• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join freeLog in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Focusrite Scarlett Solo or 2i2?

I have a 2i4 and never got it to work. Between getting married and a kid my time to "play" is limited. I spent more time messing with drivers and trying to get it to work than I did recording. Gave up.
Sometime later I remember that my line6 podxt is a usb interface. Plug it in... and it works everythings great. Record with it. No noise, no latency.
Unplug it and everything goes back to how it was. I still have to get this 2i4 sent back to focusrite. I'd love to use it for it's preamp and phantom power.
 
I had a 2i2 a couple years ago that I basically never used, and ended up trading away for other gear.

I have a Solo being delivered today. From what I've read, the Solo's gain range is better than the 2i2, so theoretically plugging straight in without a DI box will sound just fine. I can always DI out of my amp if need be.
 
I have a 2i4 and never got it to work. Between getting married and a kid my time to "play" is limited. I spent more time messing with drivers and trying to get it to work than I did recording. Gave up.
Sometime later I remember that my line6 podxt is a usb interface. Plug it in... and it works everythings great. Record with it. No noise, no latency.
Unplug it and everything goes back to how it was. I still have to get this 2i4 sent back to focusrite. I'd love to use it for it's preamp and phantom power.

I had some minor issues with mine, Focusrite support got me up and running right quick.
 
I just got a Scarlett Solo. I am super excited to finally be able to do some real studio-ish recording and mixing at home. I might have to buy a cheap electric guitar and vocal mic to do some complete works, but will start with bass for now.
I do wonder about the included "Pro Tools, First Focusrite Creative Pack". I hope it works well enough that I don't have to go DAW shopping.
 
Well, I am slightly pissed off. After installing the Focusrite drivers as per the instructions, trying both Tracktion T5 and Audacity, and various USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports on my computer; all I can get is an intermittent second or two of clean guitar sound. The rest of the time it just buzzes and pops ... like if you were to take the cable out of your guitar with the amp on, and short it out. Just useless.
 
Well, I am slightly pissed off. After installing the Focusrite drivers as per the instructions, trying both Tracktion T5 and Audacity, and various USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports on my computer; all I can get is an intermittent second or two of clean guitar sound. The rest of the time it just buzzes and pops ... like if you were to take the cable out of your guitar with the amp on, and short it out. Just useless.

Double check that you are plugged into the correct USB port on your device and computer. Mixing them up can cause similar.
Ask me how I know... ;)
 
WiFi is known to cause problems with audio interfaces, so it is a good idea to disable it while recording. It is also a good idea to minimize other USB traffic if using a USB interface. An important thing to understand is that real time audio processing necessitates that other devices are not requesting too much of the CPU's time or else glitches will occur, particularly at lower latency settings. Focusrite just released a new driver and has some Windows tuning tips (other OS versions also available): Invalid Link Removed
 
I have a Solo and I love it. But I now wish I would have just sprung for the 2i2. There is just no way to record two channels at a time. I normally lay down one track at a time, in which case it's fine. But recently I just wanted to record some live youtube videos, playing acoustic guitar and singing - one instrument mic and one for vox. Can't do it with the solo. So now it doesn't get used nearly as much as it should.

I've seen solos on sale below what I paid just after they came out ($99), making it a no-brainer now to just get the 2i2. Oh well. Lesson learned.
 
I have a Solo and I love it. But I now wish I would have just sprung for the 2i2. There is just no way to record two channels at a time. I normally lay down one track at a time, in which case it's fine. But recently I just wanted to record some live youtube videos, playing acoustic guitar and singing - one instrument mic and one for vox. Can't do it with the solo. So now it doesn't get used nearly as much as it should.

I don't own the solo, but I was under the impression that the Solo can do this!!

However, recording it this way, won't it mixed the two mics together and you can't really separate them?
 
2i4 gets my vote (on a thread where the OP probably already made a purchase 18 months ago).

I had zero issues getting it to immediately work on a MacBook with either GB or Logic Pro. Was pretty much plug and go. I run both passive and active thru it with the pad being a nice little upgrade. I downloaded most, if not all, of the free software, but really don't use that much of it. There is an overwhelming amount of apps that come with it, and some are pretty useless if you are going with Logic or even GB. Not to start that debate, please... just saying.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Obese Chess
To the OP and anybody else that owns one of these: I'm also thinking about getting one of these, but am worried about latency since the only other USB interface I ever used was pretty terrible on this front. How is the latency on this unit? Do you have any issues when you're recording over another track?
 
Hi,
What I am looking for is an Link Removed. I want to record mainly my bass and possibly electric guitar, but I will be most likely doing a recording through a microphone here and there too.

Easy! Do you plan to expand on your home studio with pedals, mixers, etc? Then get the big brother. If not, the solo one is just fine. You can connect a mic, your guitar, plus studio monitors to the solo one. What else do you need? Maybe a midi keyboard but that can be connected directly to your computer as well.
 
Last edited: