New Clarett USB offering!

    https://www.sweetwater.com/ins…ail&utm_campaign=20180113


    So, was making Thunderbolt interfaces just marketing hype as some of us suspected? (many of us felt USB 2 was fine, 3 was overkill, Thunderbolt ridiculously overkill)
    Still, this is what we wanted in the first place, so Kudo's to Focusrite for listening!


    I did voice some concerns over this unit at the time which I need to apologize and correct (again) for the record.
    It wasn't the Clarett, it was an OWC port expander damaging anything connected to it.
    Before it got blown by this port expander, it was a fantastic audio interface that I would be perfectly happy to own if I got rid of my Apollo.


    I think the Audient was slightly better sound-wise, slightly cheaper, too. But for what most of us do, either will do.
    They are, all 3, heads-and-tails better than all previous <$1000 interfaces I've had or toyed with.


    Of note, when comparing USB to Thunderbolt, the latter is a more "connected" port. Less chance of it coming undone if you move the parts around.
    This is something that peeves me with the old FireWire 400/800 ports that I still use for a UAD Quad. PIA if you use a laptop. Still, you can bend a USB to make it "tighter" if you're the daring kind.

    I’ve been happy with my FireWire Focusrite for several years now (a Safire 24 pro). I’d strongly want to keep with the company were I to upgrade but these are really pricey va the competition.


    £369uk for the smallest. I only need 2 x mic preamps for my purposes but I use spdif and the pair of headphone outs. To get that with these units I’d need to go to the next model up which has 4 mix preamps and ups the price to £549. That’s pretty much double what the Safire cost me. Bit of a shame that they leave so much off the basic one vs a few years ago.


    Gary

    Quote from GearJocke

    Seems obvious they didn't sell so many they hade hoped for with Thunderbolt.


    I think Thunderbolt works if you're using Apple, but to get Thunderbolt on a PC involves a significant investment on a motherboard that has it built in. I say built in instead of a card because not all devices will work if you hook them up to a card. For example, the Apollo units need a port built into the motherboard.


    USB is also much better because there are almost always USB ports on most devices (other than some of the irritating stuff Apple puts out, those guys act like geniuses but do stuff like remove headphone jacks on phones).


    A USB cable won't also cost you an arm and a leg if you need to replace one. I got so bugged when I had to buy two Thunderbolt cables for my Apollo because a $2k device with a $1k satellite didn't come with them.

    The interfaces sound so much better with the latest batch from Focusrite, Audient and Universal Audio (that is, past few years)
    But if you use SPDIF any unit will work better than 1/8 cable.


    Gary_W,
    What I liked about the Clarett over the Saffire was the audio mix software they employ now. It's KILLER better over the old one. But yeah, you gotta drop some dough for it.
    If I had to get an audio interface again, I'd probably go with the Clarett. I'd like to ween away from UA's plugins scheme.


    Audient was nice, too. A little cheaper. But the converters on that unit are primo! I think it has the best converters of the lot.


    That said, the Apollo has been really no problem for me, but for the money, it should poop gold rings annually. So the "Wow" to Price ratio is par for that unit, lol.

    Thanks for responding db :)


    Good to hear there is a sonic improvement. Also nice that they’ve improved the mixer software. The one with the Sapphire is truly awful IMO. I’m sure, if you put the hours in, you can learn to do what you want but I never have! I have to leave it alone as my poor brain cannot cope with it!


    Besides the mixer, the only ‘issue’ is getting enough gain for a Shure SM7b which I understand is a common theme :). I bought a Cloudlifter and that has fixed the issue, That mic is very kind to my voice, thankfully :)


    Gary

    That mixer software for all three, Apollo, Clarett, and Audient's now are much more simplistic.


    I really hated the Saffire mixer. The POINT of a hardware unit is to set things with the hardware, right? haha.
    I get why they do it, but they've learned from their mistakes and no doubt much input from confused customers.


    They got it right now. I found it rather intuitive.

    Quote from db9091

    https://www.sweetwater.com/ins…ail&utm_campaign=20180113


    So, was making Thunderbolt interfaces just marketing hype as some of us suspected? (many of us felt USB 2 was fine, 3 was overkill, Thunderbolt ridiculously overkill)

    Hi db, I think thunderbolts ability to stack units is great, especially for larger productions. For the home recorder, perhaps not, I agree that USB is far better than firewire. From what I've heard and seen, the Clarett line have a tendency to "end up in the shop", that's why I decided against it. I'm sure many have good luck with their units but I wouldn't chance it. I actually bought a 8Clarett PreX and returned it a few weeks later for an Apollo 8. OTOH, I've owned a mkll dynamic octo-pre for years without one glitch, fantastic unit.


    Many producers these days use Apollo and say nothing but good things. It has the best plugins without a doubt (not cheap), console, and workflow. It takes a while to get used to it and if you're using windows 10 like me then yes, you'll need to invest in cables, converter, motherboard, and most likely more DSP. The AD/DA are top shelf, some of the best and the gain staging is perfect. UA has awesome support as I've experienced. Yes, it's pricey but totally worth it IMHO. You may be able to score a used Twin for a decent price, but no S/PIDF on it kinda blows!


    Anyways, good luck with your decision Gary, if and when you decide to upgrade.


    Peace

    808illest,


    That is good to know! I haven't had my ear to the ground in that regard.


    Of MY Apollo twin, duo, it's been solid. I like that the rear power locks in. The SPDIF is not RCA, it's Optical, but one can get a cheap converter off B&H to service the KPA->Apollo and it works flawlessly. Only issue is it requires another wall-wart!


    The software is great. The audio quality is fantastic. The Plugins, mostly, are fantastic with only a few duds, but the ones that aren't are the best in the industry. I just about can't live without my Lexicon 224 or Neve 1073. The Ocean Studio is Wow. Etc. I think getting third party plugins through them is a waste as you can get the same plugins from the original companies that are Native, not DSP, and you can use many more instances of them on a modern computer (ie Post 2012) DSP became useless around then and currently is a gimmick of cheap "we're not gonna recode this because we're making a killing off the hardware that we sunset every 5-7 years.)


    Used to be Universal Audio hardware meant it lasted forever. Now it's like a McDonalds kids lunch. Planned obsolescence. Not a fan of that. But while it exists, like Apple was not so many years ago, it's got the best around.


    Recently they're getting a run for their money from makers like FabFilter. And the future is going towards artificial intelligence that analyzes and conforms, a la iZotope. It's not fully there yet, but it's impressive.


    The price has come down, but you're mostly paying for the stupid DSP which you need. The newer UA interface with just the SOLO is a joke. Poor suckers buying those will be buying QUADS in a heartbeat to run instances and THAT will require being plugged in. So it's a major FAIL out of the gate in principle.