Focusrite has now unveiled its new USB-C audio interfaces with an upgraded family of Clarett+ boxes. The new lineup is made of three new interfaces sporting USB-C and enhanced specs in comparison to the previous-generation Clarett solutions, with a range of options for various levels of content creators and music producers. Everything is ready for your Mac and PC right out of the box, and you can learn more down below.
New Focusrite USB-C audio interfaces
The new Focusrite USB-C audio interfaces come in three models at increasingly steeper price tags: Clarett+ 2Pre, Clarett+ 4Pre, and the flagship Clarett+ 8Pre. Each of which provides your setup with mic inputs for all types of instruments and vocals, as well as line outputs, MIDI I/O, and USB-C connectivity to your computer.
Let’s zero in on the most affordable of the bunch, the Clarett+ 2Pre. Overall, you’re looking at a 10-in and 4-out setup with a pair of mic pre-amps resting within combo jacks that can handle microphones, line/instrument inputs, and carry a nice JFET-based DI. The traditional MIDI DIN input/output can also be expanded to 10 via ADAT lightpipe, but you’ll also find the brand’s all-analog Air circuitry here as well:
It’s a single button-push (or click) that makes vocals shine, brings added presence to guitars, and makes drum overheads shimmer. It’s always a completely analogue process, meaning there’s no DSP, no latency or timing issues, and 100% pure. But, as you’ll discover in this piece, there’s a slight difference between the Air circuitry found in Clarett+ versus other Focusrite interfaces, which brings added clarity and more sonic options when recording.
The larger of the new USB-C audio interfaces include the Clarett+ 4Pre and 8Pre, both of which up the ante with additional microphone pre-amps, more than double the number of line outputs, S/PDIF connectivity, and, on the 8Pre, a word-clock output, analog metering, and front-mounted controls for the dedicated monitor master output.
Here’s a quick comparison chart from Focusitre on the differences between the previous-generation models and the new Clarett+ boxes:
All three Focusrite USB-C audio interfaces are set to begin shipping in “mid-September” and are now up for pre-order directly from Focusrite. Pricing is as follows:
9to5Toys’ Take:
While there’s nothing particularly noteworthy here, it is nice to see Focusrite bring its Clarett line into the future with USB-C and enhanced specs across the board. I’ve used its Air analog tech and was quite impressed, especially for folks just getting started with music or voice-over recording, as it can help mitigate the need to spend a fortune on plug-ins for your input signal path (if you’re into that kind of thing). The pricing certainly isn’t for casual users here, but then again, that’s what the $120 Scarlett models are for.
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