Given the number of choices we have, deciding on which small audio interface to buy is no mean feat. One option has big-interface features that might just set it apart from the rest…
The list of small, affordable audio interfaces for producers, musicians, and creators goes on and on. This highly competitive area of the market is great news for anyone looking to get their hands on something that lets them plug in a mic or DI or two, headphones and a pair of monitors, but it also makes decision-time on which to buy more difficult. Given this, what if anything can make any new contender stand out?
What You Don’t Get With Small Interfaces
The humble 2 in, 2 out box hasn’t changed much in the last twenty years or so. Whichever you choose, the I/O count and features are largely the same, and while this keeps things affordable, the limitations can start to show as soon as needs grow.
Features which any user arguably needs is some kind of direct monitoring to kill latency before it kills your flow, and some kind mute button for the main outputs to quickly cut your monitors for tracking. Even in the current modern market, a surprising number of units do not have these.
The good news is that pretty much all modern interfaces don’t have the problems with noise, distortion, and unstable clocking that used to crop up on some older budget boxes.
What You Get With Fluid Audio SRI-2
This unit takes the familiar desktop box, and fuses it with the modern wedge-shaped desktop form factor that has become the design of choice for premium interfaces aimed at professionals working out of small rooms. While it doesn’t offer functionality such as DSP mixing and processing or loopback, what the SRI-2 does do is add some welcome pro features to the affordable interface paradigm:
4 TRS outputs, for 2 monitor pairs with A/B button Anyone who has mixed using two pairs of monitors will tell you how useful it is to listen through contrasting speakers for reference. Pressing the button gives a reassuring relay ‘click’, but If you haven’t got two pairs right now, the SRI-2 will be ready for when you do. In the meantime, the A/B button will double as a handy ‘dead-end’ for muting your existing monitors.
Anodized aluminum chassis housing and master volume knob The casework of the SRI-2 is seriously chunky, and the large master volume knob especially has a nice premium, weighty handshake that inspires confidence in the build quality.
Zero latency monitoring with mix control and Sum button Not only does the SRI-2 let you hear yourself before your computer introduces delay, but it also gives you a mix control and a sum button. Some interfaces only give you a Direct button (if at all), and a Sum button is even rarer. Sum will mono both inputs in your headphones when you’re using two mics, but will keep them separate into your DAW.
Other features include:
Professional grade 24-bit/192kHz digital conversion
2 class A microphone preamps with +48 V phantom power
2 x XLR/TRS combo inputs on the front panel for Line / Mic / Instrument recording
1 headphone output with separate volume control, 2 x 75mW
LED indicators on all knobs
Powered by USB 2.0 connection
Cubase LE DAW software included via download for PC and Mac
Cubasis LE DAW for iPad (IOS 9 and later)
OS support: OSX 10.6.4 and newer, Windows 7/8/8.1 and Windows 10 x86/x64
Attractive?
For around £165/$229 the SRI-2 has some really pro features that set it apart from some of its contemporaries, and brings it closer to the look and functionality of the more established “grown-up” solutions out there. Being able to hear yourself latency-free while tracking, and having console-like monitor switching built into a convincing, solid box will certainly make it an attractive choice if you’re looking for an interface that can grow with you.