Focusrite announces the upcoming release of the Scarlett Solo, said to be the company's most affordable audio interface to date.

This new 2-in/2-out USB audio interface adds to the already extensive offering from Focusrite, with even more focus on portability and straightforward recording without sacrificing quality.

Although small, the Scarlett Solo carries the same analog microphone preamp found on the bigger interfaces. This means that you can get the same highly regarded preamp that helped establish the brand, only this time in a smaller and cheaper format. Focusrite is not bluffing when they claim that their "preamps are considered by many to be the best in the world."

Because of space and cost considerations, the unit only has a single mic-input port, which makes it ideal for quick or mobile recordings. The mic input has built-in +48V phantom power so you can use professional mics that require phantom power to capture your singing, playing and more. The second input is designed to handle audio from musical instruments or line level input.

Having a good mic preamp is not enough for a USB audio interface, the preamp must be paired with a good digital converter so that the sonic fingerprint of your signal is not lost during translation. To achieve this, Focusrite equipped the Scarlett Sol with "Precision convertors" that will convert your analog signal into studio-quality 24-bit resolution digital audio, with sample rates of up to 96kHz and an exceptional dynamic range of over 105dB.

The company says that Scarlett Solo is designed to minimize the risk of distortion. The two gain knobs for both inputs come with colored halos that let you easily monitor your input levels - green means your level is good, while red means you are too loud and might cause unwanted sonic artifacts.

What differentiates the Scarlett Solo with other Focusrite preamps is its compact size and straightforward setup. Just plug-in your mic and/or instrument to the dedicated inputs, then plug-in the audio interface to your computer via the USB port, and you can start recording. Power supplies are no longer needed because the Scarlett Solo is powered by your computer directly via the USB cable.

Check out the Scarlett Solo in action:

Other features of the new Scarlett Solo include Headphone output ¼” TRS Jack, RCA Phono monitor outputs and it has a Kensington Lock slot for security. Like most USB audio adapters, it is bundled with software that include Ableton Live Lite, Focusrite Scarlett plug-in suite, Novation Bass Station plug-in (VST/AU) and 1GB worth of Loopmasters samples.

The new Scarlett Solo is currently available for preorder for around $134. For more information, visit Focusrite.

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