Following a recent update, Focusrite’s little red boxes promise even more performance for small productions and million-sellers alike. With the previous boxes already cramming in the features, can the new ones offer anything new? We find out.

In Summary

Focusrite Scarlett 4th Gen adds to previous specs with high-gain mic amps offering 69dB on tap, Auto Gain and Clip Safe, improved headphone output, Air mode enhanced with Harmonic Drive and loopback across the board. Currently available are models Solo, 2i2, and 4i4.

Going Deeper

Convergence

Although the small desktop interfaces that started the home studio revolution have been around for decades, earlier on in their lifetime very few creators if any would have considered using one for serious work. These embryonic boxes did pretty much one thing well, and that was to let composers get themselves into the computer and back out again without too much fuss. Certainly at this time there was still a gulf between home recording and mixing done through these devices versus ‘proper’ productions made in commercial studios.

In the present, there is far less disparity between the gear used by hobbyists or unknown artists and international names who choose to work at home. These two spheres have definitely converged when it comes to many studios’ gear centrepiece: the audio interface.

In The Red

At the centre of this shift has been Focusrite’s venerable Scarlett interfaces, instantly recognisable thanks to the red paint job they share with their stablemates. Their success sees them on anything from home demo duties right up to platinum record-making at home or just about anything else in need of a simple portal to and from the DAW. Now in its fourth generation, the new Solo, 2i2, and 4i4 boxes set out to tread the line between improving the format without treading on the toes of Focusrite’s more premium offerings.

Scarlett 4th Gen Features:

• New fourth generation ultra low noise mic preamp with 69dB gain range on 2i2 and 4i4.

• Flagship Rednet 192kHz 24 bit convertors.

• Auto Gain self-level setting on 2i2 and 4i4.

• Clip Safe constant automatic gain adjustment when engaged on 2i2 and 4i4.

• Air mode HF enhancement now with Harmonic Drive.

• All new headphone amplifier with improved performance with Hi-Z headphones.

• Loopback recording across the range

• Focusrite Control 2 app.

• Easy Start tool for those new to recording.

Scarlett 4th Gen - Final Thoughts

Going back to the beginnings of the desktop studio, no-one at the time was pretending that the interfaces on offer were anything more than merely functional, no matter how revolutionary they were. Fast forward to now, and the idea that these little boxes aren’t capable of pro results is a little old.

Starting with the input, the gain on tap can outrun that found on many large-format consoles. That Scarlett 4th Gen can set the level itself will also be a major bonus for solo creators and engineers alike. From there on anyone questioning the conversion available on such an affordable device need only look to the pro Rednet gear from which Scarlett takes its components.

Although Scarlett interfaces are far from unique in form or function, one clue to their success must be their creator’s mission to keep them at the top of their game with successive refreshes, now in their fourth phase. As the shift in what a studio actually looks like continues, Scarlett 4th Gen proves beyond any doubt that quality recording is there for the taking however you work.

A Word About This Article

As the Experts team considered how we could better help the community we thought that some of you are time poor and don’t have the time to read a long article or a watch a long video. In 2023 we are going to be trying out articles that have the fast takeaway right at the start and then an opportunity to go deeper if you wish. Let us know if you like this idea in the comments.