New Gear Review: Clarett 4Pre USB by Focusrite
With the Clarett 4Pre USB, Focusrite offers wildly flexible I/O and a unique “Air” feature that is sure to add some sheen to your incoming signal.
The Clarett 4Pre USB interface by Focusrite is meant to be a professional-level audio interface that is priced to be within reach of the home recording enthusiast.
Everything here is intended to offer high performance, from the clear, articulate mic pres, to the accompanying Focusrite Control software. This is an audio interface that upgrades and expands upon the features of the popular and even more affordable Scarlett 2i2 USB interface.
Today, we’ll take an in-depth look at the Clarett 4Pre USB and see whether this compact interface is worthy of playing a big role in your recording setup.
Features
The feature that probably most sets this interface apart from its competitors is its distinct “Air” control, which is meant to model the sound of the classic Focusrite ISA.
Engaging the Air feature within the Focusrite Control software will allow you to apply more top-end presence to your audio at a recording level; this feature is especially useful for getting vocals, overheads, snares, and anything that needs more “air” to cut through your mix.
Although applying processing like this is possible with plugins, I find it much easier to attack issues at the recording level, rather than the mixing level. This unit also has a hefty 57dB gain range, and +18dBu maximum input level. This means you can record your SM7B without relying on a Cloudlifter for extra gain.
The Clarett 4Pre USB allows you to record at 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4 or 192 kHz. For analog inputs, it features 2 combination mic/instrument/line XLR inputs with 48V phantom power, 2 combination mic/line XLR inputs with 48V phantom power, and 4 1/4″ balanced line inputs. There is also an optical ADAT input for expanding by up to 8 extra inputs, a S/PDIF digital input, and a 5-pin MIDI input.
For outputs, the Clarett 4Pre USB offers 4 1/4″ balanced line outputs, 2 stereo headphone outputs, a S/PDIF digital output, and a 5-pin MIDI output.
The software included with the Clarett 4Pre USB controls the internal signal paths of the unit, allowing you to reroute the signal to serve the task at hand. One thing this means is that it’s easy to create zero latency headphone mixes for your performers.
Additionally, I find that routing incoming and outgoing audio in the Control software is quick and convenient; if you have hardware already hooked up to the interface, you can avoid plugging and unplugging cables by rerouting audio internally.
My personal setup is as follows, and allows me to integrate my rack mounted gear. I’ll also touch on some potential additional use cases:
Outputs 1+2: Monitors. I need to hear what I’m working on, so outputs 1 and 2 go to my monitors.
Outputs 3+4: Patch bay. I send outputs 3 and 4 to my patch bay, which allows me to create a custom processing chain using my rack gear.
Inputs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5+6: I don’t regularly have a use for all 6 of these additional inputs on the Clarett 4Pre USB (14 additional inputs if you include the ADAT) because I don’t do much work recording bands. Most of the recording I do can be accomplished with 1 to 3 microphones. It’s important to note that only 4 inputs on the front of the interface allow you to use the Air feature that gets engaged with the Control software.
Inputs 7+8: Once I’ve applied EQ, compression, etc. using my rack gear, I run the audio I’ve sent to my patch bay back into my DAW using inputs 7 and 8.
Inputs 9-16: The Clarett 4Pre USB allows you to connect more sources using a TOSLINK optical connector; this cable plugs into your ADAT input.
Slightly less common in the studio, a TOSLINK optical connector is a form of optical cable that allows you to connect eight 44.1/48kHz, 24-bit channels to your interface, or four 88.2/96kHz, 24-bit channels to your interface. A TOSLINK optical connector has a capacity for the rate at which it can transfer data, which means you need choose between more inputs at a lower sample rate, or less inputs at a higher sample rate.
The Clarett OctoPre is what Focusrite intends the ADAT input to be used for. Something worth mentioning here is that you can select an optical S/PDIF input in favor of the ADAT input if you choose to do so.
The rear panel of the Clarett 4Pre USB features S/PDIF, MIDI, and TOSLINK optical connectivity.
Inputs 17+18: There’s a S/PDIF I/O on the back of the Clarett 4Pre USB which uses RCA cables, as opposed to the previously mentioned optical fibre cable (TOSLINK). This input allows you to record two channels of uncompressed PCM (pulse code modulation) audio.
MIDI Ins/Outs: Synth lovers rejoice; you can connect your synths to this bad boy using the 5-pin DIN socket input and output on the back of the interface. With so many inputs available on the Clarett 4Pre USB, you synth nerds should have no problem connecting the analog outputs of your synths to the inputs of the unit.
In Use
Focusrite has decided to deal with latency in a way that I find genius. Using the Focusrite Control software, you can route the inputs on the Clarett 4Pre USB directly to the outputs. This routing happens internally within the Clarett 4Pre USB, which means that the incoming signal doesn’t need to pass through your computer to reach the output. The result of this is that you can run an extremely CPU-intensive session in your DAW, but the performer will still be able to hear themselves playing with near zero latency (in their headphone mix).
The side effect of routing your audio like this is that the incoming audio doesn’t pass through your computer before your performer hears it, which means they won’t hear any plugins you’ve applied to the track you’re recording them on. These plugins will still affect the recorded signal, they just won’t affect the performer’s monitoring headphone mix. There’s a bit of give and take with creating headphones mixes in this way, but overall I think Focusrite hit a home run here.
The Clarett 4Pre USB is only compatible with USB Type 2.0, 3.0 or 3.1 ports, or Thunderbolt 3 ports. I think Focusrite made the right move by choosing not to exclusively use a Thunderbolt 3 connection. Computer companies and other hardware companies are slowly making the upgrade to Thunderbolt 3, but exclusively using Thunderbolt 3 connections right now will cut out a huge potential market; not everyone has these ports on their computer yet.
There’s a nice promotion going on with Focusrite, XLN Audio and Eventide that gives you access to one of four Addictive Keys libraries, as well as Eventide’s mastering EQ, when you buy a Focusrite interface. Keep in mind that you only get to choose one Addictive Keys library per Focusrite account.
The big question most people are wondering is, “Is it worth it to upgrade to the Clarett line of products from the Scarlett line of products?” It’s easy enough to go onto the Focusrite website and compare specs between the two lines of products, but they do in fact sound different.
The Scarlett series has a warmer, muffled sound, while the Clarett series has a cleaner, crisper sound. With the addition of the Air feature, adding presence to your recordings is no problem with the Clarett 4Pre USB. I didn’t think I’d be able to hear much difference between the two, but the difference was like night and day. You can watch a head-to-head comparison of the Scarlett series and the Clarett series by the Orlando Drummer here.
To Be Critical
I really wish I could rack mount this interface. I looked online to see if there’s any sort of rack mounting kit that I could get for it, but I was unable to find anything. My biggest complaint is that it’s big and takes up unnecessary room on my desk.
It would also be nice to be able to toggle Air mode on the face of the interface, but it’s not hard to do within the Control software—just tedious. Additionally, I would like to be able to select my sample rate on the face of the interface. These features were likely integrated into the Control software due to a lack of space on the front of the unit, but again, my solution would have been to just make it a piece of rack gear (clearly I’m sour about this).
The build quality of the headphone jacks is something that I’m also cautious of here because of the Scarlett 2i2 I used to own. I’m not sure if Focusrite has improved the quality of these on the Clarett 4Pre USB, but they started to wiggle around after awhile on the Scarlett 2i2.
Summing it Up
I’m contemplating purchasing the Clarett 4Pre USB after reviewing it because it fits within my budget and has all the features I need to connect the different devices in my studio together. The transformers sound great in my opinion, and the Air feature is a welcome option for when I record vocalists.
I want to make it clear that when you dive into the Clarett line of products, you’re paying a premium for higher quality mic pres, the additional Air feature, the Control software, and low latency. If these things are important to you, then it could be worth the price tag.
All around, the Clarett 4Pre USB is a fierce competitor within its price range; for $599.99 USD, this interface is going to provide some serious value.
Charles Hoffman is a Mixing and Mastering Engineer at Black Ghost Audio. After graduating from the University of Manitoba with an English degree, Charles completed his education at Icon Collective in Los Angeles, CA.
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