Focusrite

Focusrite

Focusrite Scarlett are some of the most popular sound cards / audio interfaces on the market – and there’s a reason for that. Focusrite was founded in England in 1985 by Rupert Neve, who is more or less the grand old man of preamps and outboard gear. It all started with a request from Beatles producer George Martin, who wanted a truly top-class microphone preamp – the result was the famous ISA 110.

That’s why it’s no surprise that the great preamps in particular are part of Scarlett’s success. In addition, the sound cards have really good converters, and of course the distinctive red design also helps with their popularity.

With Focusrite’s other classics such as ISA 428, ISA ONE and the RED preamps in mind, it’s no surprise that you get an extremely great-sounding audio interface at a price point where everyone can join in. Whether you need 2 channels or 16 channels for a whole band, the Scarlett series can handle it.

Easy to expand with a Focusrite interface

If you choose an audio interface with Toslink/ADAT inputs and outputs, such as Focusrite Scarlett 18i20, it’s easy to expand with extra inputs. Toslink is an optical connection that makes it possible to transfer 8 audio signals digitally via an optical cable. This way you can, for example, connect a Focusrite Scarlett Octopre, which gives you 8 additional microphone preamps. When two (or more) devices are connected to each other, they need to be synchronised with a timecode. Fortunately this is easy – even if it can sound a bit confusing. If you use an audio interface with word clock in/out, you need to connect the interface’s word clock out to the preamp’s word clock in and set the interface to internal clock (this is done in the Focusrite Control app).

If your audio interface doesn’t have word clock, you should instead let the connected preamp be the master clock. Here you simply connect the two devices via Toslink and select the sync source to 'ADAT' in Focusrite Control – and the two devices are synchronised! Of course, it doesn’t have to be two Focusrite devices.

Several of the interfaces also have S/PDIF, which is also a digital connection. There is usually both in and out, and S/PDIF allows transfer of two audio signals. This can, for example, be used as a digital output to a monitor controller or as an input for a two-channel preamp with digital output.

Focusrite is one of the world’s most iconic manufacturers of audio equipment, especially known for their red audio interfaces, found everywhere from bedroom studios to professional recording facilities.

Here is an overview of their most popular product series:

Popular Product Series

What really put Focusrite on the map for the general public was the launch of the Scarlett series in 2012. Today they have reached the 4th generation of these interfaces. They are popular because:

• "Air" mode: A digital or analogue emulation of their classic ISA preamps, which gives voices and instruments a brighter and more “open” sound.

• Plug-and-play: They work flawlessly on both Windows and Mac (and increasingly also on iPad/iPhone).

• Hitmaker Expansion: When you buy their hardware, you get a massive bundle of software and plugins included in the price (e.g. Ableton Live Lite and Marshall amp simulations).

Focusrite Group is now a major player in the music industry and also owns several other well-known brands, including:

• Novation (MIDI keyboards and synthesizers)

• ADAM Audio (studio monitors)

• Sequential & Oberheim (legendary synthesizers)

Although Focusrite is now best known for USB audio interfaces, they originally built only 10 copies of their gigantic "Focusrite Studio Console". These are still regarded as some of the best-sounding mixing consoles ever made.