Thanks to the work-from-home setup due to COVID, I finally saved enough for a new laptop and interface. I went with this one and it really is a sweet little unit. Absolutely no issues.
No one ever talks about the drivers and windows. I have a babyface because their drivers are rock solid. All the specs in the world are useless with bad drivers. You mention USB c and latency but didn’t show any latency on your video. This is critical for guitar as well.
I've got a 3rd gen Scarlett and yeah, it sounds fine and does the job for the most part. The problem is that if you're using Windows, the interface may be red, but your monitor will be blue from all the BSOD's you'll get from the Focusrite drivers. I wish it was more publicly known so I could have chosen something more stable. Just sharing this in case anyone out there is considering it and hasn't heard about their driver instability problems yet.
It can handle a heavy hand and decent output pickups? I really want one, man. Miss playing so much, and where I live now, Amps are out of the question.
To be honest - Audient ID14 or Audient ID22 sound waaaay way better in regards to recording guitars and guitar DI. Plain and simple, it has JFET DI, and I don't want to go in-depth about what it is and why you should know about it, let's just say, it's reacting to your guitar the same way amp inputs react (in layman terms). So you'll get a lot of dynamic range with it. And not to mention converters and preamps in Audient are far better than Focusrite.
Not equality bro, at the same price is id4 Compare with 2i2, id4 more better than 2i2 on preamp but they cut features like knob headphone, channel only 1
I bought the Scarlett Solo which is cheaper than this interface and you still get one instrument input and one mic input. Also, all the software that came included with it was unreal...from DAW's to plugins to virtual instruments. It's definitely worth downloading most of that free software if you haven't already ;)
As far as I know that one doesn't have the pad setting, so do you have problems with clipping? I'm asking because I'm also interested in buying an interface and would like to spend as little money as I can lol
@@vesellin I had the same steinberg and bought the 4th generation solo a while back, which has a little more input headroom (barely) than the 4i4 3rd generation, but it clips with my stock Jackson Juggernaut HT7. I have the gain at the lowest setting with Hi-Z input. There is no pad feature so I think I'm stuck with it unless I buy new hardware.
My 2i2 1st gen will clip like the Stienberg did for you. I've been using the DI box for the last year - but I just went and upgraded a UAD Apollo Solo. Been loving it so far.
Never understood why everyone is upset about the clipping using the instrument level inputs. I just set my 2i2 1st gen to line lever inputs, and dialed in the gain accordingly. Why is it neccessary to use the Hi-Z ins when it's obviously overdriven?
I bought one of these last April. It broke a few months later. I got a new one through the warranty. The replacement broke. I’m now waiting on my third 4i4. In the meantime, I have switched to a Motu2. I see no difference except there’s slightly less latency than the Scarlett. Be advised.
I had returned my focusrite and given up because latency, I tried numerous videos to fix it and I couldn’t find a simple video. I’d plug my guitar in and hear a bunch of white noise, I couldn’t ever get it quiet. The guitar I was using was a ht6 juggernaut pro
The Scarlett Solo was my first interface, and to this day I still use it. I still use the free version of Ableton that it came with, and you get some great EQ and compressor plugins
Keyan, please, HELP!)) i got the problem with my guitar recording! seymour Blackouts into scarlett 2i2 2gen...DI signal got heavy compression and sounds clipping even on minimum input knob (whatever the line or inst mode)?!
@@JackSon-cs5vk I recently got a 2i2 and no clipping with active bass pickups so i guess if i get some emgs for my guitars i will need to upgrade?. idk why focusrite didnt add the pad feature on the non midi models.
I have a Gen 1 2i2 I run my guitar direct in, and use Helix Native in Logic Pro X I leave the gain knob at 0, I never even turn it up any, records great
I have the 1st gen 2i2 as well, all of my guitars clip on both preamps at zero gain. It frustrated me so much recently that I too switched to the 3rd gen 4i4. Got it for the gain reduction and the increased overhead. No more worrying about clipping!
@@dividedbytimestudios Yes, it is a widely recognized lack of headroom in the preamps. I don't think you need to change anything if you aren't experiencing clipping. It just comes down to how hot your signal is from your pickups. I have three guitars here that all have the clipping issue, so the only thing I could do was replace the interface. Or buy something to attenuate the signal like a DI box, but that's not ideal as it clutters my workspace. The 4i4 has enough In/Outs to create an effects loop as well, should I choose to use real pedals and outboard equipment.
guys I'm new to all this, I just want to plug my guitar in and enjoy those sick metal sounds. Will scarlet do the job? Do I need anything else? please help
Hi. What is the point of having DI box between guitar and interface? I bought myself a DI Box long time ago for my Steinberg UR242, and it made ZERO difference in sound. Maybe you can create a video comparing sound with/without DI Box in conjunction with audio interface? Thanks
You’ll hear a difference usually with a DI box giving your guitar a slightly cleaner signal. It’s hard to tell but usually a little easier to tell with your DI tone not processed yet, (aka not through an amp). With a DI box it should be slightly brighter and cleaner sounding. Helps the level a little bit as well going into your DAW
I have a 3rd gen 2i2 and with passive pick ups it goes into pre clip even with the gain at zero. You get slightly more head room if you use line instead of inst but then the signal/tone is completely weakened. Thinking about upgrading to this instead of buying a DI box just to have a pad.
Hey @Keyan Houshmand Live I highly recommend investigating a Radial engineering interface for input colouring (in the best and most musical way) and re-amping setups. They're not just hype, they actually sound amazing, I'm sure you can get hold of one to try if you shout out to your crew. Also for those people with a setup they're otherwise happy with, adding a radial DI box in front of the mic input can dramatically improve the tone of anyone's recordings. And hey, shit-hot playing btw, you are one of the best I've seen in a long time, and form my home town too. I was an FOH/monitor engineer for 20+ years but no longer work in the industry, it's good to see a healthy skill level being set down there.
@@SuperMikeroche thanks for the reply, man! I kept seeing people say that it’ll clip and I need a DI box, and I’m trying to do this on a budget and not have bunch shit taking up room in my tiny apartment.
@@MindYaBizz_Whiz skip the DI box. All's they do is clean up your signal from the guitar into your DAW. I don't use one and have no signal issues. I know the feeling bro so much infor saying you need this and that hard to separate fact from myth sometimes
@@SuperMikeroche again, VERY much appreciated. I’m ordering one Friday. Very excited to start playing again. It’s been a very long time and my guitars just in the stand, waiting for me. Wicked excited to play.
Hhahahaha I literally bough the 2i2 3rd gen yesterday after using the first gen for 8 years :D The Air button seems to add a slight high pass filter and a high shelf so it helps with pre-filtering your guitar (similar to using a pre-eq or forting grind) if you have a more mellow pickup.
@@matidfk5171 I think it was intended for mics, yes, but it does work on the Instrument input as well. My old Ibanez RG2EX1 with V7 and V8 pickups sound good with it, a bit of an active pickup type of sound. Maybe I should do a demo of this.
@@denislavstoychev7240 Hi, Im thinking to upgrade my old focusrite solo 1st due to bad audio quality with amp sim and mixing and i believe this is 10 years old converter now changed with modern audio interfaces. Im not sure if it worth to upgrade to 4i4 3rd GEN did you hear huge different between them.
Former UR22 user here and couldn't agree more with those clipping issues. Great video. Also If i may ask, What are you using for your guitar tone in this?
I have a Scarlett Solo 3rd gen (which doesn't have the "pad" feature). When I press the "instrument" button my signal is clipping even with the gain at 0 (my guitar pickups aren't even that hot). But when I switch to the "line" input I can turn the gain up at about 9 o'clock before clipping occurs. Is this a viable solution or do I have to get a DI box to fix this problem?
Thanks for the video. Beside sheer interfacing the guitar to the computer, does the interface allows for effects, or sample trigger. Or should you rely on a Daw to add effects?
Semi-related question: I have a Scarlett Solo and use Amplitube 4 for my amp software. I am tired of using headphones when I play and would like to use small studio monitors (BTW - I play much less heavy music at a much lower volume - usually...). Can I use monitors connected to the Scarlett Solo rather than headphones and if so, which monitors do you recommend? Thanks!
Just bought the 4i4 for the same reason, and I still get clipping! >:( Big bummer. I'm running a Ibanez 7 with a Nazgul bridge pickup from Seymour Duncan which you wouldn't think would be the most high output, but sure enough even at 0 gain I still pre-clip. Looks like I'm picking up a DI box!
There are some great free plugins you can use, you need to load these plugins from your DAW which comes free with your interface. Amped Roots is great: ml-sound-lab.com/collections/amp-sims/products/amped-roots Same with the Ninja: nalexsoft.blogspot.com/2019/09/ninja-preamp.html Hope that helps, happy riffing 🤘
I've had the Scarlett solo (2nd gen) for a few years now and it's served me well so far. It can handle my guitars (Seymour Duncan Alpha/Omega set, Seymour Duncan SH-6 Distortion set, BK Juggernaut set) plugged direct in using VST's to drive my tones AND, it handles equally as well my Peavey 6505mh plugged direct in coming from my send in the effects loop. And that's with and without using just the heads gain (which is massive as many surely know) or the heads gain paired with an Impulse Response to get that modern Djenty sound. Rarely do I need to mess with it. If anything, I always have MORE room to turn up before clipping. After watching this though, I'm wondering if I SHOULD pick up another? What are the benefits of this one here that Housh is demo-ing compared to my Scarlett solo 2nd gen? Thanks all
Hi, Im thinking to upgrade my old focusrite solo 1st due to bad audio quality with amp sim and mixing and i believe 10 years old converter. Im not sure if it worth to upgrade to 4i4 3rd GEN did you hear huge different between them.
If anyone is looking to save cash, Focusrite sells refurbs of 3rd gen models, at a sizable discount, through their Ebay store. Around 160 USD for the 4i4.
I can see the sound Happening on the meters in my daw but in the driver application I can’t hear anything. I put my input as input ome but in the driver still nothing 🥲
I am now on a hunt for one of your videos where you don't use the word 'mediate'. ;-) Nice vids. Can't go wrong with Focusrite. I like the Claretts because Thunderbolt is waaaay better than USB for latency.
Hey man, i have the focusrite 4!4 i love it, but im use the tonex plugin, but wen ik plug my guitar in and not hitting the strings, i get a every 10sec a weird Chamber sound 😢 what can it be? The interface of the plugin? Thx i hope for the feedback!👊
I think hes usually in drop C with 12-60 set of strings on that guitar, don't have a guitar here at work so I cant compare, but I can check later if you want
You beautiful chad, i've been going insane trying to figure out why my guitar sounds sooo... bad haha i'm using that exact same interface and yeah this must be why but i'm not sure how to tell if the DI was clipping but it just sounds realllllly muddy especially with medium/high gain it sounds washy and loses shape.. would you recommend getting a better interface? or maybe just getting a DI box? My guitar has passive pick ups
Hello! Will this interface be able to run my midi keyboard and studio monitors at the same time? Like, is there a place to plug both in at the back of the interface? I need enough slots! Thank you!
yes it can! i have a 4i4 3rd Gen, it has one "midi in" port and stereo outputs for monitors, so as long as your monitors are a 1/4" input you'll be fine.
I just got one of these a couple days ago. It's good when clean, but the second I add an amp with any gain in Reaper there is all kinds of noise (beyond what a gate handles well) and what sounds like distant Morse code. I don't know that it's the 2i2, but I'm pretty stuck as to what I should do.
The big difference for me after working on this was turning my pickups just a little away from facing my PC, getting a good quality 1/4" cord and using Vadim Taranov's free noise suppressor. It is amazing!
@@ThePreston6 Glad you figured it out! I like using a hardware noise gate in front of interface for an ultra clean signal. I use a ISP Decimator. If you get a chance try it out!
Lol, I was just touching the send on my effects loop with my cable the other day, the other end was plugged into my Scarlett and I had my Ableton live 10 suite open, and I was picking up some religious show lmao! The dude was all "And Cain killed his brother Able in the field" Now, I honestly have no idea where this was coming from or what signal I was picking up, but obviously my chord was acting as an antenna! So funny
Nice video. I have the 2i2 1st gen and I need a DI box otherwise, it's just clipping-land. I'm actually planning to upgrade to the 2i2 3rd gen. Have you tried without the "pad" option? Is that always needed? Thanks and again, great video.
@@butcher_0392 I've seen a YT video from Ola Englund testing the SSL2 and it was noisy as hell. The Motu I don't know but thanks for the advice anyway.
@@hlrossato Actually that interface is silent that the focusrite and the others. What happens is that ola englund used the gain to the maximum, and in normal use that would never be done. When he recorded the files he set the gain to the minimum as it should always be with tracking guitars. There is absolutely no noise, you can download the files and analyze them on your Daw and you will notice.
The ssl has an excellent input gain to support any pickup And the preamps are super crystal clear, with the SSL 2 you wouldn't need a DI box. In addition to its very good quality converters. It is the best value for money option that there is now. Although the Motu M2, it is not far behind. Whichever you buy will be an excellent option, better than focusrite of course.
I just bought the solo gen3 and i connect it to my pc but i want to play directly to my speakers through the connection i have with my pc already. Can i do that? Focusrite to pc via usb and then play at my already connected speakers. I want both sounds coming from the same source. Guitar= Focusrite and backing track vis my pc.
What kind of latency have you experienced with this unit? From the video it's hard to discern any. I am considering replacing my firewire M-Audio Solo which has super low latency when using ASIO drivers, just wondering if it's worth it?
@@kurtdead1 I ended up getting the Scarlett 4i4. The M-audio and drivers were outdated and I couldn't find any that would update to windows 10. The M-Audio is hooked up to my Imac on my desk just for practicing upstairs instead of in my downstairs 'studio' :P
@@ЯнЖуравський-э8ф nope, quite satisfied. The only weird thing is that I always need the PAD ON or it always clicks with mi PRS Santana and also with my Shecter elite007
@@popotako0 Look at this video 3:27 - Focusrite Scarlett 4i4 3rd Gen PAD ON, Gain on ZERO, it's normal, my LTD MH400 and Ibanez AX 7521 has clips too cause it has a pawerfull signal. I think it was made for some guitar with singles, which has less range of signal
love the vid! question: currently using m audio 192/4 air with the neural dsp plugins. rhythm sounds 10/10 but when it comes to lead there is a very distinguishable pick noise that sounds so annoying that it halted my productivity and drive to play the guitar. would a DI box fix this? should i just upgrade my interface to an audient or ssl? or is that just the classic amp sim noise? thanks
