Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 Studio 3rd Gen USB Audio Interface Bundle for the Songwriter with Condenser Microphone and Headphones for Recording, Streaming and Podcasting, Red

very good interface one of the best fell few times but like new i dont use the mic anymore i us a black spirt and audio technica headphones

This is the 'must have' for anyone with a small music set-up. It's absolutely brilliant. Headphones have great sound reproduction so you don't get a bias of bass like some headphones. So easy to set up and use.

I think this is a fantastic kit and really recommend it to anyone who is thinking of upgrading to an audio interface and xlr microphone. Before I’d bought this, I had been using a Shure MV88+ which comes with its own app and for a microphone designed to be used with a mobile phone it is very good. I’d lost some of the cables I needed and needed a good quality microphone urgently for some work I’m doing with an ensemble that has moved online. So I decided to upgrade to the Scarlett after being advised to by multiple people.Cost - this kit (or bundle) was £209, including a Scarlett solo interface (3rd gen), xlr cable, xlr microphone and some Scarlett headphones. The Shure 88+ I mentioned is currently selling for about £179. So for all you’re getting, I think this Scarlett kit offers fantastic value for all you are getting. The only extra thing you’ll need to buy is a microphone stand, but these are pretty cheap too and you can pick one up for about £20-25. The kit came with an attachment to screw into a microphone stand, so I literally only needed a stand and not a clip.Ease of use - the interface itself isn’t too difficult to use and the other bits are pretty simple to set up. I did have some assistance from my brother with setting it up on my laptop and installing/using a DAW. But now it all seems pretty simple by myself. You need to download drivers for the Scarlett and there is no info/instructions inside it to tell you this. Perhaps this is obvious to someone who’s been doing it for a while, but for a beginner like myself I had no idea. So make sure you google Focusrite drivers and select the correct one, check which model you’ve bought.Quality - now as mentioned I’m a beginner, but I’m a professional player and can hear what’s good and what’s not! I think the microphone is probably a fairly budget one, which makes sense as it’s part of a kit designed to get you going. Don’t let that put you off though, it’s certainly not a bad microphone at all. I’m happy with it and there’s a big difference between this and a usb microphone. I was really impressed with the sound quality and am very happy with it. In time I probably will upgrade to a better microphone, but I don’t feel like I need to. The interface itself is great and everyone I spoke to told me focusrite was the way to go. The headphones are excellent, great sound and they feel like high quality. The cable is good, I can’t hear anything bad on the recordings I’ve been making.Overall - I think this is a fantastic deal. It’s excellent value for money, easy to use and great option if you’re wanting to step up to a more professional recording set up. I highly recommend.

This Focusrite bundle is a really good starter setup for an indie home studio setup. The gear has a cool, distinct look with the deep red and black colouring, very stylish. The audio interface works excellently and is quite easy to set up. It's recommended you go through the activation and setup videos on the Focusrite website as this will show you how to use the interface, and the activation gives you access to free software, including the lite version of recording software Ableton. To get the full benefit of tutorials and getting the software installed, it can take upwards of an hour, but it is well worth putting in the extra effort to learn the ins and outs.The interface is easy to use, with two input jacks that can either be used to plug in instruments such as electric guitars, digital pianos and other instruments with a pickup and 6.25mm jacks, or can be used with a XLR microphone. You can increase the gain on each, and a green/yellow/red light will flash to show you whether the volume is in a healthy level or if it's too high and distorted. With instruments, you can choose the 'inst' and 'air' options which will improve the clarity and balance of recording with certain instruments. Best setups are explained in the tutorials videos.There is also an output for headphone use, and an 'output monitoring' mode which lets you hear your recording in real time so you get instant feedback.The interface comes with its own ASIO driver which you can select for use in recording software to improve the buffer quality, sample size with the focusrite control panel. Reducing buffer can reduce latency but may result in audio distortion especially in output.The headphones included are pretty damn good. They have a beefy sound, while also maintaining a very solid clarity. They are fairly comfortable, although I think they are a little heavy on the clamping effect. The output monitoring works well with these headphones and they are also good for general music listening.The microphone included is also good, it's easy to use and by using the 48v function on the interface, doesn't require any extra power. There is no mic stand included, so if you don't have one already, I'd highly recommend purchase one along with this set. Sound quality for the microphone is pretty good, sounds quite clear though it did sometimes pick up a little background hiss and popping as there's no filter included.The bundled software makes for great value for money with this set. Ableton is an excellent piece of software that can be used to create some great recordings. The included version is the 'lite' which includes the basic recording setup and a few samples and effects. The pro version can be purchased if you want the full suite of options but the 'lite' here is plenty sufficient for beginners. You can also access some digital amps and other effects software through this, though you will need to individually register for each, which is a bit annoying and time consuming during setup.Overall, I would very much recommend this bundle. Focusrite is a leading brand in audio interfaces, and the scarlet 2i2 is a great piece of kit. The included headphones, mic and software are on the more basic end but make for an excellent overall package. The RRP is perhaps a bit pricey for starters, but I have seen this discounted on several occasions which makes this even better value.

I bought this as an upgrade from a Razr plug and play (which was very good). I manage the sound clips through the Adobe products which, I have to admit, I don't know how to work very well.The sound quality from this is a huge improvement.I was delighted it didn't need an additional power supply*, and it only needed a bit of activity on the web to get everything working perfectly. The instructions were clear.* I think it has quite a draw of power, so I plugged it into the rear USBs, not the front ones. I think my front USB share the power and there sometimes isn't enough for demanding equipment.The kit appears as options as exepcted in all software, including video conferencing and across windows.The sound is very clear and rich. I only use it for speech. It is fairly directional and is quite good at excluding background.The only thing I didnt like was the absence of a pop filter in the set, it needs one.There are people here who know much more technical stuff, but for a beginner, this gives wonderful recordings.