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

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 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.

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.