In this segment of the free Ableton Live 12 music production class, J. Anthony Allen explains the differences between plugging headphones directly into a computer and using an audio interface for better digital‑to‑analog conversion. He describes his current setup with a Universal Audio Apollo Twin, a two‑input Thunderbolt interface that also drives his studio monitors, and references a previous Apogee Quartet unit as a comparable alternative. Allen then addresses whether a user needs an audio interface, noting that it isn’t strictly required but improves sound quality, especially for recording multiple sources. He offers tiered purchasing advice: if money isn’t a concern, buy a high‑end interface; if budget is limited, opt for an affordable model; and if funds are unavailable, it’s acceptable to work without one. Finally, he outlines what features to look for and how much to budget when choosing an interface.
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So I have really nice speakers in this room. I have focal. I can't remember the model number, but these focal speakers, they're right here. They're just out of frame. So if I just plug the headphone jack of my computer into them, they're still going to sound really good, but not as good as if I go through an audio interface, because the conversion of the digital signal to analog before it goes to those is going to be better. So the way I have it set up is I have an audio interface here. Mine, the one that I'm actually using is Universal Audio is the name of the company. And the model is Apollo Twin. It's a small one. I can only plug in two instruments at a time for recording. That's fine. That's all I need here. And then my speakers are plugged into that. Okay. So when I go to live and I say audio input device thing I'm using to record, it's Universal Audio Thunderbolt. That's that box. That's my Apollo Twin. When I say audio output, that's the thing I'm listening for. It is also that box, okay. Because my speakers are plugged into it, it does all my conversion for me. And that's typical. This one is the one I used to use here, but I switched it out for the Universal Audio because I just liked it better. But this is an Apogee Quartet is the model number here. This is a great one. This is a really nice box I really liked. Has a bunch of inputs and outputs and it works really the same. So do you need an audio interface? You don't. You probably don't need one like italicized need. But it will make things sound better. Very, very slightly. And if you're recording, you probably do need one, unless you're just recording one microphone. So if money is no object, get an audio interface. If money is an object, get a cheap audio interface. And if you can't afford to buy anything extra, that's just fine. Don't use an audio interface. You'll be just fine. Now, assuming you do want to buy an audio interface, let's talk about what you should look for and how much you should plan on spending.
