well dac, i can say do what i do, aes interface, fred forssell converter and barefoot mm27s but im kinda doubting you want to take it that far so this is why the likes of us ask for a budget
Second you have to ponder the following;
- How many inputs do i need on average or at most, even if the occassion of such a project is seldom you must decide the level of adaptivity to future projects. Do you think 8 inputs is enough or even to much ? What gear that you use now will be stationary in your setup ?
- What do you expect from the interface ? You want good grade audio or do you want a budget solution. Surely the 56 will provide you with a lot of features but the core of the card isnt up to par with rme. Ofc its a bang for a buck but from my point of view its still half stepping. If you want to upgrade i'd suggest upgrading in quality, not in features but the basics.
Also, the fact i know what you like to see added in your setup are also the things lacking in the 56. Focusrite was really good back in the day and even though i cant really judge the machine as i havent heard it, focusrite lacks the software. RME will give you digicheck software which is, afaik about you, just the thing that will make you smile
http://www.rme-audio.de/en_support_techinfo.php?page=content/support/en_support_techinfo_digicheck
http://www.rme-audio.de/support_techinfo.php?page=content/support/en_support_techinfo_totalyser
Total mix, if you're going to need it, is afaik, the best routing software. Working with rme before and upgrading from it had us worry about one thing in the studio, not having the ease and flexibility of totalmix. SSL has a much better i/o but their software isnt even close to totalmix.
- do or dont you need a mac
Ive made several statements before emphasizing upon remarks from noobs about FL studio. Granted that Logic gives me a better daw to work with when mixing bands but you're making beats and probably a lil recording here and there. IMO! FLstudio with a high end setup is equaly as good as PT or Logic, so if FL is your thing and your not needing 24channels of i/o theres no need to change habbits.
- getting the best out of your upgrade does mean you should do some room treatment and plan speaker placement for the focals. I can help with your room if you have dimensions of your room or better, a sketchup file. Its best to totaly rebuild your room but its not alarming if you cant. Adding a few panels in the proper spot will benefit your upgrade opposed to doing nothing at all and doesnt need to be expensive at all.
