Focusrite Scarlett Solo 3rd gen - piece of shit? D :

[bxbrkrz]

The nexus of a great interface is how solid its driver is, across decades of development.

[RobC]

Focusrite Scarlett interfaces are very highly recommended but it’s super entry level equipment. Decent value for the money though so you should still get some mileage out of it.

I would say, it's 4 out of 5. But to get up to 5 in case of mic preamps, it will cost me an extra 0 in the price, hehe. Premium ADCs? Not sure how pricey they get.

[RobC]

it’s super entry level equipment.

I would say that goes for every entry-level product in every product range from every manufacturer. I have a Scarlett Solo that is obviously entry-level (but rather nice tmo), while I won't call my Scarlett 18i20 and Scarlett OctoPre entry-level.

Oh, I just want the 5 star equpiment, so I can brag, like with the Topping devices. x D

That said, I meant the mic pre and ADC gets 4 stars from me. The Solo' HP Amp and DAC is noisy, and not perfectly in the center in my experience. But I just tested that part for the heck of it. It's goes ~ for zero latency monitoring.

[RobC]

quality interfaces are obviously super important, but you also have to kinda go out of your way to find one that’s not any good.

interfaces are one of the biggest “diminishing returns” pieces of gear involved in recording audio. if you can hear the difference, that’s great, but I guarantee your listeners can’t tell whether you’re using the cheapest Behringer interface or the most expensive RME. I think once you start paying more than the base Focusrite models, that’s where you’re really getting into the budget range where you’re starting to pay more to get less, in terms of improvement.

if you’ve got the money to spend and it’s worthwhile for you, go for it, but don’t think for a second it makes any noticeable difference to the listener. if you’re a good mixer, your mixes will sound good no matter what interface you use. if you’re a bad mixer…you know the rest.

I gotta admit, when it comes to DAC and HP amp, while my Topping boxes deliver excellent sound, and weren't that pricey, IMO, - it comes with another price x D USB cable, power cable, audio cables, yet another power cable, aaand you're hooked up. Which kills my dream of mobility, and clutter free studio, at least a bit.

That said, while I generously gave Scarlett's mic preamp and ADC 4 out of 5 stars, there are more quirks. : / Turning on the 48 V created some measurable subby boom for a few seconds. Probably inaudible, okay, but still an artifact, that's not wanted. Likewise with adjusting the preamp knob, there's some artifact. The lower cost comes with these little problems. But after that, it does deliver a basic, but clean, professional sound. (I didn't say million-dollar studio sound! x D) But you can make money with it. The rest are excuses, indeed.

[RobC]

RME Fan Club Member since 2003.

Topping for DAC and HP amp here. Since 6 months! x D

Mic PreAmp and ADC ~ I have a few names, which Selig recommended. I'll try those one day. For now, FS-Solo will do.

[RobC]

Everything is set up.

Goldwave measured -69 dB noise peak.

That still beats analog tape (which some engineers still swear by), showing that noise is not the only spec that dictates quality audio. And these days folks use plugins to ADD noise, so go figure.
Both my Focusrite Clarett and Apollo interfaces don't make it much over -100 dB for peak noise levels, but I never much worried about that stuff having started on analog tape - so from my perspective, I already know how to deal with 50-60 dB signal to noise, so having almost double that seems like overkill!

I made a follow up post (actually, I wanted to edit the OP and accidental-unintentional-clickbait title that I made in panic) ~ it managed the -96 dB noise peak on 44.1 kHz, though I guess a peak isn't what I should really look at, since audiosciencereview said that on the whole spectrum(!), the SINAD had a -102 dB harmonic distortion peak. Which was what I confused. The frequency spectrum is obviously much lower when looking at the noise peaks of various frequencies.

Wanted and unwanted noise or distortion are different though. : )

I rather freaked out that the interface I got, might be faulty.

Though, if the Rode NT1 mic brags with a lowest self-noise, that is at -90 dB (unless I misunderstood something and it's maybe much lower), then anything below that, is overkill. The -96 dB noise peak didn't change with silent amplification, and the NT1 just plugged in. I went to about 1/4th gain on the preamp, so I guess that's 6 dB boost. After that, some change starts. Not sure if there's any connection there between those numbers. I gotta check the NT1 specs again...

[RobC]

I can guarantee that, for almost everyone, the tech spec of their audio interface is not the limiting factor of the quality of their output.

I just make sure to buy the best gear I can for the money. If worth it and possible, I stretch out more.

[RobC]

I'm a happy Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 3rd gen user.

I know I get burnt for this maybe, but what is the use for me to have the best interface there is in an untreated room, as I live in a normal house and not in a studio?
I don't have fancy Neumann Mics, but just a simple AT 3025 and a Rode NT1a...... I don't have ATC monitors either , but just Presonus Eris E8 monitors.......

It is NOT one good device in your studio, it is the complete chain. And for me music making is fun, not an expensive device competition.

So please stop it! Making music is about fun!!!!!

Sometimes it can become a dot-dot-dot measuring contest with clients. x D

But yeah, I go for the sound, primarily.

And this thread started with a misunderstanding, which I couldn't edit on my phone's browser for some reason...

[Fotu]

The nexus of a great interface is how solid its driver is, across decades of development.

This reflects my experience from a few years ago... after starting to get occasional glitches and dropouts with my older generation Focusrite I upgraded to RME and have had zero issues since, with multiple DAWs on both MacOS and Windows. I attribute it to superior drivers at the time.

[bxbrkrz]

RME Fan Club Member since 2003.

Topping for DAC and HP amp here. Since 6 months! x D

Mic PreAmp and ADC ~ I have a few names, which Selig recommended. I'll try those one day. For now, FS-Solo will do.

RME was the only company who took Windows users seriously with such a solid driver/interface.

Before that I had a Korg 1212 I/O card. That was all I needed, until Korg decided to trash it away by not providing a driver for the next Windows update (XP? 32 or 64? I forgot). I still remember my shock when my system could not see my card after the update. I kept my Korg for a couple of years, using the older Windows version.
While hoping and waiting I bet on RME, a brand new and unknown company from Germany.

All that garbage, all that electronic trash that exists for no reasons at all. So while it is entertaining to see people fighting for materialistic stuff and details on forums, I pay attention to companies doing their best to have a minimum built-in obsolescence strategy. I am sure RME is not safe from producing trash either of course, but I never think of my interface, as it is always working.

[RobC]

Topping for DAC and HP amp here. Since 6 months! x D

Mic PreAmp and ADC ~ I have a few names, which Selig recommended. I'll try those one day. For now, FS-Solo will do.

RME was the only company who took Windows users seriously with such a solid driver/interface.

Before that I had a Korg 1212 I/O card. That was all I needed, until Korg decided to trash it away by not providing a driver for the next Windows update (XP? 32 or 64? I forgot). I still remember my shock when my system could not see my card after the update. I kept my Korg for a couple of years, using the older Windows version.
While hoping and waiting I bet on RME, a brand new and unknown company from Germany.

All that garbage, all that electronic trash that exists for no reasons at all. So while it is entertaining to see people fighting for materialistic stuff and details on forums, I pay attention to companies doing their best to have a minimum built-in obsolescence strategy. I am sure RME is not safe from producing trash either of course, but I never think of my interface, as it is always working.

The same is true for Topping as well. The products provide perfect sound, yet they still are so unknown, that I feel awkward, being the only one talking about them on here.
What they make, is no-nonsense, and shovel-ware-free.
Plus I think they optimize their DACs for Windows and ASIO4All ~ unless there is a driver after all. I didn't check. It's supposed to perfectly integrate with the system.

Meanwhile Focusrite Scarlett Solo has an ASIO driver alright, some useless "control" software, with no benefit, whatsoever. I'd prefer to just run everything with ASIO4All. It does a great job.
But now I have to find a way to make Focusrite ASIO and ASIO4All work together somehow.

I, too only care about buying what I need, and that devices do their job, and do it flawlessly.

Edit: there is a Windows driver for Topping E30 II. I'll look into it later...

[Goriila Texas]

It's crazy how the RME UFX+ jumped up $4700 on Reverb since you can't buy it anymore and the release of UFX III.

[bxbrkrz]

RME was the only company who took Windows users seriously with such a solid driver/interface.

Before that I had a Korg 1212 I/O card. That was all I needed, until Korg decided to trash it away by not providing a driver for the next Windows update (XP? 32 or 64? I forgot). I still remember my shock when my system could not see my card after the update. I kept my Korg for a couple of years, using the older Windows version.
While hoping and waiting I bet on RME, a brand new and unknown company from Germany.

All that garbage, all that electronic trash that exists for no reasons at all. So while it is entertaining to see people fighting for materialistic stuff and details on forums, I pay attention to companies doing their best to have a minimum built-in obsolescence strategy. I am sure RME is not safe from producing trash either of course, but I never think of my interface, as it is always working.

The same is true for Topping as well. The products provide perfect sound, yet they still are so unknown, that I feel awkward, being the only one talking about them on here.
What they make, is no-nonsense, and shovel-ware-free.
Plus I think they optimize their DACs for Windows and ASIO4All ~ unless there is a driver after all. I didn't check. It's supposed to perfectly integrate with the system.

Meanwhile Focusrite Scarlett Solo has an ASIO driver alright, some useless "control" software, with no benefit, whatsoever. I'd prefer to just run everything with ASIO4All. It does a great job.
But now I have to find a way to make Focusrite ASIO and ASIO4All work together somehow.

I, too only care about buying what I need, and that devices do their job, and do it flawlessly.

Edit: there is a Windows driver for Topping E30 II. I'll look into it later...

Never heard of Topping before. Very stylish

[bxbrkrz]

It's crazy how the RME UFX+ jumped up $4700 on Reverb since you can't buy it anymore and the release of UFX III.

https://reverb.com/item/65391818-rme-fi ... ilver-blue

[RobC]

It's crazy how the RME UFX+ jumped up $4700 on Reverb since you can't buy it anymore and the release of UFX III.

x D Admittedly, I even thought, the 150 EUR for the Topping boxes each, was priecy enough.

[RobC]

The same is true for Topping as well. The products provide perfect sound, yet they still are so unknown, that I feel awkward, being the only one talking about them on here.
What they make, is no-nonsense, and shovel-ware-free.
Plus I think they optimize their DACs for Windows and ASIO4All ~ unless there is a driver after all. I didn't check. It's supposed to perfectly integrate with the system.

Meanwhile Focusrite Scarlett Solo has an ASIO driver alright, some useless "control" software, with no benefit, whatsoever. I'd prefer to just run everything with ASIO4All. It does a great job.
But now I have to find a way to make Focusrite ASIO and ASIO4All work together somehow.

I, too only care about buying what I need, and that devices do their job, and do it flawlessly.

Edit: there is a Windows driver for Topping E30 II. I'll look into it later...

Never heard of Topping before. Very stylish

It's more the full dynamic range, zero noise, full frequency range, fully accurate reproduction of sound, perfectly handling professional IEMs, etc. that got me. Epecially for that price, was a no-brainer for me.

If only they'd make at least an ADC box, if not microphone preamp.

[fullforce]

Best one I ever had

[selig]

Meanwhile Focusrite Scarlett Solo has an ASIO driver alright, some useless "control" software, with no benefit, whatsoever. I'd prefer to just run everything with ASIO4All. It does a great job.

The Focusrite Control software has one function I’ve used quite a bit, the ability to loop-back computer audio into Reason.

[Goriila Texas]

This video popped up while on YouTube you can hear the difference with Focusrite own boxes.

[Goriila Texas]

Converters don't matter it's all the same!!

[crimsonwarlock]

Converters don't matter it's all the same!!

You are trying to make your point by posting a video that doesn't say one word about the converters, talks specifically about the pre-amps, and states clearly that the Scarlett interface is pretty good in its own right.

I've said here before that pre-amps make the most significant difference, and this video makes my point nicely. The Clarett pre-amps have a bit more gain, as you can hear with the kick-drum example in the video. But apart from the level difference, they sound the same. As a sidenote, that air-circuit in the Clarett is basically an EQ, again it has nothing to do with the converters because it is part of the pre-amp circuit.

[Goriila Texas]

Bro the first video literally had converters in the caption IF you looked.

" Audio-interface-/preamp shootout: Focusrite Clarett+ 8Pre vs. Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 3rd Gen.
Drums (8 channels) were recorded in two consecutive takes with the air feature enabled for the close mics on kick, snare and toms. The snare lost tuning during soundcheck for the second take (Clarett+ 8Pre) but the overall differences betweeen the preamps/converters should still be clearly audible."

I only posted the second video just to show another angle. You must don't understand what a pre is on an interface if you think that's the biggest difference between the two. A preamp in a interface is mostly just clean gain S/N, the clarity difference is all about the converters in those videos bro.

Converters don't matter it's all the same!!

You are trying to make your point by posting a video that doesn't say one word about the converters, talks specifically about the pre-amps, and states clearly that the Scarlett interface is pretty good in its own right.

I've said here before that pre-amps make the most significant difference, and this video makes my point nicely. The Clarett pre-amps have a bit more gain, as you can hear with the kick-drum example in the video. But apart from the level difference, they sound the same. As a sidenote, that air-circuit in the Clarett is basically an EQ, again it has nothing to do with the converters because it is part of the pre-amp circuit.

[Goriila Texas]

Bro if you cannot hear the difference or think it's just a gain difference, you need to go straight to Sweetwater and buy you another interface bro. It's clear as days even over YouTube that the converters play a big role in clarity and depth of audio. I'm sorry you can't hear it.

Converters don't matter it's all the same!!

You are trying to make your point by posting a video that doesn't say one word about the converters, talks specifically about the pre-amps, and states clearly that the Scarlett interface is pretty good in its own right.

I've said here before that pre-amps make the most significant difference, and this video makes my point nicely. The Clarett pre-amps have a bit more gain, as you can hear with the kick-drum example in the video. But apart from the level difference, they sound the same. As a sidenote, that air-circuit in the Clarett is basically an EQ, again it has nothing to do with the converters because it is part of the pre-amp circuit.

[guitfnky]

yeesh, people, listen to each others’ music and ask yourself how much it matters. this whole thing is about making art. stop twisting it into some dumb pissing contest about who can spend the most money on gear, and go enjoy some fucking music.

[selig]

" Audio-interface-/preamp shootout: Focusrite Clarett+ 8Pre vs. Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 3rd Gen.
Drums (8 channels) were recorded in two consecutive takes with the air feature enabled for the close mics on kick, snare and toms. The snare lost tuning during soundcheck for the second take (Clarett+ 8Pre) but the overall differences betweeen the preamps/converters should still be clearly audible."

Two consecutive takes, for real?
There should not have been a ‘second take’ if you’re doing a comparison of gear. If you want to compare two takes you can always find differences even using the exact same gear. But if you want to compare two mics or pre amps or convertors, you need to remove ALL other variables and change just ONE thing. This is basic, and if folks can’t be bothered to setup a better comparison I can’t be sure I’m hearing the difference between two takes or two different convertors.
[EDIT for clarity: this video compares the convertors AND the preamps AND two different takes, three variables in total. If you hear a difference, how can you be sure you’re attributing it to only one of the three variables? I can hear a clear difference between the first and second and third snare hit in both videos, so there’s that as well…]