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Chosen by a concert pianistFor most adults a two-input USB audio interface is enough: it takes a pair of microphones or the stereo outputs of a digital piano and sends clean sound to your computer. Start with two inputs and a headphone output, and add more only when you know why.
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If you only read one section, read this: one pick for most people, one for a careful budget, one to grow into.
Best overall
A USB audio and MIDI interface that comes with recording software and a long warranty. I recommend it for a student ready to grow a home recording setup beyond one simple microphone.
I suggest it for recording a digital piano or a microphone and keeping a MIDI keyboard on the same box.
See it on AmazonBest value
A compact USB interface with one microphone input and a stereo output. The Mackie Onyx Artist 1x2 USB Audio Interface is one of my careful first-budget picks for this list.
I suggest it for one microphone, one keyboard cable and a small desk.
See it on AmazonPremium pick
4 inputs and 4 outputs, two microphone preamps and MIDI in and out. The Focusrite Scarlett 4i4 USB-C Audio Interface is one of my premium picks for this list.
I suggest it for a pianist who wants stereo microphones and a MIDI keyboard on one interface.
See it on AmazonAn audio interface is the small box between your piano or microphones and your computer. It turns the sound into digital audio, powers condenser microphones, and gives you a headphone output with no delay. You do not need one to begin: a phone is enough for a first recording, and my feedback on your playing is free either way. Buy an interface when you want a recording that sounds like the piano in the room. I describe each interface by what its listing states, and I choose by how simple it is to set up and live with.
I recommend this gear because it is what my adult students need to work through my free 41-lesson course and, later, to use with my upcoming method books. I am a concert pianist and a university piano professor, and these are the kinds of tools I look at first when a student asks what to buy.
How this helps you learn: listening to a clean recording of yourself is the fastest way to hear uneven touch and rhythm, and a clear clip is all I need to give you feedback.
A 2-in 2-out USB interface with a Midas-designed microphone preamp. The Behringer UMC22 USB Audio Interface is one of my careful first-budget picks for this list.
I suggest it for a first interface for recording a digital piano or one microphone.
See it on AmazonA one-input USB interface that plugs into a computer. The M-Audio M-Track Solo USB Audio Interface is one of my careful first-budget picks for this list.
I suggest it for the smallest step up from a phone recording.
See it on AmazonA two-input USB interface with a headphone output. The PreSonus AudioBox 96 USB Audio Interface is one of my careful first-budget picks for this list.
I suggest it for a beginner who wants to record piano and a voice or guitar.
See it on AmazonA compact USB interface with one microphone input and a stereo output. The Mackie Onyx Artist 1x2 USB Audio Interface is one of my careful first-budget picks for this list.
I suggest it for one microphone, one keyboard cable and a small desk.
See it on AmazonA USB interface with dual XLR, line and DI inputs. The M-Audio M-Track Duo USB Audio Interface is one of my careful first-budget picks for this list.
I suggest it for a compact first interface for two sources.
See it on AmazonA compact 2-in 2-out USB interface with a simple, clear layout. The Audient EVO 4 USB Audio Interface is one of my mid-range picks for this list.
I suggest it for a learner who wants clean recordings and few knobs to learn.
See it on AmazonA USB audio and MIDI interface that comes with recording software and a long warranty. I recommend it for a student ready to grow a home recording setup beyond one simple microphone.
I suggest it for recording a digital piano or a microphone and keeping a MIDI keyboard on the same box.
See it on AmazonA 2-in 2-out USB interface with a vintage microphone-preamp mode. The Universal Audio Volt 2 USB Audio Interface is one of my mid-range picks for this list.
I suggest it for a pianist who records acoustic piano with one or two microphones.
See it on AmazonA 2-in 2-out USB-C interface built for clean, quiet recordings. The MOTU M2 USB-C Audio Interface is one of my mid-range picks for this list.
I suggest it for a player who wants a quiet, honest recording of the piano.
See it on AmazonA 2-in 2-out USB interface from a console maker. The Solid State Logic SSL 2 MKII USB Audio Interface is one of my mid-range picks for this list.
I suggest it for a returning player building a small recording corner.
See it on AmazonA one-input USB audio interface. The Universal Audio Volt 1 USB Audio Interface is one of my mid-range picks for this list.
I suggest it for a first interface for one microphone.
See it on AmazonUSB-C interface. The Focusrite Scarlett Solo 4th Gen USB-C Interface is one of my mid-range picks for this list.
I suggest it for a student ready to grow a home recording setup with other microphones.
See it on AmazonFocusrite Scarlett Solo 3rd Gen USB-C Interface: uSB-C interface. The Focusrite Scarlett Solo 3rd Gen USB-C Interface is one of my mid-range picks for this list.
I suggest it for a student ready to grow a home recording setup with other microphones; this one is the Focusrite Scarlett Solo 3rd Gen USB-C Interface.
See it on AmazonA 2-in, 2-out USB-C interface with 32-bit/192 kHz support and combo inputs. The Yamaha 2-in/2-out USB-C Audio/MIDI Interface is one of my mid-range picks for this list.
I suggest it for a Yamaha piano owner who records audio and MIDI.
See it on AmazonA USB audio interface with a built-in 76 compressor and a vintage microphone preamp. The Universal Audio Volt 276 USB Audio Interface is one of my mid-range picks for this list.
I suggest it for recording a piano with a warmer front end.
See it on AmazonTwo-input USB-C interface. The Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 4th Gen USB-C Interface is one of my premium picks for this list.
I suggest it for a student ready to grow a home recording setup with other microphones; this one is the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 4th Gen USB-C Interface.
See it on Amazon4 inputs and 4 outputs, two microphone preamps and MIDI in and out. The Focusrite Scarlett 4i4 USB-C Audio Interface is one of my premium picks for this list.
I suggest it for a pianist who wants stereo microphones and a MIDI keyboard on one interface.
See it on AmazonLook at the back of the piano. If it has two output jacks marked left and right, connect each to an input on the interface with a 1/4-inch cable, and set the interface's input to line level. If it has only a headphone jack, a 3.5 mm to 1/4-inch cable works for a clip, though the headphone output is not made for recording. If it has a USB port, you may not need an interface at all.
Play eight bars, listen back through headphones and check that you hear no hiss and no clipping. Then move on to a whole piece.
Not always. Many digital pianos have a USB port that sends audio or MIDI to a computer directly. An interface helps when you want to use microphones, record the line outputs of a piano with cables, or listen without delay.
Two inputs are enough for most pianists: one for each microphone of a stereo pair, or one for each output of a stereo digital piano. A single input works for one microphone or a mono signal.
A 48-volt supply that the interface sends down the microphone cable to power a condenser microphone. Dynamic microphones do not need it.
The one you will really set up and use. For a first interface I choose a two-input model from a maker with a long record of software support, and I do not pay for channels I will not use.
Yes. The links go to Amazon.com and open your local Amazon store when the model is sold there: the UK, Canada, Australia, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden and Singapore. Models, voltages and plugs differ by country, so on your local listing check for the 230-volt or UK-plug version of a digital piano or a suitable mains adapter, and check that the sustain pedal, bench (keyboard stool) or keyboard stand you want is sold in your country. If a model is not sold locally, the page will say so.
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