Focusrite Scarlett 6i6

Full description on the manufacturer's website https://global.focusrite.com/usb-audio-interfaces/scarlett-6i6/specifications.

For my part I would summarize by saying that this is a card "home studio", mid-range offering:
- A sampling frequency up to 96KHz
- A good pair of preamp that frankly fishing
- 2 pre-amplified inputs combo XLR / Jack on the front, one with phantom power supply, knobs "halo" for both inputs with switching instrument / mic pad and activated
- 2 line inputs on the back with Jack switching hi / lo gain
- 2 main sorites
- 2 auxiliary outputs
- MIDI In / Out
- SPDIF In / Out
- 2 headphone jacks with independent volume circuit and (nice touch)
- USB 2.0 bus
- External power supply
- A set of VST / AU Focusrite including compressor, EQ and reverb is available on the website (you must first register the product)

If I count all I can to 4 inputs and 4 outputs, but they also account for Focusrite MIDI and SPDIF to reach 6 . Ah marketing ...

The case is certainly aluminum, but the knobs are plastoc 1 price and you can notice a little play on the front if you fiddle with the pots so virile dedicated headphones. In short it is very cheap and very Chinese.

Scarlett replaced my old and faithful Edirol UA 101, more complete in terms of I / O much more powerful in terms of sampling and routing, much more solid and heavy but the preamps were desperately fishing whose 10E / S served me nothing.

UTILIZATION

I use it with my old Macbook pro and glue him a pair of Fostex PM0.5 for models (guitar / bass / keyboard controller noon) and of course, listening to music.

To start you need to log in Focusrite site, register the product and download the mixer.

All settings, volume / gain are set apart from the well-known mixer which is not an example of ergonomics. Personally I prefer to access controls on the case, but over time you end up getting done.

I mainly use Logic 9 and I get a latency of 3.9 ms, which is really more than acceptable. I never record more than one track at a time and playback 24 tracks poses no concern.

The preams are really very good. No breath and many nia. Even too much, I never exceed 50% when I plug my guitars live.

I appreciate the independent headphone outputs of the main output.

Routing possibilities are nevertheless sufficient succinate. I personally use the pair I / O line available as an external loop for rack and connect the line out of my combo.

No worries at MIDI. on the other hand I have not yet tested the sound through a microphone, so no opinion on the subject.

GETTING STARTED

Note that if you do not have an internet connection you will not do anything with the card because no driver is provided with. You have to download everything from the Focusrite website.

Once registration is completed you can download the driver and contribs (plugin pack) graciously offered.

I have not noticed any installation on Mac os 10.6.8 concern (Snow Leopard), just install the "mixer" Focusrite. To Mavericks (ie OS X 10.9) there is a specific driver to install in addition to the mixer.

The manual (English version) is long, but not very useful because they are poorly written, it took me to read / reread and googling to understand how the internal routing works.

OVERALL OPINION

I tried a USB card with a number of I / O modest, but still with good preamp for a reasonable budget. In this context, this Scarlett is a very good compromise and a rare complete specifications.

I cons by a big doubt about the strength of the machine. My old UA101 took 6 years without flinching, but it is true that it was costing twice and it was a Japanese manufacture. Short at this level "only time will tell."

To summarize, I am rather attracted. It is quite appropriate to use scratch my home studio. on the other hand I do not would move, or so unusually for a studio taken if necessary.

The price / quality ratio seems good, to confirm the time.

The +:
- Quality preamps
- Quality playback
- Independent circuit headphone
- Pokey latency
- Stability

The -:
- Strength
- No drivers supplied with the card