I just got a Scarlett 2i2, and I am super impressed. I already had all of the drivers installed, so installing it on windows was as simple as plugging in and running through a first setup/hardware registration.
I’ve been practicing primarily with my little knockoff squier strat, and enjoying myself a ton. But the problem was it just wasn’t loud enough to hear the places where my tone was really bad. I didn’t realize how much of an issue that was until I tried to play an acoustic and sounded like crap. So the choice was either switching to a different guitar, or getting an audio input. The audio input was 1/5 of the price.
The direct monitoring works great with my monitoring headphones. Connecting it to apps like amplitube and rocksmith on windows worked great. I haven’t tried Guitar Pro yet, or any of the DAW stuff included with the Scarlett.
But the real treat, imo, is that I don’t actually have to plug it into my computer though. I can literally plug the box into my cell phone with a USB-C → USB-C cable, turn off direct monitoring, and the phone automagically uses the 2i2 as an audio device. Then, if I turn on direct monitoring, I can load up the justin beginner app and it plays through the 2i2 and into my headphones, and automatically mixes it with my guitar. Definitely a great improvement since now I can control the levels of my guitar and the song audio independently, and everything gets mixed and sent up to my headphones.
I am going to be tinkering with this little guy a lot! I definitely understand why it’s so heavily recommended.
I’d love to see if I can figure out a way to use a powered USB hub to keep my phone charged, and power the 2i2 while still having the 2i2 registered to the phone. I suppose I can also put my phone on a wireless charger and see if that works. About an hour of playing dropped my battery by 10% so I don’t think it’s a huge issue, but still, it would be nice to have.