Best At Home Recording Studio (2025 Update)

Just wanna give a shoutout to Thomas who helped me manage some administration and hasten the parcel to arrive quickly. Great quality stuff, enjoyed recording.Dillan J.

This recording set is exactly what I needed to record and compile my own audio file for radio streaming. It is a simple out of the box setup and there are plenty of tutorials online from Behringer. Only one suggestion – buy a microphone stand separately.Kathy R.

Not a beginner level program but Excellat for the novice or pro musician. many easy to use features and love the fact its all in one. Set up was not so simple its not plug in and play 🙂Kaykay

Full Disclosure: I purchased on another site. I bought it because the new iPad Pro does not have a headphone jack and I was using the iRig before, and it was the same price(other site)as the iRig Pro I/O, and it came with a mic, XLR cable, and studio headphones. I figured if it wouldn't work with the new iPad, I would use it on my windows based laptop. I did need an adaptor to run the hardware, and went with the multimedia adaptor from Apple witch has usb-c, usb, and HDMI inputs on it. The new iPad even powers the Audiobox, so I didn't even have to run a separate line for power. Just run the power through the adaptor and I'm good to go. It Worked with AmpliTube software. I haven't tried it with the *FREE* Capture Duo software. My biggest gripe was I couldn't figure out how to get the Bluetooth headphones to work for monitoring. So, I had to use some studio headphones direct into the Audiobox. So I think the other iOS user must have missed something. If you are running an iOS device and are looking for an interface, this one will work.Mevogt

I can't fault the equipment in this package. I've only had it a week but the quality of the hardware looks to be good. Headohones are comfortable and the interface is fine. The only thing I would fault is the lack of intstructions, it took me quite a long time and 4 YouTube tutorials before I got everything set up and working. The software is massive, I have only scratched the surface with what it can do, and every time I want to do something new it's back to searching YouTube for tutorials. If you know what you're doing with music recording great, if not expect to be learning for a while.Reviewed by guitarguitar custome

If you have a small in home production set up this is a good go to package, plug and play as well as great mic and preamp in the interface for a low low price! You won't regret it if you make beats or record instrumentation in a small set up. great for vocals as wellD Kay indy man

If you get this, I needed a firmware and driver update. It was not working right. But the firmware is right on the Steinberg web site, and easy to install.David

Great quality. Does more than what is required. Still exploring the software and the functions . Crystal clear sound when recorded. Great enhancement of the sound quality. Easy to carry around.josepdanie-379

This product is very easy to navigate through and was exactly what I was looking for! Thanks to RICH and Elliot for all of their help! I will definitely be seeing those guys again!JOHN

Affordable bundle with evetrything you need to start recording. The only issue I have is receiving code for a free software.MARIA

I purchased this bundle, and am surprised how easy everything is to use. It was very easy to set up, and I was able to start recording the same day I purchased it. This is great bundle!Ryan

The RODE NT1 has long been a mainstay for any recording studio. This was my chance to get one and I have to say it's reputation has not been overstated. I have and have worked with many microphones in the last 50 years and the RODE NT1 has just become my all around "go to" mic. From it's almost noiseless "floor" (4.5) to it's crystal clear warm overtones, this microphone is pure joy to work with and at an affordable price. Top that off with RODE's 10 year manufacturer's warranty and you'll be hard pressed to find a better deal. I couldn't. Thank you Sam Ash for being close by and having my order in record time. KUDOS, Navy House Studio, Richmond, VA.Budmoe

Note the pop filter is no longer the same steel one pictured in the product photos, RODE uses a more standard circular mesh filter compared to the steel mesh. Nonetheless, still works amazingly and for the price/bundle + quality for a starting XLR set, it’s fantastic. Sounds clear, professional, there’s a reason the NT1 has been popular for so long now. Only gripe I have is the USB power – using my M1 iMac (which has only USB-C), even using a dongle in the thunderbolt port didn’t seem to power the mic enough which resulted in a LOT of crackling. Had to buy a USB-C cable capable of 100W and plugged in directly to my iMac, solved the issue. If you’re a Mac user, I recommend swapping the cable unless you have a USB type-A port capable of properly powering this mic. However, that’s just my experience, your experience may differ especially if you’re using PC, which I can’t vouch for. Overall though, highly satisfied.WhoelsebutCoop

If you are considering the purchase of your first condenser microphone, then I highly recommend the Rode NT1 Kit. – High build Quality – Everything you need comes in the kit – Strong signal – Low noise – Perfect on vocals and acoustic guitar When broadcasting on JamKazam and micing my acoustic with the NT1: someone that I play with frequently on JamKazam asked me; "What guitar are you using?", before answering I asked why do you ask? They said it sounds amazing. Then I told them its my Ovation elite that I always play, it is just that I am micing it with my new Rode NT1. To which they replied…Wow it sounded like you had a different guitar…it sounds so full and rich. I have had this microphone for a couple of weeks now and it has met and surpassed my expectations. Before buying I did my research into all condenser mics in the $300 range; compared specs, product reviews like this one. If you are on the fence about which condenser mic to buy to get started with, get off the fence and get yourself the Rode NT1 Kit. Trust me, you will not be disappointed.David

Love this mic. The headphones are Awesome and the whole system seems to work very well. Great quality from the Mic. I'm going to upgrade this year, but for a beginner, this mic rocks.Sherry

This recording set is very good for price quality & financing is wonderful. They has tremendously helped me & it definitely will help you with your recording & I would recommend this to anybody who wants to elevate their talents as an artist.Zadarius Varner

Received everything. Simple to get started. The only problem that I had was getting pro tools to install correctly. Other than that, I've been creating and composing.Guitarman

This recording set is very good for price quality & financing is wonderful. They has tremendously helped me & it definitely will help you with your recording & I would recommend this to anybody who wants to elevate their talents as an artist.Zadarius Varner

Received everything. Simple to get started. The only problem that I had was getting pro tools to install correctly. Other than that, I've been creating and composing.Guitarman

I bought this recording set-up to record and play back my practice sessions. The package included everything that I required to record and playback multiple tracks. The system is so much more capable than what I am using it for. It is nice in that it has presets that allow me to record multiple band configurations without being a sound engineer, but also would allow someone with the right knowledge to configure the inputs to their hearts desire. I am very satisfied with this equipment's capabilities. I feel like I bought quite a lot of equipment for not much cash. Love the music I can create with it.Eric P.

Sound: Professional sounds right out of the box. The condenser mic is pretty sweet, not that sexy but effective and functional. I’ve recorded vocal and guitar tracks with nice results Features: I like the “plug and play” aspect of this package. I had no issues installing but I did heed the advice and made sure my OS was up to date. I had been recording guitar though my amp. That changed when I really began tweaking the Ampire effect and the stomp pedals that come with it. I plug directly into the interface and record now.There are plenty of effects to get you started with some pro-sounding equipment. You’d need a lot more to open a studio but you could produce a quality demo with this with a little effort. Ease of Use: Pretty intuitive. Hover your mouse over just about anything and it tells you what it does. Combine that with the hundreds of free tutorials online and you can find an answer to just about any question. Quality: Solid build, I had an audio box given to me about 6 years ago. That thing went through the wringer and still works. I gave it to my daughter and she is still using it. Value: Worth ever penny. I’d probably give a 20% tip if this were a restaurant transaction. Manufacturer Support: I’ve never dealt with presonus support. I haven’t had to yet. The Wow Factor: I really like Studio One. I’ve worked with several other DAW’s, so far this is my favorite. Overall: It’s a great little package for the money and you can start recording as soon as it’s installed. The 4.5 studio monitors deliver a nice clean sound. The mic provides a crisp clear recording so that you can play with all of the effects that are included in the package. If you’re already into recording or just getting started, this is a great package. I did get some quality headphones to go with it, but that was really all it lacked.John

Overall: I have used a couple of other DAWs over the years but mostly stuck to Pro Tools. I thought that was the very thing because it sounds good and has lots of cool tricks.And then I discovered StudioOne. This is probably the best DAW that I have used to date. It's not flashy, it does the same things that other DAWs do, but…stay with me here…it's easy to use. Sure there are some tricks that you will need to learn and some basically knowledge of recording software will help, but this thing is great. If you want to see the mixer, click "Mix" and it appears. Click it again and it goes away. It's that simple. There are lots of plugins and yes, you can use more than one at a time. Pres on us had the forethought to add a bunch of very useful plugins and they work nicely. I use the word "intuitive" often when referring to this DAW. It does the job, right out of the box.The monitors are pretty nice. They sound good and do what they are supposed to do.The condenser is okay. It seems to sound pretty good but I have other microphones that I would rather use. This one may find its place but I haven't had a chance to really try it out yet. A word of caution, StudioOne is a pretty big download. Make sure you have the storage on your computer and you might want to have an external hard drive ready to save your projects.I downloaded the app for IPad but haven't used it yet. Looks nice though.Only one problem. A few of the addons that are included with the bundle give me a message about an invalid product key when I try to install them. Contacted Presonus but it's Saturday and they aren't in. I expect to hear back from them soon.Nice, solid interface. Nice monitors. Okay condenser. Amazing DAW. Overall, I am very satisfied with this product. If it were stolen I would hunt down the person responsible and release massive amounts of hatred and cess-ridden filth upon them. Then I would buy it again.Jeff

The hardware is quite nice as far as my experience goes. I don't have anything fancy, and it sounds good without any noise – much better than the cheap USB adapter I was using. It supports high sampling rates and low latency with ASIO drivers. It's powered over USB, so you get one fewer cable. The software to control the 4i4 is nice enough, although it did take me a moment to figure out what exactly it's doing. I wanted to get a new one so I could use the bonus software it is bundled with, but it doesn't seem like that was worth it. The free software out there is as good or better than this and then you don't have to deal with weird licensing programs. A used one for cheaper without the software bundle would have been fine.justin-eb

Let me begin by saying, I started off on a nice ol' Beringer UM2. I upgraded to M-Audio and then to Focusrite and from there I dove right into the Scarlett series and got an 8i6. I couldn't believe how much of a punch Scarlett packed for the price range, it was a pretty good interface and for it being my 3rd interface I was more than happy. I just decided to upgrade 4-5 months ago to the Clarett+ 2Pre and I'm absolutely in love with it. Much better preamps, and louder gain levels for both monitors & headphones. Take Scarlett, solidify it, and you have Clarett+ (not to mention the much-favored sound of "AIR") I highly recommend Clarett+ to any beginner/professional looking to dabble into Focusrite's incredible line-up of audio interfaces.wxndr

I use the interface for my guitars into my computer for virtual amping, and also to record. It was working great until I connected the headphone out of a small lunchbox amp (a 6505 Piranha) to the line in on the Focusrite and the interface screeched at me, then lit up like a Christmas tree, and has stayed that way for 2 days. Reinstalls, removing power, etc, it refuses to register in Device Manager in Win 10. I'm pretty sure its toast, and I don't know why. The use case is something its already made for. Other than this incident Ive had Focusrite interfaces before and they were great, this is the first one out of three over the last 4 yrs that I've had a problem with. The others were sold/traded to others so I could upgrade to whatever the next one was. Now im at a place where I need more inputs and outputs, so I got the 8I6-up until this incident it was exactly what I needed for the size footprint that I have. The software routing is a little wonky, and Id like that it had more tactile button control rather than having to use Focusrite control for everything, but overall its a solid unit. I can't find any situations like mine on the Web, Reddit, etc, so this particular incident sounds to be pretty limited.Cedric S

Not user friendly, very confusing for first time users. It’s just sitting here cannot seem to get it to work properly. Even with the directions. Maybe I’m just slowChard

I've been using the Rode Rodecaster Pro for the past few months. This is truly a revolutionary all-in-one podcasting solution device. I'm using 2 of the Rode PodMics for recording onto the Rodecaster. With all the various audio effects enabled, especially the APHEX Aural Exciter and Big Bottom, the Rodecaster makes my voice sound like Superman with a impressive radio broadcast voice. When the effects are turned off, I sound like just any other ordinary mortal with a microphone, it really is that noticeable of an improvement! The Rodecaster is very well built and designed. The LCD screen menu is easy to use and navigate, and there is so much extra functionality and customization built into the Rodecaster after you download the free firmware update. What I also like in particular are the built-in easy to use remote connection inputs to bring on a remote guest via a smartphone or USB connection. With the current pandemic and social distancing mandate, nobody is doing live in-person interviews, hence the ability to do remote guest interview recording is extremely useful. The built-in mix-minus functionality to eliminate the unwanted echo/reverb from doing remote call connection is a huge advantage. Plus the Rodecaster has built-in Bluetooth wireless remote connection to easily pair with your smartphone, simply press the Bluetooth button for wireless calling! This is a great deal if you consider that the upcoming new Zoom PodTrak P8 podcasting device costs an extra $49 for their optional Bluetooth adapter to add wireless calling. Make sure to purchase the optional $30 Rode SC9 TRRS 3.5mm AUX cable if you plan on doing remote smartphone calling with the Rodecaster. If you want to use the Rodecaster on-location you will also need to purchase the optional $20 Rode DC-USB1 DC to USB Power Cable, along with a sufficiently powerful external battery pack. If anyone is interested in hearing the audio comparison with the Rodecaster audio effects and APHEX turned on and off for a test comparison, check out my YouTube video I created. You can advance to the 23:31 time line to go directly to the audio comparison, otherwise watch the whole video for more details, link here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eddrSZvthxc&t=138s&fbclid=IwAR1bpa4VfL0WulRVRDN8lwNVnN7Bg58oRLCU8WkZMfw5g6in53Mi_UPejNACaseySC

Rode has done it again this time in podcaster form. This thing is seriously all you really need to start a podcast or live stream in front of a live audience. There's so much you can do with it that I can make a bet you won't even get through most of the features in one sitting. First off, let's talk about the features. The Touch-Screen menu on the device itself is very responsive and intuitive. You can control each line through this screen and even set and adjust levels through it. On the screen you can also scroll through various amount of saved sound "panels" to store up to 9 pages of soundbytes and clips for a more unique show. You can upload clips of sounds to the device using the software that Rode offers with the device. On the note of the software, you may also additionally fine tune each of the "Preset" voice settings that are applied to the lines as long as it's tethered into a PC via USB. This will allow you to set the perfect numbers for your noise gate, compressor, etc. Additionally, There's a Bluetooth option in which you can stream music over on that line for playback, a phone option if you want to accept a live call, and even the USB option if you want to play back sound from a PC or something of that nature that takes USB. There's a record option which accepts a micro SD to store each session if you prefer to capture it. Easily pair this with a Shure SM7B with no need of a cloudlifter by using the software to tweak boost amounts and phantom power. Overall, This device is a one man army and well worth it's price. Don't sit on this one.Tyler P.

I was going to set up a podcast using ancient equipment when I saw an add on B&H for the RODEcaster Pro. I have various RODE mics and love their equipment so I immediately bought it. I am still blown away at its capabilities. With Class A, balanced XLR inputs, the audio quality is on par with equipment costing thousands – more making a $100 mic sound like a Neumann. Its features give it tremendous flexibility for quiet audio processing, live interactive phone calls, multiple head phone jacks, 3.5mm I/O's for music input, etc plus audio F/X. I use it for podcasts as well as recording events from a mixer, then syncing the audio tracks with the video. But as a multi-cam shooter and video editor I also wanted to use it to interface with the ATEM Mini Pro I got from B&H so that I can record my audio and input it into a multi-cam video switcher. You simply connect the RODEcaster to your computer via the USB out (with the RODE supplied cable) and the video switcher picks up the feed within the Mini Pro. The entire setup is compact, versatile and very professional. Without the RODEcaster, the audio would scream amateur. Buy it!James

Sound: I finally upgraded from the rigged up home stereo, and headphones. That Bass is so clean. It doesn't rattle my windows, or walls, or anything for that matter. The sound stays inside the speakers. That's always been one of my biggest problems with Bass. It travels and vibrates everything, kind of annoying and distracting when your hear stuff rattling WITH your music. This is my first pair of studio monitors. Not speakers but monitors. Improvise and make due with what you have until you're able to upgrade right? I've had some gnarly sound systems, but never any actual studio monitors until I got these. Honestly they're perfect. They are the perfect monitors for the home studio. Features: I love the digital eq parameter on the back of each monitor. It allows ultimate flexibility for dialing in the sound exactly how you want it. The general aesthetic of it is pretty dope too. They also have an app for iphone/android so its literally made for anyone who's anyone. I love that universal compatibility. It simplifies a lot. Ease of Use: It was pretty self explanatory. For being my first set of monitor speakers all I did was unbox them, hook them up to my interface, cranked them on, dialed in the sound. Boom done! It doesn't get any easier. Quality: You can tell they took their time engineering these speakers. They're very well crafted. I see me using these for several years before I even think about getting another pair. It's got an 8 inch speaker, and a little 1 inch tweeter. Don't let that fool you. These speakers were much bigger than I expected. All the sound stays inside the speaker. It makes a huge difference when it comes to canceling out all the excess noise& vibrations. Windows, stuff on shelves, doors, etc. Very well crafted. Value: The price is fair. In my honest opinion. I wouldn't say they're overpriced, and they're definitely not cheap. Thanks to zounds, guys/girls like me can get their hands on some amazing equipment. The Wow Factor: I didn't NEED the speakers, but I was getting tired of just my headphones. Sometimes I can spend all day in my studio, especially when im off work. Or half a day at the least. After a while those headphones start to hurt and become uncomfortable on the tops of my ears. I generally just wanted to upgrade my studio.Of course I love the general aesthetic of the speakers too. They seriously look bad a$$ just sitting there on my desk with all of my gear. It looks very nice. Gives me more of that "studio feel" and it feels good. It's nice to finally have the option of headphones or speakers. And not just speakers, but speakers that were specifically made for this kind of stuff. Overall: These speakers are the SH!T!!!! They sound so good and they're much bigger than I expected. Clean bass. Literally nothing vibrates or rattles. All that Bass and sound stays inside the speakers. Did I mention that they sound amazing? Shipping was extremely fast. I had them 1 day after ordering. Super happy with these krk8s. I got 1 step down from the krk 10-3. I just need to get my hands on the sub now. This is the prefect size for a home studio. The eq on the back of each monitor is an awesome addition as well, so you can dial in that sound just right. Krk did amazing with these. I can see why they're universally loved. There's nothing to dislike about them. 10/10 perfect studio monitors. You won't be disappointed. As always zZounds rocks, and makes my life so much easier. Aside from local music shops, zZounds is the only place I order from. They've been nothing but good to me. Thank you zZounds for helping me bring me dreams to life!!!!J.

I spent a lot of time to read and watch reviews on these monitors before deciding to purchase them from Andertons who offered them in the best price around for an overseas customer. They were replacing a pair of Yamaha HS80m (yes, this is not a typo!) Due to moving to a smaller place, I needed to downsize and replace my big monitors with something much more compact that would still produce decent quality sound. The plan is to pair them with a small sub (Eris sub8). What can I say about these small beauties! No hiss at all, except you stick your ear to the twitters, something that HS80M is not famous for. Sound wise, I put them next to the Yamahas and was alternating between the 2 pairs. Yamahas had of course more low end and depth due to the larger woofer, but I could now hear an annoying boost in middle / middle high bands that made them sound a bit plasticky compared to the RP5 G4's. The G4's on the other hand, sounded more natural/neutral, less-fatiguing for longer sessions and very nice for regular listening apart from mixing work. What I hear is in line with the results of the Audio Science Review tests. Their looks are great, now upgraded with KRK grills, and their construction looks very strong and long-lasting (time will show of course). Super happy with my purchase, Yamahas are already gone and I am waiting for my sub8 to complete my new dream studio 🙂Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

Forget everything you know about the KRK Rockits. The G3's are critically panned and most pro audio customers worth their salt have steered CLEAR of the KRK and the Rockits because of admittedly how awful the Gen 3's were. KRK has fixed everything that was wrong with the G3's. No more flabby overwhelming bass. No more "clamped" sound. Headroom is stellar even from the 5's, and the 7's and 8's are great steps up. Larger front porting is necessary, and the app integration that allows you to set up your monitors for your room is a game changer. I would have never previously recommended anyone buy the G3's over even Yamaha monitors, and especially not over the Adam Audio T5V's or the LP6 Kali's. These monitors show just how much KRK wants to bring a better product to market and how much they listened to feedback. I highly recommend the Gen 4's. Steer clear of the Gen 3's, no matter how deep of a sale they end up on. The Gen 4's are an entry level monitor that punches well above their weight, and you can feel great about picking up a pair to use for years to come.Donny Two Thumbs

This newest version of the top of the Scarlett range is an excellent sounding interface with a ton of I/O available. The unit itself is beautiful to look at, and the setup is quite easy. In use I found the 18i20 to be mostly self explanatory, things seem to work as they should. In addition to the Focusrite Control software there are also iOS versions that work with iPhone and iPad.Audio quality is very good for the price point. Clean and very usable for professional work, although not up to the level of "esoteric" converters that cost much more. I'm using my 18i20 as a bridge between some older Apogee converters and my computer, for audio playback from my computer, and quick and easy recordings on it's own. It's a versatile and thoroughly modern unit.My only gripe with the 18i20 is that there is no output metering on the front of the unit, only input metering. Perhaps there is a way to switch the metering to output, but I haven't found it yet. There is metering in the control software, but I would like to see it on the front of the hardware.Other than that issue I find this to be a well designed interface with a useful feature set. The two headphone outputs are very welcome as well. I'm definitely pleased with my 18i20. ProAudioStar provided great service at a great price and got this to me very quickly–especially considering the lockdown we are all going through right now. Much appreciated.sonicalbert

I had two 18i20 2nd Gen interfaces chained together. I decided to go ahead and grab a 3rd Gen, due to the reported lower latency. I must say, I am impressed! I noticed the absence of lag immediately while recording. Excellent sound, and the software makes routing quite simple. I'll be using one of my 2nd Gen units as an Octopre, in order to expand the ins/outs of the 3rd Gen. From what I understand, this should not create latency, as the connection between the 2nd and 3rd Gen units will be optical. We use this in our home studio, and we also use it for live performances. We split the outs with a 16-channel snake splitter. The short snake stays in the rack case and goes to our Behringer personal monitoring system. The long snake gets tossed on the stage, and the sound engineer plugs it in to the box on the stage… Bam, all is well! This will reduce lag between our unit and the house sound in live situations. I love Focusrite. Always good stuff, and always at an affordable price point.XavierX

This interface is lovely, software is intuitive and easy to access. Would give 5 stars if it had DC coupled outputs. For the money, I can't imagine doing much better if you have a lot of instruments and require lots of audio routing. If you are looking to interface with Eurorack or other systems that use cv/gate input/ouput, maybe look at MOTU units. ADAT i/o's work seamlessly with many ADAT expansion units. Build quality is solid, sounds fantastic and looks real nice. Overall, highly recommended unit. Hope to see DC coupled outputs in future units, its a must in my opinion, and wish more companies would realize this (Do this Focusrite, and you got the best interface on the market and 5 stars from me).MB

A lot has changed over the course of my musical life. It is now more and more possible to create music as an individual, with great sounds, and while living in an apartment. The Model 16 is a great addition along that path to musical independence. This unit has great sound. If yours sounds bad, return it, because you got a lemon. It's also as easy to use. I have keys, multiple guitar direct outs, and mics plugged into mine at all times. It makes getting an idea from germination to a finished track easier than ever. I can use it with my computer, but I generally record all tracks directly to the unit first, so I'm not dealing with extra screen time and distractions.Res Cogitans

I use it for live recording, multitrack recording, and mixing. I have found that using it in a daw can be kinda glitchy so I just use the standalone functions. It works great for room recording and it even has built in Bluetooth receiver that has almost no latency. There's 2 stereo TRS channels and 18 Mono TRS channels on the 20 XLR inputs. 1 RCA aux is built into the Bluetooth channel. Stereo out monitor room and control room only one headphone out so you might want a headphone Amp to be fully equipped for live monitoring.Sterling

This reminds me of my old Tascam Cassette 4 Track. Difference is, I can record hours without hitting stop. It's a good board for rehearsal and performance space. It sounds really good. It captures everything that is happening without making any sacrifices. I am able to record the band multitrack and take the SD Card home and drop it into Logic. If you are looking for something to record a band and then do all of your overdubs, editing, and mixing in a DAW. This is the thing to have.Bill W

1. You cannot use it in standalone mode, so computer is always required (It will not take power from USB power supply). This become a problem when I was trying to feed output to the camera which is connected by USB to the same computer. It creates vary bad case of ground loop. 2. It is not going to give you good sound on high impedance headphones. My Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro 80 Ohm work, but have weak low freq. 3. Preamp for dynamic mic might be noisy. I am using Rode PodMic and for effective gain I am on edge of introducing noise. You may need to use something like Cloudlifter ($150) depends on your gain requirements.Roman

This audio interface was easy to set up and came with a lot of really cool free software. It’s pretty simple but does great for what it was designed for. I’d give it an A+ If you’re using it for a pod cast or recording instrument/vocals. I personally got this and a cloudlifter for my sm7b. The Scarlett 2i2 gen 3 does not provide enough gain for my specific mic and a cloud lifter was needed. If you’re looking at this for a twitch style streaming set up, it works as an interface, but I would recommend for around same price to get a goxlr mini. You gain more features like separate controls for chat/game/discord with the sliders and the goxlr mini has enough preamp power that you don’t need a cloud lifter for mics like the popular sm7b. Pro: * Gen 3 comes with a usb-c connector on the back. Very nice as most devices are moving from usb a+micro into a more standardized usb-c. * comes with great free DAW in form of ableton live lite. Comes with a a suite of other free software but this one was nice enough to highlight. * quality metal build * simple and intuitive!Cheddarsharp

I replaced my 2nd generation Scarlett 2i2 with the 3rd generation 4i4. I was a bit skeptical of the software application required to set the inputs to line/instrument, but it turned out to be fairly intuitive. The unit comes with a pad and air feature. Pad is self explanatory (gain reduction for loud recordings), the air setting is supposed to model some classic microphone preamp or something to that effect. I'm not totally sure what the difference is, but I've left the Air feature on anyways while recording and I've been pleased with the results, how much of that satisfaction is a result of the Air setting is hard to say since I haven't actually done any objective testing but it certainly doesn't seem to hurt anything by having it on. Initially, when I got the hardware going on my iMac I experienced significant lag while using Logic at various times, particularly when I was trying to copy logic drum tracks or expand the timeline but also while trying to do basic functions as well. I was concerned that I would have to get more RAM for my Mac which is problematic because the model I have makes it both difficult and expensive to increase RAM. However, after a few repeated uses the issue seems to have subsided, so I don't really know what that was about or whether the change in hardware even had anything to do with it, however it definitely was not an issue while I used my 2i2 so it's something to consider. I mainly upgraded because I wanted to start using midi with my electronic drum kit and that was basically as easy as plug and play (aside from a couple added steps in Logic which didn't have anything to do with the 4i4). However, for some reason the midi tracks seem to cause Logic to experience errors during playback when I close and then reopen a project. Again, can't say that this is a result of the 4i4 but I've been able to resolve the issue by simply quitting Logic entirely before reopening a project which isn't much of an inconvenience at all.Kab

Love this mic. The headphones are Awesome and the whole system seems to work very well. Great quality from the Mic. I'm going to upgrade this year, but for a beginner, this mic rocks.Sherry

I am just getting started. I installed this as well as Reaper, and Bias FX 2. Followed the instructions from FocusRite and went to internet as well. I did not use the Protools or Ableton. I am still in the learning phase. My computer is a Dell with an i3 processor and a standard hard drive. The hard drive can interfere with the audio. I moved the input to the rear of the computer and it eliminated a lot of "popping" induced by the spinning HDD. I would recommend a better processor and a solid state drive to try. I am enjoying it, and my improvement in playing guitar is audible.Danno

The microphone and the interface are ideal for my songwriting and my composing. I have recorded a few demos with them, that I'm already so excited to master. These are the best headphones I've ever heard. The quality of sound is ideal for the stereo output into other speakers and audio sources. This helps me clean and polish tracks! Also, very useful DAW bundle. I love that I can try out Ableton without having to buy the standard ver. Very satisfied with my purchase 🙂MARIA

This is the only audio interface I've owned, it has worked well for me so far. Used with Garage Band on Macbook Pro to record direct electric guitar. The Scarlett has an instrument button to use with DI instruments like electric guitar and bass. Comes with ProTools First however this didn't work for me as it seems to be incompatible with MacOS Catalina. Also comes with Ableton Live which I haven't tried yet. I purchased Bias FX 2 Standard separately and have used it with this too. It's been great so farCarl