Focusrite Scarlett 4i4 Review: Four Inputs, Two Preamps
Buy the Scarlett 4i4 if you need MIDI ports, a hardware outboard loop or a separate headphone mix while still recording a voice and an instrument. Skip it if you assumed four inputs meant four microphones, because it has two microphone preamps and the other two inputs are line level only.
The name says four in, and only two of them take a microphone. That is the whole review in one sentence.
Focusrite Scarlett 4i4 4th Gen USB-C Audio Interface
~$300
A bus powered desktop interface with two 4th Gen microphone preamps, four line inputs, four line outputs and MIDI in and out.
Check price on AmazonSpecifications
| Microphone preamps | 2 |
|---|---|
| Analogue inputs | 4, two of them Hi-Z instrument capable |
| Analogue outputs | 4 |
| MIDI | In and out |
| Connection | USB-C, bus powered |
| Maximum sample rate | 192 kHz at 24 bit |
| Dynamic range | 120 dB, using the same converters as Focusrite's flagship interfaces |
| Approx. price | Around $300 |
Specifications above come from Focusrite's published figures and the site's interface specification database. Treat pricing as approximate, since Amazon pricing moves.
What it does well
- Four outputs, which makes a hardware effects loop or a second monitor pair possible without giving up your main outputs.
- MIDI in and out, so a hardware synth or an older controller connects directly rather than through a separate USB adapter.
- Auto Gain sets a sensible level for you and Clip Safe pulls gain back before a peak, which between them remove the most common cause of a ruined first take.
- Air mode adds presence at the input stage, which is a real voicing option rather than a marketing switch.
- Focusrite driver support that survives operating system updates, which over a few years is worth more than any published specification.
Where it falls short
- Two microphone preamps, not four. The four in the name counts line inputs, which is standard industry practice and still catches buyers out constantly.
- If you need four microphones at once, this is the wrong box and no amount of adapters changes that.
- The published gain is enough for most microphones and tight for a very low output dynamic like an SM7B at a distance.
- At around $300 it is close to double the price of the 2i2, and for a solo writer the extra ports may never get used.
- Converter quality at this price has converged so completely that nobody will hear the difference between this and a cheaper interface. What you are buying is ports and features.
What owners report
Published owner reviews are consistently positive about build, drivers and the Auto Gain feature, and the most common negative is not about the interface at all: it is buyers discovering that four inputs meant two microphone preamps. That is worth stating plainly before purchase rather than after. Manufacturers across the category count line and digital channels toward the headline number, which is why the preamp count is the figure to read.
The second theme is stability. Owners upgrading from cheaper interfaces repeatedly cite drivers that keep working after operating system updates as the reason they stayed with Focusrite, and that is a genuine long term cost that no specification sheet captures.
How to decide between this and the cheaper Scarletts
The question is not sound quality, it is ports. If you record one voice or one voice plus one guitar and own no hardware synths, the Scarlett 2i2 does the same job for around $75 less, and the difference is better spent on the room. The Scarlett Solo versus 2i2 comparison covers the tier below, and full specifications for every unit sit in the interface database, with this model's own page at Scarlett 4i4 4th Gen specs.
On latency, the interface matters less than people expect. Buffer size sets the bulk of the delay and the interface adds a fixed overhead on top. Put your buffer and sample rate into the latency buffer calculator to see what you are actually dealing with, and read how to fix latency in your DAW before assuming an interface upgrade is the fix. If your microphone is the problem instead, USB versus Thunderbolt covers why the connection type is rarely the bottleneck in a home studio.
Who it suits
- Anyone with a hardware synth, drum machine or older controller that needs real MIDI ports.
- Setups that want an outboard hardware loop or a second set of outputs without losing the monitor feed.
- Producers recording a stereo source and a mono source at the same time.
- Anyone who wants Focusrite driver stability with more routing than the 2i2 offers.
Who should skip it
- Anyone who needs four microphone preamps, which this does not have.
- Solo writers recording one voice and one guitar, where the 2i2 is the same result for less.
- Anyone hoping an interface upgrade will improve sound quality, because at this price it will not.
- Buyers with no hardware and no routing needs, who should put the difference into treatment.
Alternatives worth considering
Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 4th Gen USB-C Audio Interface
~$225
Identical preamp count and the same converters and features, minus the MIDI ports and the extra outputs. If you cannot name a specific thing you would plug into the extra ports, this is the same recording result for around $75 less.
Check price on AmazonMOTU M2 USB-C Audio Interface
~$200
Two preamps, MIDI in and out, and a full colour LCD meter on the front panel that lets you set a level without looking at the computer. Take it instead if metering and MIDI are what you wanted and the extra outputs are not.
Check price on AmazonAudient iD4 MkII USB-C Audio Interface
~$190
Audient puts a console derived Class-A preamp in this and gives it two headphone outputs, which is unusual at the price. Take it if preamp character and a second headphone feed matter more to you than channel count and MIDI.
Check price on AmazonKeep reading
- Scarlett Solo vs Scarlett 2i2
- USB vs Thunderbolt audio interface
- Latency buffer calculator
- Scarlett 4i4 4th Gen full specifications
- Best audio interface for a home studio
- Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 review
This review draws on published specifications, manufacturer figures and the consensus of verified owner reviews. We have not tested this product ourselves, and we say so rather than implying otherwise. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Frequently asked questions
How many microphones can I plug into a Scarlett 4i4?
Two. The 4i4 has two microphone preamps with phantom power, and the other two analogue inputs are line level. This is the single most misunderstood thing about the unit. Manufacturers across the category count line and digital channels in the headline number, so the figure that decides how many microphones you can record at once is always the preamp count, not the input count.
Scarlett 4i4 vs 2i2, is the extra money worth it?
Only if you will use the ports. Both have two preamps, the same converters, the same Auto Gain and Clip Safe and the same Air mode, so the recording quality is the same. The 4i4 adds MIDI in and out and two extra line outputs. If you own a hardware synth or want an outboard loop, that is worth the difference. If not, buy the 2i2 and put the rest into the room.
Does the Scarlett 4i4 have enough gain for an SM7B?
For a close speaking voice, usually yes, and it is tighter than you would like at any distance. A low output dynamic such as the SM7B needs roughly 60 dB of clean gain, and running any preamp at its ceiling brings its own noise up with the signal. If an SM7B is the plan, budget for an inline booster, which adds around 25 dB right at the microphone and lowers noise as well as raising level.
Will a better interface make my recordings sound better?
Almost certainly not at this price point. Converter performance has converged so completely that a $150 interface and a $1,000 interface will not differ audibly in a home room. What more money buys is preamp gain, driver stability, routing, metering and channel count, all genuinely useful and none of them sound quality. The room and the microphone are where audible improvements come from.
Is the Scarlett 4i4 bus powered?
Yes. It runs on USB-C bus power, so a laptop and one cable is the entire rig. That is unusual for an interface with four outputs and MIDI, and it is a real convenience if you ever record away from the desk. The 8i6 above it in the range needs its own power supply, which is the point at which it stops being a laptop and a bag setup.
Working out your own room and signal chain? The Home Studio Build Planner is the paid version of these pages: 8 printable worksheets you fill in with your own numbers, plus the full PDF, $29.