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

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.

The quality of this is really very good for the money. I have tried various interfaces over the years - Behringer, Alesis and Akai being some I would definitely avoid in future. Plug and play with minimum fuss - works flawlessly on my Macbook Pro M1 (2021) running Ventura, but needed to jump through a few hoops to make it work on an older 2011 Macbook Pro running Yosemite - but that's only to be expected. Comes with the software you need to get up and running for music production, and all the cables including a nice quality shielded XLR cable. There is no mic stand included, so that (and maybe a pop-shield) is the only add-on you may want to get - but the mic itself is standard (XLR) and will fit any standard boom or upright stand. I have an Allen and Heath mixer interface in my music studio, and the Scarlet is just as good in terms of low latency and recording quality. Highly recommended!

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.

EDIT: I bought these in 2020 and it's now the end of 2025. The DAC remains perfect but I retired the headphones two years ago for some cans by Beyerdynamics. I stand by my review and think the 2i2 is the gold standard for people who want a good entry level DAC set. I purchased this as I was in need of a set of studio headphones and the ability to connect my electric guitar to my PC for working on music in Ableton. Some observations: - HEADPHONES: Audio quality is very good. I was using some Sony WH-1003X Ms to produce previously, with the main issue being that audio quality was only useful when it was powered. The Scarlett headphones were able to easily meet that quality. I personally find the 1003X-Ms far more comfortable - for my head shape/ ear size the Scarlett headphones feel a little tight, and get quite uncomfortable when used constantly over a few hours. I purchased replacement ear padding for the HyperX Cloud 2 headsets and used them on the Focusrite headphones, and that solves the discomfort issue. - INTERFACE: So much utility in the 2i2 interface itself. Being able to set the volume/gain on each channel, and being able to hear your inputs in near-real-time is amazing. The latency in monitoring your own voice very low, which is great for checking your own voice volume/ quality. Being able to power/ depower the Scarlett Mic direct from the interface is very useful. - MICROPHONE: The microphone is crystal clear and very crisp. It's got quite a bit of heft to it, and is compatible with most threaded microphone mounts. I don't see a need for using anything like a pop filter with this mic. I'm very happy with the microphone in particular - I'm no audiophile so more experienced audio hobbyists probably have more detailed opinions on the mic and whether it's worth the price. Overall I am quite content with this purchase. Hopefully the headphones will break in a bit more, but even in that case I think that the 2i2 interface and microphone are very good.

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 was slightly hesitant due to very mixed reviews, but I decided to be optimistic and it paid off!! Out of the box took 20 mins to set up and that was due to the hardware. I decided not to make an account for the extras just yet as I just wanted to test the mic quality and I already had a copy of Ableton Live Lite. I was slightly torn between the Scarlett Studio and just the Scarlett Solo and a sampson SAC01 Large Diaphragm Studio Condenser Microphone which would combined have cost about £130. Wow, let me tell you these headphones are the best sound quality I've ever experienced, not a long wear headphone for comfortability . The microphone is also the best my vocals have ever sounded. I really like the design of the hardware and the red accent. I thought the red mic cable was particularly snazzy as I also have the Akai Mini black with red accents. If you're dithering at this price point- it seems to be excellent value!! I don't know other people have had so much trouble but you basically plug and play. (Although I think you have to unplug the audio interface to actually install the software). I'll try the free extras later as I can imagine they cause some issues but those would be software issues- I can't fault the Scarlett Studio and I have a very good feeling this is going to be the best thing I've ever bought to have a creative outlet which sounds PRO!!!

This set of equipment has blown me away in less than a week. The quality of everything is amazing. The headphones are the best I’ve ever used, but this is coming from a high schooler, so it’s safe to say I haven’t had much experience with high end audio equipment. The fit is great and the clamping force isn’t enough to be painful. The mic is also the best I’ve ever used. It delivers a clear sound and the mounting system very minimalistic and fits perfectly on my boom arm. And then the main attraction, the preamp. It may be Focusrite’s cheapest, but it’s still incredibly good. It can drive the headphones and mic with ease, and the gain can go up to completely ridiculous levels. It’s compact size allows it to easily fit under my monitor, giving me easy access to the controls. Overall, I’m more than satisfied with this set of equipment.

I bought this so my wife and I could have some fun recording guitar (me) and vocals (her) at home. It is great for that purpose. It comes with access to Ableton Live Lite which I find very easy to use, and that is a major bonus as I have tried Cubase in the past and found that difficult to use. The sound quality of the guitar recording and the vocals using the mic provided is great. (I added a pop shield to the mic). The headphones are pretty good quality too, so overall the package is very good value for money. I have never used a USB audio interface before so have nothing to compare it to, but for my usage this is brilliant, and is much easier to use than I had expected it to be!