GEAR COVER REVIEW STORY
T hough Focusrite is well-known for its legendary professional-studio gear , they ’ ve also gotten into the homestudio market with a variety of computer interfaces . Among their offerings is the Scarlett 2i2 , a small , portable box with a lot of options . Let ’ s plug in and get going .
A USB interface , as you might guess , is the device that takes your analog signal ( microphone or direct guitar , bass or keyboard input ), and coverts it into digital audio for editing and mixing on your laptop or desktop computer . The Scarlett 2i2 makes this process as easy as possible with a simple USB cable between the unit and your PC or Mac . Download the appropriate drivers ( PC ) or tweak the system preferences ( Mac ), and off you go . Couldn ’ t be easier — in fact , the Scarlett 2i2 user most likely wants a plug ‘ n ’ play box that will get them recording quickly . Focusrite further provides a DAW and various software plug-ins and loops to capture and manipulate your audio tracks . Lastly , you can monitor the sound via either headphones or stereo outputs to powered monitors .
FEATURES The front end of the box includes the critical controls to get the job done . You get two “ combi ” inputs , which accept both 1 / 4- inch jacks ( guitar , bass , keyboard ) or XLR
( balanced lines for microphones ). These preamps leverage Focusrite ’ s famous reputation for low-noise , high-quality audio — indeed , you ’ ve probably heard their fabled high-end preamps on just about every album or CD you own .
If you ’ re using a condenser mic that requires phantom power , the Scarlett has you covered — just push the 48v button on the front to provide electricity to the microphone . You also get switches underneath each input to choose between LINE ( line-level inputs , like keyboards ) or INST for guitars and basses . There are “ halo ” indicators around the Gain knobs for each channel — they glow green if you input signal is on the money and red if you ’ re overdriving the gain and causing clipping or distortion . If you see red , bring down your input gain . Another front switch , called Direct Monitoring , allows you to hear your input signal directly through the headphones or your studio monitors , so there ’ s little chance of “ latency ” ( a slight delay ) when laying down tracks . Latency can be seriously distracting , so this tool might just save your session .
As this is the 2nd-generation of the Scarlett 2i2 , you get plenty of software to assist you , including Pro Tools | First Focusrite Creative Pack and Ableton Live Lite , Softube Time and
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