Focusrite Clarett 4 Pre USB

Focusrite Clarett 4Pre USB 18-In / 8 Out Audio Interface

The Focusrite Clarett 4Pre USB is an Audio Interface compatible with both PC and Mac. The Clarett USB range has been designed to deliver high performance microphone pre-amplification with transparent audio conversion, in a low-noise, low-distortion lightweight unit. The dynamic range of the Interfaces in this series is 119dB, and users have the choice of either USB bus power (3A @ 5V 15W USB Type-C ports) or the included 12V power supply.

Focusrite Clarett Interfaces offer AD/DA Conversion of superb quality, 24-bit/192kHz, which produces a rich and clear signal path. The Clarett 4Pre USB is an 18-In, 8-Out device. Two Mic/Line/Instrument inputs and two Mic/Line inputs can be seen on the face of the unit, and are capable of recording anything from hot guitar pickups to professional Condenser microphones. The Gain pots are encircled by Gain Halo meters – visually showing the level of the incoming signal and whether it is clipping. A further eight channels can be added at any time via the ADAT input and addition of multi-channel preamps such as the Clarett OctoPre. The 4Pre USB also features a Headphone output with volume control, 2x Line outputs, MIDI I/O and two Monitor outs (with Anti-Thump technology).

Clarett series Interfaces record with super-low latency and each channel can enable “AIR” mode to replicate the analogue sound of Focusrite’s classic transformer-based ISA preamps.

The main features of the Focusrite Clarett 4Pre USB include:

• 4x Mic/Line Inputs (2x Hi-Z)
• 2x Monitor Outputs
• “AIR” Enabled Channels
• MIDI I/O
• ADAT Input
• Mic & Instrument Input Frequency Response: 20Hz-35kHz
• Line Input Frequency Response: 20Hz-35kHz
• AD/DA Conversion: 24-bit/192kHz
• Supported Sample Rates: 44.1kHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz, 176.4kHz, 192kHz
• Gain Halo Meters
• Headphone Output
• Mobile Control via Focusrite Control Software
• XLN Audio – Addictive Keys
• Focusrite Red Plug-In Suite
• Focusrite Plug-In Collective
• Softube Time & Tone Bundle
• Ableton Live Lite
• Loopmasters Sample Libraries (2GB)

Summary of the Focusrite Clarett USB Series from Sound on Sound Magazine March 2018

The process of choosing a USB interface just got harder, thanks to the arrival of another very strong contender. The USB Claretts offer the same excellent audio specifications as their Thunderbolt cousins, in a more universal connection format.

Pros

• Makes the impressive audio quality of the Clarett interfaces available in a USB format for the first time.
• Though not quite a match for the Thunderbolt Clarrets, driver performance is still pretty good.

Cons

• There’s no USB version of the flagship Clarett 8PreX.

System Requirements:

• Mac OSX 10.11 El Capitan, 10.12 Sierra or 10.13 High Sierra
• Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows 10