Focusrite Clarett+ 4Pre USB-C Audio Interface Reviews

Perfect interface. Small footprint. Exceptional build quality. It has a very "high end" feel.
The "Focusrite Control" software works well and is easy to use.
I don't miss my mixer interface at all.
This unit into Studio One Pro gives a great experience! I can't even remember what latency is.

Amazing interface, 4 preamps, assignable outputs, great quality sound. Couldn't ask for more.

I dealt with Cory when punching my Focusrite Clarett+ 4Pre USB-C Audio Interface. He was very helpful and answered all my questions. He told me to call him at any time should I have questions. I would definitely use Cory and Sweetwater for my musical needs.

I purchased this interface based on the recommendation of Adam Trudel Sales Engineer and it is everything he said it is. Extremely clean preamps and A/D conversion is super clean. My mixes are better than ever, even on older projects and tape transfers. Plenty of inputs as well. Thanks Sweetwater!

I'm using the Clarett+ 4Pre and think it's fantastic. Focusrite support has been great in answering questions. There are a few things that I don't understand though, like why it doesn't have loop back. Loop back is available in some of the Scarlett units including the Scarlett 18i8 which is almost identical in input/output configuration to the Clarett+ 4Pre (though there are other differences between the two units.) I also don't know why the fixed gain on the back inputs isn't a little higher, as this would be very helpful. The only other thing I noticed is a little self-noise in the headphone outputs if they are turned up past 12 o'clock or number 5 out of 10. At number 7 or higher it seems rather noticeable, though it isn't often necessary to turn them up that high. I am told this is to be expected. This self-noise in the headphones doesn't seem to appear in the recordings but I'm still exploring this in a discussion with Focusrite. Otherwise this unit is great, and it has all that seems possible for a unit of this size and configuration, though I wish there were a small footprint unit with a few more pre-amped inputs without having to go to a rack unit. You can add an OctoPre 8 rack unit to this but I have done so yet because of expense and size. I'm also exploring creating an Apple Aggregate software device for using this and my Roland keyboard workstation together, in order to connect more than one audio device to my computer at the same time. The Focusrite Control software seems to work well on a Mac, though I've factory reset it a few times to get full access to its features. Knobs for this would be nice but I understand why the Focusrite Control software is probably necessary with this many inputs and outputs. Overall a great unit and worthy of 5 stars. The recordings as far as I can tell seem clean and everything functions well and is easy to use. I have not tried the Air setting yet, but haven't felt the need to, I will get around to it at some point. The fixed gain inputs on the back have allowed me to attach an older Sonos Connect unit which, for the most part, has made up for the lack of loop back. I'm very happy with this unit and glad I bought it, it was the best choice for me, it can use USB-C, and has almost everything I would want. The pre's seem crystal clear and though it is a little more expensive than the Scarlett 18i8 I feel it was the right choice for me.

exelente la experiencia de hay un cambioo total en el sonido y en mis mezclas y vamos por mas

I am very picky with my gear. The drivers a working well for me, low latency no issues. I do use a custom built PC tuned so that likely helps. DA conversion sounds great, low distortion. It's ready to add gear, synths, drum machines etc. haven't recorded much yet but the few tests on vocals I thought sounded good. For the price and the low latency performance it's a smart buy. Can't think of anything I don't like about it.

I have always been a focusrite fan even the Safire was a great for for me, for years! I've also used the UA Apollo for some time but the quality that comes out of my monitors with these pre-amp is hands-down the best I've ever had. The clarity and definition is unmatched. Thank you again Focusrite for providing us with another phenomenal studio piece.

Had this interface for two weeks now and couldn't be happier! It brought my monitors to life and the pre amps are amazing!!!!
Only reason I don't give it five stars is the Focusrite software that you have to use. Just not that intuitive. Took a week to get things routed the way I wanted with out feedback but now that I have its sooooo great. Didn't know my guitar could sound this good. Get it!!!

I only took a star off because of the difficulty with installation. The first time, the software didn't recognize outputs 1 & 2 which are tied to the monitors by nature so no sound was to be had. Then I reinstalled and it had output 7 & 8 being fed by inputs 3 & 4 but NO OTHER INPUTS. The online help was my next stop and following the Uninstaller directions and reinstalling fixed everything. It took a while bit it's rock solid now and I really don't think I can unfix it. You need to watch your output levels so you don't overload your monitors. This thing had my sub that feeds my satellites pegged so I switched to the 22db limit from 7 and it was all good.if you need that to make sense look up Eve Audio TS112. I'm not getting the pops and clicks noted in other reviews. This thing is hooked up to an Eluktronics Max17 with I7 11800 Intel processor with pro tools and the computer does not even get warm and neither does the Clarett+. So the instrument / microphone combo inputs are nice and I can see midi in my future with those in/out connections. As you probably know, you have a lot of reading to do. You can cut that down by not refusing to watch the YouTube videos. There are enough and then a lot more. In order, check out:
1. Your computer manufacturer website and install the latest drivers.
2. The focusrite website and watch the videos.
3. Pro tools website or whatever you choose for a DAW software, and then watch those videos.
It will turn weeks into days. But still, it's a lot to take in at one time. Don't get worked up about it and if you go through all this and still no dice call Sweetwater. You get two years of support just for buying from them. Don't buy the one on Dealbay or Hackazon just to save a hundred dollars unless you already have experience with this stuff. I have played strings for 40 years and been in or around IT for 25 and I'm telling you, the fact that you can get support for the wide range of stuff Sweetwater sells you is worth a small to medium fortune. One more thing...Sweetwater, stop using FedEx. They are always late and the excuses they come up with are ridiculous.

This interface ticks nearly all the boxes for me: the 4 analog preamps sound great, I like the dedicated knobs for individual preamp gain control, 48V phantom power, 2 headphone outputs with flexible mixing options using the software, etc. If you're recording vocals, drums, or electric guitar or anything with relatively strong mic signals, this interface could be just what you need. However, if you're recording quieter sound sources like acoustic guitar, I think there are better options out there. The issues with quiet sound sources are:

1) The useful gain of each channel is only around 40-45 dB or so. I find that recording an acoustic guitar with condenser mics needs to have around 50 dB of gain to get recorded signals that approach -15 to -20 dB of full scale. Dynamic mics need even more gain. Yes, you can gain-up the recorded signals in post using your DAW, but I have other interfaces (e.g., Apogee) that allow me to record the acoustic guitar at higher levels, and the preamps are still quiet. Not a deal-breaker, but point 2 below, is the bigger problem.

2) With the gain knob all the way clockwise (max gain), the noise floor is prominently audible in the recorded signal. That's normal for any preamp/interface. The problem is that the physical gain knob is the only way to adjust the gain, and there is an extreme non-linearity in the preamp gain you get as you approach maximum. The software doesn't offer any preamp gain adjustments, so if you're recording a quiet source like acoustic guitar, you're stuck spending a lot of time trying to dial-in the maximum gain you need, without falling into the abyss of excessive preamp noise.

The main reason I bought this interface was to have a portable recording solution for acoustic guitar using three mics. Due to the steep transition between the gain needed and the noise floor, and the time-consuming act of trying to find that gain without dipping into the noise floor, I need to find a different solution.

I have made several good clean sounding recordings with my new Focusrite Clarette+ 4Pre. If your audio recording needs involve a couple of instruments and up to four microphones, then by all means get one for your home or portable studio. It also does a good job of bouncing midi tracks through virtual instruments to digital audio tracks.
If you want to record streaming audio into your DAW, then look for a different device. I can't figure out for the life of me why Focusrite built this device that will not connect streaming audio directly into a DAW. In order to record streaming audio, I had to patch the Clarette+ back into itself by either jumper connecting the S/PDIF out to S/PDIF in or patching line out 3&4 back into analogue in 1&2. Then you must go into Windows Control Panel and Focusrite Control App to create a new mix and figure out which input that your DAW can hear. I have yet to duplicate the S/PDIF jumper setup the Focusrite Tech Support rep quickly showed me via Team Viewer. Hopefully, I will eventually figure out how to mix in the Focusrite Control App.
I didn't think to ask about recording streaming audio before I ordered the Clarette+ because all of the four other audio devices I have used allowed me to just select a stereo in pair in a vacant audio track and start recording. My old, now obsolete, VS-100 and Komplete Audio 6 let me easily record streaming audio. Even our old Roland Quad Capture still works great in Windows 11 without any setup rigmarole.
Back to good stuff about the Clarette+, the direct monitoring of the mix in the headphones while singing is great. That is if I can program Focusrite Control to get the mix back to normal recording mode. From now on I will be using my Yamaha MG12XU for all my two channel recording jobs.