Focusrite Scarlett Solo 3rd Gen USB Audio Interface, for the Guitarist, Vocalist, Podcaster or Producer, Studio Quality Sound, and All the Software Needed for Recording and Songwriting
The perfect audio interface for a singer-songwriter
You’ve found the simplest USB audio interface we make. If you want to start creating studio quality recordings with your guitar, the 3rd Generation Scarlett Solo provides an easy way in.
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The interface we’ve all been looking for
Scarlett’s most compact interface – thousands of guitar players use Solo to capture studio-quality sound every day. Capture your music anywhere by simply plugging your guitar straight in or miking up
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The best sounding, easily
Getting studio-quality recordings at home has never been easier. Easy Start gets you set up, recording and playing back within minutes.
We’ve worried about the tech, you can focus on the music
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Your recording is 30 years in the making
We’ve been making mic preamps for 30 years, and the 3rd Gen mic pre is the best Scarlett has ever heard. Our decades of experience mean Scarlett sounds just like you
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Plug-In Collective, for a lasting connection
One free plug-in will be featured in your Focusrite account every couple of months, keeping you up to date with the tidal wave of releases. Nobody else works with software manufacturers like us
Comparison Chart
 Scarlett Solo 3rd Gen |  Scarlett 2i2 3rd Gen |  Scarlett 4i4 3rd Gen |  Scarlett Solo Studio |  Scarlett 2i2 Studio | |
| Connectivity | USB Type-C | USB Type-C | USB Type-C | USB Type-C | USB Type-C |
| Protocol | USB 2.0 | USB 2.0 | USB 2.0 | USB 2.0 | USB 2.0 |
| Form Factor | Desktop | Desktop | Desktop | Desktop | Desktop |
| Simultaneous I/O | 2 x 2 | 2 x 2 | 4 x 4 | 2 x 2 | 2 x 2 |
| Resolution | 24-bit/192kHz | 24-bit/192kHz | 24-bit/192kHz | 24-bit/192kHz | 24-bit/192kHz |
| Number of Preamps | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| 48V Phantom Power | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Instrument Inputs | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Line Inputs | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| Balanced Line Outputs | 2 TRS | 2 TRS | 4 TRS | 2 TRS | 2 TRS |
| Headphone Outputs | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Bus Powered | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Weight: | 363 g |
| Dimensions: | 9.58 x 14.35 x 4.34 cm; 362.87 Grams |
| Model: | AMS-SCARLETT-SOLO-3G |
| Colour: | Red |
| Colour: | Red |
Super Easy to Set up
This was super easy to get set up. I have my DT990 pros plugged in and only use this for gaming but it was extremely easy to get working. One thing I would say is that I would prefer if I had more control over sound.
One of the best and most affordable audio interfaces
Wanted to get a Scarlett for a long time and now since there was a deal them, I finally could buy them. Very good sound and build quality, like you’d expect from Focusrite. Perfect audio interface for those that are just starting recording or those that want one to use on the go.
Works well on Linux.
Minimal setup, hold the 48v to disable MTB and some parameters on snd-audio-usb ( that even comes out from dmesg ).
Seems that every possible set can be done through amixer, which is a nice surprise too.
Only downside is that the company don’t officialy support linux, therefore if in the future I run in issues there is a risk of myself not be supported by them
Small pack of punch! Quality little card for beginners and intermediate users. Arrived in a day, plug and play. I like that is on USB C-type, much safer then standard USB 3.0 or lower. On your computer it will read it as external USB, once you open there will be 2 links inside. One is link to manual another is for product registration and software pack download. Very good pack of software you get with it, more than enough for some beginner. Firstly I got M-Track-Duo, it worked for few days and than cracking noise and buzzing started so I had to return. Focusrite is double the price but quality comes with a price. I recommend card for beginners, who are entering the world of sound but are not sure what to choose.
great little audio interface
This is a great product with everything you need if you just want it to connect monitors or just have a few inputs. very easy to use and set up once you notice the website which is on the lip of the box, so not the easiest to see and took me 10 mins to just notice it and then set the software up properly otherwise it wont work. once set up very easy to use and has a great volume amount.
Perfect for home office use...
I have one of these already in a small studio at work and recently bought another one so I can work from home as and when required. They work great and I will continue to buy them as my go-to brand for recording audio.
Fantastic Audio Interface for by iMac
Attaching an instrument to your iMac via a USB/Midi cable is relatively easy, but this makes it so much easier to attach guitars, drum kits and pretty much any instrument that has a cable.
Using the interface is easy, you can watch a video to show you how to go about recording, and using it in software like Garageband is a doddle.
I have not used it yet for streaming, video or similar, but as a pure audio interface for up to two inputs at a time, this is a fantastic piece of kit and it looks the business too.
Connected up to Amplitube, I now an endless collection of amps, cabs and pedals and this allows me to record and practice silently.. very easy to set up. USB C into your PC. Guitar into channel 2. Headphones into monitor jack. Then set up Amplitube Audio/Midi settings with Focusrite USB ASIO Input 2 / Input 2 (not 1). No lag even with 496 buffer size. That’s pretty much it. Enjoy!
Save yourself the hassle of looking through endless pages of audio interfaces. Get this one. I’ve tried others and they’re not a patch on this one.
It’s so easy to set up and the software provided with this interface is incredible. Perfect if you’re recording audio or Podcasts. Which is what I use this for (Life At Your Own Will Podcast).
The gain monitors light up in green, yellow and red (letting you know when you’re clipping). The extra gain button is great when using a Shure SM7B mic. I don’t need to use any other extra phantom power for it.
I also have used it with a Shure MV7 mic (again, works nicely with it).
It offers brilliant quality audio (vocals). Haven’t tried it with any instruments other than the human voice.
I’ve yet to work out what a couple of buttons on the front are for.
It’s solid, sturdy, doesn’t feel cheap (not that it could ever BE cheap).
This is great for Podcasts, Peeps. I cannot recommend it highly enough. Seriously worth every penny.
Perfect!
Using this for live streaming, taking AUX mic mix out of Soundcraft Ui24R into the Scarlett Solo.
Ease of use and sound quality is faultless.
Have been using another brand of audio interface (UMC404HD) for the last couple of years, and putting up with the occasional “tick” in the sound feed, which wasn’t too bad, but wasn’t perfect.this Focusrite interface sounds so smooth out of the box, and the quality of sound on my last corporate live stream was so perfect, I don’t know why I didn’t go for this interface sooner!
(and it’s cheaper than the Behringer!)
Thank you Focusrite X
Very pleased with this overall. Surprisingly versatile, considering it’s the ‘solo’. Compatible with every piece of software I’ve tried so far, unlike less musician-oriented soundcards I’ve tried. Only headache I had was that after some months of ownership, the device started making static noise that rapidly inreased and required a reboot to ‘cure’. Then the whole process began again. Found on the forums that others were having similar problems, though none of the recommendations made any difference. Problem went away after a couple of weeks and I never got to the bottom of it. That significant caveat aside, still very happy with this purchase.
Finally, after close to 20 years playing guitar I decided to try this home recording malarkey! This is my first, only and hopefully last purchase of an interface. In this YouTube age, it’s probably best to use that platform as your step by step guide. There are some hints in the box, but YouTube is much better and clearer especially with setting up volume levels for recording. I had to consult my Reactive Load manufacturer for the best way to set up my particular rig, I highly suggest anyone else that’s unsure of anything or new to do the same!
The sound is generally good, but I found I had to turn my amp lower to get a tone that didn’t make it flash red (red being not optimal for recording, and as any tube amp user will attest, not the best thing in the world for great tube amp tones!) this is probably not going to be an issue for Solid State, Digital or Plug In users.
Loses 1 star as I personally found it a bit of a hassle to setup and ‘get.’ There are instructional videos but it’s still a bit of a process as everyone’s setup is different, and mine is perhaps a little more complex than most (Guitar > Tube amp > Reactive Load IR > Focusrite > Laptop) but once you’ve sorted it, it should come up ready to go the next time you login and plug everything in.
TIP : I found Reaper easier to setup than a couple of other more expensive DAWs, again just my own experience.
I’ve had this interface for 6 months or so. It is outstanding. Aside from the 4 inputs, which I use for 3 synths and an input for a microphone utilising a premium pre-amp and compressor, it has 4 outputs, which I use for monitors and one output for accessing the compressor as an external plugin for my DAW when needed, MIDI, which I use in conjunction with a MIDI merge and thru to allow input/output to the 2 synths with the best keybeds (would be nice if manufacturers would include more MIDI options but I think I might be a luddite in even considering MIDI over DIN these days), and a headphone socket. I’ve used the loopback mode, which works great, the pre-amps are good when I’ve had occasion to use them to mic a drum kit and aside from sometimes confusing software I literally can’t fault it. You can plug the lot in, then just one cable to your laptop and you have everything available. I would like more inputs, but that’s not the interfaces fault. There are other options I could have bought. Brilliant sound quality, imperceptible latency. Highly recommended.
Excellent guitar/bass/vocal interface
Very nice product and comes with a whole suite of software too (none of which is really necessary, but is nice to have). I use Audacity and this interface is highly compatible and easy to use. Simply hook it up and plug it into your USB slot. With Prime you can get this cheaper (and faster) from Amazon than from Focusrite’s actual store, so I recommend that.
Good solid entry level two channel USB audio interface
I use it to record spoken voice into REAPER using an Audio Technica AT2020 microphone. Good clear professional sound. The only gripe is that I had to try three different headphones to get a decent output, I guess you have to research that part of it. Works really well with DT 770 Pro set, lots of volume but still not much more headroom if you like it loud. Works great with studio monitors though, loud as you want.
Great, but...
It’s a great little soundcard and it is literally plug in and play (unlike other ones). However, and it’s a big however, the micro usb powersource is an issue (at least for me). The slightest touch of the wire cuts power, resulting in it instantly powering back up and causing clicks in the monitors, which might blow them. I’ve had to duct tape the entire wire down and still managed to knock it off. NOT GOOD FOCUSRITE! Buyer beware.
Best interface on the market!
If you want to record your guitars or vocals etc on to your Daw (Digital Audio Workstation) then this piece of kit is an absolute must have. It works with most daw’s Inc Ableton live, Cocos Reaper, FL studio to name just a few. I am using Cakewalk sonal le with it and haven’t had a single problem. No latency issues whatsoever. 2 channels which accept xlr or 1/4″ Jack plug connections. The unit supports phantom power for condenser mics. And has volume control for your headphones.
I have personally tried other audio interfaces and they are no where near as good as my Focusrite 3rd gen.
I’d been looking at this product for ages, weighing up the pros and cons after reading really polarising reviews. I took the advice of one of the top reviewers about the installation process and that worked fine.
I’m a hobbyist working on Pro Tools, which can be very temperamental with new gear (I bought the bundle with the Audio Technica microphone) and after a minor teething problem with the I/O, I had it all set up.
NOW here would be my advice and I had no idea I’d run into this problem. BUY A HEADPHONE ADAPTER so you can plug directly into the interface rather than into your PC. I only have 3.5mm headphones and the headphone port on the Focusrite ISN’T COMPATIBLE with them. I didn’t think it would make any difference if I plugged mine into my PC headphone port but because you have to set the Focusrite as your sole I/O, your PC sound can only run through the interface. I thought I could get around it by making a separate I/O in ProTools but that just caused a whole lotta problems.
Once I’d overcome that issue though, the interface worked wonders. It lets me run at a lower BitRate (512) than before, which has solved a lot of my lag/noise issues. The direct monitor feature is very helpful, as is the peak light system for gauging your input volume. The interface has a handy 48V button too for condenser microphones, and the direct instrument input works very well for recording.
Overall, I’m happy with the product. I know there’s a lot of negative reviews, and I can only base my impression on my own experience, so I WOULD recommend it to any budding recording enthusiast. Sure, there’s probably more advanced products out there but for people like me who just like making music in their spare time, it’s very handy.
Excellent audio interface with lots of options
I bought this after many positive YouTube reviews as I wanted to replace my Yamaha AW16 Audio Workstation hardware with a software solution running on my PC and so I needed a high quality audio interface that would do multi-track recording into a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) running on the PC – in my case CuBase Elements 11.
It has the most important controls on the front of the device, and it has many more controls implemented in software running on the PC. It connects to the PC through a USB cable and that also provides it with power. It can handle inputs at different levels: microphone, line and instrument. The sound quality is excellent with no noticeable noise on the meters. It provides monitoring output to both speakers and headphones each controlled separately. And it has a useful feedback system whereby I can play something in a browser, the sound going out to speakers through this device, but the device can be set to feed it back in again so that I can record it whilst it’s playing.
I also use it with Audacity. Although I bought it for use with a DAW, it will work with any recording and playback software although, depending on that software, the results might be the various inputs merged into a single audio track whereas in the DAW they result in separate tracks for each input.
Finally upgraded from Gen1 and boy am I pleased
I had been using a first generation focusrite for 8 or so years but recently it started to short out and in fearing for my speakers thought it was time for an upgrade!
The casing is sleek, no longer brushed metal and the buttons are more tactile and less “Protruding” than earlier models
The AIR function is splendid and really aids some of the frequencies that push presence. My microphone sounds more clear when I stream and my guitar has a smoother top register, I used to have to go to town notch EQing between 2k and 5k but with the new circuit its not so bad. To be honest I never turn it off
Overall I am pleased with my purchase and regret not upgrading sooner! I’m looking forward to experimenting more with tracking other instruments and voices this year with restrictions lifted
Good stuff
Does what it says. Lighter than I thought. Works wonders with a Mac.