Probably the best comparison video on the 2 interfaces you’ll find anywhere. I have been trying to decide on the 2 but wanted to know is there really a sound difference. Well this really helped me decide!! Thanks so much
It is most noticeable on the top end of the snare. It is pretty crazy actually. I have both and never thought to compare them. I typically run other preamps into it but man that air on the snare sounds gOOOOOOOd !!!!
Awesome comparison! In my opinion the Scarlett sounds a bit rounder, where the Clarett has a pretty flat character with a crispy high end with the Air mode on. I would pick the Scarlett and run the overheads through an SSL, API or 1073 plug-in in order to get that sweet and transparant high end boost.
thanks for this video! i've been trying to choose between then scarlett & the clarett 8pre (not x, but basically same quality i think as the 8prex). i actually preferred the scarlett in a few points - it seemed thicker & "ballsier" on the overheads & the snare. for me the sonic differences seemed not worth the extra cash. there's still that sweet thunderbolt latency to consider, but this really helped in my process!
Hi Adam, just upgraded from a Scarlett 18i8 to a Clarett 8Pre USB. Just wanted to say yours is a really one of the best comparisons I’ve seen and after trying it for myself. I can tell that’s their real sound. Thanks a lot.
The kit sounds great overall in this video .... (I can hear it easily mixed with other instruments) ... and it's one of the very few videos that has the hat and cymbals properly placed to make it sound like an actual drum kit. Most videos that I see have the hat and cymbals barely audible, buried beneath low end tones. The hat and cymbals provide a lot of the energy and I like to hear them as dominant as they are in Zeppelin's Rock and Roll & Kashmir and Deep Purple's Woman From Tokyo. The way the hats are played in those songs contributes so much to those songs. They are 2 great old examples, but that's where the legends are and they earned their status as legends. A lot of songs sound flat without the clear presence of the hat and cymbals. This is one of the best videos of preamps on drums that I have seen. Great job.
I just upgraded from scarlett to clarett. And what blew me away is what nobody is talking about. The AD DA conversion is far superior... Dynamics and Freq range scarily improved on monitor out. Enough to wish I'd just forked out for the clarett in the first place. And the headphone amp is gorgeous for the price point. The Scarlett ones were trash. As for the preamps.. I would rather cut air than add air on the scarlett if you know what I mean
This is exactly what I needed to know! My Scarlett 18 i20 MKii does the job but has a horrible stale headphone circuit. I know because I love those particular headphones on multiple other sources. Nobody has touched on this in any of the other reviews. Thank you!
What about when I use only for recording synths and drums on line cables? Am i getting strange feeling that clarett is only superior in mic and acoustic recording from mics? So my question is do I rly need clarret or scarlett when recording from line inputs? Or should I go for clarett maybe?
@@Judasz696To convert analog signal to digital information to record into a computer you have to have AD Converters. Analog to Digital Converters. The quality of the converters in the Clarett is a huge jump up from the Scarlett’s converters. So it’s irrelevant whether it’s a mic or line signal, the conversion is still equally as important. As an instructor in school told me, think of it as the snapshot of your music or audio.. The quality of that snapshot. Are you happy with a 720 or 1080p image or do you want a superior 4-8k image.
Wow! The overall detail on the Snare and Tom sample with the Clarrett is Night and day Through my in ear monitors. You can hear the snare wires and room and everything with the Clarrett. The Air feature is almost always "too much" maybe except for Hats
We can hear a significant difference in the lows, Scarlett doesn't have that range. After all, what makes Clarett more expensive is exactly whats worth in an interface! Great video, Adam!
It also sounds like the Clarett is more dynamic. The Scarlett is slightly "flat" sounding. It's a subtle difference but the Clarett seems to sound more detailed/dynamic.
Its kinda increddible how much better the clarett sounds. Definetly the difference between project studio and pro studio. The difference on the drums is approaching almost tuned vs not so tuned drums, everything is just more spot on with the clarett.
Dang, super helpful. Thanks! Clarett sounds a lot crispier and more present, though I almost prefer the darker sound of the Scarlett on some of the close mic'd stuff. Definitely worth keeping both around.
scarlett sounds more vintage right away. But you have to use eqs anyway. So not much difference here. I love my scarlett 18i20 and will stay with it. Good comparison though
i hear more dynamics in the clarett, i prefer the sound of the snare from the scarlett, but the rest sounds better on the clarett. i agree the air feature is kind of just eq.
do not take it as personal but you should try to listen more acurately and focused bro, I had Scarlett range too and when I went for my Clarett, uff my mixing and rec life was so much easier
Clarett has more presence and balanced sound for me (this can be mixing issue or gain level situation too). AIR feature is not so important for me cause it's mainly just analog eq boost at mid and high frequencies after preamp. But there is noticeable difference in preamps and imo Clarett is worth for the money. Scarlett is not really bad at it's pricepoint tho. I really want to hear differences between Clarett 8Pre/8PreX and new Scarlett 18i20 3gen. ;)
I've had my Clarett Octopre for a few months now and I'm super happy with it. I own other "higher end" pre amps and I've been using the Clarett more than the others! I love the AIR feature, it's super clear and I leave it on all the time but it's nice to have the option of it in or out, it's like getting 2 sets of preamps for the price of one. I actually owned a Neve 1073 DPA and sold that! The INSERT is great as well for some front line compression, eq, etc. You cannot beat the features and sound of these 8 channels of preamp for the cost.
Clarett 8Pre X also has dual ADAT, allowing for 16ch digital I/O at 44.1/48kHz, or 8ch at 88.2/96. Also has word clock in *and* out, whereas the Scarlett only has clock output
Awesome comparison, was wondering the very thing. I had picked up a Scarlett 18i8... but I already had a few outboard pres, and didn't need the pres on the interface to be amazing. By going for the less expensive interface I could afford to also pick up a Warm wa73-eq, WA-47jr, and a SM57. I like the trade off.
You can take that top end away, compress it a little and make the clarett sound more 'dead' and 'closed in' like the scarlett. You can't, however, make the scarlett sound more dynamic, or bring that high end back. The clarett is simply giving you much more information to work with
Wow I cannot believe how big a difference there is. I honestly thought it'd be subtle but wow they sound completely different! The Clarett pre's are so clear, punchy and clean compared to the Scarlett's.
Yeah, the bass drum difference is pretty crazy. One sounds good, but kinda like a mic in a room, you know, when I used to do demos at home, while the other starts to have that "something", that record feeling to it.
There's a little more low end on the Clarett, but I also assume that because of the price, Focusrite is able to build high end components into the design. I'm also listening on a pair of Focal Spirit Pros.
ok i vote for the clarett i don't have the budget for an RME or other fancy top end, but this can be a serious challenger for Presonus and other brand.
Great video! I actually bought the 18i20 3rd gen. The difference is you can apply the phantom power 1-4 and 5-8 at the same time and they added the air feature along with rearranging the knobs on the front. And you have talkback. A few other new options. And for the same price!
Awesome comparison, very eye (or ear) opening! Not just for the differences between Clarett vs. Scarlett, but for preamps in general. The Air feature is very obvious of course, but the sound is very different even without it. We use the 8PreX, and after watching this, we're happy that we do!
Good video. I was in the same boat for awhile, now own both. I use my Clarett 8PreX in the main studio and use Scarletts in a mobile set up, as well as for running backtracks with Ableton live. As a former saffire pro 40 user, I'd say both of these are great in comparison.
Clarett Thunderbolt if you have the Thunderbolt port free for it. The latency is better. I also think the Clarett's pres sound better, they can handle a higher dB level, and the AIR feature is a great option to have. The gen 2 Scarletts aren't bad by any means, but if you're gonna throw the money down, the Clarett is the better interface
The Clarett 8Pre X (in particular) lends itself to line level sources (such as external mic pre's) much better than the Scarlett 18i20. The separate line-level inputs on the Clarett go through a unity-gain circuit. On the other hand, there is no way to bypass the variable gain stage on the 18i20, which can make feeding it consistent levels from an external media source, preamp, or effects processor difficult.
Wow its crazy how different they sound! I honestly thought going into this there wouldn’t be much difference at all. Im deciding between the 2 so thank you for doing this comparison!
In addition to the better pre-amps, I am told that the Analog to Digital converters on the Clarett are some of the best available at it's price point. Not many reviews have addressed this, but that would also make the higher price easily worth paying. I was told this by one music store sales rep however, so not sure if that is indeed the case.
Did not expect such am obvious difference. I recently went from a Behringer X18 to a Steinberg UR824+Clarett octopre... Cant wait to do some recording, gonna be great :D
I have an 18i20 first gen that I have had for a number of years now and it's been great. But eventually I'll have to replace it so I have been looking more at the Clarett (RED is overkill for my needs) and I think this sold me. The Scarlett pres are fine, but sound a little dull in comparison to the Clarett. I feel less EQ would be needed on the Clarett. They also sound a little more open to my ears with a clearer, more defined lowend. (this was very apparent on the kick drum) And the nice thing with the Clarett Octopre (if you decided to add it) is that you also get insert points (mind you they are unbalanced for some reason) so you could track thru any outboard gear you might have on the way in to your DAW 🙂
So how does the Air feature actually work? Could you replicate the same effect in post with EQ and/or other edits? It does sound better raw, though. EDIT: Commented before finishing the video, got it :)
Both sounds good. I have had Scarlett, and now use Clarett. Clarett sounds slightly better. The Air ´feature´ is just blur. It is just a 2 dB raise in higher frequencies that you could replicate in any EQ. Like most other ´vintage xxxx´ settings.
I only prefer claretts on certain things. Like vocals (big time), kicks and snares. In a perfect world I'd have both and probably use the scarlett the most - guitars, hi hats,. Please note my judgement is entirely based on RUclips videos and I am yet to try them in the flesh. Hope that changes in the future because they indeed sound fantastic
absolute best demo of these equipment lines I have seen. The air feature is a notch better, and easy, but i believe the effects can be near duped on a scarlett track, and not that distinguishable in a mix. Thanks a bunch for diong this. You know what you're doing.
Thank you for this great comparison - just what I was looking for! I have a Saffire Pro 40 and have been thinking about getting the Clarett. The Clarett definitely has a more open and detailed sound that I prefer even without the Air turned on.
Tremendo trabajo hermano, amazing job brother. Gracias por ser baterista y por ser sonidista. Thank you for being a drummer and sonic. So........ Entonces...... GOOD LUCK!
thanks Orlando this video help me a lot ,im a drummer too and im thinking change my old project mix to a scarlett, also i have an octopre and i love it.
Man this video only made deciding harder, the scarlett has real nice upper mid clarity and a sort of natural "compressed sound" while the clarett with air really delivers that high clarity and impact i like in my DnB drum mixes, yet you recieve a little less mass while listening with that added 8dB range making it extra hard to make up my mind. Clarity and range vs. out of the box Punch and affordability, real tough. Loved this opportunity to prelisten before deciding though, great job! thanx very much! would love to see more videos like this, some real proper comparison.
I just watched a video in regard to the Clarett and the person doing the video was very strong in his stand at the quality of the converters in the Clarett 8preX, and that his people in his studio, when doing an A/B blind comparison can pick out the Clarett right away...so that is why I'm here...
The clarett has a tiny bit more high and low end detail. with that being said it is quite subtle. if you cant produce platinum quality music with the scarlet, you should look first at upgrading your mics, instruments, or treating your room better. also, this is probably the best interface comparison on you tube right now, good job!
From what I am hearing an input eq could contour the same sound. Not that it wouldn't take some time to find the right frequencies to enhance and which ones to pull out.
i’m doing blind hearing thru studio headphone and in my opinion both has the same result without air enabled. i think it’s great to have Air features on an interface if we don’t have ISA pres
I'd say that's a huge difference in the high especially, it made me sit up straight when I wasn't actually watching. That's got me convinced to give the clarett a go, thanks!
I think for my sound I need the cheaper option. I always prefer a more raw sound. But I keep reading all these comments saying how different they are, but I don’t know if I have some hearing loss or cheap sounding Bluetooth headphones (they’re Samsung btw) but I can’t hear much of a difference at all from these examples. Especially considering other instruments will be recorded as well.
I read a comment that in a full song mix it might not be as noticeable. Well now im curious of a full guitar, bass, vocals, drums comparison. All recoreded with scarlett and then with clarett. I also wonder if the clarett is worth it in a bedroom setting....
@Adam Tuminaro Yeah! You recorded Scarlett and Clarett consecutively without splitter, right? It feels like, you might get fater lower mids from the Scarlett, but overall the Clarett delivers a more 'brilliant' or clearer, less dampened sound, also w/o air mode. Great comparison! Pretty on-point A-B shoot-out. You might as well do more of these - maybe on mics!
Scarlett seems ok, But the Clarett has way better converters, Sound more open and clear even without the "air" function. Even the bottom end is clear and deep bass on the kik. You can hear that in the drumset recording But hey for the price with the Scarlett you get what you paid for.. Clarett is fantastic!
I just gt an 18i20 and honestly it also has the air fature and I feel like price point to quality you'd vbe hard pressed to find better, haing said that it's 5 years later so there is that
Hi,,,Adam brother,,am from Nagaland your subscriber,,,, i have been having problems in choosing between yamha EAD10,focusrite Scarlett and clarett,, could you kindly give me some of your experience advise am really confusing,,,, AS well as i need more channels For my drums please 👍
Dude...are those m-audio M3-6s? or M3-8s? How do/did you like them. I used them for 8 years until upgrading to Focal Twin6 Be last month. But that's really cool to see another user of those monitors. They weren't on the market long, maybe two years. Anyways, love the comparison because I still consider adding one of these interfaces. Thanks for the demo. Sorry to go off on the monitors but really, let me know what you thought of them if you can.
@@AdamTuminaro Thanks for sharing your experience. I had nothing to compare them to, they were just 3-ways I could afford, they lasted me 8. Now I see they don't perform well even for the price they were at. Thanks. I'll keep checking out your other drum vids. Love some techniques you demonstrate. I'm a one-armed drummer so I like watching good drummers, and stuff on drum production.
Holy shit, I first listened on my tablet with air pods and could definitely hear a slight difference (better top end on the Clarett). Then I went down to my home studio and listened again on my monitors (JBL 8's and Kali Audio 6's) and the difference was astonishing. The Clarett sounds AMAZING. I just placed an order. The snare especially sounds so muffled and dull with the Scarlett.
I must say, that with the overheads I heard almost no difference, but than all the other recordings, the Clarett sounded better and the Air feature improved it by a notch..... Great and very informative comparison!!!
Had a forte and replaced right a Scarlett. Wasn't satisfied at all with that product. Switched to a Clarett and have been very satisfied. I still prefer the converters in the forte but the Clarett has been a nice replacement.
Would like an updated version with the latest Scarlett. I’ve got an rme the 8pre is a great expansion option for mic pres to ADAT, so interesting comparison still. 🙂
Dammit man, I didn't want to hear a difference because of the price but I hear it for sure. Mainly to me the Clarett is just way tighter on the mid - low frequency range. But I also have to say the groove starting at 7:09 sounds great on both. I'm curious how much of this could be tuned to sound like the clarett with eq?
That wasn't really a fair comparison because the Scarlett also has the Air feature. You compared the Scarlett against the Clarett, then the Scarlett against the Clarett in Air mode but I didn't hear you compare the Scarlett in Air mode against the Clarett in Air Mode. Am I mising something or was that not the Third Generation Scarlett?
The Clarett sounds more tidy. The sound of the room is revealing. I was surprised to hear such a difference. The Clarett is in a different league. Now I want to upgrade my interface. I'm still on a LS56
I have the clarett, and am looking at another 8pre for a mobile rig that is more affordable. Sounds like the clarett would do the job for session videos, so thanks for clearing that up! Great, Clear A/B example! need more videos like this out there. all the best!
Dude the quality of this video is top notch! Your speaking, editing, comparisons, everything. Keep up the great work!
Great comparison... as a video creator, I know how long this must have taken to set up and edit, so nice one man - great job!
Top end on Clarett is impressive.
its got a sparkliness instead of tinniness forsure
Probably the best comparison video on the 2 interfaces you’ll find anywhere. I have been trying to decide on the 2 but wanted to know is there really a sound difference. Well this really helped me decide!! Thanks so much
Wow. Didn't think that interfaces could differ in sound so much. Great vid!
It is most noticeable on the top end of the snare. It is pretty crazy actually. I have both and never thought to compare them. I typically run other preamps into it but man that air on the snare sounds gOOOOOOOd !!!!
Awesome comparison! In my opinion the Scarlett sounds a bit rounder, where the Clarett has a pretty flat character with a crispy high end with the Air mode on. I would pick the Scarlett and run the overheads through an SSL, API or 1073 plug-in in order to get that sweet and transparant high end boost.
thanks for this video! i've been trying to choose between then scarlett & the clarett 8pre (not x, but basically same quality i think as the 8prex). i actually preferred the scarlett in a few points - it seemed thicker & "ballsier" on the overheads & the snare. for me the sonic differences seemed not worth the extra cash. there's still that sweet thunderbolt latency to consider, but this really helped in my process!
Really nice job. I have the Clarett 8Pre and am appreciating this information.
Hi Adam, just upgraded from a Scarlett 18i8 to a Clarett 8Pre USB. Just wanted to say yours is a really one of the best comparisons I’ve seen and after trying it for myself. I can tell that’s their real sound. Thanks a lot.
The clarett is a bit more clear and crisp. Its catching the more sensitive nuances from the room and kit! Awesome video! 👍👍👍
The kit sounds great overall in this video .... (I can hear it easily mixed with other instruments) ... and it's one of the very few videos that has the hat and cymbals properly placed to make it sound like an actual drum kit. Most videos that I see have the hat and cymbals barely audible, buried beneath low end tones. The hat and cymbals provide a lot of the energy and I like to hear them as dominant as they are in Zeppelin's Rock and Roll & Kashmir and Deep Purple's Woman From Tokyo. The way the hats are played in those songs contributes so much to those songs. They are 2 great old examples, but that's where the legends are and they earned their status as legends. A lot of songs sound flat without the clear presence of the hat and cymbals. This is one of the best videos of preamps on drums that I have seen. Great job.
dat Clarett tho 👀
I just upgraded from scarlett to clarett. And what blew me away is what nobody is talking about. The AD DA conversion is far superior... Dynamics and Freq range scarily improved on monitor out. Enough to wish I'd just forked out for the clarett in the first place. And the headphone amp is gorgeous for the price point. The Scarlett ones were trash. As for the preamps.. I would rather cut air than add air on the scarlett if you know what I mean
This is exactly what I needed to know! My Scarlett 18 i20 MKii does the job but has a horrible stale headphone circuit. I know because I love those particular headphones on multiple other sources.
Nobody has touched on this in any of the other reviews. Thank you!
What about when I use only for recording synths and drums on line cables? Am i getting strange feeling that clarett is only superior in mic and acoustic recording from mics? So my question is do I rly need clarret or scarlett when recording from line inputs? Or should I go for clarett maybe?
Thank you. Very few people get in to converters. I’m glad I have a school instructor that emphasized this, and I listened and got the Clarett Octopre.
@@Judasz696To convert analog signal to digital information to record into a computer you have to have AD Converters. Analog to Digital Converters. The quality of the converters in the Clarett is a huge jump up from the Scarlett’s converters. So it’s irrelevant whether it’s a mic or line signal, the conversion is still equally as important.
As an instructor in school told me, think of it as the snapshot of your music or audio.. The quality of that snapshot. Are you happy with a 720 or 1080p image or do you want a superior 4-8k image.
Wow! The overall detail on the Snare and Tom sample with the Clarrett is Night and day Through my in ear monitors. You can hear the snare wires and room and everything with the Clarrett.
The Air feature is almost always "too much" maybe except for Hats
Love this video, best preamp comparison I've ever watched!
Its more about the converters
We can hear a significant difference in the lows, Scarlett doesn't have that range. After all, what makes Clarett more expensive is exactly whats worth in an interface! Great video, Adam!
It also sounds like the Clarett is more dynamic. The Scarlett is slightly "flat" sounding. It's a subtle difference but the Clarett seems to sound more detailed/dynamic.
Clarett has more presence and dynamic to my ears but I quite like the darker sound of scarlett as well..
Great playing !
Its kinda increddible how much better the clarett sounds. Definetly the difference between project studio and pro studio. The difference on the drums is approaching almost tuned vs not so tuned drums, everything is just more spot on with the clarett.
Great comparison! One thing I would've liked to hear was if adding highs to the Scarlett would match the clarity from the Clarett.
Dang, super helpful. Thanks! Clarett sounds a lot crispier and more present, though I almost prefer the darker sound of the Scarlett on some of the close mic'd stuff. Definitely worth keeping both around.
scarlett sounds more vintage right away. But you have to use eqs anyway. So not much difference here. I love my scarlett 18i20 and will stay with it. Good comparison though
i hear more dynamics in the clarett, i prefer the sound of the snare from the scarlett, but the rest sounds better on the clarett. i agree the air feature is kind of just eq.
do not take it as personal but you should try to listen more acurately and focused bro, I had Scarlett range too and when I went for my Clarett, uff my mixing and rec life was so much easier
Well. I choose scarlet for "budget" air feature can solve with EQ (i think)
same opinion so far
There is a huge difference, the scarlet is more muddy where as the other has less low mids even without the air function.
You read my mind! \m/ \m/
You ever hear of the phrase “garbage in garbage out?”.
Clarett has more presence and balanced sound for me (this can be mixing issue or gain level situation too). AIR feature is not so important for me cause it's mainly just analog eq boost at mid and high frequencies after preamp. But there is noticeable difference in preamps and imo Clarett is worth for the money. Scarlett is not really bad at it's pricepoint tho. I really want to hear differences between Clarett 8Pre/8PreX and new Scarlett 18i20 3gen. ;)
Appreciate you doing this. I clearly now know the difference sonically of the two units.
These are the quality and un-bias as possible comparisons we need! Thanks!
I've had my Clarett Octopre for a few months now and I'm super happy with it. I own other "higher end" pre amps and I've been using the Clarett more than the others! I love the AIR feature, it's super clear and I leave it on all the time but it's nice to have the option of it in or out, it's like getting 2 sets of preamps for the price of one. I actually owned a Neve 1073 DPA and sold that! The INSERT is great as well for some front line compression, eq, etc. You cannot beat the features and sound of these 8 channels of preamp for the cost.
Clarett 8Pre X also has dual ADAT, allowing for 16ch digital I/O at 44.1/48kHz, or 8ch at 88.2/96.
Also has word clock in *and* out, whereas the Scarlett only has clock output
Even with my phones audio card and apple earphones i can hear an obvious difference. Incredible. Credit to great drum playing as well
Awesome comparison, was wondering the very thing. I had picked up a Scarlett 18i8... but I already had a few outboard pres, and didn't need the pres on the interface to be amazing. By going for the less expensive interface I could afford to also pick up a Warm wa73-eq, WA-47jr, and a SM57. I like the trade off.
You can take that top end away, compress it a little and make the clarett sound more 'dead' and 'closed in' like the scarlett. You can't, however, make the scarlett sound more dynamic, or bring that high end back. The clarett is simply giving you much more information to work with
Clarett really worth it's price. nice transient and depth of the sound. Thanks, good work
Wow I cannot believe how big a difference there is. I honestly thought it'd be subtle but wow they sound completely different! The Clarett pre's are so clear, punchy and clean compared to the Scarlett's.
Wow you must be a really good engineer ...
Yeah, the bass drum difference is pretty crazy. One sounds good, but kinda like a mic in a room, you know, when I used to do demos at home, while the other starts to have that "something", that record feeling to it.
There's a little more low end on the Clarett, but I also assume that because of the price, Focusrite is able to build high end components into the design. I'm also listening on a pair of Focal Spirit Pros.
ok i vote for the clarett i don't have the budget for an RME or other fancy top end, but this can be a serious challenger for Presonus and other brand.
Great video! I actually bought the 18i20 3rd gen. The difference is you can apply the phantom power 1-4 and 5-8 at the same time and they added the air feature along with rearranging the knobs on the front. And you have talkback. A few other new options. And for the same price!
Awesome comparison, very eye (or ear) opening! Not just for the differences between Clarett vs. Scarlett, but for preamps in general. The Air feature is very obvious of course, but the sound is very different even without it. We use the 8PreX, and after watching this, we're happy that we do!
Good video. I was in the same boat for awhile, now own both. I use my Clarett 8PreX in the main studio and use Scarletts in a mobile set up, as well as for running backtracks with Ableton live. As a former saffire pro 40 user, I'd say both of these are great in comparison.
i need one for record out of my studio ; do you think it's better to have a scarlett or clarett USB or Thunderbolt ??
Clarett Thunderbolt if you have the Thunderbolt port free for it. The latency is better. I also think the Clarett's pres sound better, they can handle a higher dB level, and the AIR feature is a great option to have. The gen 2 Scarletts aren't bad by any means, but if you're gonna throw the money down, the Clarett is the better interface
The Clarett 8Pre X (in particular) lends itself to line level sources (such as external mic pre's) much better than the Scarlett 18i20. The separate line-level inputs on the Clarett go through a unity-gain circuit. On the other hand, there is no way to bypass the variable gain stage on the 18i20, which can make feeding it consistent levels from an external media source, preamp, or effects processor difficult.
Wow its crazy how different they sound! I honestly thought going into this there wouldn’t be much difference at all. Im deciding between the 2 so thank you for doing this comparison!
In addition to the better pre-amps, I am told that the Analog to Digital converters on the Clarett are some of the best available at it's price point. Not many reviews have addressed this, but that would also make the higher price easily worth paying. I was told this by one music store sales rep however, so not sure if that is indeed the case.
Did not expect such am obvious difference. I recently went from a Behringer X18 to a Steinberg UR824+Clarett octopre... Cant wait to do some recording, gonna be great :D
I have an 18i20 first gen that I have had for a number of years now and it's been great. But eventually I'll have to replace it so I have been looking more at the Clarett (RED is overkill for my needs) and I think this sold me. The Scarlett pres are fine, but sound a little dull in comparison to the Clarett. I feel less EQ would be needed on the Clarett. They also sound a little more open to my ears with a clearer, more defined lowend. (this was very apparent on the kick drum)
And the nice thing with the Clarett Octopre (if you decided to add it) is that you also get insert points (mind you they are unbalanced for some reason) so you could track thru any outboard gear you might have on the way in to your DAW 🙂
So how does the Air feature actually work? Could you replicate the same effect in post with EQ and/or other edits? It does sound better raw, though.
EDIT: Commented before finishing the video, got it :)
definitely one of the very best comparison videos I've seen. Good job!
Both sounds good. I have had Scarlett, and now use Clarett. Clarett sounds slightly better. The Air ´feature´ is just blur. It is just a 2 dB raise in higher frequencies that you could
replicate in any EQ. Like most other ´vintage xxxx´ settings.
I only prefer claretts on certain things. Like vocals (big time), kicks and snares. In a perfect world I'd have both and probably use the scarlett the most - guitars, hi hats,. Please note my judgement is entirely based on RUclips videos and I am yet to try them in the flesh. Hope that changes in the future because they indeed sound fantastic
absolute best demo of these equipment lines I have seen. The air feature is a notch better, and easy, but i believe the effects can be near duped on a scarlett track, and not that distinguishable in a mix. Thanks a bunch for diong this. You know what you're doing.
Thank you for this great comparison - just what I was looking for! I have a Saffire Pro 40 and have been thinking about getting the Clarett. The Clarett definitely has a more open and detailed sound that I prefer even without the Air turned on.
Very professional comparison! Thank you!
This is a really well done comparison, Thank you very much. Seems i'll be getting the new USB-C Clarett when it comes to Australia.
Hmm, I am about to get the Thunderbolt one, is this the same you are talking about or there is a newer one?
Tremendo trabajo hermano, amazing job brother.
Gracias por ser baterista y por ser sonidista.
Thank you for being a drummer and sonic.
So........ Entonces...... GOOD LUCK!
This is awesome my friend love this ❤
thanks Orlando this video help me a lot ,im a drummer too and im thinking change my old project mix to a scarlett, also i have an octopre and i love it.
Great video. I can definitely hear the differences. Really made a difference for me. Thanks!
Man this video only made deciding harder, the scarlett has real nice upper mid clarity and a sort of natural "compressed sound" while the clarett with air really delivers that high clarity and impact i like in my DnB drum mixes, yet you recieve a little less mass while listening with that added 8dB range making it extra hard to make up my mind. Clarity and range vs. out of the box Punch and affordability, real tough. Loved this opportunity to prelisten before deciding though, great job! thanx very much!
would love to see more videos like this, some real proper comparison.
Gen 3 Scarlett has the air feature now too. Should do an updated comparison
I just watched a video in regard to the Clarett and the person doing the video was very strong in his stand at the quality of the converters in the Clarett 8preX, and that his people in his studio, when doing an A/B blind comparison can pick out the Clarett right away...so that is why I'm here...
The clarett has a tiny bit more high and low end detail. with that being said it is quite subtle. if you cant produce platinum quality music with the scarlet, you should look first at upgrading your mics, instruments, or treating your room better.
also, this is probably the best interface comparison on you tube right now, good job!
awesome review brother!! This is some quality content you make ! thanks man !
From what I am hearing an input eq could contour the same sound. Not that it wouldn't take some time to find the right frequencies to enhance and which ones to pull out.
The Scarlett kick was panned a little left where the Clarett was dead center.
Best comparison I've heard! Thanks, so helpful!
i’m doing blind hearing thru studio headphone and in my opinion both has the same result without air enabled.
i think it’s great to have Air features on an interface if we don’t have ISA pres
damn that piece looks so sexy; it would look cool no matter where it's mounted!
I hear more highs definition with claret(air off). You really didn’t catch that?
Thank you for this well done comparison, it’s exactly what I needed
What's up with that kick drum test? Sounds like the Scarlett is in stereo
I'd say that's a huge difference in the high especially, it made me sit up straight when I wasn't actually watching. That's got me convinced to give the clarett a go, thanks!
Wonderful vids as always, and I may have missed it, but is it right that the 3rd Gen Focusrite Scarlet now has Air Mode?
Thank you for this shootout, this was exactly what I needed to hear to get a better idea of what interface to get.
I think for my sound I need the cheaper option. I always prefer a more raw sound. But I keep reading all these comments saying how different they are, but I don’t know if I have some hearing loss or cheap sounding Bluetooth headphones (they’re Samsung btw) but I can’t hear much of a difference at all from these examples. Especially considering other instruments will be recorded as well.
Awesome review, and badass set up! I love the monitor by the drums. I bet it makes workflow so much easier!
I read a comment that in a full song mix it might not be as noticeable. Well now im curious of a full guitar, bass, vocals, drums comparison. All recoreded with scarlett and then with clarett. I also wonder if the clarett is worth it in a bedroom setting....
excellent video awesome drumming
@Adam Tuminaro Yeah! You recorded Scarlett and Clarett consecutively without splitter, right?
It feels like, you might get fater lower mids from the Scarlett, but overall the Clarett delivers a more 'brilliant' or clearer, less dampened sound, also w/o air mode.
Great comparison! Pretty on-point A-B shoot-out.
You might as well do more of these - maybe on mics!
Scarlett seems ok, But the Clarett has way better converters, Sound more open and clear even without the "air" function. Even the bottom end is clear and deep bass on the kik. You can hear that in the drumset recording
But hey for the price with the Scarlett you get what you paid for.. Clarett is fantastic!
I just gt an 18i20 and honestly it also has the air fature and I feel like price point to quality you'd vbe hard pressed to find better, haing said that it's 5 years later so there is that
Hi,,,Adam brother,,am from Nagaland your subscriber,,,, i have been having problems in choosing between yamha EAD10,focusrite Scarlett and clarett,, could you kindly give me some of your experience advise am really confusing,,,, AS well as i need more channels For my drums please 👍
Scarlett is warmer, clarett is clearer, punchier and tighter, lol. Hmm imagine that...
It's much harsher and the high end isn't nearly as smooth. You'll find in a mix that it just blends so much better.
Clarett for sure better
Thanks, this will help in my search for a decent drum interface.
Phenomenal video, thanks for taking the time. This is so good and so informative. Love it!
Dude...are those m-audio M3-6s? or M3-8s? How do/did you like them. I used them for 8 years until upgrading to Focal Twin6 Be last month. But that's really cool to see another user of those monitors. They weren't on the market long, maybe two years. Anyways, love the comparison because I still consider adding one of these interfaces. Thanks for the demo. Sorry to go off on the monitors but really, let me know what you thought of them if you can.
They stopped working after 3 years of use. I trashed them several years ago. Would not recommend lol.
@@AdamTuminaro Thanks for sharing your experience. I had nothing to compare them to, they were just 3-ways I could afford, they lasted me 8. Now I see they don't perform well even for the price they were at. Thanks. I'll keep checking out your other drum vids. Love some techniques you demonstrate. I'm a one-armed drummer so I like watching good drummers, and stuff on drum production.
Perfect job. Very clear and usefull comparison.
Does anyone know if the Focusrite uses the same Pres in the Red Interfaces and the Clarett Interface/Octo?
Where is the video where you do not use the AIR feature to properly A/B the preamps in a full mix...????
Holy shit, I first listened on my tablet with air pods and could definitely hear a slight difference (better top end on the Clarett). Then I went down to my home studio and listened again on my monitors (JBL 8's and Kali Audio 6's) and the difference was astonishing. The Clarett sounds AMAZING. I just placed an order. The snare especially sounds so muffled and dull with the Scarlett.
I must say, that with the overheads I heard almost no difference, but than all the other recordings, the Clarett sounded better and the Air feature improved it by a notch.....
Great and very informative comparison!!!
Had a forte and replaced right a Scarlett. Wasn't satisfied at all with that product. Switched to a Clarett and have been very satisfied. I still prefer the converters in the forte but the Clarett has been a nice replacement.
Would like an updated version with the latest Scarlett. I’ve got an rme the 8pre is a great expansion option for mic pres to ADAT, so interesting comparison still. 🙂
beautiful video comparison. 🥁👌
Claret sounds better even listening with cheap audio
Listening with adam a7x. I am a bit shocked that i can even hear a difference, thought they might be the same
@@marcusstrymon693 Yeah, I have done a blind test and noticed :)
Fantastic comparison. Great presentation.
Really great video. Thanks so much for doing this!!!!
Definitely seems like the clarett has more headroom or less distortion or something. just sounds like more 'space'.
Dammit man, I didn't want to hear a difference because of the price but I hear it for sure. Mainly to me the Clarett is just way tighter on the mid - low frequency range. But I also have to say the groove starting at 7:09 sounds great on both. I'm curious how much of this could be tuned to sound like the clarett with eq?
That wasn't really a fair comparison because the Scarlett also has the Air feature. You compared the Scarlett against the Clarett, then the Scarlett against the Clarett in Air mode but I didn't hear you compare the Scarlett in Air mode against the Clarett in Air Mode. Am I mising something or was that not the Third Generation Scarlett?
The Clarett sounds more tidy. The sound of the room is revealing. I was surprised to hear such a difference. The Clarett is in a different league. Now I want to upgrade my interface. I'm still on a LS56
The latest Scarlett's (Gen3) have the 'air' setting too and Clarett is pronounced like the French wine.
Thanks for doing this Adam. I’m deciding between the Clarett PreX and the Presonus Studiolive 3 rackmount digital mixer.
Este es uno de los mejores videos de comparación que he visto
I have the clarett, and am looking at another 8pre for a mobile rig that is more affordable. Sounds like the clarett would do the job for session videos, so thanks for clearing that up! Great, Clear A/B example! need more videos like this out there. all the best!