Home › Forums › Discuss Your Gear › Scarlett Focusrite 2i2 audio interface
- This topic has 22 replies, 13 voices, and was last updated 4 years, 5 months ago by Mark O.
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October 16, 2019 at 2:55 pm #147282
Just connected my Scarlett 2i2 audio interface. My old Presonus Audiobox VSL was no longer compatible with Windows 10. I had purchased an inexpensive Behringer U-Phoria UMC204HD that I used on my recent EP 330 submission. I compared recording with the Scarlett and there’s no contest, the Behringer’s being returned pronto. The Scarlett records much truer to what I’m hearing in my studio. Even the Audiobox seemed to record a little on the darker side, for which I had to adjust with my guitar tone. Bottom line, in my experience, I don’t think you can go wrong with the Scarlett at it’s price point. Anybody else have a good experience with an interface?
John -
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October 16, 2019 at 3:31 pm #147284
I have that one too. It’s brilliant. Mine is a Gen2, if yours is new it’s probably a Gen3, I wonder what the difference is ? My only complaint is that the nice big volume knob only works for the monitor speaker output.
Peter
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October 16, 2019 at 3:43 pm #147286
Peter,
On my Scarlett Solo, the volume knob works with my headphones when plugged in. Not sure whats different. -
October 16, 2019 at 4:03 pm #147289
Peter,
On the gen3, they added the “AIR” button on each input that give’s more high end in your recording. It’s supposed to be good for vocals and acoustic. This was previously only offered on the higher end Claret series. What other function did you need from the larger knob?
John
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October 16, 2019 at 3:41 pm #147285
I have a Scarlett Solo. Love it… although, it is the only Audio Interface I have ever owned, so have nothing to compare it to. The only complaint I have is when I plug my amp directly into it via my Blackstar amps emulated output, it seems to clip pretty easy. What I end up doing is keeping the gain below 12:00 on the solo and turning the volume knob way up so I can get a decent monitoring volume through my headphones. With that said, when recording, the volume it records at seems to be higher than the volume I get while monitoring through headphones. This is obviously a pretty minor thing and might even just be operator error on my part.
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October 16, 2019 at 4:09 pm #147290
Years ago Alaska Bryce recommended the 2i2 to me. I bought one, and never looked back. Lately I have reached the point where I would like to have 3 instruments plugged in and recording simultaneously into Logic Pro, so maybe I will have to upgrade to a 4i4. From what I see on Youtube, the Focusrite interfaces seem to be the most commonly used ones by studio musicians.
Sunjamr Steve
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October 16, 2019 at 4:15 pm #147291
Steve,
I wanted the Claret 4pre. It’s got 4 inputs, 2 headphone jacks (handy if you’re recording with another player) and midi input. The Thunderbolt version is still Thunderbolt 2, so I will wait until Thunderbolt 3 versions are available. They should have almost 0 latency. There is a USB version available also.
John-
October 17, 2019 at 12:31 am #147304
Yeh, I had to buy a USB-C adapter to use my 2i2 with my 2019 MacBook Pro.
Sunjamr Steve
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October 16, 2019 at 6:08 pm #147294
I also use the Scarlett 2i2, had it for 3 or 4 years now. Works great miking the amp and into GarageBand. Haven’t really tried plugging directly into Scarlett and using GB amp models, although I should try it…I just play and record in my office and haven’t made it to the outside world yet….maybe someday
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October 16, 2019 at 9:37 pm #147299
Hey John,
I use the Scarlett Solo and love it. I mainly use it with GarageBand and IK Multimedia and haven’t had a problem. I am limited with only one input for guitar but don’t feel limited or restricted. I suppose it would be nice to have two inputs but for $78.00 it is a great deal. -
October 17, 2019 at 5:18 am #147309
I had a Solo and it served me well. But, lol, yea a but.. I work with some very large midi libraries with some reaching into the gigabyte size in samples. I started to get pops and cracks in the audio with the Solo. As it turns out through a lot of trial and error, the USB driver for it wasn’t the best. So, went and bought an Apollo Twin USB (the windows version). All the issues went away. I now have zero latency too. This is because it has it’s own processor, which takes that load off the PC. But, I had to pay for that, big time. (It costs about $900 bucks..)
Don't practice till you get it right, practice till you can't get it wrong.
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October 17, 2019 at 5:28 am #147310
Gene,
The Apollo twin seems to be just about top of the line but I thought it had no midi input. Don’t you use midi for those huge multi-track projects of yours? I think the Apollo is the only one I found actually using Thunderbolt 3.
Anyway, I would have had to build a new computer so I went with the Scarlett for now.
John
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October 17, 2019 at 10:44 am #147312
Gen2 scarlette 2i2 is the one I have. Ive not used it in quite sometime though, I think the last time I recorded I used my THR10c as an interface.
..Billy..
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October 17, 2019 at 11:00 am #147313Anonymous
Ive been using a Presonus Audiobox96 Interface with Studio One 4 Artist for software for the last six months. Coming from using Audacity and a Scarlet Solo Interface this has been a huge jump in terms of a learning curve but the trade off has been awesome. Took me awhile to learn how to record using a mic and USB but I’ve been getting some decent recordings playing through my Fender Super Champ X2. Now I just need to learn how to mix, starting with the equalizer and compressor but that’s going to take time. Anyway, happy with the setup so far.
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October 17, 2019 at 3:15 pm #147323
Gen2 scarlette 2i2 is the one I have. Ive not used it in quite sometime though, I think the last time I recorded I used my THR10c as an interface.
Billy you still practicing I hope.. yeah man , I was up last night configuring my windows 10 settings for the new 2i2 gen 3 I have..the software i redeemed both Albeton and pro tools lite 10 seem to be up and running but have yet much to read and learn..i have both headphones and speaker monitors tested for audio but have not learned enough to record and playback.. i did get as far as drumbeats but as for recording a track,,i need to watch some easy beginner tutorials especially the protools live lite.
much rather take my time and want to practice guitar lessons anyway,, will take my time,,too much bother guessing how to do a first recording using DAW
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October 17, 2019 at 3:26 pm #147324
I had a Solo and it served me well. But, lol, yea a but.. I work with some very large midi libraries with some reaching into the gigabyte size in samples. I started to get pops and cracks in the audio with the Solo. As it turns out through a lot of trial and error, the USB driver for it wasn’t the best. So, went and bought an Apollo Twin USB (the windows version). All the issues went away. I now have zero latency too. This is because it has it’s own processor, which takes that load off the PC. But, I had to pay for that, big time. (It costs about $900 bucks..)
i get cracking noise wearing headphones through my new scarlet focusrite 2i2 gen 3 i am just understanding the term latency and the settings.. But hear a constant electrical buzzing kinda static noise I suppose that is the CPU running on high in my desktop computer.. the focusrite is plugged directly into usb port.. i did not use audio jacks direct to monitors opton.. just headphones that came with the kit.. anyway monitors I unplugged the usb after installing the protools live application and still here the static hum noise.. going to start menu and sound see why.. than i’m hoping to just practice guitar lol
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October 18, 2019 at 4:51 am #147376
I got the scarlets solo a while back and found it to work fuss free
It was pretty cheap as focusrite were doing a deal on them and the package of software was a major selling point. I did find that Pro Tools lite to be just as daunting to learn as any other of the DAW software around but the bonus with it is the extensive amount tutorials available.
Setup wise I can plug my pedal board into it or just plug the guitar in direct, the bonus of using the pedal board (I have an amp emulator pedal so post processing can be minimal) is I can ditch using complex software and do a straight record using Audacity.
I use a USB microphone direct to my PC to do my recordings and like the wisywig nature of analogue,the main reason for me getting the focusrite stuff was educational I’m a retired software engineer but I still play around with computers quite a bit.
The focusrite hardware /software bundle is pretty amazing for your outlay.
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October 18, 2019 at 2:16 pm #147392
Any latency is not to do with the Scarlett 2i2, which has very close to zero latency. It’s the computer settings:
As the song says, the music comes in and goes round and round, and by the time your computer spits it back out to the speakers, latency has developed. You can check this by plugging in some computer speakers, and simultaneously using studio monitors plugged in the 2i2. You will hear an echo as you play a note on your guitar, because the 2i2 monitors give instant sound, vs the computer which has a delay. So as noted in the article above, on any computer you have to disable the “software monitoring” feature in your DAW. Just use the Direct Monitoring on the 2i2 by connecting it to your studio monitors and all will be well.
Sunjamr Steve
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October 18, 2019 at 4:22 pm #147400
Gene,
The Apollo twin seems to be just about top of the line but I thought it had no midi input. Don’t you use midi for those huge multi-track projects of yours? I think the Apollo is the only one I found actually using Thunderbolt 3.
Anyway, I would have had to build a new computer so I went with the Scarlett for now.
JohnAll midi is done through USB on the PC. Well, my midi keyboard connects via USB, not through the Apollo interface. For Apple, you want Thunderbolt, but, for a PC use the USB Twin, if you were to get one.. They do make a Thunderbolt for the PC, but, you have to buy a Thunderbolt card and it’s a royal pain to set up.
Don't practice till you get it right, practice till you can't get it wrong.
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October 18, 2019 at 4:40 pm #147401
i get cracking noise wearing headphones through my new scarlet focusrite 2i2 gen 3 i am just understanding the term latency and the settings.. But hear a constant electrical buzzing kinda static noise I suppose that is the CPU running on high in my desktop computer.. the focusrite is plugged directly into usb port.. i did not use audio jacks direct to monitors opton.. just headphones that came with the kit.. anyway monitors I unplugged the usb after installing the protools live application and still here the static hum noise.. going to start menu and sound see why.. than i’m hoping to just practice guitar lol
cracking and popping can be caused by two different problems. The first possibility is a mismatched bit rate with the hardware and software. Hardware being all the sound properties of your computer and the software being the drivers and DAW. (everything must be set the same everywhere). I had a problem once with a library were it was recorded using 24 bit and I was plying it back through the DAW at 14 bit.
The other is buffer overruns withe USB driver for the interface. You set a buffer size for the driver and set that in the DAW as well. What happens is, if the buffer size is to small, it doesn’t process all the data. The buffer fills up too fast. Higher buffer size will fix this, most of the time. The “ideal” size is 256, but, 512 works just fine. If you increase to 1024, which is the max, you probably have other issues.
Any hum is more likely the guitar/amp or a microphone at the wrong impedance, etc. Generally just electric noise. My overhead ceiling fan causes hum in my system.
Don't practice till you get it right, practice till you can't get it wrong.
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October 22, 2019 at 1:13 am #147608
Hi John, I use the Allen & Heath ZED60-10FX. I have a connection via USB to my MAC; it works very satisfactorily. Latencies to the video camera are marginal. These do not interest me, however, because I make the soundtrack separately from the video recording. I then put both tracks together in Final Cut. I make my sound settings alone on the amp and then change nothing more. Backing track and guitar are of course matched in terms of level (Logic Pro) on each other.
Play guitar just like you live; don't get bogged down in theory, it's just a tool without feeling.
Wilfried
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October 22, 2019 at 8:02 pm #147632
I found out what the stadic noise was in my new 2i2 3rd generation scarlett .. it seemed to clear up right away after I reinstalled the drives for the focusrite.. I followed all the step by steps too for setting up windows etc than used the proper audio jacks from unit to my monitors.. now it’s clean and crisp.. I will be taking my time learning the free protools first that came with this focusrite.. i have been learning a bit but not rushing and have a ways to go before I start using DAW
Right now I rather focus on practicing
I just been too busy practicing lately having funthanks bluegene wilfried
yes i would consider a mac with logic if and when i get into it and find out it’s best but think technolgy changes so fast from my experience.. I think windows 10 should suffice for a beginner in anycase. I noticed more free DAWs for 2019.. but figure stay with the protools first for now and learn first.
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October 24, 2019 at 2:27 am #147672
Kind of late to the party here but I have used a Scarlett 2i4 for 3+ years now and it works flawlessly. No latency issues, no mystery pops or other sounds.
One thing I am looking to do is record my band. We currently use the Behringer XR18 mixer (controlled by a tablet) for our PA system. One of the cool features with this mixer is being able to connect to all 18 channels and via a USB to a DAW equipped computer record all 18 channels on 18 individual tracks, all at the same time. We’re looking to do some promotional song recordings and this mixer will be just the ticket. Thought I’d throw this out there, I believe Sunjamr mentioned the ability to record 4 tracks at once. Behringer offers a 12 channel version of this at a price that is very economical (when compared to a Focusrite or other quality interface), might be worth looking into. I’ll certainly post some of our efforts on the forum when we get this far. I need a new laptop first…
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