I run cantable on a laptop and send the output to a mixer. I have connected a Roland e-drumkit and use Addictive Drums as a plugin in Cantible, which works fine. My question is about the audio interface which is recommended. At the moment I simply use the headphones output to send the drums to the mixer. As an alternative I have a Focusrite 2i2 that I can use to send the output to the mixer. Is the Focusrite better suited for that in terms of runtime performance (lag etc) or quality of sound?
Hi Firefly
Since you have not received a reply, I will give my .02 Euro.
Focusrite and RME seem to be 2 of the most popular ADAC’s among musicians. Since you have one I would recommend that you use it. The most important part is less the hardware and more the custom Windows driver for low latency, so be sure to use the Focusrite driver. The Focusrite will have better impedance matching and driving voltage. Definitely use it if you are doing high quality recording, where you may want a higher sample rate and bit depth.
Having said all of the above, for live performance, don’t be afraid to experiment with other combinations. At the moment, I am using the usb interface to a Behringer Q802 USB mixer with output to headphones and studio monitors using ASIO4ALL and it works fine at 64 samples (very low latency).
Cheers John
Okay, thank you.
+1 for Focusrite. I have had several and they are very robust with good drivers. I am about to consider a MOTU 16A for a new gig rig as it means the interface performs the function of the audion interface to the computer AND line mixer instead of having a seperate line mixer, and I am thinking that will give me a lot of flexibility
I gigged with a 2i4 for several years, it’s not bad. The lag you mentioned is called latency, you can find comparitive latency numbers for different interfaces. Your computer’s speed and optimization, and the vst’s such as addictive drums also add latency. So if you’re playing drums and you don’t notice latency, the 2i4 is fine. If not then this might help…
There’s a free tool called Latency Mon that can tell you your latency. I can’t remember if it also works with MIDI, but typically midi latency is relatively small. either way it should give you a good idea. Most people start to notice latency at around 10ms.
Personally, as a guitar player using VST amp modeling and effects, latency was important to me so I finally ditched my old rig for a faster PC, and a presonas quantum 2626 using thunderbolt. Last I checked my latency was somewhere around 4ms which is virtually unnoticeable to me. Hope this helps
Tom
I use MOTU interfaces, but if I already had a Focusrite when I got Cantabile as you have, I would use it.
I’ve been successfully using a Maya44+ audio only interface with no problems until I updated from Windows 22H2 to 24H2. Soon after I was having massive midi/audio delay issues and the usb-c touch screen stopped working! Updating the Maya driver made it worse. I reinstalled my old Steinberg UR22 and the delays disappeared and the touch screen came back! The problem now is the cpu percentage in Cantabile is spiking really high which it didn’t do previously with the UR22.
My question is if I change to a Focusrite interface am I likely to see a big improvement in cpu usage because it has better drivers or should I just try and revert to Windows 22H2? I’m over the 10 days easy ‘go back’ in Windows so it would mean a clean install (i.e. much work). Any thoughts?
Incidentally, the spiking is random across a number of plugins.
Paul
I am using a Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 in my gig rig (WIN10) and a Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 and Octopre interfaces in my DAWPC (now on WIN11). Both rigs are rock solid when it comes to decent latency and no spiking unless I am trying to do too much.
I am about to upgrade my gig rig and have ordered all the main components. I will report back on that experience once completed!
About any interface that has a native ASIO driver will work very well. ASIO4All is always a second choice in regards to reliability and performances.
Yep. If a 2x2 interface is enough for a project, the Scarlett 2i2 would be #1 on my list. It’s not necessarily the best possible interface, but it has good drivers and doesn’t cost too much. In your case, it doesn’t cost anything! 
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