A suitable preamp with line level output should work for interfacing any microphone. A small mixer may be a good tool to have in your toolbox that can also be used for other purposes. They would tend to have what's necessary.

You can probably get away with lesser more dedicated interfaces. They would just be "one trick ponies" and may ultimately cost more if you do need a mixer for some other application.

What you do is up to you. Using an RME means you will feed Montage in through the RME's analog path - meaning you'll get just a stereo mix. At most - you can get 4 channels (Main Output L&R plus the Assignable L&R outputs - which have system/master effects removed). On the other hand - if you use Montage's built-in audio interface - you can get 32 digital channels - each PART with its own dedicated stereo pair. You would use USB1-30 for 15 PARTs then USB Main L&R for the 16th PART. This would not be possible when using a different audio interface. It's up to you and how you mix. Assuming the RME can connect all 4 of Montage's analog outputs - you could record 4 channels at a time and do multiple passes (up to 4 if using all 16 channels) and still get there.

I noticed that you not can use a condenser microphone with the Montage audio interface? Is there a (hardware) addon available so you can use such a mic?

It’s not that you cannot use a condenser microphone, it is that the MONTAGE does not supply the voltage necessary to run some condenser microphones. Check with your microphone specifications for appropriate methods to supply it with its required power. The MONTAGE does not have what is called a ‘phantom power supply’. Some condenser mics have internal batteries, some require special power supplies, others just need a source (like a mixer or preamp) to supply +48v.

From your description it sounds like you need to decide on what things you need to record simultaneously. In a one-person studio, changing your configuration can be part of the plan... optimize your setup for each item you are going to record. If, however, you need to record all things simultaneously, then that requires more careful thought on how you are going to proceed.

For example, if you are building basic music tracks with the synth, then overdubbing guitars and vocals... that could be handled differently than if you need the Keyboard player, in headphones, at the same time you are also recording live guitar parts.

In a perfect world, you would do as recording studios do, optimize your setup for the exact task at hand. If your music tracks are a combination of MONTAGE and VSTi plugins, then you might opt first for a setup configured around the MONTAGE — taking advantage of it ability to record via its 32-bus audio system and act as a keyboard controller for both the VSTi plug-in synths and as a control surface for your DAW.

Once you have the basic music tracks recorded, you might have a completely different setup to record (overdub) the guitar... leave open all possibilities. You might want to record both “direct” and amped versions of your guitar... you decide on that. The thing to know is — you can switch audio interfaces during a project. I’ve found that many folks don’t realize that you can record via one audio interface, then play it back through another being used to add tracks.

Say you record all your MONTAGE tracks using the MONTAGE as an audio interface, once recorded as audio, you can play them back through another audio interface that you are using to record your vocals and/or guitar. And vice versa... just make sure you set a consistent sample rate and bit depth for your recordings (although some DAWs can even sort that out for you].

Find the “best way” to accomplish your musical goal, and if affordable, get it. You’ll need a power source, if you are going to use a condenser mic, so whatever other device you get make sure it can serve multiple purposes within your situation. In other words, it is not clear from just your listing of gear, how you intend to record guitar and vocals. If these are “overdubs”, then you might consider a device that not only provides the phantom power the microphone requires but can also handle inputs from the guitar head, and your MONTAGE in addition to the microphone... because in an overdub situation, you will need to hear multiple input sources.

Options include small format mixers, and rack mount units.

Thanks for the replies.

I am gonna record most of the basics with the Montage and add seperately some guitar tracks with my Kemper Profiler (not using an external amp). I didn't buy a studio mic yet. I have the Sure sm58.

For the drums i maby gonna use groove agent with Simon Philips as drummer:p So this is basically it. Will the pc config i mention above do the job or is less possible? Will the Montage AI the latency well?

Thanks

I would definitely recommend getting started with just what you have... then you'll have a better sense and perspective when it comes to expanding further.

As to the latency with the Yamaha Steinberg USB Driver should be fine... in most cases when using an external audio interface you can opt to monitor direct signal which is the zero latency signal. The only time you will ever be at the wrong end of latency is when you applying plugin effects to a live incoming signal. In what you have described you will probably be monitoring direct signal the vast majority of the time.

Cross the studio mic bridge when you get there.