Gorgeous video as always, Mike!

Great upgrades. This was very well done and informative. Enjoyed it.

Looking forward to trying one out!

very succinct and informative. makes me def want to upgrade. you are getting better. keep working it :)

As always, great review Mike 👍

There should be a direct monitor volume knob next to the direct monitoring button that can increase the gain of the input signal in the monitor mix. And mic inputs in the back is silly for home studios where you often switch inputs. So I'll be keeping my Gen. 3!

Thanks for the info Mike, fascinating stuff 👍

Great review just the day it came out!!! And Perfectly explained.

A totally awesome update to the obvious features! I love it!

Thanks a lot for your review Mike! I really like interfaces on which you can switch phantom power on and off per Chanel. I don’t think this will be my new interface, although it has some nice features.

Thank you for the wonderful explanation!

Thanks Mike, great video as always. I have the Gen 3, but rarely use the phantom power. Instead I have a small input mixer, the Spirit Folio Notepad (remember those?!) and use the phantom power on that. I'm tempted to upgrade though. Focusrite are excellent.

I’m always excited to see new tech releases. I have the 3rd Gen 2i2 and adore it! As a podcast producer I recorded 2 episodes with it and as a DeeJay I recorded a new mixtape with it ALL this week and it’s just Thursday LOL 😆 I guess moving the XLR connection to the rear and the 1/4 to the front….instead of CombiJacks which I’m sure MOST of us love albeit your 2i2 or your favorite mixer that goes in your gig bag. I’m sure they will sell a ton of them

@dave.F0X

7 ай бұрын

PreSonus audio interfaces have CombiJacks - which I prefer.

Thanks mike great vid as ever..

Thanks Mike, I'm thinking of upgrading from my old faithful roland quadcapture. Scarlet looks like a good choice.

Definitely agree about the independent phantom power.

Being that I'm a bit slow to catch on, and I'm also a cheapskate, I just bought a second hand gen 3 . My first impressions are good and I can see that this will do me well for quite some time given my needs. Thanks for the review Mike. You are always a trusted and creative sauce of information. Cheers ole mate. :)

Fantastic review! Thank you so much. I have a question. If all I need is to connect some speakers like Yamaha HS5 to my Macbook for streaming music (Spotify Apple music etc) is this maybe too much? Should I look for a more simple model or brand? The speakers are amplified in this case, so I was avoiding this amp or amp/dac. I see some offers on the Focusright Solo and the 212 3rg Gen. Thanks.

Thanks so much for the info on the new 4th generation as compared to the 3rd generation. I am thinking of purchasing the new 4th generation.

I've got a 2i4 gen2. Great interfaces. I can't speak for 2nd gen 2i2, but on my 2i4 the headphone and speaker volumes are not linked. It makes zero sense for them to be linked, so I can't help but wonder if that's a production error in some people's units.

Excellent review on the Scarlett gen 4. I highly appreciate the XLR inputs being on the back, because my interface is almost permanently on my desk. What I wish is an on/off switch on the back, so that the interface will not be automatically turned on at same time my computer is turned on.

Former Scarlett user here. Now it's all about audient id14 for me!

Wow! Love the "meter" and the "safe' setting, not to mention the plugins. I have a Presonus 96 and it's ok but this looks much better.

I would like S/PDIF I/O on the 4i4 gen 4; it has two TRS line inputs for external preamps but your preamp may be fitted with a digital output card.

Definitely would like phantom power switchable for each input independently. I’ve just stopped using my focusrite interface and moved to a Behringer X-Air unit mainly for the remote control aspect but also because phantom power is individually switchable on each channel.

Thanks your your video!!! stupid question: what kind of hardwar meter does run under your display?

Is a full XLR cable better for a scarlett 2i2 3gen, or a XLR to TRS? and what is the difference between these two in relation to the scarlett 2i2? thanks.

I really wish to see some tiny portable Focusrite interface like iRig HD2 is.

Are you able to Test if you can play backing tracks from your 'Samsung Phone' VIA the USB C port, I do this on my Solo Gen 3 and it works perfectly out through my monitors, I just dont want to buy this product and realize that Focusrite have changed something.

I own Gen 2 and Gen 3. Now I need Gen 4 to continue my collection 😁. Seriously though, I like all the new features of Gen 4. If I manage to sell my Gen 2, I buy me a Gen 4.

Interesting stuff, cheers. Still have the Gen 3 and probably won't upgrade just yet. Some nice features though. I hadn't even considered the issue of 48v phantom power until now. My mic plugs into the left input, and bass, lead guitar on the right - I just leave phantom power on all the time... Should I not do that?

@skurtbert

9 ай бұрын

I do the same and and have been doing so for years without any issues at all.

Mike does this unit have DSP so you can rum Reverb on monitor phones but record dry vocals?

Sir, which macOS isrequired for scarlet 2i2. Can I use it on 2010 macbook pro with Sierra mac OS

Thank you

Both the Focusrite and my laptop only have USB C ports, but the Focusrite cable included with this interface is USB A to USB C. Would it be better to 1. Use my own USB C to USB C cable 2. Use the Focusrite cable connected to a docking station with a USB A port or 3. Use the Focusrite cable connected to the USB C on my laptop via a USB A to USB adapter?

isn't removal of combo jacks can be considered a 'downgrade'?

I think everyone would like to see a comparison between the scarlett gen 4 and the clarett. We all know it is better than 3 gen, but better than clarett?

I recently bought a Scarlett 2i2 3rd gen... Since I can still return it, do you think it's worth buying the new 4th gen one? I also have a Behringer UMC204hd, and although it has more connections than the Focusrite, I have compared them and I notice that the sound I get when recording acoustic guitar with a condenser mic is a little more muffled on the Behringer, while with the Scarlett it has a little more clarity and brightness (with the AIR button off), it seems to capture more detail, it is subtle, by the way, the guitar sounds more organic and beautiful. Also, the recording with the Behringer has a little more low frequency noise. (In terms of latency, with a buffer size of 64, I have almost the same in both, it is little but when playing a virtual piano I do not fully enjoy it). That's why until now I was determined to stay with the Focusrite - it was very cheap with the studio pack - but of course, now that the 4th gen has just been released it makes me angry, although at the moment it’s very expensive, so now I have considered returning the 3rd gen Scarlett to get the new one, and wait to see if prices drop, or maybe an SSL2+ which looks very nice for recording guitars (although I think it has more latency). Any advice on whether or not to keep the 3rd gen Focusrite, or return it and go for the 4th gen or the SSL2+?

Love my 2i2 4th gen.

Can the mic inputs on the back be used to handle line level signals?

For me, the one I'd go for is to replace my 2nd gen 2i4 is get a 4th gen 4i4. All what the 4th gen 2i2 has plus of course the 4 inputs and outputs, combo jacks at the front, and MIDI. but they took away the Direct Monitor knob. :(

@Morfy

9 ай бұрын

This is also the problem I'm facing... I want to upgrade soon, but I have a 1st gen 2i4 and the Direct Monitor knob is the one I've used the most besides the Monitor knob. I noticed that for the 8i6 and higher you can still control the mix through software, but this is not the case for 2i2 and 4i4

@Morfy

9 ай бұрын

3rd gen 8i6 is around the same price as the 4th gen 4i4 btw, so it might be an idea to consider getting that instead

It is a shame that didn't keep the two XLR/6.3mm jack combo on the front panel, otherwise nice upgrades.

May i know the impedance rating for the headphone amp?

was there an improvement in the quality of recordings?

If I have the 2i2 3rd gen and I record electric guitar and play rock music, is it a significant upgrade to get the 4th? Will it be better sound quality?

Can we have 2 headphone outputs on all interfaces already? How hard can it be really?

@JesusArmasOficial

11 ай бұрын

Agreed!!!!!!

@THESANX99

11 ай бұрын

Yaa bro still not updated

@frytor2240

11 ай бұрын

Must be very hard😅

@reianae.smiley8573

11 ай бұрын

What?!?! You want another one?!?

@7171jay

11 ай бұрын

A secon headphone is unnecessary for most people and it would add a couple of crucial dollars to the overall price of the unit which is probably why they don't do it. You are correct though, as it is very useful for some people and manufacturers should just do it but the headphone amp has often been a place to skimp on so expecting not only one but two good ones is a bunch.

I don't understand why the microphone dial turns infinitely but the volume and the other huge dial at the bottom does not. What sense does that make

Are there any latency improvements? Are there any ASIO optimizations?

I have a dt 770 pro 250 ohm headphone and it has enough power to drive it well?

Does anyone know if with the 4i4 4th gen Scarlett and a Shure sm7b I would still need a cloudlifter? Thank you

Yes should have switchable power for both channels independently also a second headphone Jack would make sense since it has two inputs. But I guess there must be some type of splitter you can buy somewhere that would work.

@glennlittle7955

11 ай бұрын

Yeah you can buy splitters cheap. A mate of mine came round with his guitar, headphones and splitter and it worked fine.

Is it better than clarett+?

If you are going to buy it, which one you wold choose 3rd or 4t gen ?

Nice review at a very nice tempo. Not to fast and not to slow. What micro do you use ?

Ай бұрын

*too

I use the 48 volts button to mute the microphone when I dont use it, so I like there is just 1 button

Can you guys tell a Latency difference from gen 3 to gen 4

how does this compare to the Yamaha AG series?

The gain controls being encoders somewhat ruins it for me, i usually find encoders to be glitchy and far less precise than potentiometers

I'm gonna wait for an 18i20 4th gen. I'm having issues with my Audient's sends.

thank you for explain. some in other websites, people said that the 4th has more clean than 3rth. but, your explain could be the "auto" is the key for what they said. anyway. for the beginners 3th will be great start with. thank you again

Hi , quite not following you tends to race away with your explanation 48 volts independent would be good , head phone monitor Direct green light/white light explain

Can pedals be connected to this?

I like the auto-gain idea and clipping reduction but would like to see it in use.

I've only just got a Gen 3. They are a lot cheaper now that Gen 4 is out. Not fully USB 3.2 compatible as the spec says, but luckily I had a spare USB 2.0 socket.

Anybody know when the 18i20 gets the update?

a latency performance-test would be the most important thing to know.

@AizaakThurston

10 ай бұрын

Yes so much. Just using for guitar so don't care about the vocal stuff and a 3rd gen is half the price of 4th gen atm.

@dimitristziaros3464

10 ай бұрын

Exactly my thoughts!

@screaminguitar24

4 ай бұрын

@@AizaakThurston I have the 3rd gen and mainly record electric guitar. Is it worth getting the 4th gen? Is it a big step up in sound quality?

@AizaakThurston

4 ай бұрын

@@screaminguitar24 No. the 4th gen is practically the same but with some additional stuff for vocals afaik. 3rd gen should be just as good for guitar.

Does it work with GarageBand?

Wow, that's nice, would you buy it?

I use my 3rd generation to rip cassettes and albums and the independent endless gains literally drive me crazy. I can't believe they still don't either have notches or a way to just link the left and right gain. Insane.

I like your Medusa 💐

Hi Mike. Is the increased gain sufficient to allow it to work well directly with an SM7, avoiding the need for a separate pre-amp?

@pierrecarter3090

11 ай бұрын

I'm not from Creative Sauce, but I just wanna says that I use a SM57 to mike my guitar amp, and I don't need a separate pre-amp. It works very well with my 2i2.

@davidhiggen3029

11 ай бұрын

@@pierrecarter3090 Hi Pierre, the SM57 is a standard dynamic mic which works with almost any interface. But the SM7 (not 57) is a different thing. It is a more expensive mic which has a reputation for better sound quality, but also a lower output. And the general opinion seems to be that it needs an external pre-amp to be used with most interfaces.

@innabit5961

11 ай бұрын

@@davidhiggen3029 69db of gain available so SM7 should be fine without a cloud lifter or otherwise

@davidhiggen3029

11 ай бұрын

@@innabit5961 Yes, that's what I'd think just looking at the numbers. But it would be nice to hear from someone with actual hands-on experience.

@pierrecarter3090

11 ай бұрын

@@davidhiggen3029 Ooops! I am sorry David, I did not see that you wrote SM7, I sincerily saw SM57. Old eyes lol! Sorry about the confusion, and thanks for telling me.

Hmm this one costs about double on Amazon atm. Not sure it's worth it unless you specifically need the new features.

They look very similar !

No midi input or output?!

What happens if you accidentally plug a bass or guitar in the front and a mic in the same port in the back? That's something that was completely impossible in 3rd gen. Also, "no cables across your desktop" is true *if* you only use the XLR mic inputs.

So does it mean that it can have 4 inputs..? 2 mics & 2 lines..? Or only 2 work at the same time..?

@shangrila64

11 ай бұрын

i?m interested too in this question

@AnzaSengani

11 ай бұрын

Curious too

@7171jay

11 ай бұрын

It's a two channel device, says right here: 2:05 They simply got rid of the combo XLR/quarter inch inputs for separate mic and line/instrument front and back... it's an either/or situation not a four input interface.

I've used 1st and 3rd gen. I don't like it because the input level is so low. Nearly full input volume to drive a Rode NT2A. I need to add a Fethead, in able to get any level out of it using a dynamic mic such as the SM58.

@SMAAAASHTV

11 ай бұрын

That doesn't sound correct. The NT2A is a phantom powered condenser mic and should only need 50% level or less to get full volume, if you're correctly enabling phantom power. I have a gen 2 2i4 which uses the same preamps as the 2i2 and I use a 57 and 58 with it and only need about 75% volume to get a good output level from those dynamic mics. You don't want to be peaking the signal anyway, you want to be hitting between -12db and -6db when recording, to give some headroom.

@7171jay

11 ай бұрын

Even -6dbfs is pretty high actually. Peaks of -12 are safer, easier, will get great signal to noise ratio and sound excellent. There's no way one should have to max out the gain on a large diaphragm condenser mic unless you are whispering/mumbling from several feet away from it. Always better to record at sensible levels and bring them up later if necessary.

I actually use a 2i2 Gen3 and I'm very satisfied with it. However, I should have bought the 4i4 instead, because I would be able to have headphone mix capabality.

@glennlittle7955

11 ай бұрын

I have the 4i4 gen 3 and I love the extra features but it bugs me that so much is in software. The sophistication of the mix facilities requires it but having to go to software to switch between line and instrument is ridiculous.

@efeonuraydin3079

7 ай бұрын

Hey can you briefly explain what you mean by that. Doesnt 3rd gen also have a headphone output on it, what is “headphone mix capability” other than hearing the mix through connecting your headphone directly in audio interface, can 3rd gen 2i2 not do it ? Is that a latency issue in 3rd gen that i should consider? Im new to this technology and i was planning to buy 3rd gen 2i2 as my first audio interface, so your comments would matter for me.

@pierrecarter3090

7 ай бұрын

@@efeonuraydin3079 Hi, sorry for being a little late. I agree with you that we hear the mix in the headphones, and there's no latency issue. However, my point was for recording. With the 4i4, I'd be able to have a separate "mix line" for headphones only without disturbing what's already set in the "main mix". Here's an example: it would be possible to send just a little drum and bass while having full volume in the headphones when recording guitar without touching the levels of the tracks. Another example is to insert a send on a track to an external device, such as a reverb. But don't worry, I love my 2i2.

I wanted to get the 4th Gen but the 3rd one was on sale for 100$ less... now I'm wondering if I'm missing a big difference or not. I do podcast and vinyl recording anyway, so I guess it should be enough, lol.

@HernanCortesYip2011

22 күн бұрын

Hi sir, I'm have the same concern. What did you decide?

@anthonyk1020

20 күн бұрын

@@HernanCortesYip2011 j ended up getting the 3rd generation as it was more than enough to just record my vinyl collection in 96khz, and much cheaper :)

@HernanCortesYip2011

20 күн бұрын

@@anthonyk1020 thank you so much!

What do you mean by I can’t control my headphone and monitor level independently on the gen 3? I mean we can. That’s really confused me

@richa7516

6 ай бұрын

i was wondering about this, are you saying they are independent? debating which to get 3rd or 4th gen

Thanks Mike. Good to see the upgrades and yes. The inability to select 48v is a deal-killer for me as I might be cutting a vocal using say a Sure 7B and an acoustic guitar at the same time using a dynamic mike. Not good.

@innabit5961

11 ай бұрын

Why? The dynamic mic doesn't care about phantom - this has no effect on the performance or reliability of the mic

Tried the 4th generation 2i2 but I had latency issues that I didn’t have with gen 3. On same computer, And I couldn’t correct them so I Sent it back and I went back to using my gen 3.

@remazzeylamataessoramsez2065

10 ай бұрын

really

@RandomVelocity

10 ай бұрын

@@remazzeylamataessoramsez2065 yes really

Not loving the halo on the inputs. Imagine it makes it harder to set the same input on both channels

@cosmojohnson9066

11 ай бұрын

I support a NON-techie voice-over artist. They have a Gen 3 2i2. They need the white line on the Gain Knob so they can set the gain repeatedly in about the same location each time. They would never understand how to use the Auto Gain. A Halo light is not the best way to show exactly where it's set.

XLR moving to the back all by itself is the big seller for me.

I updated 2nd Gen 2i2 to 4th Gen and the difference of sound quality is HUGE!

@jeffmoppi

10 ай бұрын

Without any context, what you're doing, this doesn't mean anything

People could use a headphone splitter but with that said I already switch brand no more focusrite for me.

If they haven’t,t improved the headphone Jack then it is junk,I am on my 3rd Focusrite and it works fine but the two I had before head jacks were crap

Yeahhh Gen4 is out

Can I record on 2i2 , 2guitars and 2mics at once?

@abananainspace

11 ай бұрын

nop, only 2 inputs at the same time

@ps-pb9ld

11 ай бұрын

a bit disapointment, thank you! so audient still king@@abananainspace

YALL i’m having a STATIC sound thru my interface, someone HELP ME I hate this loud zzzz sound that’s come thru this thing!

@pedrohenriquealves7825

3 ай бұрын

I’m having the same issue

For beginners the software suite you get is pretty crazy. I'm mostly interested in the new headphone amp as the 3rd gen wasn't great in that aspect.

@glennlittle7955

11 ай бұрын

It may be convenient to get all that stuff in one place but perhaps a little overwhelming for a beginner. Also my experience with included software is that too much of it is limited and that they want you to pay for full versions. There is so much good free and cheap software around now and I wouldn't want beginners to be mislead about that.

@devinsinderwitcz9134

11 ай бұрын

@@glennlittle7955 100% this!

@jeffmoppi

10 ай бұрын

I don't buy hardware for the included software, except for drivers.

I was hoping that they would have included a on/off button.

@glennlittle7955

11 ай бұрын

Yes yes yes!! Bus powered devices not having on/off switches drives me up the wall.

Do you think it is worth to upgrade from 3rd gen to 4th gen?

@Ajvocalss

5 ай бұрын

I have the same question

@louiewgroenewald

5 ай бұрын

@Ajvocalss It's worth it. It works really well, sounds really great. It gives a more well rounded sound, according to my experience, than previous gen. It looks great, because the software works so well and looks great I now hardly touch the hardware and control most from the software. Also recording any sound/song on my computer, looping it straight into my DAW works fantastic.

I don't really have an opinion on the Phantom issue. There's a part of me that would like the flexibility to use a Phantom and non-Phantom powered mic/device at the same time, however, I've rarely done it. The other part of me wonders if the pathway is effected if there's two separately powered inputs, ie: distortion or loss of sound and if another pathway has to be created to monitor the input. Just my two cents worth.

I have the gen 3 solo

I've just looked at the prices. Currently the 3rd gen 4i4 is £149. The 4th gen is £243! Are you kidding me?? The 3rd gen 8i6 is £14 less than that! (And I'm guessing eBay will be awash with 2nd and 3rd gen units for naff all soon.)

not worth the upgrade. ill stick to gen 3

I'm not impressed enough with the Gen4 to stop using my Gen 3

But no MIDI... the PreSonus Studio 24c USB-C Audio Interface has MIDI and is $50 cheaper.

@reianae.smiley8573

11 ай бұрын

As if MIDI is so important for you……

The lack of idependent Phantom Power is the only reason I haven't bought a 2i2 for a more portable studio set up in the past, kinda sucks it's still the case on the gen 4

@Al_Mac125

11 ай бұрын

Why? It doesn't matter