About Focusrite
Focusrite was founded in 1985 when engineer Rupert Neve built a custom recording console at the request of Beatles producer George Martin for use in high-end professional studios; only eight of that original console were ever made. Ownership passed to industry veteran Phil Dudderidge in 1989, who widened the product range toward the commercial and hobbyist musicians the brand serves today. Focusrite is now a public company, Focusrite plc, headquartered in High Wycombe, England, and its console heritage lives on directly in the ISA preamp circuit design that its current Scarlett interfaces still draw on.
The Scarlett line, first launched in 2011 with the original 2i2, became the default audio interface for a generation of home recordists, and the 4th generation adds Auto Gain and Clip Safe, features that set and protect recording levels automatically. MusicRadar's 2026 roundup names the Scarlett 2i2 4th Gen the best audio interface overall for home recording, and Sound On Sound gave the 4th-generation Scarlett line its 2024 award for best audio interface. Our own testing reached similar conclusions: the 2i2 was a top pick in both our general audio interface roundup and our guitar-focused roundup, and its Air mode, which recreates the presence lift of Focusrite's original ISA console preamps, stood out as a genuine differentiator against interfaces offering only a plain EQ boost.
Brand website: focusrite.com
What Focusrite makes
Focusrite's catalog runs wider than the gear we review. The lines we know best from our own testing are marked with a star:
Scarlett Series
USB audio interfaces from the single-input Solo up to the 18-input 18i20, built around Focusrite's 4th-generation preamps with Auto Gain, Clip Safe and Air mode — featured on House of Octave
Vocaster Series
Podcasting-focused interfaces with automatic level control and Focusrite's companion Vocaster Hub software
Clarett+ Series
Higher-end Thunderbolt interfaces aimed at professional studios, carrying an extended Air Presence & Drive circuit
RedNet & Red Range
Dante-networked and Thunderbolt interfaces built for broadcast facilities and large studio installs
Novation
Sister brand under the Focusrite Group making synthesizers, grooveboxes and MIDI controllers
ADAM Audio & Martin Audio
Studio monitor and PA loudspeaker brands that joined the Focusrite Group through acquisition
Why we recognized Focusrite
The House of Octave Top Brand recognition isn't paid for and can't be applied for. We award it to the brands whose gear consistently stands out in our player-tested category guides. Focusrite earned it on the strength of the products below, judged the same way every product on this site is: assessed on build, tone, and playability, weighed against what players actually report over years of use, and ranked on merit.
Focusrite gear we rated highly
Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 4th Gen USB-C Audio Interface
Air mode is a presence lift derived from Focusrite's ISA console circuitry rather than a simple treble boost, and on a dark humbucker or a dull acoustic pickup it opens up the top end right at the input stage. Two combo inputs with Hi-Z on both let a guitar and a vocal, or a DI and a room mic, be captured in the same pass, and it carries the largest review base of any full desktop interface we tested in this category at over 2,600 ratings.
Read the 10 Best Audio Interfaces for Guitar of 2026 (Picks for Amp Sims, Bass and Acoustic) guide →
Focusrite Scarlett 4i4 4th Gen USB-C Audio Interface
Four inputs and four outputs are enough to record a mic'd cabinet, a DI'd guitar and a vocal in a single pass, a setup that forces most one- and two-input interfaces into separate takes. It carries the same Air mode ISA circuitry as the 2i2 along with MIDI in and out, so a pedal switcher or controller joins the setup without a second box.
Read the 10 Best Audio Interfaces for Guitar of 2026 (Picks for Amp Sims, Bass and Acoustic) guide → Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 4th Gen USB-C Audio Interface
Auto Gain sets a usable recording level in about ten seconds and Clip Safe pulls gain back automatically before a peak distorts, addressing the most common reason a first recording comes back unusable. Air mode adds a presence lift and harmonic drive derived from Focusrite's ISA console preamps, and the bundled Pro Tools Intro, Ableton Live Lite and Cubase LE put a full DAW on the machine the same evening.
Read the 13 Best Audio Interfaces of 2026 (Home Studio, Podcasting, iPad & 8-Channel) guide → Focusrite Scarlett 4i4 4th Gen USB-C Audio Interface
It carries the same Auto Gain, Clip Safe and Air circuitry as the 2i2 with double the inputs and outputs, so nothing is traded away for the extra channels, and MIDI in plus four line outputs make it a natural hub for a room with a synth or a drum machine. At 4.7 stars it holds the highest rating of any interface we reviewed on that page.
Read the 13 Best Audio Interfaces of 2026 (Home Studio, Podcasting, iPad & 8-Channel) guide →
Focusrite Scarlett Solo Studio 4th Gen Bundle
Interface, a CM25 MkIII large-diaphragm condenser microphone and closed-back SH-450 headphones arrive together, so there is genuinely nothing left to buy before a first recording. The interface half of the bundle carries the same 4th-generation preamp and Air mode as the standalone 2i2, so nothing about the recording chain is cut down to hit the bundle price.
Read the 13 Best Audio Interfaces of 2026 (Home Studio, Podcasting, iPad & 8-Channel) guide →
Focusrite Scarlett Solo 4th Gen USB-C Audio Interface
At 69dB, its preamp gain is the highest single figure of any mainstream budget interface we tested, enough to drive a Shure SM7B or another low-output broadcast dynamic microphone without an inline booster. Air mode adds the same ISA-derived presence lift as the rest of the 4th-generation Scarlett line, and Easy Start walks a first-time buyer through setup with no driver hunting.
Read the 14 Best Budget Audio Interfaces of 2026 (Cheap Picks for Guitar, Podcasting and Streaming) guide →What earned Focusrite the recognition
- Focusrite traces back to 1985, when engineer Rupert Neve built a custom recording console at the request of Beatles producer George Martin; only eight of that original console were ever made, and the ISA circuit design it established is still the lineage behind the Air mode on every current Scarlett interface
- In our own testing, the Scarlett 2i2 4th Gen was a top pick in both our general audio interface roundup and our guitar-focused roundup, backed by the largest review base of any full desktop interface on either page
- MusicRadar's 2026 roundup names the Scarlett 2i2 4th Gen the best audio interface overall for home recording, and Sound On Sound separately gave the 4th-generation Scarlett line its 2024 award for best audio interface
- Auto Gain and Clip Safe, exclusive to the 4th-generation Scarlett line, set and protect recording levels automatically, addressing the single most common mistake we see in first-time recordings: a level staged by guesswork
- The Scarlett Solo Studio Bundle pairs the Solo interface with a genuine large-diaphragm condenser microphone and closed-back headphones rather than the throwaway accessories most starter bundles include, in our review of the complete beginner setup