Audient i22 with SONAR X3?
Hi hardware forum!
The Audient id22 has recently gotten Windows drivers and I really like its look and form factor. Seems to me that it has the potential to replace no less than three pieces of gear that I have:
- RME Babyface
- Audient Mico
- SM Pro M-Patch 2 (I run two pairs of monitors)
Seems like a great way to tidy up my studio (plus I get to toss the very sketchy M-Patch).
I do like the lack of breakout cable and the more substantial look of the Audient. Having real hardwired line I/O (for use with external pres and other outboard HW) makes this unit more future proof as well. Plus, I'm of course already a fan of the Audient preamps (the Babyface pre's are okay, but I definitely prefer the Mico for anything requiring more than ~30 dB of gain).
My biggest concern would be the performance of the id22 vs the Babyface. After using a multitude of prosumer USB, PCI and FW interfaces in the past, the Babyface simply thrills me with it's stability and low-latency performance (running big mixing projects at 48 samples ASIO buffer without problems on my Intel 4770K machine). Will the Audient feel like a downgrade, performance-wise?
I can sell the Babyface and Mico and have money to spare after buying the id22, so I really want to be told that my fears are unfounded!
Sven