Well, here I go again. My aging audio/MIDI interace and control surface which has lasted me and served me faithfully since the late 1990's is beginning to show it's...age? Not really age but it doesn't play well (pun intended) with the new MacOSes. I upgraded from Mavericks to Yosemite and POOF, support GONE. There is no driver for my device which is made by the company. Essentially they have abandoned it altogether. I kind of don't blame them for that since the unit is a 1999 model but still, the thing was a rock when it came to reliability. Even at USB 1.0 it had very low latency and was a great tool.

So now the inevitable hunt for a replacement is on. I have some requirements which I will list below. Any suggestions for a good, solid home recording solution with tap instruments and other guitars and basses, plus vocals is what I need. Thanks in advance for any input!

1) at least USB 2.0
2) at least 2 inputs which are 1/4" line and XLR
3) at least 2 outputs which are 1/4" line jacks
4) MIDI In and Out ports
5) Plays well with MacOS 10.11 and above
6) Price should be below $250, preferably closer to $100
7) doesn't have to be a control surface, I just need a good external USB interface
8) good for tapping instruments, guitars, basses and vocals

I've got the Firewire Focusrite Saffire Pro 24 but if I had to upgrade today to a USB, I'd consider this for $199: Focusrite Scarlett 2i4.

The 2i2 is $149,
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Scarlet2i2G2

and the 2i4 is $199.
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Scarlet2i4G2

Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 Features:

2 great-sounding Scarlett mic preamps with generous even gain
2 reengineered instrument inputs accommodate the hottest pickups
Class-leading converters, sample rates up to 24-bit/192kHz
Headphone output with volume control
Vanishingly low latency lets you monitor with plug-ins, no DSP required

4 unbalanced RCA outputs
2 balanced 1/4" outputs accommodate pro studio monitors
MIDI I/O for sending/receiving MIDI notes to/from a keyboard controller
Compact, roadworthy chassis goes where you go
USB bus powered — one cable does it all

This is what I use. I can use it as a DI direct to my amp,
or use it as a USB interface for my Digital Audio WorkStation.
Great for on the road, with headphones... It fits in my Stick case.
http://www.steinberg.net/en/products/audio_interfaces/ur_series/models/ur44.html

That Steinberg UR44 gives you 4 mic inputs, which is great, but I don't think you'd need or find more than 2 for the price you want to spend, and the UR44 also costs $299 US. I was trying to keep all of that in mind with the Focusrite recommendation. It's hard to beat for the price and what you get. But I'm about due for a new one, and my Firewire interface is already converted to Thunderbolt with a cord adapter. It's about time to go USB 3. But I don't know that you can beat the Focusrite--maybe only tie.

It actually has six inputs. Lots of features.

The FocusRite 2i2 looks like a great deal for someone starting out.
https://us.focusrite.com/usb-audio-interfaces/scarlett-2i2

I have a Scarlett 18i6 I got when Guitar Center was running a deal that gave me $75 off and I had a $50 gift card. Still ran me a couple hundred. Works great though. I love how you can hook in a keyboard, guitar, bass, drums and vocals and record each to a separate track. It's definitely not how you'd want to do it in a studio setting, but for homebrew, not bad.

I know the original poster no doubt realizes this, but for other stickists, this isn't a mixer and doesn't take the place of a preamp. It does supply some phantom power. Unfortunately, it's all I have at the moment except for my Line 6 Firehawk and an older Amplifi FX 100 I've been meaning to sell. I just ordered a Fishman Loudbox. Looking forward to hooking it up. Went with the loudbox because it had separate fx send/receive for the channels and had a di out dedicated to each channel, so I can run the stick into channel one and two, let the Loudbox provide the volume, let my Firehawk provide some effects on the melody side, and run each pure signal to the Scarlett when I want to run one or both sides through MIDI Guitar or some other program. The Loudbox also has a di out post-mix if I want to run it over to the Scarlett to record something.

Not inexpensive, but I'm looking forward to trying it out and I think it will work well with i/o devices.

Check out the Steinberg UR242 - only $199. No personal experience but looks similar to UR 444 but with fewer inputs.

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/UR242
http://www.steinberg.net/en/products/au ... ur242.html

Thinking about this for myself.... only concern is input impedance isonly 4kOhm... Thought the Stick needed > 1MOhm for best sound.