Scarlett Solo 3rd Gen USB Audio Interface, The Guitarist, Vocalist, Podcaster Or Producer, Studio Quality Sound, Red

Two initial disclaimers before I go onto my review: Firstly, that I have nothing added additionally to the interface (such as a cloud lifter) other than the XLR cables which connect my Shure SM7B, to my interface and into my computer. Secondly, it should be know that although I do like to consider myself to be relatively 'tech savvy', this won't be the most technical review but more so my experience with the affordable interface and the little bits and bobs that could be beneficial to you having understood. Hardware: As expected, there is a rather niche amount of hardware within this product, especially when you're comparing it to the later editions such as the 4th gen. With this said, it still consists of everything that you need and expect to get started as a beginner using an XLR microphone! -XLR input (corresponding gain dial besides it) -phantom power and air mode on the XLR input -TRS input (corresponding gain dial besides it) -0.25 inch headphone jack (large corresponding gain dial besides it) -direct monitoring button Audio Quality: The headphone output within the Solo delivers a quite significant amount of power and allows for good recording capabilities; offering a flat frequency response and having an ultra-low noise from the mic preamp, along with the 'air mode' allowing for an easier high-frequency boost that could be beneficial to some people. Overall, the product is definitely on the more affordable side and although it does slightly show, the demographic being on the beginner end, the product is wonderfully fitting. The product offers a wide array of different technical features that are greatly beneficial to you as a user and, once used, it becomes really self-explanatory why this is used amongst many independent musicians and YouTube/Twitch live streamers to get the most out of their microphones. I hope this helps!

I won't bury the lede here, this is an amazing piece of kit. With gain at maximum the level of background noise from the digitiser is effectively inaudible even when supplying 48V DC to drive a "phantom" powered microphone. I'm using mine to develop a new microphone adapter to upgrade those cheap Chinese imported microphones that make decent donor bodies. I won't ask Amazon to link to the project as it's off-site and you can't buy the board here (yet) but it's on the DIY Perks projects so it's easy to find if you're in a rush. Why would I do this? Well the problem with Phantom power is that a lot of (early) stage mixers are noisy... and I mean really noisy. Studio gear is a lot quieter (live performances are have so much background noise that no one can hear the background hiss). In the studio (or perhaps, outside recording something like birdsong when every dB counts) that hiss is going to get in the way of the really quiet stuff. I paired mine with DT990 Pro headphones and it sounds delicious. The 990's 4.5 rating on Amazon's >15,000 reviews speak for themselves. They're very, very good. While they don't seem sufficiently robust to take the abuse I'd expect in a professional studio, sound-wise, they'd be right at home. And this is where the Scarlett shines. Focusrite produces some of the world's top quality studio gear and that heritage has trickled down to the Solo. When I was into this stuff in a big way, the idea that I could get a studio-quality setup for under a couple of hundred quid (headphones, mic and digitiser) was laughable. And yet, here we are in 2025 and it's not just practical, it's here - and fully portable too! Just add a laptop (Windows, as per usual, is preferred) but it does work with Debian Linux and Audacity albeit with more limited features. And that is the only real "gotcha" that I've noticed. You really have to use a computer to power this little fella or you won't get full functionality - including 48V phantom which is... odd but Waveshare clearly knows what its doing so I'll forgive it that. Getting 48V at up to 12mA (the P48 standard is limiting and demanding) from 5V is no mean feat I can tell you but Focusrite has achieved that without the hideous squeal from a simple Schmitt-trigger inverter and voltage multiplier. (That's technical detail of course, but there ARE cheaper 48V pre-amps that run from little wall warts from the Chinese that add a lovely background whine, replete with harmonics up the wazoo to every recording you make.) So ... bad. Yes. It's details like this that make the Focusrite an absolute MUST BUY for anyone serious about their recording particularly where that instruments like acoustic guitars and human voice is concerned. For rock where volume is the name of the game, a cheaper unit will suffice but most people would outgrow it. But there's more! The Focusrite is beautiful to use too. It just "feels" like a quality product that's going to last. The ability to monitor what you've recorded while recording a new track is an essential for many solo musicians but it's baked in! And better yet (for duffers like me who don't pay anywhere near as much attention to the level meters as I should) the gain control has a VU meter built in. You just set the level by running a test and setting it so the average is just flashing a green ring and you're good. As the level exceeds 3dB the ring goes amber and then red - which means the recording is clipping. A feature that doesn't make sense to me (but will to others) is "Air" which appears to be a treble boost. Something that former Rode chief designer Doug Ford calls "whoohoo" - for "flat" microphones. Focusrite has an excellent reputation and if the rest of its products are as good as this *budget* model that's clearly well-deserved.

I bought this for one main reason: To get electric guitar in to my PC, and get it recorded into a DAW. If you're looking to do similar, then I can't recommend it highly enough! For that purpose it is perfect. The dedicated ASIO drivers work perfectly with numerous bits of software (Cubase, AmpliTube, BIAS FX2, and other amp sims), meaning I have no noticeable latency whilst playing/recording (which is of course essential). Does all the things my sound card can't! Monitoring is easy via speakers or headphones, and it's powered via USB so no additional power cable is required. Set up was really easy, I read a tip from another review to download all drivers before you plug it in to avoid letting the PC start searching for drivers (as apparently it can cause issues). I followed this advice and had an issue-free installation via the Focusrite 'getting started' page. Thanks, other reviewer! There's a decent bundle of software that comes with it to help get you started with recording: Ableton Live Lite and Pro Tools First starter DAWs (I'm using Cubase so didn't try these), Ampify Studio (not really one for me either), a handful of decent VST effects, and a good quality VST piano (a choice of one instrument from Addictive Keys), some drum samples/loops etc. An interesting aspect is the 'Plug-in Collective' which by virtue of purchasing the Scarlett gives you access to a free plug-in every month-or-so from various providers/developers, which is a great benefit. All-in-all I chose this device for its functionality, if you need an audio interface don't hesitate: this one is superb. If you also can make use of the bundled software, then that's a great bonus (I enjoy the VSTs). As mentioned above, I got this for electric guitar, but I got the 2i2 so I have an additional input if I need one, and there's also a mic input which will send power to the mic if required. Build quality feels totally solid with a sturdy metal case. Pic attached so you can see how compact it is. Very happy with this device.

I'd been looking at this product for ages, weighing up the pros and cons after reading really polarising reviews. I took the advice of one of the top reviewers about the installation process and that worked fine. I'm a hobbyist working on Pro Tools, which can be very temperamental with new gear (I bought the bundle with the Audio Technica microphone) and after a minor teething problem with the I/O, I had it all set up. NOW here would be my advice and I had no idea I'd run into this problem. BUY A HEADPHONE ADAPTER so you can plug directly into the interface rather than into your PC. I only have 3.5mm headphones and the headphone port on the Focusrite ISN'T COMPATIBLE with them. I didn't think it would make any difference if I plugged mine into my PC headphone port but because you have to set the Focusrite as your sole I/O, your PC sound can only run through the interface. I thought I could get around it by making a separate I/O in ProTools but that just caused a whole lotta problems. Once I'd overcome that issue though, the interface worked wonders. It lets me run at a lower BitRate (512) than before, which has solved a lot of my lag/noise issues. The direct monitor feature is very helpful, as is the peak light system for gauging your input volume. The interface has a handy 48V button too for condenser microphones, and the direct instrument input works very well for recording. Overall, I'm happy with the product. I know there's a lot of negative reviews, and I can only base my impression on my own experience, so I WOULD recommend it to any budding recording enthusiast. Sure, there's probably more advanced products out there but for people like me who just like making music in their spare time, it's very handy.

Incredible device. Full practical functionality and professional recording studio results in your home! Monitor direct function essential and using a MacBook works seamlessly with GarageBand. It seems to be quite a lot of money to an amateur but it’s really worth every penny if you value the results which of course are what we are all after. Negligible if not non existent background noise or hum and if you want to get the best out of your dynamic microphone this is it. I haven’t got a condenser mic and frankly with this I don’t need one. It seems well Screwed together and feels like it’s going to last. The only issue that could be improved is it could come with a hard case to protect it when not in use. Don’t buy cheap and be disappointed buy this and be happy!

I bought this to try and make my life easier as I was recording demos with a band and found my previous app based approach (Bandlab) wasn't really helping, it was difficult to stitch together mutiple takes and the UI made it tricky to edit that together. So - this was money well spent for a few reasons... 1) a good clean signal. My bandmate who normally produces and mixes his own music was quite jealous of the tone of my bass guitar (which is what I have been recording) 2) Simple controls - I'm not a massive gearhead when it comes to musical gear so I appreciated the minimal and simple to use interface as a great introduction to recording 3) the onboarding for this is fantastic. Possibly the best I have seen in any hardware product. It takes you through each step, with clear instructional videos, and helps you out with all the freebies you get with the product. 4) as mentioned above you get some freebies - including some basic versions of audio editing workstations (DAWs). I went with Ableton Lite but there were a few others... and this has really helped my workflow. I'm able to easily record demos in a fraction of the time it would normally take with my previous app. The Scarlett also includes a few free vst plugins (EQ and Compressor) which makes for a nice entry point into the world of audio recording. That is to say that this is a package that is perfectly aimed at amateur/beginner musicians, or anyone wanting to dil their toes into the world of audio recording. The unit feels solid and well engineered. With the extras included and the build quality it delivers solid value for money.

Excellent Interface, took a while for me to work out how to use it . Had no problem using it with my laptop and being able to hear my microphone using my headphones. But it took a while for me to establish how to use it for my Church PA system . Had to watch a few Youtube Videos of others using similiar systems on how to connect the Focusrite when using passive Speakers ; by connecting my amplifier and mixer correctly i was able to use Focusrite with no problems.

They say good things come in small packages, where the Scarlett Solo is concerned, they are not wrong. Up to now I've been recording by feeding output from my Xenyx mixer into the line in of my computer sound card and decided to risk buying a dedicated interface. I had seen a lot of the focusrite interfaces in use so, though not the cheapest interface by any means, I thought I'd opt for the Solo as I only really need a mic & gtr input. After putting it through it's paces over the last couple of days, I am very impressed, the noise floor is so much better than I have been used to and even without and adjustment in my DAW (Reaper), the latency was pretty good. Did a quick loop-back test and set the latency to 'reported' plus 16 samples and it is spot on for everything, operating at 48K samples and a 128K buffer. The direct monitoring is great, the build quality is rock solid and feels sturdy, the controls are smooth and feel "expensive". I now understand why these interfaces are so popular, you truly do get what you pay for. I wasn't sure at first about leaving it plugged in, having no on/off switch, but having done a quick search it seems many people leave it on permanently with their system and some have done so for quite literally, years. Though given your on-board soundcard are permanently "on", it's only logical that it would not be an issue. One thing to mention, the USB connector on the cable isn't very clearly 'flat' on one side, if the cable doesn't go in smoothly all the way, you have it the wrong way around. That said, it's USB, so the '3 tries' rule applies anyway! ;-) As regards setup, I'm not sure why people are having the issues described, it is super straight-forward and I was up and running in no time at all. Plug it in, it's seen as a 'drive', click on the URL mentioned in the quick start guide, follow the on-screen instructions. Once you have run the control software and your system is rebooted, it is seen in it's true form as an audio interface. Setup the required input/output in your DAW and job done. You can set it up as your default audio for your system as well, I did not initially, but I have done now as I like having the headphone volume control. Looking forward to more recording with this little beauty, very happy indeed.