- Single Channel
- Transformer Based
- Insert Point
- Headphone Output
Introduction
In this article, we delve into a detailed analysis of 1,075 user reviews from various languages worldwide to examine the Focusrite ISA One. This analysis is performed by the RR artificial intelligence and updated daily with newly submitted reviews. The RR AI utilizes a complex algorithm to first scrutinize user reviews for credibility, filtering out unreliable ones. It then proceeds to dissect and evaluate the valuable insights within these reviews, providing users with ratings regarding the features of this product. Based on these assessments, users can make informed decisions about whether this product is suitable for them or not.
Ratings Based on Features
These results are a summary of user reviews of the Focusrite ISA One. For example, 100% of 57 users who have commented on the Value for money of the Focusrite ISA One have given positive feedback.
Highlighted Customer Reviews
Showing 1 to 20 of 43 Reviews
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Focusrite ISA One Classic Single Channel Mic Pre
Reviewed by Vivid Studio on Guitar Center
This thing is great, just gotta throw that out. It has a character you can't mistake. Because of the lundhall transformers, you get this sort of sizzle that you have to hear to understand. When ABed with some less expensive preamps you will notice the effects immediately. I also enjoy the fact that you can use it as a latency free piece. During a session, the singer was having trouble singing through pro tools and my latency. I didn't want to sacrafice plug's to improve latency, so we ran it through the ISA. This really is the centerpiece of my pro tools rig. I find myself running everything through it. I would say it is a great value that can stand up to all the other big name pre's. ... More
Wow!
Focusrite ISA One Classic Single Channel Mic Pre
Reviewed by Big Tymer on Guitar Center
This pre is the TRUTH!. lol, I use the pre as my go to for vocals in conjuction wit a blue blueberry mic. I record hip hop, and rnb vocals on a day 2 day basis and my clients love the sound of this unit. Its hard to describe u just gotta hear it for yourself to understand. If you can imagine your vocals with this "glossy sheen" to them, thats what it sounds like. They come across very focused and and transparent. Please do yourself a favor and get this pre!
Worth 15k back in the day, best value preamp on the market
Focusrite ISA One Desktop Mic Preamp
Reviewed by Noah L. on Reverb
This thing is a beast. Recorded some acoustic guitar and bass with it and instantly my mix sounded "proffessional". Very flexible tool. You can listen back to it with headphones making finding the perfect mic placement a breeze and select different impedances to tweak it from a modern to a vintage sound. The sound is one of a kind. Tight punchy bass, shimmering high end, and on drums it adds a very unique and somewhat addictive "rattle" sound to the snare. I got into this thing when I started hearing records with that "rattle" like Metallica's Load, and Weezer's Blue Album, almost as if the drummer was hitting a bean bag along with the snare. A bit obsessive I know. But what really drove me to buy this thing? It's "the new sound". This thing was made back in the 80's and the consoles while state of the art barely got to see the light of day because immediately after it's invention the advent of digital consoles came around and stole the spotlight. The sound of it was foreign to the world drowned out by 1073's and SSL's, so when new players like Mac Demarco and Bully started using it in 2014, it gave the world something not a lot of people heard before, the sound of it is old but completely new to the world. It came back like a pheonix and if you don't own one then what are you even doing with your life. ... More
A "No-Brainer"! A Great Preamp and A Great FIRST Preamp
Focusrite ISA One Classic Single Channel Mic Pre
Reviewed by Bob Gallagher on Guitar Center
I ordered the Focusrite ISA One and the Universal Audio Solo 610 so I would have one very nice Solid State transformer based Preamp and one very nice Tube Preamp in my home studio. In my opinion, this is "the preamp" everybody should save up for and buy as a first preamp as opposed to buying a couple of lower priced preamps before buying a "good" preamp. For less than the price of an ART MPA II and a Focusrite Trakmaster Pro, the ISA One gives you a multi-faceted, "multi-color" preamp that you'll most likely keep for a long time. I love how my Solid State and Tube Condensor microphones sound going through this thing, especially at the ISA 110 setting. That setting, its Swiss Army Knife capabilities and its incredible price make purchasing this unit a "No-Brainer". PS-I have owned the ISA One for 3 months. It is built like a tank. The look and feel is fantastic for what that might be worth. More importantly, though, I think it sounds great! ... More
Absolutely transparent
Focusrite ISA ONE - Microphone Preamp
Reviewed by Pete on B&H Photo Video
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 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. ... More
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ISA One is excllent
Focusrite ISA One Classic Single Channel Mic Pre
Reviewed by CC51 on Guitar Center
This unit was recommended often on the forums and articles by pro's for a someone wanting a pro pre amp. I took it home and tried this to see what a "pro" unit is. Out of the box it was built like a tank. Plugged in and turning the pots it was just impressive, the layout and feel of the pots and also the extreme tones one can get from the various settings. Its also a 2-channel unit which makes this unit over the top a great value. 2 professional channels. Plugging in a microphone the gain is there for any mic type you can toss at it. The sound can be super clean, or if ran with certain settings a pure compressor tone from the transformer is obtained for that familiar sound we hear on records or the radio. This unit is an extremely great value, because of the 2 channels with separate outputs. A DI and a Main Mic Channel would also work great for coffee house gigs for a beautiful sound. A company good enough for Sir George Martin, and this unit is of that design family tree with Lindy Transformers and color layout. ... More
Great Utility Preamp
Focusrite ISA ONE - Microphone Preamp
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
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 a little bit of pump to make the sound fuller. ... More
Hard to Beat the Transpaerncy and Routing Flexibility
Focusrite ISA One Desktop Mic Preamp
Reviewed by Sean H. on Reverb
I read a lot of criticism on boards about these preamps because they are "boring" or "lacking character." And maybe these statements are true to some degree. I would like to offer an alternative perspective. On the used market you cannot find a preamp with better sound, flexibility, or build/component quality at the $300-$350 price point than the ISA One. This preamp has more clean gain that you will ever need. It has a superb and separate DI input. It has switchable impedance on the mic and DI input. It has digital IO potential. It has Lundhal transformers. It has send/return capability! Let me re-emphasize that last point....IT HAS SEND RETURN CAPABILITY! Yowza! Single channel preamps seldom offer this feature. Look, I admit that my ears tend to prefer a clean, "uncolored", Class A sound; but sometimes you need some tube magic. Enter send/return...I frequently use this with a tube EQ (Warm Audio) or a tube compressor (LA2A) to create a front-end channel that sounds completely unique and "radio ready". It turns into a completely different tool at that point. Again, at $350 or so (don't pay more than that for used) you just can't do much better. ... More
nice preamp
Focusrite ISA ONE - Microphone Preamp
Reviewed by jameslive on B&H Photo Video
Look real good in my studio set up. This pre makes all my recording sound way better. It has a full sound and a nice top end to it. just one look at the waveform and you can tell that its capturing more of what you may want in a recording it gets a 10 for vocals so far i have done six songs with it and i look to do more and more all the time . i have no bad comments on this pre a must have as a font end If you are looking to step up from a mixer or audio interface. ... More
Don't sleep on this pre
Focusrite ISA One Desktop Mic Preamp
Reviewed by Jesse S. on Reverb
I've had many high end preamps. For the most part, one isn't necessarily better than another. They're just different flavors. The ISA can roll with higher end pres for sure! I'd never really taken the ISA too seriously due to it price point. I tracked some vocals at a friend's place and was surprised that it sounded as good as it did. Pulled the plug on a unit and I have to say I really think it's great. Clean with a little bit of color, fairly big sounding with a good sense of space. I really like it. Lots of options like impedance, insert, tons of gain, and the ability to use both di and preamp at same time make it insanely useful. Hoping to even use it in a live situation too! I've read some people think these are bland and I kinda assumed that was the case. But that's far from the truth! It's def not a 1073 but it's really nice. Don't sleep on this pre!!! ... More
Wow, what a smart buy.
Focusrite ISA One Classic Single Channel Mic Pre
Reviewed by RUBEN CARRILLO on Guitar Center
I use an AKG C414 XLS, and I wanted a good tube preamp to compliment the clarity of my AKG. I had done lots of comparisons of other preamps, but they were in the $1,000+ price range. I was reluctant to buy the ISA One because I thought it was ugly, but I decided that the price I bought it for was worth trying out. I was so surprised and pleased with how my mic sounded after using it. So much clarity and smoothness. It felt fuller and warm. I did some sound comparisons without it, just to see if it was my head playing tricks on me. Nope, the signal was fatter, the sound was full and smooth, and the artifact noises were diminished. I just wish it looked more modern. ... More
ISA One ome Recording dual channel preamp
Focusrite ISA One Classic Single Channel Mic Pre
Reviewed by ronald riekena on Guitar Center
I dont do a lot of reviews but this unit is special. Its built well, it has TWO CHANNELS, which many miss that point. The most important fact is the great tone. I was ready to return it if it didnt improve my HR setup, but not only did it improve the sound, the ease of use and ability to plug in a Bass DI, or a SM7 (dynamic) mics into the main channel was why I give it a 5 star rating. I plug its outputs straight into my Recording Interface Line In and there is such a high quality sound without adding anything is amazing and makes it a solid piece to own and enjoy. ... More
Incredible addition to any home or pro studio
Focusrite ISA One Desktop Mic Preamp
Reviewed by Mike D. on Reverb
The Focusrite brand is synonymous with consistency and quality. This piece of gear would be at home in a high end or home studio. Pure, clean amplification that will push software guitar amp models to another dimension. For vocals, I run a RODE NTK tube mic into this with fantastic results. The tube mic is crisply and accurately captured with the preamp while retaining the warmth from the tube. But my favorite use for this preamp is recording DI bass. You get a ton of thump and gain, but also a gorgeous clarity. A little compression will drive this thing into the stratosphere. Please do yourself a favor and research this preamp and have a listen for yourself. This will be a piece of gear that inspires you to record more! ... More
Never use a Shure SM7B without this!!!!
Focusrite ISA One Classic Single Channel Mic Pre
Reviewed by Cas on Guitar Center
I bought a Shure SM7B about 3-4 years ago and was starting to get discouraged because my vocals never seemed to stand out or be CLEAN. But after me driving myself to the verge of insanity with trying to get good CLEAN vocals, I decided enough was enough time to buy a Mic Pre. I was told about a cloud lifter but i didn't want to hold back to have to buy something again later so i decided on the ISA One. Vocals instantly became better and CLEAN. I can't crank the mic pre too much as my room isn't fully treated so it will start too pick up noise in the environment. Also having the ability to choose between Line level or Mic level really helps. Great Mic Pre ... More
This really makes a difference
Focusrite ISA One Desktop Mic Preamp
Reviewed by Jose L. on Reverb
If you're looking for a preamp that can capture an accurate recording of the sound your amo produces... This is for you.
SIMPLY GREAT
Focusrite ISA One Classic Single Channel Mic Pre
Reviewed by Mark Westphal on Guitar Center
What a great pre-amp! I've been dealing with a lot of cheap ones that sound ok, but when I connected this ISA ONE to my Shure SM7b, it was like the clouds rolled away, and all was great. Absolutely no noise, and this holds true for all of my mic locker...condensers, ribbons, etc. I can't recommend this enough, and talk with your Guitar Center pro audio guy, and he will probably give you a nice break on the price. Focusrite...you got it right.
Focusrite Isa One
Focusrite ISA One Desktop Mic Preamp
Reviewed by Bubba M. on Reverb
I have several great Preamps, True Systems P-Solo, Daking Mic Pre One, Warm Audio Tone beast and others and the Isa One is still my Favorite, it is loaded with so many features, super solid build and Excellent sound, for the money, beats Preamps costing many times more,,,, hard to beat,,, I give it 5 Stars for real.....
Pre Amp are a necessity for a Studio and this one is Perfect
Focusrite ISA One Classic Single Channel Mic Pre
Reviewed by Joe Z on Guitar Center
Pre-Amp conditions were really needed on a Home Studio that both voice or guitar inputted towards improved signals to mixer and compressor fulfilled a rich initial signal to process with all the effects that are available on the array that is in a small home studio. Alternating on using the Pre-amp for voice or switching over to guitar with two microphones lifted a special deal that while playing gave a great Studio Musician condition for someone like myself that has never played in public. It occupies my imagination and has no revenue to interfere with my dance with time as a widowed man. ... More
Great tone!
Focusrite ISA One Desktop Mic Preamp
Reviewed by Gear - o - R. on Reverb
I’ve been using the built-in preamps on my interface up till now, and recently got a Shure KSM44 and thought it was time to upgrade the preamp. This thing did the trick instantly! Warms up the sound and in my opinion, improved over the interface preamps 100 percent. The ISA brought out the right frequencies in the mic and minimized the bad ones. Just a simple vox and guitar track sounds better than anything I’ve recorded at home. Worth it for sure!! I wish it had multi jacks (xlr/trs) on the inputs and outputs.
Amazing!
Focusrite ISA One Desktop Mic Preamp
Reviewed by Matt S. on Reverb
This is a great preamp. While it's my first foray into external preamps I still have to say I'm impressed. The impedance switching brings out different characteristics in any mic (from cheap to expensive). It's also not readily obvious but you can use the DI and the Mic inputs simultaneously. You could track some DI guitar while recording a vocal or micing a cabinet simultaneously. The build is great. The color and design is very cool. I will eventually get another one or invest in the dual channel or multiple input versions.
