in-box, it's still high value that way. But you're right that bolting on the pre's and effects makes it look a bit like an "identity crisis", because those feature sort of obscure its strongest feature and selling point - stellar conversion. Honestly, if not for converters, why wouldn't anyone spring for an RME unit (who are also the single exception to your otherwise accurate comment on how most mfg's don't support products for more than a few years) RME's 20 yr old PCI cards are still running today, and their drivers are legendary and are the benchmark.Thanks for the honest review.
Um, the sound?
Rme Fireface or this?
Does anybody know how can I connect it with aes67 to ethernet on macpro 5.1? help
Check their documentation for compatible usb to rj45 (ethernet) adapters.
Can you tell us what is better. Which Audio Interface is the top of the line. That sounds better then all the rest? For those that have a unilimited budget.
The SSL audio interfaces have the best sound quality of any interface I tested.
Cost no object though… Cranborne Audio Camden preamp going into a Universal Audio Volt 4 line inputs 3 and 4 if you just need 2 channels. If you need more channels, then a Millennia hv316 going into a Neumann MT-48.
@@Get.Beautiful.Recordings I can tell you, you are absolutely wrong, I had a SSl 2+ and i sold it got a Zen Go, way better sounding then the SSL overall, I even had both here at one time, and the zen go blew it, I also had setup the zen go vs merging anubis, the Anubis is hands down way better. You also have DAD, Merging, and Stagetec now blows them all away with the Nexus Compact, that has a staggering 158db of Dynamic range , costs 6500 euros, and blows everything out there away. zero noise floor and a headphone amp, that is insane clear. features, 8 x TrueMatch Mic in 4 splits each
4 x AES3 stereo in
4 x AES3 stereo out
8 x Analog out
Stereo headphone
64 x Dante / AES67 I/Os, (option based on module confi- guration)
6 x GPI / 5 x GPO, GPIs in pairs also usable as encoders
64 x AES67 / Dante I/Os (option)
SSL 12 you have to be joking, You have no clue, the merging stuff is top notch, i wonder why every major mastering house and mastering engineer are using it, and not the SSL
@@rsbcenterThank you for not being insane. Am I in the twilight zone? SSL 2 and volt no noticable difference to Merging conversion? Ummm....ok.
What’s your favorite 2-4 channel interface for music in this range? My Apollo just died and I’m deciding whether to use the insurance money to get another Apollo X Twin Quad (or X4) or one of these.
My #1 favourite is the ssl 2, because it has the best preamps, and I like the 4K mode on vocals
My second fav is the volt 4 because I also like the vintage mode, and it has proper line inputs for connecting an external preamp.
Thanks, @@Get.Beautiful.Recordings I appreciate the input. I'm going to check out the SSL. I think I got put off by the fact that it's so inexpensive.
Thanks, a lot of useful information here. It would be helpful if you could also measure latency in your interface reviews using something like RTL Utility from Oblique Audio as this information is very hard to come by. I know it depends on many factors, but measurements can at least give a sense of how different products compare when used with a similar setup. That said, this was very helpful in any case.
Thanks.
I do a lot of interface testing, but rtl latency isn’t a parameter I consider important. This is only relevant when monitoring through a daw, and the computer itself plays a greater role in latency times than the interface. Different interfaces will have different amounts of latency depending on the computer.
I use Mac, and I was testing rtl latency on numerous interfaces, but I gave up because the results there wasn’t a significant difference between any of them, even with testing done on 3 different machines computers.
For latency induced by adda conversion, I did test this with the mt-48… it’s in the video, and I will be including it in future tests of other interfaces.
Thanks :)
Please feel free to join my facebook group Get.Beautiful.Recordings, to see my posts and join the discussion about my testing.
Great review Cheers 👏🔥🤘
i feel like for the amount it costs, it should be more refined, no?
1) the screen needs to be way way more responsive.
2) the screen should be bigger by 1-2 inches.
3) Move the dial knob to the right to accomodate for larger screen.
4) the screen should have a 30 - 40 degree angle to it so you can still use the device when it's a bit farther away from you. Right now it looks like it's not tilted enough so you have to have the interface closer to you so you can see the screen easier from a more top down view.
i've never used the interface before so i wouldn't know but that's what my thoughts are from watching a bunch of videos on it.
One quick detail to add. The extra preamp gain is useful when you have a mic that requires a phantom powered uplift. With this unit that isn’t needed… which save on connectors and gear and you won’t have that long lift xlr sticking out the back.
Greetings, I'm trying as an independent hiphop artist to have the most cost effective mobile professional homemade studio. So far I plan on buying in the near future the ({NUEMAN TLM 49 & THE NUEMAN MT 48 AUDIO INTERFACE}) along with a 16 inch 2023 Macbook Pro and The ISOVOX, All In Conjunction. Im trying to keep my budget under $8,500.00 as my professionally homemade mobile studio to make potentially million dollar hit singles. My question is would this be a wise investment lasting for the next 10 years before upgrading for a new mic or a new audio interface?
With that budget you should be able to put together a nice setup. Focus most of your budget on room acoustics and good monitors. That’s more important than the interface and microphone. The isovox will not provide a professional level of sound quality. The mt-48 and Tlm-49 are great, but you can get just as good, or even better for much less money. I’d suggest the Audient ID4 and an Aston Spirit…. Those will also last a long time, and sound just as good, or maybe even better. Then grab some Kali IN-8v2 monitors, and focus a significant budget towards proper room acoustics.
Feel free to join me on Facebook at get.beautiful.recordings if you want help with this.
want to see the noise floor of Roland, Audient, SPL Crimson (discontinued) Motu, RME and ANUBIS.
Though I haven’t properly tested those, I have a pretty good idea how it would perform. This is just my opinion and assumption.
Roland would perform poorly, Audient would perform well, SPL crimson I have no idea, Moti would perform very well, and Anubis would be the same as the MT-48
@@Get.Beautiful.Recordings RME?
You should review the Arturia AudioFuse Studio.
Hey Chris, thanks a lot for this really well made and instructive video.
I'm kinda new to this nerdy part of audio (but I love it haha), so my question might sound dumb but let's say I'm plugging some outboard gear like a stereo compressor to this mt48. As the preamps can't be bypassed, I guess, even though you said they were pretty transparent, they're gonna mess with the sound and add some color, maybe add gain to the sound and contribute to the overall noise floor of my signal chain.
My question is : would you consider this a "bad" thing ?
In a mastering scenario, where you'd not want anything unwanted to interact with the sound, would this be an issue ?
Anyways thanks for taking the time to create all this educational content, it helps a lot ! Have a lovely day.
great review thanks , i have the new RME Ufx 3 it would be nice if you can do one day a review about this interface
Yes, I hope to eventually review this interface.
🙏Please RME vs Neumann MT48 comparison🙏
I think the touchscreen makes it less future-proof. If its sluggish now, imagine what it'll be like in 10 years.
I’m assuming it won’t slow down over time like a computer does. But ya, that is a possibility.
Thanks for your comment :)
By that time some firmware updates should have arrived to speed it up via optimization.
@@MatrixfanMacUser or slow it down so you buy the newer model. Like Apple does it.
@@basilandrigsby Updates shouldn't slow down hardware like this. An interface doesn't undergo drastic changes to software like a computer, or phone. Not to say it's a total impossibility. Also, Apple intentionally slowing down devices is a misconception from people who really don't know how these things work.
New updates are just optimized better for the newer devices. This is to be expected of any device. If you buy a new version of something - you expect that item to have priority over the older version. Also, as hardware progresses, so does software. As new features get added, the software (in this case an OS), becomes harder to run. So, older hardware, running a new OS, will usually feel slower. This will happen with any phone, or computer.
Apple did, however, slow down phones that had a high level of battery degradation. This move should have been more transparent on their end, but was there for a pretty good reason. This is also remedied by replacing the battery.
Your comments about running an outboard preamp being degraded by running through an onboard preamp in line is nonsense. Interfaces are engineered to handle this. The camera lense analogy sounds reasonable, but in this case it's not true and not serving your viewer.
Anytime audio goes through a gain stage, the signal gets degraded. A proper line input doesn’t have a gain stage, it just sends the audio directly to the A/D. If there’s a preamp.. there’s a gain stage. I spent a lot of money on a preamp with the purest possible signal, and I don’t want to knowingly degrade it even just a little bit.
Thanks for your comment :)
He's wrong. Don't listen to this guy.
Reviewer definitely needs to read the manual. He claims it can't do things it can do, and sights problems that are adjustable in the settings. Poor review.
I was mistaken about its ability to mirror the outputs. I had flipped through the menus, and couldn’t find a way to do this. There’s an input output matrix where you can control the routing of the mixes…. That’s where I think it would make sense to do that operation. Turns out its in a different menu where it’s an on/off button called following. This goes with what I was saying about the menus being not very intuitive. Seeing as I call this feature “mirroring” and they call it “following” I didn’t find it in the manual. I would have contacted their customer support to ask this question, but the 2 previous questions I had asked a couple weeks prior had still not received a reply (as of now its 2 months later and still no reply). So their confusing menu, and lack of customer support is what led me to believe this feature was not possible.
Is this the issue you were referring to, or is there also something else?
@@Get.Beautiful.Recordings Hello. Thank you for the great video review! Now I ran into the same problem of monitoring 2 headphones at the same time. Could you describe in more detail how to set it up? thank you
Excelente vídeo!!!❤
Thank you :) have a great day
I'm pretty happy with my Apogee Duet 3 for very small jobs. You can bypass the preamps
Yeah... I have a 1st gen duet and the preamps can be bypassed. I also tested an Apogee Boom, and it's also one of the few interfaces that can bypass the preamps.
Thanks for the video. I'm rocking a RME interface. They still make drivers for 20 year old interfaces for both Mac and PC. Absolutely great value even considering they're not cheap.
Yes… RME is great!
Thank you very much for this excellent video! Your review has helped me see this interface in a new light.
I would love to see a video on the MOTU UltraLite MK5, and possibly the RME Fireface UCX II! I am looking to pairing either one of these with the Cranborne Audio Camden preamp.
Yeah… I really love the Camden. I’ve used a lot of preamps and it’s my favourite.
Both the Motu and RME are excellent and I’ll think you’ll be happy regardless which one you choose.
honest review, much appreciated. Pass here. May need to wait to gen 2 or 3.
I’ll be posting a very detailed “best interface of 2024” in a couple weeks. There’s some really good options available.
we hope to see in the review the internal latency with its DSP effects, the round trip latency with DAW, also the quality of preamp, and if the reverb is a real studio quality or just a regular mixer reverb, last, if you can tell us what ADC and DAC used here.
I tested and mentioned the internal latency with dsp effects, and I went into detail about the quality of the preamp.
Based on your thoughtful review, I was surprised to hear that there was no way to bypass the MT 48 preamps when using external line inputs. I contacted Neumann about this and, according to them, your analysis isn't correct. I'm no electronics engineer so I'm in no position to evaluate that. However, the following comes from Neumann's MT 48 web site. It seems to suggest preamp-free "clean AD conversion" but it doesn't address your point definitively, either:
"Can I use my outboard preamp with the MT 48?
Yes, all four MT 48 inputs can be set to Line mode for a clean AD conversion. This is done on the input's Preamp module on the MT 48.
(Line Inputs 1-2 feature 138.5 db-A dynamic range.)
Additionally, if your preamp has an ADAT or S/PDIF output, that of course can be connected directly to the MT 48’s optical input."
I have read all of the comments and subsequent replies, probably the best review and honest review I've seen. I have one of these units on hold at a local music store and will opt to not buy. I have a UA Volt 1 and will keep that since it does the job fine and I understand how to use it. I bought a pair of Neumann NDH-20 days ago and was looking to pair it for pure sound quality with the Merging Technologies 48 by Neumann but after watching this review I'm good without it. Thanks
I have used (and tested) the UA Volt, and I don’t think there’s any real difference in the sound quality between it and the mt-48. Thanks for your comment, I wish you all the best :)
Transient response & more towards the midies kind of sensitivity of ribbon mics are pretty good.
You thankfully mentioned monitoring with up to 4 mixes direct from mt48 not through the daw, and it's around 1 ms, we were waiting for the most important latency figure with daw, not internally, that will allow us to use effects and plugins through the daw, MT 48 then is compared with other audio interfaces if we don't want to use internal monitors or fx.
Latency through the Daw depends on the computer. On Mac computers the interface doesn’t make much difference, the latency is about the same for all of them. On PC’s, there’s so many different brands and lack of standardized Bios programming, it’s hit and miss. An interface might have lower latency on one computer, but higher latency on another.
Thanks a lot for this honest review. With most of the other MT-48 reviewers you get the impression that they are blinded by the Neumann name tag and are not really capable of judging it critically and point out beside its pros as well its cons.
Thank you. I honestly had really high expectations, and was expecting to this to be another glowing review, so I was actually a little bit surprised that it didn’t do so good.
that's why the top comments are "people who purchased it upset he didn't mention their favorite feature". I can't believe Neumann is stooping to this level now.
@@0100-w2uclass leading sound quality is pretty important
I feel like the touch screen and the OS is very slow
Yes, it’s a bit slow
This is a great video and you drill down on so many of its features, but you can not compare the converters of this unit with Scarlet and the rest on that list for the exception of the Metric Halo, the industry is suffering from proper AD/DA conversion, almost all gear use the same chips with some spec changes, companies like Merging/Neuman are not in that camp, they are more in the camp of Lavry, Burl, Crane Song, Mytek etc, you will hear the difference as you record multiple audio channels and start stacking and mixing, this is a pro product and is for serious recording, yes it has limitations but look at its foot print, with AES 67 you can really expand, we can not compare this to Behringer converters that is just apples and oranges. The way you dive into converters is just awesome, try to get your hands on some Mytek and Burls and run test tones for your viewers and A and B and you will hear the difference. Thank You.
Excellent video. I have always used UAD Apollo (Twin X) and got an Apollo X6 late last year at a good deal. Was considering selling the X6 and getting this. Watching your video makes me want to just keep what I have. I just do voice work for most part
Yeah… keep it, there won’t be a noticeable upgrade going to something more expensive. If you’re not happy with your sound quality, focus on room treatment and a good microphone.
@@Get.Beautiful.Recordings Thanks very much. Appreciate the content
Get the Prism if you want pro converters
If you're not using KH AES67 Neumann Monitors with the MA1 alignment software and are stuck on analog still then the MT48 isn't using it's full potential. You got to get the KH series Aes67 monitors, do all the headwork configurations which can be enormously frustrating, but it is very worth the ordeal in getting that setup. I hate analog, the older XLR connections it is just not as good as the AES67 Merging Technology setup. You're getting the pure digital signal without any DA conversion noiseless signal. That is cutting edge. The only cons of the MT48 is my lack of ability in understanding all that it can do.
Great video :-) Bad choice for camera though - Sony ZV-E1 ... 🤣 It will be great if you can do such extended review of the Anubis. I believe it is a much better audio interface.
Thanks … and yeah… I’m not in love with the Sony camera.
You obviously don't know how to use a Sony ZV-E1, and what to make of its insane 15 stops of dynamic range, full-frame sensor, Flexible ISO etc etc. And how to use Slog3 in a color managed environment to get advantage of all the details of this huge dynamic range to produce great videos. And let's not touch the lens department. Don't blame the camera.
@@andy80sdrums yeah ... also I should get thermal gloves in order not to burn my hands ... which is again probably my bad, because I can't use the latest Sony embarrassment called ZV-E1 ... you're absolute correct ...
goot,,,, honest... logical man
Thank you :)
I want to buy this but everyone appears to be too happy, too quickly without even having had the device for long enough. See what happens when you get over the fact that you just spent $2/3 thousand on it, and have had it for more than a year going from project to project. See if the waiting time everytime you turn it on starts pissing you off everytime you want to use it. Then watch the screen start flickering, it heating up and the fan noise buzzing in your ear. Yeah, its gonna record great vocals but you can probably fix that in post depending on the quailty of your current interface. I'm just not sold on it yet, its too new. Every other interface has been around the block. My RME babyface just sits in the same spot like a rock, no turning on or off, no fan noise, no stupid screen (thats sluggish) because its completely unnecessary when you can do everything you need on your computer screen with your mouse.
I use Anubis interface. This is the interface that gives me the most headaches. The sound quality is very good but the user experience is very unfriendly. The drivers of RME and Apollo are really much better.
The MT48 doesn't require network audio. The usb should be more similar to those others.
I think it depends on the overall song, but I have liked the sound of DPA condensers, km184s, as well as small diaphragm tube condensers for overheads. I did like the Coles that I have heard but so far not my favorite. Maybe for jazz.
You had my interest until you said you can NOT bypass the internal pres. No danke schoen for me. I would have to sell my 16 class A pre amps with transformers and I just can't do that!
To the point. No-nonsense. No favours. Honesty is such a lonely word, but this is one exception.
Thanks, glad you liked it
"It doesn't support full channel counts at higher sample rates, that's something Berhringer does" ...Thats something a lot of companies do...Motu, Apogee.. it's more the protocol
I get where you’re coming from but have disagree, I want that preamp sound, that’s one of the many points of having an interface like this. Unlike you I’m only ever using the device as a complete standalone and I love the features, converters etc, it’s a no brainer, awesome bit of kit
Yeah… that’s cool, I hope it works well for you. And you’re right… if you need something that works as a stand alone… there aren’t many other options.
No Direct ADC inputs makes it not worth it at all, much better options out there.
Lots of useful info in here, but a correction: Preamp gain does matter. If you choose to keep your preamp gain low, and turn it up in the DAW, you will be turning up the noise of both the preamp stage, and the AD stage (which follows the preamp stage). Increasing the preamp gain is a better solution, as it does not increase the noise, introduced by the AD stage.
When recording, you will ideally want the signal to be as loud as possible, without clipping.
Edit: I took one of the corrections out. It was a miss understanding on my part. Sorry about that.