Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 (1st Gen) USB Audio Interface

I'll preface my review by saying that I'm new to home recording having picked it up several years ago in order to record guitar and bass so I'm by no means a "Pro" musician or audio engineer. I have, however, been through several Audio Interfaces during that time including Focusrite's "Safire 6", Roland's "Quad Capture", Motu's "Audio Express", Apogee's "Jam", Apogee's "One", Apogee's "Quartet" and now most recently Focusrite's "Scarlett 2i4". As you can see I've had some experience with a few interfaces so I guess you could say that I "didn't fall off the Turnip cart yesterday". I have Logic 9 but I primarily record in Garageband because it's just so darned quick and easy to get an idea into it that I've just come to prefer it. That being said I purchased Focusrite's "Scarlett 2i4" recently due to the fact that I was forced to send another Audio Interface back to the supplier due to a hardware issue and I wanted to have a backup AI. Ugh! The "Scarlett 2i4" is similar to Garageband in the respect it's quick and easy. It installed on my Mac Pro without a hitch. The signal halos on the gain controls are a clever and useful idea and while the gain controls probably do not allow the precision adjustments that Apogee's "Maestro" software interface provides it's really all I need. There are separate level controls for monitors and headphones that I find useful as well. The only draw back with the unit is there is only one set of balanced monitor outputs but then you get what you pay for. Admittedly, I haven't used many of the features that Focusrite's "Scarlett 2i4" but for what I do (recording two simultaneous guitar tracks or a single bass track) I'm not sure I need to. The Focusrite "Scarlett 2i4" is simple and effective. It has liberated me in the respect that it has allowed me to focus my time on creativity rather than tinkering with hardware and software issues. In summary, the "Scarlett "2i4" has exceeded my expectations. From what I've experienced to this point, if I were to loose my "Scarlett "2i4", I would not hesitate to buy another as a replacement. My thanks to the staff at Focusrite!

A really great piece of recording equipments. I got it at an amazing price of $138 thanks to Amazon. I use it to play and record bass guitar into GarageBand and it sounded great it GarageBand. When you first plugged it, your computer may not immediately recognized it and you need to plug and unplug it for several times. I remember I did that before my Mac and Garageband finally recognized it properly. But that's just for the first time. The next time I plug and unplug the unit to my Mac, it immediately recognized i. There might be some sort of device recognition or firmware installation during initial plug that is why it took some time. But overall definitely not a big issue. All knobs and controls work perfectly. Nothing flimsy at all. I am not sure why there are some people who encounter that but my unit works perfectly fine. Another great thing about it is that it works with USB only without any need of external power. It is a big thing for me because I have so many devices which need power source (computers, 3.5" ext HDD, game consoles, monitor) that I don't want to add another. I also saw some reviews said that the device has input lag. It does not really happen to me. I am using Garageband as my DAW (Focusrite provide a DAW but I never use it because I am not used to it) and I don't really experience any sort of lag in most of my usage. One lag that I experience is when I do not shut down my Mac for a long time. I suspect there is a memory utilization problem that causing the lag to happen. To fix it, just restart Garageband and everything works normal again. Overall I would recommend this whether you are a beginner or intermediate recording musician. The build quality is great, the scarlet color is eye-catching, and the sound is clean.

I was forced to get a new audio interface because I got a much newer computer adapted for editing video. I had to do this because my older M-Audio interface used a PCI card that was not compatible with my newer computer. So I bought the Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 Audio Interface (which connects to my new computer via a USB cable). The Focusrite worked well with my old recording software (Cakewalk Homestudio 2004) as well as the latest version of Audition from Adobe (CS6). I was expecting a software interface where I could select different preamp ranges (like my old M-Audio had) but apparently you only get the hardware selectable "Line" and "Instrument". It works ok, but it seems I have to turn up the preamp gain to a bit over 3/4 of the range to get enough gain for my ATG-2 shotgun mic. (The Focusrite preamplifier stage is automatically configured for a microphone sensitivity range when you plug an XLR connector into the input). I also made sure that I had the +48V turned on for this condenser mic and didn't have the PAD button pushed (which reduces the input sensitivity by 10dB). It is MIDI capable but I did not try out that feature since I only use it for multi-track audio recording. The sound quality is excellent as you would expect. One final little thing about the finish on the case. It's a beautiful red, brushed aluminum (I think it's anodized). If you touch the finish, expect your fingerprints to be permanently visible. For some reason, fingerprints make a dark splotch that can't be removed (at least I wasn't able to wipe them off). It's no real big deal because my prints are only visible at certain angles to the light.

This is a very good audio interface and the mic preamps are amazing. I have used this interface for recording vocals and instruments like keyboards. We can even connect the keyboard to the pc/mac via the interface which has midi ports also. The noise levels are very low and the overall design and feel of this focusrite product is really cool! A must buy.

I have been in need of an audio interface for quite a while in my home/project studio and through much searching and researching I thought that this interface looked like the one for me. I was definitely not disappointed as this audio interface is the epitome of quality. First of all, it is very aesthetically pleasing with it's nice red colour and and sleek design. The main body of the interface is metal which you don't often get in interfaces of this calibre and it also makes it feel extremely sturdy and strong. The buttons and knobs feel very well made and move with extreme smoothness and without any wobble which, for me, just screams quality. The addition of two sets of phono outs, balanced outputs and a high quality headphone out make it extremely useful when plugging multiple speakers or headphones into it. In the product description it says that it has two of Focusrite's award winning preamps, and this is definitely true! Paired with my Rode NT1a this interface sounds brilliant. It also has phantom power which is a definite must in any audio interface. My only gripe with this interface was the usb cable that was packaged with it. It was a high quality cable it just wasn't long enough for my needs however this is a very easy thing to fix and does not take away from the fact that this is 5 star product. Wel done Focusrite. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a new or first interface as this really is the best one you can buy for the money.

È arrivata un giorno in anticipo sulla tabella di marcia contando che è partita dall'inghilterra, inscatolata tutto sommato bene e la tracciabilità del pacco è stata impeccabile. La scheda è perfetta, sia esteticamente (molto bella in alluminio spazzolato rosso) su OSX è plug & play e l'ho testata con Logic X, Pro Tools 11 e Reaper. Vede tutto senza neanche un problema, ho testato i convertitori Focusrite su tutte e 3 le daw suonando una chitarra con pickup attivi e i tasti PAD su ogni canale sono la manna dal cielo per le sorgenti più "villane" che la 2i2 non ha Idem per il microfono, un suono davvero cristallino, testato sia con shure 7B che con rode nt2. Non ho riscontrato alcun problema di latenza con nessuna sorgente in ingresso, che era la mia paranoia principale dovuta dell'alimentazione USB 2.0 della scheda scegliendola rispetto alla sapphire FireWire. Compratela ad occhi chiusi, roba da pro a costo da rimanerci male, provare per credere. Con MacBook abbinata é davvero fantastica. Focusrite é qualità e lo dimostra ogni volta spazzando via ogni altra scheda a questo prezzo.

Sin duda esta interface de audio es una compra recomendada, tanto por sus prestaciones como por su calidad. De hecho actualmente tengo un interface superior de la misma familia de Focusrite. Desde entonces ya no quiero saber nada de tarjetas de audio internas. Destacar sobre todo, su baja latencia en los previos para micrófono y auriculares. Si no requieres de más prestaciones o por ejemplo un mayor número de entradas, esta es sin duda una excelente compra muy recomendada.

My favorite audio interface for my computer, the conversion is impressive to digital. I took this one over the 2i2 because of the midi input if i ever need and for the price difference why not. My previous setup was with blue icicle and got the shure X2u after to replace it - the shure was a nice improvement to me. This one beat them no contest in either the form factor (very easy to monitor - headphone control) - don't have a 10 feet long mic or a mess on your desk. The build and finish - very slick looking and compared to picture is not pink at all but a deep rich red. The quality - sample rate, distortion, you name it; it sound a lot better over the range for me. Very satisfied with my purchase, i recommend to anyone.