FocusriteScarlett 2i2 3rd Gen USB Audio Interface for Recording, Songwriting, Streaming and Podcasting — High-Fidelity, Studio Quality Recording, and All the Software You Need to Record

The quality in this thing is amazing - in ALL of its aspects. I don't think there is much else that could be said. It even looks badass too. It surpassed all of my expectations - at first glance, I thought it was very lightweight and small. Now I think it's ideal.The knobs are very (!) sturdy and are great to control. Seriously. They feel amazing - even their texture. Plus, the LEDs are amazing too, they shine beautifully.Still haven't had a chance to record microphones (only DI guitar for now) - but the outcoming sound is marvelous. The input gain can be turned way, way up, with minimal noise. It's pretty awesome. Also, the AIR function provides a nice boost in treble. It's definitely worth trying it out, it can make a big change!I have no problems at all with recording/playback (on Windows 10). It is very easy, and very intuitive to use. The only problem I had was with the installation - it stopped responding the first time. So I cancelled everything, uninstalled and tried again. Bingo - works like a charm.I've never seen the previous generations of this interface, but I do believe this one is worth the money. I would definitely recommend it - to anyone looking for an easy, inexpensive and great-sounding way to record stuff. Along with my PreSonus Eris E4.5 studio monitors, my setup sounds greater than ever.The ONLY thing I could complain about it is that it has no MIDI input/output. But I can live with that (for now).

Worked wonderfully with my mic. Super easy to set up.

Haven't had too many interfaces yet. This one seems to do everything I need it to as a solo acoustic song writer. So far is pretty easy to use. I use it with reaper.

Works just great. This model doesn't have the loop back function is you do

I am personally a newbie to audio interfaces and this is my first venture into this type of product. I feel like I've got a relatively good ear for music and discerning different audio equipment. To me the background noise when it is set to a high gain is pretty impressively low. Now I really haven't owned a variety of audio interfaces or have major experience with recording equipment so take that with a grain of salt. The quality of sound I am able to record with this interface is quite good. I'm really pleased with the unit that way.Sadly it doesn't have a built in hardware limiter as far as I can tell, which I've heard from a few sources is superior to a software limiter (I'm not sure why it doesn't work nearly as well). That would have definitely been a nice feature but I get the impression those are only found in more expensive equipment, something to consider.This unit doesn't provide quite as much gain as I would personally like. It would be nice if there was quite a bit of extra headroom to keep the gain low and in turn the background noise low. I'm running an SM58, I don't have a huge amount of experience with other mics so I don't know if that is a particularly gain hungry mic, I didn't think so but maybe ill get a better idea later. Possibly more gain is something I would get with more expensive gear, I should really research that more in the future.I temporarily installed this unit on my work machine to show a few co-workers my new XLR mic setup. I uninstalled the drivers right after and now I'm getting a pop-up when I start my work computer that says there is some missing file, dll or something like that. Super annoying, I'm not pleased with that at all. A clean uninstaller is a really good thing to have for just about any software in my opinion, even if it's a program I use all the time and have little reason to uninstall it. It's fairly surprising to me there would be an issue like that considering how smooth their setup webpage setup was. I was honestly really impressed with it, very nearly stupid proof installation guide and I'm not experienced with this stuff so it's great.Overall I'd recommend this audio interface, I think it's pretty dang good. Just a star off for some issues and possibly lacking features. Worth considering this one I think.

Updating my review as I now own both the 3rd and 4th Gen versions of the 2i2. I've been using the 3rd Gen for months and recently acquired the 4th Gen.3rd Gen:The device is great. I prefer the analog knobs for gain adjustment, unlike the new system where you rely on software to fine-tune the precise dB you want. Occasionally, on my Windows 10 machine, I experienced hiccups requiring a reboot or device refresh to resolve scrambled and choppy audio during gameplay while recording. However, I didn't encounter this issue with my Apple Mac Studio. I use a straight USB-C to USB-C cable with the Mac Studio, and it has been flawless. The AIR mode enhances the sound of my Shure SM7B mic.PROS:--Volume knobs don't require software.CONS:--XLR input in front.4th Gen:I was initially confused about how auto-gain and clip-safe functioned, so I decided to test them out. Autogain analyzes your voice briefly and recommends a dB level, in my case, 22dB with a Shure SM7B with an inline booster. I also tested the new AIR+Drive mode. While I appreciate AIR, I found the drive mode less favorable, especially with vocals, as it resulted in over-processed distortion. Adjusting the notices on my SM7B mic for different frequencies, combined with AIR mode, yields optimal results. The recording quality of my voice sounds slightly better with the 4th Gen over the 3rd, likely because I can keep the volume knob lower, minimizing background noise.PROS:--XLR input in the back.--Auto-gain assists in setting the ideal dB level.--Better gain, allowing for lower volume knobs and reduced background noise.CONS:--Digital volume knobs require software for precise dB adjustments.