Summer is well and truly in full swing, and the familiar red boxes we call the Scarlett series from Focusrite have had an overhaul. So what’s new? Why should you part with your money for one of these glorious audio interfaces?
First things first, the 6 new models in the G3 Scarlett series all have improved microphone preamps, and they now include Air mode, which adds impressive high-end detail, emulating some of Focusrite’s higher-end preamps, like the ISA series.
Improved headroom on the instrument inputs will also give you a great sound on your guitar and bass recordings, and with a new USB-C connection, as long as your computer is up to date, latency worries should be a thing of the past!
The 6 models now include the Scarlett Solo, the Scarlett 2i2, the 4i4 the 8i6, the 18i8 and the 18i20. The 2 new names you may not recognise are the 4i4 and the 8i6, so let’s talk about them in a bit moreĀ detail.
The 4i4 is essentially an update of the 2i4, but this time with 2 extra line inputs on the back, and 4 balanced outputs, instead of the 2 RCA outputs on the 2i4. This is a great thing for live performance, and electronic musicians should rejoice with the continuation of the Midi in/out connections as well.
The 8i6 has 4 extra line inputs on the back, 4 balanced outputs, and 2 headphone sockets for jamming, or recording with another musician. These also have Midi in/out, and SP/DIF in and out, so plenty of connectivity options.
All of these come with a fantastic 2-year warranty, and a great software bundle, including Pro Tools First, Ableton Live Lite, Focusrite’s Red Plug-In Suite, which contains the classic Red 2 equaliser and Red 3 compressor, and many more.
The price of all of these remains fiercely competitive, and with one for every use case scenario, it’s no surprise that these are flying off the shelves at an unprecedented rate!