Setting up the 2i2 via a USB connection proved painless. It’s about as basic as it gets, but the 2i2 offers everything required for a small home studio or a mobile recording setup. Round the back you’ll find nothing more than ¼” sockets for the balanced outputs, a USB 2.0 socket and a Kensington security slot. 48V phantom power is switchable for both channels simultaneously, while a large master volume knob, ¼” headphone socket and independent headphone volume control complete the front panel. A direct monitor switch allows the input channels to be routed directly to the output for latency-free monitoring. The Scarlett range’s pre-amps are identical to those found in Focusrite’s more expensive interfacesīoth inputs come in the form of Neutrik combo sockets, which accept either XLR plugs or ¼” TRS jacks. This is really a bare-bones feature set, with just two mic/line inputs, each with adjustable gain and switchable between line and instrument mode (i.e. Thanks to the back-to-basics approach employed in the 2i2’s design process, there isn’t a great deal to get excited about on the surface of the unit. Further up the range, you’ll find the 8-in, 6-out 8i6 and the highly versatile 16i8 (16-in, 8-out). The 2i2 we’ve got on test here is the simplest of the lot, with just two inputs and one pair of stereo outs.

With the Scarlett models, Focusrite aim to deliver high quality interfaces at a more affordable price point than their more feature-packed Saffire range. In developing the Scarlett range, British pro audio mainstays Focusrite have apparently rejected the added extra approach. Of course, these added extras don’t always work as intended if a design isn’t carefully executed, it’s all too easy for a device to become a jack of all trades and master of none. As such, we’ve grown accustomed to seeing synths with built-in effects, mixers with control surface functions and audio interfaces with integrated DSP cards. Where once they’d have been happy to market a product that did one thing very well, manufacturers now try to add as many features as possible to every device in order to compete in such a crowded marketplace. It’s also a philosophy which has influenced the design of countless pro audio products in recent years. It’s one of the oldest marketing tricks in the book: offer a little more than the competition, sit back and wait for the sales to rack up. We’ve all been seduced by added extras at some point. Not a bad DL speed.Focusrite’s diminutive Scarlett 2i2 bucks the trend for complexity, offering a simple, solid, good sounding and very affordable audio interface

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