Focusrite Scarlett Solo vs M-Audio M-Track Solo: Is the Cheap One Good Enough?
This is the real question behind most first-interface purchases: the Focusrite Scarlett Solo is the default recommendation everywhere, but the M-Audio M-Track Solo costs about a third as much and, on paper, does the same job. One mic input, one instrument input, records to your computer. So is the Scarlett worth roughly $90 more?
Short answer: the M-Track Solo is good enough to make real recordings, and thousands of people do. The Scarlett is better in three specific ways that matter more to some people than others. Here’s who should buy which.
What’s actually different
| M-Track Solo | Scarlett Solo (4th gen) | |
|---|---|---|
| Street price | ~$50 | ~$140 |
| Max recording quality | 48 kHz | 192 kHz / 24-bit |
| Mic preamp | Crystal preamp | Focusrite preamp with Air mode |
| Phantom power (48V) | Yes | Yes |
| Connection | USB | USB-C |
| Headphone output | Basic | Noticeably stronger |
| Included software | Basic bundle | Substantial bundle incl. DAW and plugins |
(Prices and generations move; check current listings before buying.)
Where the Scarlett earns its price
Preamp headroom and noise. The Scarlett’s preamp is quieter and has more clean gain. This matters most with dynamic mics like an SM57/SM58, which need a lot of gain: on the M-Track you’ll run the gain knob near the top for a quiet singer, and you’ll hear a faint hiss on exposed, quiet material. On loud sources, the difference shrinks a lot.
Drivers and reliability. Focusrite’s drivers are boringly stable on Windows and the unit is class-compliant on Mac. The M-Track is usually fine, but “usually fine” includes more forum threads about crackle and latency. If you read our guide to fixing interface crackle and latency on Windows (coming soon), note that the cheaper interface is more likely to send you there.
Build and resale. The Scarlett is a small tank with a strong used market. M-Tracks are close to disposable at resale.
Where the M-Track is completely fine
Recording quality bandwidth is a non-issue in practice: 48 kHz is what most finished music gets delivered at anyway. Nobody has ever heard your demo and said “sounds like 48 kHz.” The converters in both units are far better than the mics and rooms they’ll be used with.
For podcasting, voiceover, guitar-into-computer practice, and demo recording, the M-Track Solo does the job, and the $90 you save buys a Shure SM57, which improves your recordings more than any interface upgrade could.
The recommendations
Buy the M-Track Solo if: the total budget is tight and a better microphone or more strings/picks/lesson money would otherwise not exist. Gear on a desk records nothing; a complete cheap setup beats an incomplete nice one.
Buy the Scarlett Solo if: you’re recording quiet sources with a dynamic mic, you’re on Windows and value your evenings, or you simply know you’ll be doing this for years. It’s the last one-input interface you’ll need.
Buy neither if: you might record two things at once within a year. Get a two-input interface (Scarlett 2i2 or the two-input M-Audio) up front instead of paying the sell-and-rebuy tax later. Our budget home studio guide covers how the interface fits into the whole picture.