Andrew Chapman Creative vs. Interface Hype: Why Your Scarlett Isn’t Your Bottleneck

Let’s kick off with a classic studio myth: the idea that upgrading your audio interface is the golden ticket to better sound. Andrew Chapman doesn’t just poke holes in this belief—he shreds it. Most home producers, he argues, are barking up the wrong tree if they think their interface is the missing link. Unless you’re in a very specific scenario, swapping out your box for a newer model is more placebo than progress.

The real kicker? Audio companies love to push the narrative that your interface is the heart of your sound, but Andrew’s not buying it—and neither should you. He sets the tone early: don’t get suckered by marketing cannon fodder. If you’re expecting a night-and-day difference just by dropping cash on the latest interface, prepare for disappointment. The real world isn’t a glossy ad, and Andrew’s here to remind us of that fact.

Andrew breaks down what an audio interface actually does, and it’s more than just a pretty face on your desk. Inside that paperback-sized box, you’ve got preamps, converters, headphone amps, and more—all crammed together, all doing their jobs. The preamp? He calls it the most important part of your front end, sometimes even trumping the microphone itself. That’s right, the preamp can shape your sound more than the mic, especially in modern home setups.

But don’t get lost in the spec-sheet jungle. Andrew warns against obsessing over clinical measurements and numbers. Chasing the cleanest, most scientific preamp can leave your sound sterile—hence the endless hunt for saturation plugins. And when it comes to converters, most budget interfaces are running the same chips anyway. So, while the tech is impressive, the differences are often more theoretical than audible. If you want the full nerdy breakdown (and some tasty analogies), you’ll want to catch the video itself.

Andrew doesn’t just talk the talk—he pulls up the specs and marketing fluff from big brands like Focusrite and calls them out. Whether it’s the third or fourth generation Scarlett, the converters are basically the same: 24-bit, 192kHz, and all doing the same maths under the hood. The supposed upgrades? Usually just marketing smoke and mirrors. Even the much-hyped ‘air mode’ or ‘vintage’ buttons are mostly digital tricks, not genuine console magic.

He points out that unless you’re dropping serious cash on interfaces with real transformers or tubes (think Heritage Audio i73), you’re not getting that big studio sound. Most budget interfaces are sonic clones, and the real bottleneck is usually the built-in preamp. If you want to geek out on the nitty-gritty differences—or see Andrew roast some marketing copy live—this section of the video is pure gold.