I recently learned that the Roland Studio Capture can’t power more than (8) Earthworks mics which is the same as a Roland Octa Capture. With that in mind, IF you are using Earthworks mics, you would be buying a larger device with more mic preamps that won’t do you any good. If you’re looking for a device for measurement purposes and not planning on using Earthworks mics, the additional 4 mic pres may be useful.

Based on the recommendations of trustworthy measurement engineers that already own and use the Roland Octa-Capture device, I am strongly considering purchasing one or more for portable measurement purposes. The one thing that is stopping me at this point is the 8×8 limitation of the device. For measurement purposes you’re typically going to use one input / output for a reference signal loop. That leaves you with (7) mic inputs which isn’t enough for serious measurement purposes.

The Roland Studio-Capture on the other hand is a 16×10 audio interface that includes (12) mic inputs. Not as portable but it has it’s charm.


12 mic inputs in one portable device would be very useful for measurement purposes as well as recording. I’m waiting to hear back from a fellow engineer who just purchased a Studio-Capture and will report back once he has verified the device meets his requirements. The price difference between the two devices isn’t terribly far apart and having 12 instead of 8 mic inputs may just be worth the extra investment. More soon.