2i2 4th Gen hardware features

The preamp input gain controls how much signal you are sending into your computer and recording software.

It's essential to set a good level for the preamp input gain so you get the best quality recording. If the preamp input gain is too low, your signal will be too quiet and when you try to boost its level later you may hear noise in the recording; if the preamp input gain is too high you might 'clip' the input and hear harsh distortion in your recording.

To increase the input gain, turn the gain control clockwise. As you move the gain control, the Gain Halo gradually lights clockwise to show you the gain level. This diagram shows the gain at various levels:

When you adjust your input gain while you send a signal into your preamp, the ring lights the same way as above but a colour, green, amber, or red, shows how much level is going into your computer. Shortly after you stop adjusting the gain the meters revert to input meters (see Input Metering).

Software Gain Control

You can also control the preamp gain remotely using Focusrite Control 2.

To adjust the preamp gain in Focusrite Control 2:

1. Click the virtual knob for the channel you'd like to adjust or use the tab key to select the preamp gain control.

2. Move your mouse up and down or use the arrow keys to increase or decrease the gain (in ±1dB increments).

The following images show the preamp gain at minimum, medium and maximum gain.

No input gain

50% Gain

100% Gain

Input Metering

When you're not moving the input gain control the input metering uses the entire Gain Halo. As the incoming signal gets louder (for example with a higher input gain setting) the Gain Halo lights from green through to amber before the entire Gain Halo flashes red to show you the input has clipped.

This diagram shows the meters at different levels to show the input signal level:

1. No input signal

2. -42 dBFS

3. -36 dBFS

4. -24 dBFS

5. -18 dBFS

6. -12 dBFS

7. -6 dBFS

8. 0 dBFS, clipping - turn down the input gain to avoid distortion and clipping.

Tip

If your signal clips the clip indicator at the top of the meter lights red. If this happens, select that channel and reduce the gain.

Software Metering

In the same way as the input meters on your 2i2 4th Gen's front panel, you can see the incoming signal on the meters in Focusrite Control 2 to set the correct preamp gain.

As the signal gets louder, the meter in Focusrite Control 2 lights from green to amber (pre-clip).

The indicator above the meter shows you the peak level (in -dBFS), the highest level on this track since you started monitoring the input. When you hover over the Peak level meter, you can click to Reset the value.

Tip

When you're recording, it's a good idea to aim for a -12dBFS peak level. This ensures you have enough headroom when you've recorded all your tracks.

Waiting for an input signal.

-18dB input signal.

Click to Reset the Peak Level meter.

When you overload the preamp, with too much input signal, or by adding too much gain, the Peak Level Meter lights red. Hover over the Peak Level Meter and click to Reset the value.

The Input has clipped.

Click to Reset the Peak Meter.

Many front panel controls on your 2i2 are shared across the preamp inputs. The Select button moves the preamp controls to different inputs.

At least one preamp is always selected, to change which preamp(s) the controls are affecting, press the Select button. When you do this, the newly selected preamp's number lights green and the preamp setting lights change to match the new preamp.

When you turn on your 2i2 the last selected preamp before you turned it off remains the selected preamp.

48V, also commonly referred to as 'Phantom Power', sends 48 Volts from your interface's XLR connector to devices needing power to work. The most common use is sending power to condenser microphones, but you may also need 48V for inline mic preamps, active dynamic microphones, and active DI boxes.

To turn on 48V:

The 48V icon lights to show it is enabled.

48V phantom power is now being sent to both XLR inputs on your Scarlett 2i2 and to any devices connected to the XLR inputs.

48V (Phantom Power) software control

To enable 48V (Phantom Power) from Focusrite Control 2 click the +48V button on the input you want to enable it for. This is the same as pressing the 48V button on the 2i2's front panel.

+48V Phantom Power off

+48V Phantom Power on

Inst, or instrument, changes the impedance and input level of the 6.35mm (1/4") jack inputs on your Scarlett so the inputs sound their best for either an instrument or line-level source. We list the input impedance values in the Specifications section. If you don't turn on Inst and connect an electric guitar, the resulting sound can be muddy and quiet compared to with Inst on.

The Inst (Instrument) button only affects the 6.35mm (1/4") line input for the selected channel, either input 1 or input 2. It changes it from an input suitable for line-level devices to an input better suited for instrument-level devices.

To enable, or disable, instrument mode for the 6.35mm (1/4") jack input, select the channel and press the Inst button once. green shows Inst is enabled, and white shows Inst is disabled. When you enable Inst and connect a jack to your Scarlett, the minimum gain for the input is changed to +7dB.

When Inst is enabled (green) you can connect instrument-level devices to the 1/4" inputs such as, but not limited to:

When Inst is disabled (white) you can connect line-level devices to the 6.35mm (1/4") inputs such as, but not limited to:

Instrument/Line Software Control

To change inputs 1 or 2 between instrument and line from Focusrite Control 2 click the Inst button once.

Line	Instrument

Auto Gain allows you to send a signal into your 2i2 4th Gen (for example singing or playing your instrument) for 10 seconds and let the Scarlett set a good level for your preamps. If you find the levels aren't right, you can adjust the gain controls manually to fine-tune the levels before recording.

To use Auto Gain:

If the Auto Gain was successful, the meter lights green before the 2i2 shows the gain value is shown. The gain is now set at a good level for your recording.

If Auto Gain fails, the meter lights red. Please see the section, The Gain Halo turned Red, for more information.

Auto Gain Software Control

To use Auto Gain in Focusrite Control 2:

1. Click the Auto Gain button in Focusrite Control 2.

2. Speak or sing into the microphone, or play your instrument during the Auto Gain countdown. Perform as you would while you're recording to make sure Auto Gain sets a good level.

   The Auto Gain process starts and the software Gain halo turns into a countdown timer.

If the Auto Gain was successful, the meter lights green before the 2i2 shows the gain value is shown. The gain is now set at a good level for your recording.

Auto Gain failed and the meter turned red

If the signal is unsuitable for Auto Gain (for example, there's no signal detected), after ten seconds, Auto Gain stops and the meters light red. The gain returns to the value you set before starting Auto Gain.

Hardware gain halo

Auto Gain unsuccessful

This can happen for all unusable signals, including no signal, very quiet signals, and too loud signals. If you see this error message, try the following:

• Make sure you've connected the source to the correct input. 

• For condenser microphones, turn on 48V (phantom power).

• Ensure you're making sound while Auto Gain runs.

• Ensure the signal is not too loud. 

  • If you are using the XLR inputs for a line level device (synths, keyboards, amp modellers), use the jack inputs instead.

  • Reduce the connected device's output.

• If the signal is too quiet, increase the gain 25–50% before starting Auto Gain.

Auto Gain allows you to send a signal into your 2i2 4th Gen (for example singing or playing your instrument) for 10 seconds and let the Scarlett set a good level for your preamps. If you find the levels aren't right, you can adjust the gain controls manually to fine-tune the levels before recording.

Multichannel Auto Gain starts the Auto Gain process for all the preamp channels on your interface. This is particularly useful for quickly setting levels for situations where you are using multiple channels simultaneously, for example:

To start the multichannel Auto Gain process:

If the Auto Gain was successful, the Gain Halos light green before the gain value is shown on the Gain Halos for a second. The gain is now set at a good level for your recording.

Multichannel Auto Gain in Focusrite Control 2

You can also run multichannel Auto Gain from Focusrite Control 2.

To do this:

1. Open Focusrite Control 2 and go to the Inputs tab.

2. Click the dropdown arrow on the Auto Gain button.

3. Choose Auto Gain both.

   • Auto Gain both starts running Auto Gain for all your 2i2 4th Gen's channels.

Once Auto Gain has finished, Focusrite Control 2 shows the channels and their new gain levels:

Multichannel Auto Gain failed

Multichannel Auto Gain might fail during the process for one, multiple, or all channels.

You can either:

• Click Retry and all Auto Gain runs again for all the channels you ran Auto Gain for, even the successful channels.

• Click close and run Auto Gain for any failed channels.

• Click close and manually adjust the gain for any failed channels.

The Safe button applies Clip Safe, which automatically adjusts your preamp gain if you're at risk of clipping.

Clipping happens when your gain is set too high for the sound being recorded and your input overloads the preamp. A clipping symptom is preamp distortion, which is often unpleasant and can ruin a recording. Clip Safe helps you avoid this so if your input gets near to clipping, Clip Safe reduces the preamp gain, so you won't have to re-record your take.

To enable Clip Safe:

When you enable Safe, the Safe icon lights green.

When you have two inputs selected using Preamp Link, Safe is applied to both preamps.

Clip Safe in Focusrite Control 2

To enable Clip Safe from Focusrite Control 2, click the Safe button:

Safe off

Safe on

Air lets you change your Scarlett's preamp sound with two different modes; Air Presence or Air Presence and Harmonic Drive.

Air affects the mic, line, and instrument inputs.

To enable Air, select your input, press the Air button once for Air Presence, again for Air Presence and Harmonic Drive and again to turn off. The Air LED changes colour to show which mode you have selected:

Air Software Control

To enable Air from Focusrite Control 2 click the Air button. This is the same as pressing the Air button on the 2i2's front panel.

Air Off

Air Presence on

Air Presence and Drive on

When you click Focusrite Control 2's Air button, the last selected Air mode becomes activated. To change the selected Air mode (Presence or Presence and Drive) click the arrow to show the dropdown menu.

Air Presence selected

Air Presence and Drive selected

The Output control and Output level meter are related to the signals going to Outputs 1 and 2 on the back of your Scarlett 2i2, the outputs you'd most often connect to monitor speakers.

The Output control sets the level at the outputs from nothing (fully anti-clockwise) to full-scale output (fully clockwise).

The Output Level meter around the Output level control is a pre-fade meter (it is not affected by the control's position) showing you the signal level coming from your computer.

Direct Monitor  allows you to hear the signals coming into your interface's inputs without them going through your computer. This means you hear the inputs without any latency and without effects.

You might want to use Direct Monitoring for two reasons:

When Direct Monitor is off, the  icon lights white. The Scarlett 2i2 has two different Direct Monitor settings, mono, and stereo, to enable Direct Monitor:

Direct Monitor adjustment

From Focusrite Control 2 you can enable and adjust the Direct Monitor mix to balance your inputs with the Playback channels from your software.

To enable Direct Monitor click on the Direct tab in Focusrite Control 2 and click the Direct Monitor software switch at the top of the tab. The switch lights green and Direct lights green on your 2i2's front panel.

Direct Monitor Off

Direct Monitor on

To adjust your Direct Monitor mix:

1. Open Focusrite Control 2.

2. Click on the Direct tab.

   

3. Use the Mixer Channels, (faders, Mute and Solo buttons) to adjust the levels for Analogue 1, Analogue 2 and Playback 1-2.

   The final meter under Direct Monitor shows the combined level going to your monitor and headphone outputs.

Using the Mixer Channels

Each mixer channel has several functions.

1. Mix Channel Name 

   This shows the mixer input's name. To edit the name, click the text box and type. You can use your keyboard's tab key to quickly move between channels.

2. Stereo/Mono Switch and Pan

   The Direct Monitor Mode button between the channels changes the direct monitor mode between mono and stereo .

   The Pan indicators on either side show where that channel is panned in the direct monitor mix. The pan is not editable and has two states depending on the Direct Monitor you select, centre (mono) hard-left and hard-right (stereo).

3. Fader 

   The Fader adjusts the level going to your Mix destination. Alt, option ⌥ or double-click to reset.

   The faders have no effect on the sources you are currently recording.

4. Meter 

   This shows you the channel's level, in dBFS. green shows a good level, and amber means the level is very high.

   You'll see two meters for stereo channels, one for each left and right side.

   The meter shows the level post-fader, the fader setting will affect the meter.

5. Mute and Solo 

   Mute - Click the Mute button to silence the channel in the Mix. The Mute button lights blue when enabled. You can Mute multiple channels simultaneously.

   Solo - Click the Solo button to solo the track by silencing all other channels in the Mix. The Solo button lights yellow when enabled. Enabling Solo on multiple channels silences any channels without Solo enabled, i.e. you will hear all the Solo'd channels.

   If you enable both Mute and Solo, the last clicked option takes priority.

The headphone output is a 6.35mm (¼”) TRS jack. Many headphones have a 3.5mm TRS jack, to connect them to your 2i2 4th Gen you must use a TRS 6.35mm to 3.5mm adaptor.

The control above the headphone output controls the level going to your headphones.

Some higher impedance headphones may be quiet using them with a 2i2 4th Gen, we recommend using headphones with an impedance up to 300Ω.

5V DC Port

With most computers, you won't need to use the 5V DC port. However, if your computer's USB ports can't provide 900mA, we've included a 5V DC port, so your Scarlett can be powered from the mains using a USB PSU.

The Scarlett 2i2 consumes a large amount of power. In some high-power situations, such as playing headphones at a high volume, some computers' USB ports may not be able to provide enough power and your Scarlett 2i2 may disconnect or the USB icon flashes red.

If you experience this behaviour, we recommend you use a mains PSU to power your Scarlett via the 5V DC port.

USB Port

The USB Type-C port labelled USB is to connect your 2i2 4th Gen to your computer.

The connection to your computer provides USB power, two-way audio communication, and a connection to Focusrite Control 2.

Outputs 1 and 2 are line-level outputs to connect your Scarlett 2i2 to an amplifier or active monitors. The outputs are balanced 1/4" TRS jack outputs, you can use them with either unbalanced TS or balanced TRS jack cables and connect to speakers with 1/4" jack, RCA or XLR inputs.

Your Scarlett 2i2's front panel Output dial controls the level sent to Outputs 1 and 2.

The 3-pin XLR Input connectors are designed to accept at microphone level signals.

You can control your microphone level using the corresponding input gain control on the front panel. 48V phantom power is also available if you are using a condenser mic, you can enable phantom power using the front panel 48V button.