Focusrite Isa One Microphone Preamp

If you’re looking for capturing clean, minimal noise recording signals look no further than this for under £500. The mic preamp and D.I are both excellent. I won’t be replacing this for a very long time, if ever!

Absolutely transparent

I was looking for portable mic pre that was quiet and transparent to add to my arsenal. I've also downsize significantly from the last jo, (with room full of gear) to a single desk, software plugins and rack-less gear that occupies a small footprint. The ISA One fits that desire nicely. It's very quiet and absolutely transparent. Which matters to me when I edit in post and not have to consider hardware added character, or going the extra mile when I find a need to cover it up or remove it. Especially when applying filters to work within the floor and to remove subtle room noise, staying in the gaps where its needed without cutting into the content. Upon first hookup and dial in, I was really surprised at how quiet my treated room is and that my previous gear, even ... MoreI was looking for portable mic pre that was quiet and transparent to add to my arsenal. I've also downsize significantly from the last jo, (with room full of gear) to a single desk, software plugins and rack-less gear that occupies a small footprint. The ISA One fits that desire nicely. It's very quiet and absolutely transparent. Which matters to me when I edit in post and not have to consider hardware added character, or going the extra mile when I find a need to cover it up or remove it. Especially when applying filters to work within the floor and to remove subtle room noise, staying in the gaps where its needed without cutting into the content. Upon first hookup and dial in, I was really surprised at how quiet my treated room is and that my previous gear, even when zero gained, still added something to the mix, (I had to confirm that with previous work that I thought was quiet). This simply adds nothing but gain only. In the past, most of my stuff wound up as highly compressed on the web, or going back to tape and noise was gained anyway due to the conversion. Not anymore. The edge this tool gives me will be realized in the final render. Glad I bought it.

First proper rung on the analogue ladder

I run a small voiceover studio start up and up until now have always done everything in the box and through a Focusrite Safire Pro 40.I was recommended by a few clients to upgrade to a dedicated preamp for my Neumann TLM103 and a few engineers I spoke to said that there’s little to nothing on the market that’s worth investing in lower than the Focusrite ISA One. As I mainly record voiceover I needed something clean rather than colourful.The unit sounds great and the trim knob allows for fine tuning of gain that isn’t noticeable in the recording. Great for keeping headroom on a peaky take!There’s four impedance level settings which each give a different character to the signal path without becoming too coloured.The unit also has a dedicated instrument path ... MoreI run a small voiceover studio start up and up until now have always done everything in the box and through a Focusrite Safire Pro 40.I was recommended by a few clients to upgrade to a dedicated preamp for my Neumann TLM103 and a few engineers I spoke to said that there’s little to nothing on the market that’s worth investing in lower than the Focusrite ISA One. As I mainly record voiceover I needed something clean rather than colourful.The unit sounds great and the trim knob allows for fine tuning of gain that isn’t noticeable in the recording. Great for keeping headroom on a peaky take!There’s four impedance level settings which each give a different character to the signal path without becoming too coloured.The unit also has a dedicated instrument path with a DI out for running to an amp so you can record the preamp and run through the unit to an amp without the preamp. There’s also an insert path for you to run to more outboard gear within the path.It’s got a great whopping VU metre and looks pretty great too.It’s very early days with it but I’m very glad I invested in it and look forward to recording more with it.

Great Utility Preamp

The ISA One is a great option for most situations that need a strong signal to help their recording pop. This pre has 80db of gain total and is much hotter than may other mixer/stand alone pres. The sound quality is bright and full. On guitars it gives a wonderful pump on the top and keeps the high frequencey detailed. If you are not used to a strong pre, this one will definately make you feel like your other pres are dark and colorless. The only complaint I have for this pre is that on very delicate sources like pianos or strings, it can add too much mid tones and make the strings sound very processsed rather than natural. This is not a negitave so much as it is a comment on its best uses. Again great for horns, guitars, bass, drums, and any other source that needs ... MoreThe ISA One is a great option for most situations that need a strong signal to help their recording pop. This pre has 80db of gain total and is much hotter than may other mixer/stand alone pres. The sound quality is bright and full. On guitars it gives a wonderful pump on the top and keeps the high frequencey detailed. If you are not used to a strong pre, this one will definately make you feel like your other pres are dark and colorless. The only complaint I have for this pre is that on very delicate sources like pianos or strings, it can add too much mid tones and make the strings sound very processsed rather than natural. This is not a negitave so much as it is a comment on its best uses. Again great for horns, guitars, bass, drums, and any other source that needs a little bit of pump to make the sound fuller.

Levelled Up

What a difference this makes to my vocal recording! The dynamic range has really improved the quality of the recording. I have seen and known about this device for ages, it would have improved all my previous home recordings.

Look no further

Have tried them all. Want a professional sounding pre-amp this is it. Had bought and sold one and then tested a dozen of them. Also, tubes can be inconsistent so having one that doesn't rely on that technology is nice. It's not stealthy looking but would rather have something that works well than something that looks great but isn't worth anything. I pair it with my AT4047. Works great with just about anything from voice to guitar. Nice that it has the DI that you can record with at the same time even though I've been recording voice and acoustic guitar together. Get ready to spend 2-3x as much if you want to get this quality. I wouldn't monkey around and just get this. Once you have professional sounding audio nothing is going to necessarily sound better in my ... MoreHave tried them all. Want a professional sounding pre-amp this is it. Had bought and sold one and then tested a dozen of them. Also, tubes can be inconsistent so having one that doesn't rely on that technology is nice. It's not stealthy looking but would rather have something that works well than something that looks great but isn't worth anything. I pair it with my AT4047. Works great with just about anything from voice to guitar. Nice that it has the DI that you can record with at the same time even though I've been recording voice and acoustic guitar together. Get ready to spend 2-3x as much if you want to get this quality. I wouldn't monkey around and just get this. Once you have professional sounding audio nothing is going to necessarily sound better in my opinion. What a bargain.

One of the best mic preamps under $1000

Plugged it in to my DAW and without really knowing how to get full use out of it, noticed an immediate dramatic improvement in the sound when tracking. Probably one of the best preamps available for the money. Looking forward to seeing what it can do with more experience.

Quality in and quality out the ISA is just that.

I was looking for a preamp that would give my guitar and vocals a transparent sound as well as add some color when I needed it. ISA one does that. I have a basement project studio and no one else but me uses it but me (maybe a friend or two). My point is I'm not in the Music business and I just want to record my stuff. When I cut my teeth in recording I worked in real recording studio with lots of excellent mics, analog outboard gear and 2' tape. This was back when digital was thought as noise reduction not the beginning the middle and end of the process. Back to the review, I can't afford to buy the gear my ears are use to for that matter who can? This Focusrite ISA One is great analog to the gear I was able listen to back in the day and at a price I can afford. ... MoreI was looking for a preamp that would give my guitar and vocals a transparent sound as well as add some color when I needed it. ISA one does that. I have a basement project studio and no one else but me uses it but me (maybe a friend or two). My point is I'm not in the Music business and I just want to record my stuff. When I cut my teeth in recording I worked in real recording studio with lots of excellent mics, analog outboard gear and 2' tape. This was back when digital was thought as noise reduction not the beginning the middle and end of the process. Back to the review, I can't afford to buy the gear my ears are use to for that matter who can? This Focusrite ISA One is great analog to the gear I was able listen to back in the day and at a price I can afford. That said the ability to have separate outputs for the DI and mic/line make this preamp a twofer. Well worth the price. Quality in and quality out the ISA is just that.

Review of Focusrite ISA One Classic Single-Channel Pre-Amp

I can’t tell you how happy I am with my Focusrite ISA One Mic-Pre! It has totally revolutionised my recording experience. And I would always recommend Focusrite Pro to anyone who wants to improve their home recording.

Some people may be impressed you have it

As a professional voice over artist I was looking for something a little extra to make my recordings sound even better. I already use a focusrite scarlett 2i2, but thought this might give it a little something more. I read reviews and they were mixed. But, I bought one anyone. It makes only a minimal amount of difference. It's so minimal that it's not even truly worth mentioning. Maybe if you don't have a good audio interface, or a great sounding mic it will help. However, if you've already got good equipment - this probably won't do much for you.