There has also been an improvement in the dynamic range from 106dB (2nd gen) to 111dB (3rd gen) as well as maximum input level from 4dBu Min Gain (2nd Gen) to 9 dBu Min Gain (3rd Gen). However, they have also added balanced 1/4” line outputs to run to your monitors which is great to see. The most noticeable difference for everyone will be the addition of the Air Circuit and the addition of the Mono/Stereo selector for monitoring.
There’s no physical mix dial to mix between computer playback and zero latency monitoring (this is possible to adjust in the focusrite mix software) Additionally, I’m color blind so it is at times hard to tell when you go from yellow to green. I am not a fan of the halo metering light as it doesn’t offer a decent level of granularity.
Focusrite scarlett 2i2 1st gen vs 2nd gen full#
Offers full +48v phantom power on bus powerĭoes not store settings when it is unplugged / plugged back in (phantom power, air, etc.) You get the Air Circuit which is a nice feature to have I noticed a slightly cleaner headphone amp compared to the 2i2 (2nd Gen)īus powered so there's no need for an external power supplyĪddition of Mono/Stereo switch for monitoring Very clean preamps capable of driving the SM7bĪmple headroom to handle DI instrument inputs This allows you to monitor your audio inputs as a mono track (useful if you have two people speaking into separate mics and you don’t want to hear someone in the left, and another person in the right), or as a stereo track (useful if you’re stereo micing a piano or running stereo mics on any sound source). guitars.įocusrite also added a Stereo/Mono button for monitoring. I found that it added a bit of life to D.I. What the button does is add a boost to the Treble & Air frequencies which brightens up your recording. This is a reproduction of the Air circuit on Focusrites ISA preamps. With a sample rate of 48kHz, and an I/O buffer size of 256 samples I had an output latency of 7.4ms, and when we jump to 192kHz sample rate an I/O buffer size of 256 samples I found an output latency of 3.3ms. The latency experienced will vary from computer to computer, but I found the latency extremely usable for guitar. For voice over 24-bit 48kHz is all you will likely ever need, but for music or if you’re slowing down your recordings, you might want to record at a higher sample rate. The A/D converters don’t appear to have any issues at all and offers a bit depth of 24-bit, and sample rates all the way up to 192kHz. When measuring the noise floor using an xlr connector with pins 2 & 3 shorted (no resistor included) I was measuring a noise floor of around -110dB to -100dB. The max gain on tap is not listed, but I did find that it was capable of driving the Sm7b rather well without introducing excessive noise.
The overall performance of this interface is excellent for the price. The XLR ports also have no movement to them that is out of the ordinary. The buttons have a nice tactile click to them so you know when you’ve pushed them, and a light to indicate when each button is activated. The dials are very nicely attached, rotate very smoothly, and don’t have any kind of wobble to them. It has an all aluminum chassis on the top/bottom/sides, while the front and the back are plastic. The build quality of this interface is great.
Focusrite scarlett 2i2 1st gen vs 2nd gen pro#
If you are interested in this interface, it will set you back $160.00 on Amazon What's In the Boxįree Software (Ableton Live Lite, Pro Tools First, Softube, Focusrite - Red Plugin Suite, etc.)
I have done no post processing to the audio, but it was boosted ~6dB in Final Cut Pro to make it easier to listen to. Buy the Scarlett 2i2 (3rd Gen) (Affiliate Link)ĭuring this review, I have the Rode NT1 connected directly to the 2i2 (3rd Gen), recording at 24-bit, 48kHz.