Focusrite has sold the same model names for over a decade. A Scarlett 2i2 from 2013 and one from 2024 share a name and very little else. Plenty of listings don't say which generation they are, and some guess wrong. The good news is that each generation left clear marks you can check in the photos, and Focusrite publishes the tells itself. Here's how to read them.
Start with the back panel
The quickest single check is the USB socket. Focusrite's user guides give one connector per generation, and it's easy to see in a rear photo.
- 1st Gen (2012 on) has a square USB Type-B socket, the same shape as an old printer cable.
- 2nd Gen (2016 on) also has a Type-B socket. You'll sometimes read that it's Micro-USB, but Focusrite's guides list Type-B for both the Solo and 2i2.
- 3rd Gen (2019 on) has a single USB-C socket.
- 4th Gen (2023 on) has USB-C too. The 2i2 adds a second USB-C socket marked 5V DC, which is for power only.
So USB-C rules out the first two generations straight away, and Type-B rules out the last two. To split the pairs, look at the front.
1st Gen versus 2nd Gen
These two look alike, and that's where most mislabeled listings come from. Focusrite's downloads site gives the difference in three details. A 1st Gen has a matte front panel, a black Focusrite logo and grey plastic monitor and headphone knobs. A 2nd Gen has a matte front panel, a silver Focusrite logo and silver metal monitor and headphone knobs. If you can zoom in on the logo, that settles it.
Inside, the 2nd Gen is the better box. Focusrite raised the sample rate from 96 kHz to 192 kHz and quoted quieter mic preamps and more headroom on the instrument inputs. Both generations of the 2i2 have two combo inputs with Line/Inst switches and the LED rings round the gain knobs that turn green for signal and red at clipping. Both generations of the Solo have an XLR-only mic input, a separate jack for guitar or line, and two RCA outputs on the back. Those RCA outputs are unbalanced, which matters if you plan to use studio monitors.
See the Scarlett 2i2 2nd Gen page for what to check on one.
3rd Gen versus 4th Gen
Focusrite describes the 3rd Gen front panel as shiny, with a silver logo and black monitor and headphone knobs. The giveaway on the Solo and 2i2 is the Air button beside the gain knob. Air models the top-end lift of Focusrite's transformer-based ISA preamps, and it arrived with this generation. The 3rd Gen Solo also gained balanced 1/4-inch outputs in place of RCA, and the gain range went up to 56 dB. The gain rings now show amber just before clipping as well.
On the bigger 3rd Gen models, Air is switched in software. The Scarlett 4i4 3rd Gen only has small LEDs on the front for Inst, Air and Pad, and you change them in Focusrite Control. A front with LEDs and no Air button isn't a sign of an older unit.
The 4th Gen 2i2 is the easiest of all to spot, because Focusrite moved its XLR sockets to the back panel. The front has plain 1/4-inch jacks for guitar or keys, and a row of buttons marked Select, 48V, Inst, Auto, Safe and Air. Auto is Auto Gain, which sets your input level for you, and Safe is Clip Safe, which turns the gain down if you're about to clip. Air now has two modes, a presence lift and Harmonic Drive. The mic preamps on the 4th Gen 2i2 and 4i4 have 69 dB of gain, and the Solo has 57 dB. If a listing shows combo inputs on the front, it isn't a 4th Gen 2i2, whatever the title says.
The Scarlett 2i2 3rd Gen and Scarlett 2i2 4th Gen pages cover both in detail.
Serial numbers settle it
When the photos are unclear, ask for a picture of the serial number label. Focusrite gives these prefixes on its downloads site.
- 1st Gen serials start with S, T or U.
- 2nd Gen serials start with V or W.
- 3rd Gen serials start with D8, F8, F9, P5, P7, P9, Y7 or Y8.
Focusrite doesn't list 4th Gen prefixes there, but the rear XLR sockets and the Auto and Safe buttons make a 4th Gen 2i2 hard to mistake anyway.
Watch for the 8i8 that never was
Now and then a listing calls itself a Scarlett 8i8. Focusrite never made one. The 3rd Gen range was the Solo, 2i2, 4i4, 8i6, 18i8 and 18i20, and the 4th Gen added the 16i16 and 18i16. A box sold as an 8i8 with four front preamps and two headphone jacks is an 18i8, and one with two preamps is probably an 8i6. Ask for a clear front photo and price it as whatever it really is. The 18i8 runs on a 12 V power supply, and Focusrite warns that the wrong adaptor is likely to damage it, so make sure the original comes with it.
Drivers and software by generation
Here's the part that surprises people. Every Scarlett generation still has current driver support, so the generation matters more for features than for whether it will work. Our macOS and Windows driver reality check covers other brands too.
- Mac. Focusrite lists the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Gen Solo and 2i2 as class compliant on macOS, so they work without a driver. The 4th Gen needs no driver either.
- Windows, 1st and 2nd Gen. Focusrite's current driver, version 4.150.0, supports Windows 10 and 11. An older 4.65.5 driver is kept for Windows 7 and 8. The Solo and 2i2 from these generations have no mixer app, and don't need one.
- 3rd Gen. Focusrite Control installs the Windows driver and handles Air, Inst and routing. Focusrite Control 2 now lists the 3rd Gen range as well.
- 4th Gen. Focusrite Control 2 runs it on Windows 10 (64-bit) and 11 and on macOS 14 Sonoma, 15 Sequoia and 26 Tahoe, and it also handles firmware updates.
One 3rd Gen quirk catches second owners. A unit that's never been set up starts in Easy Start mode, shows up as a storage drive and runs at 48 kHz at most until Focusrite Control is installed. On the 4i4 and bigger models, MIDI stays off in that mode too. It isn't a fault. Install Focusrite Control, or hold the 48V button for five seconds to leave Easy Start.
What a second owner gets
The hardware transfers. The bundled software mostly doesn't. Focusrite puts licence codes for the bundled DAWs and plug-ins in the account that registers the interface, and 2nd Gen units used a bundle code printed inside the box. Ableton says Live Lite serials are issued when the hardware is registered with its maker. So on a used Scarlett, assume Ableton Live Lite, Pro Tools and the plug-in bundles went to the first owner, and price the listing as hardware only. Focusrite Control and the Windows drivers are free downloads for anyone, so you'll never be stuck without those.
Which one to buy
For studio monitors, skip the 1st and 2nd Gen Solo because of their RCA outputs, and start at the Scarlett Solo 3rd Gen. For two inputs on a tight budget, a 2nd Gen 2i2 still does the job on a current Mac or Windows 11 PC. If you want Air, USB-C and Focusrite's newer software, the 3rd Gen is the sweet spot, and the 4th Gen is the one to hunt if you'd like Auto Gain or more gain for a quiet dynamic mic. Still deciding between brands? Read our best first used audio interface guide, see every Focusrite model on the Focusrite page, or browse what's for sale.
