Focusrite scarlett 2i2 2nd gen

Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 vs 2i4: Face-to-Face Comparison

The Scarlett 2i2 and 2i4 are both manufactured by Focusrite, an English company that specialize in producing top-quality audio recording equipment.

Focusrite got its start in the 1980’s building consoles for recording studios. Since then, they’ve expanded in the music industry, producing audio interfaces for music producers.

The Scarlett 2i2 is the junior version of the 2i4.

They are the same interface in terms of looks and functionality, BUT — the latter has more features that offer sound engineers more possibilities when recording.

The Scarlett 2i2 and 2i4 are the same in a lot of ways. They both offer the same audio recording quality, microphone support, and usability.

But, there are several differences between the two products that may justify your investment.

Technical Features

The Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 and 2i4 are the same in terms of their technical aspects.

They’re both USB audio interfaces, so they’re portable and powered via a laptop using a USB cable.

But be warned of phantom power. Just make sure to plug your laptop into an external power source while using these audio interfaces.

You may find them sucking up your laptop battery power without you noticing.

Due to this phantom powering, these Scarlett audio interfaces will need more than a laptop battery to power them up and keep them running throughout your recording session.

Buying either of these Focusrite Scarlett models also give you access to the same bundle of plug-ins and software.

Below is a list of specs that both of these products share:

A/D resolution – 24 bit/192 kHz
Mic preamps – 2
Analog inputs – 2 x XLR 1/4”
Digital outputs – USB
Power supply – USB
Phantom power – Yes
PC support – Yes
Mac support – Yes
Warranty – 2 years

Build Quality

The Scarlet 2i2 and 2i4 both come with an anodized aluminum outer case.

This material is both lightweight and strong, allowing them to survive transport and intense studio sessions.

The controls and knobs on the front are also of high quality, made of both aluminum and durable plastic.

For the price, the materials used in these 2nd and 3rd generation Scarlett are quite excellent!

Design

Both versions of the Scarlett are identical in terms of outer designs

They both feature a red case with black front and rear panels, as well as silver highlights and knobs.

A unique design feature of the Scarletts is the input meters for the two instruments.

This integrated input design for the gain controls is visualized by the circular lights that wrap around each gain knob.

Price

Looking only at the cost itself, the 2i2 is a decent amount of money LESS than the 2i4. If the price point is the only factor that concerns you, then you might as well get the 2i2.

But this decision does not take into account the extra features you get with the 2i4.

You get a MIDI in/out, the pad button, and a 4-channel output, none of which are available on the 2i2

If these things matter to you, then the 2i4 is the one to get despite the price increase. If not, then the 2i2 is the more affordable way to go.

Size and Weight

Both versions of the Scarlet are pretty close in size. But the 2i4 is a bit bigger and heavier because it comes with more hardware.

The dimensions for each interface are as follows:

Height – 1.89”
Width – 6.89”
Depth – 4.52”
Weight – 1.32 lbs

Scarlett 2i4

Height – 1.85”
Width 8.27”
Depth – 5.43”
Weight – 1.92 lbs

The differences are not huge between these two products.

The 2i4 weighs a little over half a pound more and is slightly bulkier. This is the major trade-off that comes with having more features.

The 2i2 is lighter and more portable, but compared to the 2i4, it may not enough to make a huge difference.

Inputs/Outputs (I/O)

The main difference between the two audio interfaces is the number of audio inputs/outputs (I/O).

Both come with two standard XLR inputs and a 1/4” headphones output. Both the 2i2 and the 2i4 also have two mono channel outputs.

The 2i4 goes beyond, though, and adds 4-channel stereo output and MIDI in/out. The 4-channel output is useful because it allows you to listen via headphones.

This feature allowed me to monitor the different audio coming out of the speakers.

The MIDI in/out makes the audio interface compatible with old keyboards and synthesizers. I’d say this feature is necessary for some recording artists and producers.

The larger number and greater variety of balanced line inputs/outputs the 2i4 has makes it the better choice between the two.

Обзор Focusrite Scarlett 2i4

Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 производит очень сильное впечатление даже после распаковки. Он имеет красивый красный корпус из полированной стали и правильный вес, чтобы вселить уверенность. Как только вы начинаете использовать его, это еще более впечатляет. Для звука с низкой задержкой в Windows вам необходимо установить аудиодрайверы Focusrite, но помимо этого начать очень просто, а в MacOS я даже не уверен, нужны ли вам отдельные драйверы.

Предусилители Focusrite известны своим качеством, и это главная причина, по которой я выбрал Scarlett. Предусилители в 2i4 очень мощные — настолько мощные, что мне всегда нужно активировать функцию пэда, чтобы не получить обрезанный ввод с моей электрогитары. Один только этот факт делает меня счастливым, что я выбрал 2i4, а не 2i2, в котором отсутствует функция заполнения. На аудиофорумах по этому поводу много недовольства – некоторые люди не могут получить не обрезанный входной сигнал, не уменьшая громкость на своих гитарах – как вы собираетесь играть металл таким образом? ;-).

Качество входного сигнала очень хорошее, а при использовании гитары с хамбакером у меня очень мало фонового шума. Задержка также очень хорошая, хотя я не могу использовать самые низкие настройки буфера на моем текущем компьютере без заиканий. На самом деле в драйвере можно изменить не так уж много, но диалоговое окно показывает простой обзор задержки ввода и вывода в миллисекундах.

Выходной сигнал интерфейса достаточно мощный, чтобы добиться любой громкости, которая мне нужна в моей домашней студии, и без проблем управляет моими наушниками AKG 671 (чего, например, не было с моим MacBook) — как только я понял, что большая ручка монитора действительно должна быть помечен как «главный том» :-).

Существует довольно много элементов управления, влияющих на мониторинг — вы можете выбрать прямой мониторинг ввода или вывода из вашей DAW, или их сочетание. Поскольку необработанный входной сигнал с гитары является монофоническим, имеется переключатель стерео, который выводит этот монофонический вход на оба канала. Лично я, так как использую свой компьютер как симулятор усилителя, мониторить драйв совершенно бесполезно.

Я провел большую часть своего тестирования этого интерфейса, используя его в качестве сухого входа в Reaper, где я применяю симулятор усилителя VST (обычно один из LePou или TSE) и импульсную характеристику кабинета. Не обошлось без проблем, так как мой компьютер начинает стареть. С процессором Core2Duo мне с трудом удается записывать всухую и мониторить во влажном состоянии с работающим возвратом. Переключение симов усилителя на моно / низкое качество очень помогает, но я думаю, что мне нужно обновить довольно скоро. Это не вина интерфейса, конечно :-). Запись с помощью amp sims на моем Macbook Air (Core i5) прошла без проблем.

Итак, есть ли что-нибудь плохое? Не совсем… Меня раздражает, что нет кнопки включения/выключения, то, что он питается от USB, не означает, что я хочу, чтобы он был включен каждый раз, когда я включаю свой компьютер. Я думаю, что это мог бы быть совершенно другой обзор, если бы я получил 2i2 — убедитесь, что вы правильно протестировали, если вам нужны мягкие входы, или просто возьмите одну из более крупных моделей.

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Conclusion

To summarize this battle between the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 vs 2i4, both versions of the Scarlett are great for their recording quality and workflow.

Both can connect professional studio monitors to your main workspace.

Yet, you can do MORE with the Scarlett 2i4. That’s not to say that you should rule out the 2i2; it depends on what you need from an interface.

Check out my other comparison guides to widen your options:

Focusrite Clarett vs Scarlett
Focusrite vs Presonus
Behringer U-Phoria UMC404HD Vs Focusrite Scarlett 2i2

You’re looking for a budget audio interface
You don’t need complex recording equipment
You don’t need MIDI in/out

Buy the 2i4 if:

You want more control when playing back audio recordings
You need MIDI in/out
You want the option to record in stereo or mono
You want extra protection against audio clipping

Best Audio Interface for Ableton Live: Guide for Beginners and Pros

Changelog:

December 15, 2022 – minor formatting updates

May 25, 2022 – updated internal links

April 06, 2022 – updated links, minor content edits

Product Description

Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 Audio Interface

Focusrite’s Scarlett 2i4 sounds as beautiful as it looks.View larger

Focusrite’s Scarlett 2i4 is a 2 in/4 out USB audio interface featuring two award-winning Focusrite preamps and four high-quality audio outputs. Housed in an anodized aluminum unibody chassis, the Scarlett 2i4 is the perfect audio interface for musicians and digital DJs. Connect Scarlett 2i4 to your Mac or PC and get ready to make music. Since 1985, Focusrite has been a leading manufacturer in the professional audio field. Focusrite mic pres are the choice of leading artists, recording studios and engineers around the world. Those years of audio experience ensure the Scarlett 2i4 sounds as beautiful as it looks. With 4 RCA outputs, a high-level headphone output and pristine audio quality, in a package ready for the road, the Scarlett 2i4 is ideal for today’s digital performers and laptop DJs.

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Connect and Monitor Instrument Inputs for Recording

With the very best in digital audio technology and a variety of input and output options, the Scarlett 2i4 will capture and playback your sound with superb quality. The front panel has two combo XLR inputs so you can connect microphones, guitars and line level signals with absolute confidence that your sound is in safe hands. Use the ‘Pad’ function for loud guitars or microphones, and use the ‘Direct Monitor’ control for a low-latency mix of input and playback signals. Unique signal halos let you know that you’ve got a good audio level for recording. Green is good and red means that your audio is too loud, and that you should lower the level control.

High Quality Mic Preamps

Scarlett 2i4 features two high quality award-winning mic preamps. With more than 25 years of experience designing analog equipment, Focusrite produces the best mic preamps in the industry. With Scarlett 2i4, the best of analog and digital are combined to provide a class-leading input stage for your audio.

High Quality Outputs

With a dynamic range of over 105dB (real world performance), your music will sound amazing going out of Scarlett 2i4’s professional digital to analog conversion, and into your DJ mixer, main speakers or headphones. On the back panel are Midi In and Midi Out ports providing connectivity to your synth modules and digital pianos.

Rugged Metal Unibody Case and Truly Portable Interface

The anodized aluminum unibody chassis ensures that your Scarlett 2i4 can withstand life on the road, and looks great in your setup. Scarlett 2i4 is very light and compact making it easy to fit in a laptop bag. It’s also bus powered, meaning that you don’t need an additional power supply. Simply plug in to your computer and hit record. The anodized aluminum unibody chassis ensures that your Scarlett 2i4 can withstand the harsh environment of the road. It also makes Scarlett 2i4 the most beautiful interface around.

Included DAW and Effects Software

Inside the box you’ll find an authorization code for Ableton Live Lite (available via online download), as well as Focusrite’s Scarlett plug-in suite and the Red 2 & Red 3 PlugIn Suite (AAX/AU/VST) upon registration of interface. Compatible with all major DAWs, Scarlett plug-in suite provides EQ, Compression, Gate and Reverb-essential tools for polishing your mix.

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Which Scarlett Interface Is Right for You?

The Focusrite Scarlett series comes in a range of interface configurations. Use the chart to the left to compare models and find the right Scarlett for your recording needs.

My impressions

The Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 is very impressive even coming right out of the box. It has a pretty red brushed steel casing and the right weight to instill confidence. Once you start to use it it’s even more impressive. For low latency audio in Windows, you need to install Focusrite’s audio drivers, but apart from that getting started is very easy – and in MacOS I’m not even sure if you need the separate drivers.

The Focusrite preamps are renowned for their quality and the biggest reason I went for a Scarlett. The preamps in the 2i4 are very powerful – so powerful that I always need to activate the pad function not to get clipped input from my electric guitar. This fact alone makes me happy I chose the 2i4 and not the 2i2 which lacks padding functionality. There is a lot of gripe about this on audio forums – some people can’t get a non-clipped input signal without rolling off the volume on their guitars – how are you suppose to play metal that way? ;-).

The quality of the input signal is very good, and with a humbucker guitar I get very little background noise. Latency is also very good, even though I can’t use the absolute lowest buffer settings with my current computer without stuttering. There really isn’t much more you can change in the driver, but the dialog shows an easy overview of the input and output latency in milliseconds.

The output of the interface is powerful enough to achieve any kind of volume I need in my home studio, and drives my AKG 671 headphones without problems (which my MacBook didn’t, for instance) – once I realized the big monitor knob really should be labeled “master volume” :-).

The are quite a few controls that affect monitoring – you can choose to monitor the input directly or the output from your DAW, or a mix of those. Since dry input from a guitar is mono, there is a stereo switch that outputs this mono input to both channels. Personally, since I use my computer as an amp sim, monitoring dry is quite useless.

I’ve done most of my testing of this interface using it as a dry input into Reaper, where I apply a VST amp sim (usually one of LePou’s or TSE) and cab impulse response. It hasn’t been without problems, since my computer is starting to get old. With a Core2Duo processer, I just barely manage to record dry and monitor wet with a backtrack running. Switching the amp sims to mono/low quality helps a lot, but I think I need to upgrade pretty soon. This is no fault of the interface, of course :-). Recording with amp sims on my Macbook Air (Core i5) has been no problem at all.

Here’s a sample recording:

So, anything bad? Not really… It annoys me that there’s no on/off button, just because it’s USB powered doesn’t mean I want it on every time I switch on my computer. I think this could have been a whole different review if I’d gotten the 2i2 though – make sure you test properly if you need padded inputs or just get one of the bigger models.