So the Focusrite Scarlett is a really popular audio interface and with all
the improvements they've packed into this new one Focusrite is really aiming to top
the budget interfaces list again I've been using it for about a week now and yeah I
have a lot to say and a lot for you to listen to when I compared it to other interfaces and
I was really surprised with this one new feature I'll show you in this video so I
guess let's start with the sound listen to some vocals I recorded with it [Music]
love and what it did to you but you don't have to run I know what you've been through I'm just
a simple touch and it can set you free we don't we don't have to rush when you're alone with me now
this is just the standard sound you can get out of the new Scarlett there are two other recording
modes that give you different recording flavors I'll let you hear those in a sec this is not a
sponsored video but if you use any of my affiliate links to buy the Scarlett or anything else using
those links it does support my channel thanks okay so the Scarlett comes in three models the Solo 2i2
and the 4i4 the main difference is the number of inputs and outputs there are also some differences
in dynamic range and gain range between the three models so I think the middle of the range the 2i2
is where most people will get the most useful features for home recording spending a bit more
money over the solo will give you better preamps and probably a bit more future proofing as your
needs expand in your studio oh by the way the 2i2 and 4i4 have dedicated optional power if you need
it like when you use a mobile device that can't power it over USB so connect this interface to to
a Mac or Windows computer or a mobile device and you can record with a mic a guitar with a high Z
input or a synth the 2i2 gives you two quarter inch inputs and two mic inputs which is great
because you can record two mics at the same time or a mic and a guitar or even a stereo synth but
note that you can only record two inputs at the same time so even though you can connect up to
four things you can't record all four at once on the 2i2 and selecting 48v applies to both
incoming signals I prefer interfaces that have dedicated phantom power buttons for each input
like the Motu M2 more on that later if you're new around here I'm Sanjay C I have lots of videos
about music production and the latest music gear on my channel consider subscribing if you haven't
already I'll be sure to make it worth your while so first they've upgraded the converters over the
previous model and better converters in a nutshell means that you have better audio quality less
unwanted noise now with most interfaces that advertise upgraded converters the difference
is hard to hear and that's what I was expecting from this interface as well but the better quality
is actually easy to hear when I compared it to the previous generation and it's not just the
converters the mic preamps are excellent as well on this new Scarlett gain is better which
means you can use this interface with mics that need a bigger volume boost like the Shure SM7B
which is famous for podcasters Focusrite has also improved the dynamic range and I have to say I'm
very pleased with the vocal recordings with the new Scarlett better dynamic range will give you
better contrast and clarity between loud and soft parts of your recording here's a comparison with
some other interfaces you've been scared of love and what it did to you you don't have to run I
know what you've been through you've been scared of love and what it did to you you don't have
to run I know what you've been through you've been scared of love and what it did to you you
don't have to run I know what you've been through you've been scared of love and what it did to you
you don't have to run I know what you've been through which recording did you prefer comment
below now check this out Focusrite has two other recording modes that give you different flavors
and sound the first one adds air or presence and another setting gives you presence and
drive listen to the differences you've been scared of love and what it did to you you scared of my
man what it did to you you've been scared of love and what it did to you you've been scared of love
[Music] I know what you've been through [Music]
love and what it did to you you don't have to run I know what you've been through these
two additional modes add air or a boost in high frequencies and some harmonic drive
to the sound and it's quite noticeable and very pleasing if there's one thing that surprised me
the most about this interface it's the quality of the recordings I test lots of interfaces at
widely different price levels and I guess I expect budget interfaces like this one to not surprise
me I should give credit to the microphone I use too I've recorded my vocals with the LA-220 mic
shout out to Lauten Audio for letting me try this out this is a great mic for the price I'm
very happy with the way it sounds and it really provided excellent clarity to let you hear the
difference in sounds from the Scarlett recording modes I'll add a link to this mic in the video
description below if you want to read more about it now I have to say something about this air mode
there's something interesting happening in the budget interface world right now we're seeing the
sound of classic hardware being put right into these small interfaces Universal Audio added a
vintage button that makes the preamp sound like a Universal Audio 610 Preamp SSL added a 4K button
to get that classic SSL sound through its budget interface Neve did the same with their interface
now there's something those three companies have in common a well-known pedigree all three
of those interfaces have descended from a line of classic hardware used on many Hit records and now
Focusrite needs to compete Focusrite consoles aren't as well known as those by Neve and SSL
but that's not stopping them from basing their air sound on their own studio console they're
trying to emulate the sound from their own ISA preamp now here's some food for thought should
we really care if these preamp sound like the original hardware if your recording sounds good
to you that's all that should matter right and with how good plugins are these days shouldn't
the flattest recording be the only one we really need I want to hear from you what do
you think of these added modes like air have you tried them do you care comment below the
two additional modes on the Scarlett are very easy to hear in the recordings which is good
and bad if you really like the sound of that air or drive then this is a great option to have at
the same time you are committing to that sound in the recording which means it can't be undone
using software unlike plugins which can be tried tested and removed now like I said the Scarlett
isn't the only interface with added flavor modes Universal Audio's Volt interface has that vintage
button listen to the difference between the Scarlett's Air mode and the Volt's Vintage mode
good bad bad girl shiny toy with the price you know that I bought it
killing me slow out the window always waiting for you to be waiting below fever dream high in the
quiet of night you know that I got it [Music] Bad Bad Girls shiny toy with the price you know that
I bought it and it's new the shape of your body is blue the feeling I've gotten it soon and it's new
shape of your body it's blue the feeling I've gotten it too now this is up to taste of course
use your own ears to decide which one is right for you so the question is will your listener
even notice that you've added this flavor to a mix adding more presents is supposed
to bring a vocal up front in a mix instead of it sometimes hiding away listen to the vocals in the
mix with the Scarlett air button activated and then without I can see it in your eyes
[Music]
okay so better converters check air modes if you like them check but this Scarlett has a couple
other big features which are useful and wow one of these really surprised me on the 2i2 on the
4i4 you get auto gain press the auto button and sing or play your instrument and it will set your
input gain automatically this isn't new to the interface world I tested this on the Audient EVO
which is a cheaper alternative it's a convenient feature if you're new to recording but once you
get the hang of setting your gain I really prefer to set it myself maybe it's just old habits now
what I haven't seen on other interfaces like the Scarlett is the new safe button which automatically
adjusts the gain if you're about to clip or if you're getting too loud that the sound is about
to distort this is available only on the 2i2 on 4i4 now here's the thing I was expecting that this
safe mode feature may actually get in the way of a nice Dynamic recording but it didn't it performed
well now I usually take the time to set my own gain right so I don't know if I'd use the safe
mode much but let's say you're recording a podcast this would be useful if you or a guest suddenly
gets super loud on the mic now when I compared the Scarlett to a few other interfaces a few things
stuck out so Focusrite has improved the headphone output which means you get decent headphone volume
I say decent because some competitors performed better I tested some of my favorite headphones
the Beyerdynamic DT770 250 ohm headphones and the MiniFuse and Volt interfaces had higher volumes
I think the Scarlett headphone output is fine when mixing but when monitoring my voice and
the music when I recorded I couldn't get it at a good level and that was made more challenging with
the omission of a direct monitor balance knob you can find this control on a few interfaces
and it's really useful to balance the volume of your music and the direct microphone signal and
it's kind of useful when you're recording vocals this knob is included with the Arturia MiniFuse
interface and I wish more interfaces had it the Volt MiniFuse and M2 interfaces by Motu come
with MIDI ins and outs built in that's useful if you have some keyboards that aren't USB compatible
the MiniFuse also has a USB port in the back to connect some USB gear like a MIDI keyboard
the Scarlett benefits from a little better dynamic range than the other interfaces I've mentioned in
this video except one the Scarlett sound is now in Motu M2 territory and that's a big deal since the
Scarlett has not performed as well as the Motu M2 in my past videos now I haven't been a fan
of Scarlett interface meters in the past I prefer meters on M-Audio and Native Instruments interface
and remember at the same price you can get the Motu M2 with fantastic meters that said the
meters have been improved on this new version of the Scarlett you actually have lights that go
up and down on the input and output knobs but if you're setting gain yourself these are still kind
of difficult to notice from the corner of your eye but it's definitely nicer than the gain meters
on the Arturia MiniFuse so I want to talk about price but before I do if you're writing songs and
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price the retail price of the Scarlett 2i2 is $200 right now this is a bit steep compared to
some of the competition but all budget interfaces have slowly been going up in price right now you
can get the Volt 2 for $190 dollars the MiniFuse 2 for $150 and the EVO 4 $130 and at the
same price as the Scarlett 2i2 $200 the Motu M2 is a worthy alternative I have a feeling Focusrite
will drop the price slightly to compete which will be great if or when that happens a quick
word about latency latency is the delay between what you send to your computer and what comes
out pretty much your ability ability to record in time to the music in your headphones the Scarlet
latency is low enough when I added some reverb when monitoring but you're not going to get zero
latency this is not a deal breaker for me since I always use direct monitoring to get around it the
Scarlett comes with some FREE software including Ableton Live Lite AutoTune Access Marshall
Jubilee Massive some Focusrite plugins Addictive Keys and Drums it's a really nice software package
one of the best I've seen Focusrite also included software to control the Scarlett from your computer
you can adjust gain and activate different modes here by the way the Scarlett has loopbacks so you
can record your computer's audio and your mic at the same time great for live streaming the build
quality of the Scarlett is on par with previous versions of this interface the metal body wraps
around the top and bottom and you've got plastic in the front and the back I think Focusrite has
raised the bar on entry level interfaces with the new Scarlett they've added some nice features and
the recording quality is excellent if you like having the added flavor that the presents and
drive modes give you on the Scarlett I suggest you also consider the Universal Audio Volt interface
or the SSL2 I think Focusrite needs to keep the price down to compete but if you do decide to
buy this I think you're going to be very happy I'll include links to purchase this scarlett and
any of the other interfaces I've mentioned below this video hey if you enjoyed this video and want
to support my work check out my sample packs and virtual instruments on www.SANJAYC.com simple great
tools that I myself find inspiring if you've got questions or comments about the Scarlett Gen 4
leave it in the comments below and we can chat about it keep Making The Music YOU Love!