 This is the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, apparently the most popular desktop audio interface on the planet, and costing just $179. So why would you pay 16 times more for this? The Universal Audio Apollo X4. Hi folks, I'm Mike and I hope you're well. Some of those prices were based upon the manufacturer's recommended retail price, but I'll be telling you later how you can save some money with a great deal which is only available for the next few days. And whilst I will be telling you how this interface, the cheaper of the two, is better in one particular way than this interface, I have to say we are not comparing apples for apples. These audio interfaces exist at the extreme ends of the market with a lot in between. It is true that you can record some amazing quality music at home using the cheaper of these two audio interfaces, so why on earth would you upgrade? Before we get into that, let's talk about what they have in common. Both of these devices can take analog signals such as microphones, electric guitars and synths and convert them into digital audio for use in your computer software. They can also take digital audio and convert it back to analog signals so that you can hear it through things like your studio monitor speakers and headphones. And that's the core purpose of audio interfaces. Now it is true that your computer can already do this, but audio interfaces tend to excel at this, especially at the input stage. That's the stage where we take the initial signal and we amplify it using something called preamps. To grab that signal, both of these devices have combo inputs, allowing us to connect both XLR and quarter-inch jacks for mic, line and instrument levels. In the case where microphones require so-called phantom power, both can supply that. In terms of digital conversion, both of these devices capture at 24-bits up to 192 kHz and that's pretty much where the similarities end. So there is that one case where this cheaper interface is better than this more expensive one. Pretty much the Apollo X4 dominates in all other areas, including inputs. The 2i2 has two inputs, great for stereo recordings, but you can quickly outgrow this. Even a singer-songwriter may want three, one for the vocal and two for a stereo live guitar. But you may want to record a small group. Drummers especially are going to get a great advantage with extra inputs, not to mention keyboard players who want to leave several synths attached at the same time. Interfaces like the X4 not only have additional inputs, but also allow expandability via something called ADAT, which allows us to digitally connect additional preamps. But inputs are not the only case where more can be better. The Scarlett 2i2 has two main output jacks, mostly used to connect studio monitor speakers, and why would you want more? Well apart from alternative studio monitors, which can be handy, there are also other uses like sending signals to outboard gears such as compressors or re-amping guitars to alter their sound at a later time. The Apollo X4 not only provides six balanced analog outputs, but also provides expandability via ADAT. By the way, another reason for additional outputs is to create alternative mixes for headphones, but you may not need that. The Scarlett 2i2 has a single headphone output which you can use for both mixing and tracking. The mix you hear from this output will be identical to the one you hear from your monitor speakers. But what if you're working with another artist, perhaps a singer who wants a particular mix to help them with their performance? This is one of the differences with higher end interfaces. In the case of the Apollo X4, not only does it have two headphone outputs, but we can send independent custom or so-called Q-mixes to each of them. If we need more than that, then we could also use some of those additional outputs on the back and send them to a headphone amp. Just be aware when you're looking at audio interfaces that some may have multiple headphone connections but may lack the ability to send independent mixes to them. Whilst recording with an interface like the Scarlett 2i2, it's possible with most recording software to apply and hear effects while we're recording. This can be useful for example if you're a singer who wants a little bit of reverb while you're singing, or if you're an electric guitarist who wants to respond to the feel of an amp sing while you're recording. Now in theory this is wonderful isn't it? But in practice it can be quite a poor experience. And that's because of something called latency. Latency is a kind of an echo or delay which is caused by the fact that it does take time for your computer to process that signal with those effects and then send it back to your headphones. It can really be quite distracting, especially for timing critical performances. Now, if you've got a really well-specced computer, you're at the beginning of a project, there's not many effects and there's not many virtual instruments, you can sometimes get away with it, but most of the time you can't. And it can even happen when you're not using any effects. Now manufacturers like Focusrite get around this with a feature called direct monitoring. When you switch this on, the sound which you're recording goes straight into the interface and then straight back out to the headphones without the computer being involved. So there is no latency, but of course there's also no effects. Now for a singer that can mean that the performance can feel a bit sterile while they're singing and for electric guitars of course it means they can't respond to the feel of that amp sing. But what if those effects were not on your computer but on the audio interface itself? This is one of the biggest advantages of higher-end interfaces on-board real-time effects. Now in the case of the Apollo X4 this includes things like compressors, EQs, ampsims, reverbs, pretty much all of the useful categories of effects that you can think of. Now because all of that is happening on the audio interface itself, it means there is close to zero latency. Honestly, this completely revolutionizes your experience while recording and it's very hard to go back afterwards. Now you're not stuck with the sound that you are recording with because you can usually choose to either record the dry signal, the wet signal or even both. Now there's one special category of effects which comes along with the Apollo range of interfaces and they relate to preamps. The preamps on an audio interface get the signal to a useful level for processing. Now sometimes they will be using integrated circuits which is like lots of components on a single chip and other times it will be discrete circuits which is like individual transistors, resistors and capacitors hardwired into place. Now that's much more flexible and you can customize what's happening much more. However, it is much more expensive to produce. But in most cases on most audio interfaces we're simply looking for a clean transparent sound and although marketing departments may make a big deal about preamps, honestly I think most of us struggle to hear much of a difference or should I say the other things like the choice of microphone that we use will have a much bigger impact on the sound. Now traditionally preamps were not always transparent in nature and in fact some of them added a much loved color and character to the sound and this is where things get pretty special with the Apollo range of interfaces. The Apollo series has a special category of plugins called unison plugins. Plus simply these plugins interact with the preamps to mimic things like the variable impedance or the various different gain stages of legendary preamps therefore saving you thousands of dollars. Now all of these effects are great during the recording stage but what about during mixing? In the case of the Apollo range not only can you use these effects while recording but you can also use them in the mixing phase as well as inserts in your door but importantly the processing for these effects is still happening on the audio interface itself therefore relieving the CPU on your computer. Now I want to point out that not all audio interfaces with real-time effects do have this capability so make sure you check for that before you go ahead and purchase. Now in order to have all of this happening we need a really fast and efficient connection between our audio interface and our computer and this is another point of difference between the Scarlett 2i2 and the Apollo X4. The Scarlett 2i2 uses a USB-C connection to hook up to your computer whereas the Apollo X4 uses a much faster Thunderbolt 3 connector. Now some audio interfaces offer both types of connection on the same interface but they usually stipulate that you can't use real-time effects for mixing unless you're using the Thunderbolt connection so Thunderbolt is the great enabler in this case. However there is one sense in which the Scarlett 2i2 is better than the Apollo X4 and it's because of the USB-C connection. The Scarlett 2i2 not only sends data to your computer via the USB-C cable but it also uses it as its power source. This is in comparison to the Apollo X4 which requires the use of a power brick connected to a mains outlet. This means that when you have the 2i2 connected to a laptop for example you can be truly mobile with no need for a mains outlet. Here you can even see it connected to my iPad where I'm using Cubasus 3 to get a full-door experience with an incredibly mobile solution. So this has been a bit of an overview I haven't delved into things like build quality, hardware controls, color displays, talkback features and the infinitely more sophisticated software that you tend to get with something like the Apollo X4. But of course there is a big difference in price but with the Apollo X4 there's often deals to be had. There's one at the moment which I know about which is only lasting for the next few days so I highly recommend you click on the link for that in the description down below so that you don't miss out. There you're also going to find some other links to other audio interfaces which I've tried and can recommend to you. Now earlier I spoke about the fact that you can expand some audio interfaces with something called ADAT. I made a video about exactly how you go about doing that and you can watch that right here.