All categories/Music Gear/Audio interfaces/Focusrite/Focusrite Scarlett 2i2
Focusrite Scarlett 2i2

Focusrite Scarlett 2i2

Scored on 53 verified owner verdicts, from 374 comments read across 8 communities
TL;DR
A durable, great-value interface most owners keep for years, though hot signals clip easily with no pad and some Windows users hit driver dropouts.

60% of 53 verified owners recommend the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, based on real owner verdicts aggregated from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube.

See the problems 5 owners report →

What 53 owners say
374 comments reviewed · scored on the 53 clearest verdicts
60%
Recommend
32 owners
31%
Neutral
16 owners
9%
Don't recommend
5 owners
Last 6 months:63% recommend(19 recent verdicts)→ holding steady vs older reviews
Source
Score
N
Counted in the score
Reddit
60%
20
Talkbass
68%
25
Other forumsThegearpage, Soundonsound, Homerecording, Audiosciencereview
43%
7
Reviewed, but not counted — and why
YouTubeiowner comments
73%
37
Affiliate blogsipaid commission
80%
5
No clear verdictiSetup, tips & quirks
5

Affiliate blogs here say 80% recommend, while the owner-based score is 60%. They earn a commission on every sale — so we show them for transparency but never let them move the score.

The headline score reflects owners (Reddit, enthusiast forums), independent lab tests, blogs with no affiliate links, and YouTube owner-comments when they line up with owners. YouTube and Affiliate blogs are shown for perspective but kept out here — hover the i for why.

What owners like
  • Runs for a decade without failing · 14 · 26%
  • Great sound quality for the price · 12 · 23%
  • Excellent value, hard to beat · 10 · 19%
  • Solid metal build, tank-like · 7 · 13%
  • Simple plug-and-play setup · 5 · 9%
What owners flag
  • Clips easily on hot or active signals · 8 · 15%
  • Driver and dropout issues on some PCs · 7 · 13%
  • No input pad to tame levels · 4 · 8%
  • Weak headphone output when monitoring · 4 · 8%
  • Gain touchy to set for bass · 4 · 8%
Who it's for
A great fit if
  • Home recordists wanting two solid mic preamps
  • Beginners tracking vocals, guitar and mic together
  • Budget-minded musicians wanting near-studio sound quality
  • Players needing low-latency monitoring for practice
Look elsewhere if
  • Bassists with hot active pickups (no input pad)
  • Windows users prone to fussy driver issues
  • Anyone needing strong headphone output for monitoring

Synthesized from what Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 owners say — not a spec sheet.

How buyers rate it elsewhere

Retailers' own star averages, for comparison — separate from our vetted owner-verdict score above.

Top quotes, sourced

374 reviewed · 97 shown
Sentiment
Community
Sort
YouTube▼ don’t recommend

that's the only reason I considered this interface but not anymore lol.

YouTube— neutral

I prefer raw audio to be as flat (and of course noise free) as possible.

YouTube▲ recommend

The Air + Drive is the best sound I've ever heard from a budget Audio Interface, there's no going back, it's a game changer in quality.

YouTube— neutral

I personally like a transparent/neutral/flat sound, which I can then add whatever additional “character” I want.

Reddit▼ don’t recommend

The best solution is to use a device from another manufacturer. This USB power nonsense has been going on for years, through several generations, and still hasn’t been remedied.

YouTube▲ recommend

The air mode really had a nice effect on the SM7B.

YouTube— neutral

I'm not a fan of in-interface sweetening, and would rather have a flat/neutral sound that I can tweak non-destructively in the DAW.

YouTube▲ recommend

still solid as a rock to this day.

HomeRecording.com▼ don’t recommend

both of them were clipping on my Scarlett 2i2, even though I turned the gain all the way down. There is no pad either, so you cannot lower the input level at all, which for me was enough reason to return it.

YouTube— neutral

connecting my Focusrite seems like such a daunting task

TalkBass▼ don’t recommend

I've been using a Focusrite 2i2 interface for a while, and while it's great bang for buck, I have a few reservations about it. Firstly, it's nearly impossible to record my guitarist without the signal clipping, and secondly, the driver does not behave well with my machine

YouTube▲ recommend

it's cool they give you that feature as a one touch button solution

YouTube▲ recommend

Lo acabo de comprar, estoy demasiado contento

Reddit▼ don’t recommend

I sold my 2i2. People who like the 2i2 had a plug and play experience lol.

YouTube— neutral

the 2i2 only lets two inputs work at a time despite 4 I/O

TalkBass— neutral

the 2i2 is a good barebones audio interface that can do 95% of what you need for home recording. The scarlett line build quality is nothing specifically impressive, but not terrible either.

YouTube▼ don’t recommend

I own a 3rd gen 2i2. The Volt crushed the competition here.

YouTube▲ recommend

Very simply put if you're a musician, Focusrite is an excellent value. The dual combo XLR inputs, the metal casing and the sampling rates are deal closers for me.

TalkBass▼ don’t recommend

Hook your bass up to this audio interface and no matter how much you turn your instrument or input level down, as soon as you dig in or use your thumb, your signal will clip and you'll get that annoying thud. It's not you or your playing technique. It's not your string height or your pickups. This model doesn't have enough headroom to handle the output of a bass.

YouTube▲ recommend

The air on Focusrite just adds that lively feel

HomeRecording.com— neutral

I just purchased a 2i2 and am very happy with it but a couple things you should know first... There can be some pretty complicated driver issues depending on your setup

TalkBass— neutral

The Scarlett 2i2 is what I use. It's ok, not very loud, but for DI bass it works. My problem has always been getting a good tone once the audio was recorded.

YouTube▲ recommend

did me good for the last 3 years

TalkBass— neutral

I don't know about the solo but the 2i2 doesn't have an input pad, which makes it pretty hard to comfortably record an active bass. Keep that in mind.

Showing 124 of 97

Common problems & things to know

Practical notes owners raise — setup, quirks, and issues to watch for. They don't say whether the person likes the product, so they're not counted in the score, but they inform the pros, cons, and who it's for.

Sound on Sound Forumⓘ good to know

Lately, when I am recording, it will begin to record as 'muffled' or 'tinny.' I tried my various mics through the 2 XLR inputs and I'm 99% sure it isn't my mic

Redditⓘ good to know

the 3rd gen scarlett 2i2 needs a preamp for the 58 to give you a strong enough signal. this happened to me three months ago.

TalkBassⓘ good to know

I do have a 2i2 Gen 2. I have ran active basses through it and just had watch for clipping when I was recording any tracks.