RECORDING WEEK 2022: Sitting on the desks of a huge global community of musicians, Focusrite’s iconic Scarlett 2i2 has helped make more records than any other interface in history. Ask many of the world’s biggest DIY musicians about their studio setups, there’s a good chance Focusrite’s ultra-portable, ultra-reliable, Scarlett 2i2, is at the heart.
Now in its 3rd Generation, the Scarlett 2i2 remains the best-selling interface in the world - and for good reason.
The Scarlett 2i2 is packed with truly usable features; centred around a pair of Focusrite’s best-sounding Scarlett mic preamps yet, the Scarlett 2i2 also features all-analogue “Air” mode to breathe life into whatever you’re recording, high-headroom instrument inputs to faithfully capture instruments like guitars and synths plugged straight in, high-performance 24-bit/192kHz converters to give your recordings all the clarity and detail you need, and comes bundled with an industry-leading software package delivering everything you need to record, mix, master and now publish your music - included in the box.
Focusrite are no strangers to audio tech and have been making mic preamps for over 30 years – with the Scarlett 2i2 featuring two of the best performing mic preamps the Scarlett range has ever seen.
Both Scarlett 2i2 mic preamps feature “Air” mode, an all-analogue emulation of the classic ISA 110 module originally commissioned for use at AIR Montserrat studios by Sir George Martin, the OG record producer renowned for his work with The Beatles. The ISA 110 mic pres were also found on the fabled Focusrite Studio Console, a rare machine with only 10 consoles ever being made for some of the finest studios around the world, from London and Los Angeles to Tokyo and South Africa.
“Air” brings sparkle to acoustic guitars, snap to snare drums and brightens vocals. “Air” is not genre-specific: it will add punch to rock, brighten pop and bring out the depth and warmth of acoustic music. “Air” is analogue on all Focusrite interfaces; there's no DSP taking place or plug-ins running in the background. This means that Air adds no latency or timing issues to your recordings and is switched on, or off, by simple press of a button – easy!
The Scarlett 2i2 features two high-headroom instrument inputs for plugging instruments like guitar and bass straight into the interface – no need to mic a guitar amp. Just load up your favourite amp simulator plugin - like the bundled Marshall Silver Jubilee 2555 by the analogue-modelling experts Softube – and get recording.
And while we’re talking about bundled software, all new Focusrite interfaces include the “Hitmaker Expansion”, an unbeatable range of tried-and-tested studio tools from some of the biggest names in studio software.
“Hitmaker Expansion” features industry-standard vocal tools like Antares Auto-Tune Access – to get everything from natural sounding, near-real-time pitch correction – to lightning-fast hip-hop-inspired pitching to add a whole new sound to your tracks. What’s more, you won’t get Auto-Tune Access included with any other interface.
The latest addition to “Hitmaker Expansion” includes a two-month subscription to LANDR Studio, as well as five free masters you can use even when your two-month trial is over. LANDR Studio provides everything you need to mix and master your tracks, including unlimited MP3 mastering, and unlimited distribution on over 150 streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music and TikTok.
Also included is Relab’s LX480 Essentials reverbs, XLN Audio’s Addictive Keys, XLN Audio’s Addictive Drums 2: Studio Rock Kit, Brainworx bx_console Focusrite SC channel strip and our own Red 2 & 3 Plug-in Suite – in addition to Ableton Live Lite and a three-month subscription to Avid Pro Tools Artist and Avid Complete Plugin Bundle - it really is everything needed to record, mix, master and publish your next hit record - included in the box.
Focusrite’s Scarlett 2i2 is available at Focusrite.com and all good audio equipment retailers and is priced at £179.99/$179.99/€199.99.
