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Focusrite Scarlett 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

£89.995£179.99Clearance
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About this deal

The Volt range has the affordable market in its sights, and here we're looking at the Volt 176 and 276. These look very different from other UA interfaces and have a very different remit. There’s no plugin hosting, onboard software processing, or Console software. These are plug-and-play, with UA’s excellent preamps and, in the case of the two units here, the benefit of onboard analogue processing.

The front face of the Apollo Twin X features a huge knob that can be used for volume control of monitors, headphones, and input gain, as well as some handy buttons for phantom power, muting, and various other features. We found it to be an incredibly fleshed-out and powerful recording experience using one of these and combined with the portable size, it’s the perfect interface for taking to and from recording sessions, with the connectivity to grow with you should you choose to invest further in the UA ecosystem. Bundled software includes Presonus Studio One Artist and Studio Magic Software Suite, Ableton Live Lite, so you'll have plenty to get you up and running no matter what your audio interface needs. Firewire is used in high-end audio boxes and it offers a significantly faster speed compared to USB ports. Thunderbolt Thunderbolt connectors are usually found in the audio boxes/interfaces designed for Mac as they have an input thunderbolt port. They offer way faster data transferring speeds compared to both USB and Firewire. PCIEWhether you are an in-the-box producer or a musician recording with external instruments, Focusrite lays out your best connectivity options regardless of your chosen scenario. What Is Focusrite Control?

Finally, there's an interface output that uses interface cables to take digital signals to your computer. The cables are commonly USB or firewire, but newer options like ethernet cables are available. Thunderbolt cables are used for Mac computers. USB and firewire provide fast speeds so you can choose between the two according to your computer input availability. Likewise, there are adapters to switch between the two options. Audio quality is where ID44 MkII really shines; everything else is icing on the cake, but that icing is layered deep and tastes exceptionally sweet.

What is an audio interface?

On most audio interfaces you’ll typically find both XLR and 1/4-inch inputs, often combined into combo connectors so that you can plug mics, guitars, synths and the like into the same input. Many interfaces also offer a phantom power option, which is required if you want to use certain microphones. As we’ve come to expect from the Scarlett series, we found the sonics are neutral and the drivers reliable. The Air option tilts the frequency response towards high frequencies, and this can be great for taming undesirable proximity or adding high-frequency lift. With a decent software bundle included, this is a solid upgrade and a great affordable audio interface. This audio interface is ideal for guitarists and songwriters. No matter how you play, the newly designed instrument can handle it all. Unwanted distortion lets you concentrate where it matters the most. Most interfaces are class-compliant, so will work out of the box –just plug them in and start using them straight away. Some come with extra software you will need to access some of their more detailed functions and routing. Many, especially mobile interfaces, are bus-powered so you don't have to plug a mains power supply into them.

On the input side, it has 4 Combi mic/line/instrument inputs with mic preamps and selectable 48v phantom power. On the output, this audio interface features 2 balanced L/R XLR monitor outputs & 2 independent ¼’ stereo headphone output.In the end, the best audio interface for you will at least partly come down to price, so you’ll be pleased to know that our list of recommendations in this guide covers a broad range from beginner to pro. We’d also recommend reading our guide focused specifically on the best budget audio interfaces if you have less to spend. Focusrite has done a great job with the new 3rd generation interfaces. While first glances may give the impression that they are just a prettier version of their former selves, the real magic lies under the hood. This is evident in many of the upgrades listed above. USB and Firewire provide 800 MB/s and all the way up to 1.25 GB/s. If you have loads of work then you either a USB and Firewire will do. Both connections are easily available on the computer. If you're part of a team of up to 20-25 people, you might consider Thunderbolt, it delivers the lightning fast speed of 5 GB/s. However, the ports are mostly found on Macs. PCIE option is more complicated as it requires you to install a special sound card which isn’t common for home or professional studio use. In most cases, USB or Firewire will do the job, but if you want some extra speed then you might consider a thunderbolt port.

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