Review: Focusrite Scarlett 2i2

With half the world intent on making its various flavours of phones and tablets the single device to achieve anything, it’s nice to see companies like Focusrite still releasing small, portable and dedicated gear to get the job done best. You can leave your iPhone off the hook. The Focusrite 2i2 is a USB 2.0 audio interface designed to keep things simple, compact and with good quality. You’re not getting a lot here – just the two Focusrite preamps (which are never to be sneezed at) accessible via a pair of Neutrik Combo connectors with two quarter-inch TRS output channels on the rear. There’s no MIDI or digital connections and the 2i2 is USB bus-powered, so no external power supply.

GO ANYWHERE

The main idea behind the 2i2 is a tough, go-anywhere recording and playback interface, and you certainly get that. The anodised, red aluminium case should safely let you hurl the unit across the room and the control knobs are protected – within reason, to keep them accessible – by a small lip on the front of the case.

Each preamp has a gain control with a circular LED around it. When the 2i2 detects an input, the LED flashes green. Come close to clipping and it changes to a warning orange – then, of course, “Red!” when clipping occurs. I could watch it all day. An instrument/line switch is supplied for each input. Phantom power is fed to both channels if you select it and there is a Direct Monitor switch to avoid any latency caused by your DAW setup, should that be a problem. I had to run everything really hard – prompting the accusing red LED – including the headphone volume at maximum to get any workable level in Direct Monitor mode, so it looks like you’ll always be better off operating through your DAW to boost levels during recording. The quality of the preamps is, as you’d expect from Focusrite, very clean with a nice yet subtle accent on the top end that adds intelligibility to vocal recordings. Impressive.

BAG O GOODIES

What’s also impressive is the bag of extra goodies you get with the 2i2. I’m a bloke’s bloke with a drawer full of blue singlets and I own two – yes, two – chainsaws, so I’m loath to use the word ‘gorgeous’. But that’s exactly what sprung to mind when I saw the Scarlett Plug In Suite with its four plug-ins in their distinctive, shiny red designs. Packaged in the Scarlett Plug In Suite is a Gate, Compressor, EQ and Reverb. The virtual VU meters are great (even the Reverb gets one), although I’m not convinced they’re entirely accurate (who cares, they look purty) – and the controls are clear and precise. You’ll want to use these plug-ins simply because they look cool. Fortunately, they work well anyway.

Driver installation for the 2i2 is very straightforward and you don’t get any virtual mixer or software running in the background. I reckon the 2i2 is a good alternative to a high-quality DI box for playback from a laptop or portable setup. The two preamps and the Monitor knob on the front, acting as a volume control, become almost a bonus. The headphone output is the full-blown quarter-inch jack, which always makes me happy and there is one of those Kensington lock things that I’ve never, ever seen anyone use, but is still a good idea given the Scarlett 2i2 is compact enough to slip inside someone’s handbag.

Actually, it’s small enough to slip inside any laptop bag, too. You can hear the Focusrite quality, it’s USB 2.0 (USB 3.0 compatibility is apparently planned in firmware updates) which is a plus given how hard it is to get Firewire in a laptop nowadays, and it doesn’t need protecting – as long as a few scratches on the case won’t break your heart. The Scarlett is definitely worth considering, if you’re after a portable, rugged interface.