Hi all,

I'm looking at upgrading my old Focusrite 2i4 Gen 1 audio interface, which dates back to 2015 or so. Ideally, I'd like something with at least 4 mic preamps which are all exposed to the DAW. The usecase would be recording jam sessions with 2 guitars and 2 vocals, or possibly more inputs needed. I am hesitant to go for a mixer, since I won't be able to adjust levels after the fact, as I understand it...the DAW sees a stereo 2 channel input and that is it..however many instruments/vocalists you send through the mixer, the DAW only gets the one main signal, so if you find later that one guitar/vocal is louder than another, you're screwed. This understanding may be wrong and I would be happy to be corrected. I know a lot of modern interfaces have their own software which isn't accessible, so modern Focusrites or Audient units don't work well for us. Any suggestions about which route to take here? I'm flexible with budget...say $500 or so?

Thanks