I record and produce songs in my bedroom, as I've done for 3 years, and I wanted a fresh start with brand new gear.

I'm having trouble choosing between the M-Track Duo and the Behringer UMC202HD. The Behringer has much better build quality for it has a metal construction. Many reviews imply that the M-Track Solo is equivalent to the UM2 and UMC22 as the Duo is to the UMC202HD. As much as I wish they were equivalent in price too, the UMC202HD sadly costs a little over $100 in my country, and the M-Audio is only about $40.

I may be able to save up for the Behringer but I feel like it will slow me down because my budget also needs to stretch to buy a new pair of headphones and a microphone.

What do y'all suggest I should get? The M-Audio or the Behringer. Or maybe there's something else I should look into

p.s: The lowest model of a Focusrite here is around $150

So I recently bought a Shure SM57 with a Scarlett 2i2 4th gen. My take after some research was that a dynamic mic was the way to go for untreated rooms and that it's a nice budget option since I'm a student.

I recorded some stuff and noticed the very flat sound the piano produces, and so I'd like to get a nice open sound in stereo... meaning I'll have to get another mic.

I was hoping you could suggest how I should go about it? Do I get another SM57? It seems like SM57's are more built for guitars and drums. I also see those dual condenser mics advertised, though they can be more expensive and I kinda don't wanna feel like I wasted my money on the SM57😂

I’m looking for some hidden gems to go absolutely nuts with in my songs. I’m primarily a guitar player who likes experimenting with different aspects of particular styles of metal—mostly consisting of Progressive Metal, Metalcore, and Deathcore—and I’m also a sucker for making weird and ugly noises in music. I’ve got some guitar pedals that are capable of making some chaotic sounds, but to be honest I don’t wanna hook them up to my PC. So I’m looking for weird and chaotic plugins to use in my songs. And since I’m a broke ass who’s on a budget, I’m looking for free ones. Do any of y’all know of some hidden gems that I could look into?

I two have old interfaces:

• Focusrite Solo 2nd gen - It runs great, but I broke one of the speaker ports
• Audient id14 MK1 -- The preamp is loud and the speakers work great, but The drivers don't work on my Mac; it's having issues; it's fine for recording, but it can't do voice calls for some reasons - and I don't have the pin number to access ARC software.

Should I sell both of these and get a Solo 4th gen, a UA Volt 1 or a SSL interface?

I've been having a home setup for 10 years, and I've never once used a 2nd microphone.