How do you like (or not) the ISA Pre's?

I just have the current Scarlett hardware emulation-Supposedly of a ISA Console Pre.
(Air Button)

I think it works well on me, but it might be more idiosyncratic than general.
Chris

My favorite part about the Claretts is the conversion, which I find to be really sonorous, the preamps are OK, they are serviceable but not going to win shootouts, the conversion makes up for it.

I haven't owned a newer Scarlett, just the really old ones. Haven't heard the new ones with the Air pres. Haven't heard the ISA stuff either.

The basic idea seems to be leave the AIR button on all the time, with the Claretts anyway.  The pres can be a bit dark otherwise.

I used to have an isa428. It sounded really good to me. Like others have stated, pretty even, balanced, clear, with a hint of color. Cool stuff, but didn’t quite wow me on anything. I did love it on piano.

Kind of reminds me of how I think about my Sound Devices preamps (also Lundahl inputs, as some of the ISA have.)  Completely boring in just the right way, useful anywhere.

Agree completely.  I have this MOTU Ultralite MK5 the preamps are so clean I can't hear them.  Some of my favorite things to record into.  In a day or two I have a Cranborne Camden coming, hopefully the same idea.

OK, I'm not an authority, but I'll put in my 0.02. I've had an ISA One for a few years, mainly for vocals on a few different mics, SM7B the one requiring the most gain, otherwise condensers. I also used it a little for DI (electric guitar, processing ITB), it's really convenient for mic + DI. The One is pretty feature rich, and a bargain for what it sells for used. If I want to pulverize my signal, I'll do it ITB, so I never felt it was lacking for my purposes. But i did have curiosity to try new/old things (EQP-KT arrives tomorrow, for instance).

More recently, I bought a Great River ME-1NV, chosen from listening to blind shootouts (though on acoustic guitar, something I won't be recording), and confirmed by the fact it has a separate output gain control, which appeals to me. The target was my Soyuz 017 FET, and I did a brief comparison of the mic on both preamps. I set the two preamps up on consecutive channels, roughly matched the gains, and listened through headphones, swapping from one pre to the other. I didn't find the ISA One lacking compared to the ME-1NV. I didn't play with different settings, but if anything the ISA was a little more transparent, the ME-1NV seemed to slightly muddy the sound by comparison (using moderately aggressive gain on the ME), but that also seemed to give it a little glue. I wouldn't feel bad about using either. Large price difference.

I’ve owned just about every Focusrite product throughout the years.
ISA 110 original- The best sounding pre ever made! Ok, that’s pushing it, but I really love this preamp with EQ. One of my favorites!
ISA 215 original - The originals have the same circuitry as the the 110’s, big beautiful and bold!
Talking with the Focusrite experts from what I gathered there were 2 of these ISA 215’s, the originals that killed it like the 110’s, then there’s some that were built later that weren't as good. I do not know what happened there because the ones that were different than the originals I never seen or heard, maybe someone can chime in on this?
ISA 430 mkI - I dug the mk1, I didn’t care for the compressor because it wasn’t very versatile and it was slow, sounded good, nice EQ, but it wasn’t as good as the originals. Really good though.
ISA 430 mkII - weaker yet and I didn’t spend a lot of time with it, sold it quick when I didn’t like it as much as the mk1.
Red Edition - I liked the preamps, the ones with transformer in’s and outs, really nice. I had the 4 channel pre 1! One I wish I never sold, but shit happens!
Green series…uh, ? I owned the voice box, it was clean and quirky, didn’t really care for it, had issues with it after time. I got some decent tracks out of it, but it wasn’t a wow box. It died, and I still have it in the dungeon of gear that died.
The 428 mkI w/VU’s - I liked this box, it was kind of middle of the road and ok, but you could cook an egg on it. It got so hot that I was concerned that my rack was going to melt! I bought this for $1299 and sold it for $1999! There was a price increase and although I had it for sometime I sold it at the right time. This was a hot seller at one time! Not a bad pre, neither good or bad, use a good EQ and compressor and it’s a decent pre.
The 828, I really wanted to buy this preamp, but just never would spend that much for a box that came out about the time the 428 mkII came out, at least what I could remember. It got pretty good reviews from what I remember, but just couldn’t bring myself to buy it after the 428. I agree with Ward on that you could easily do a record with these preamps. I started going to API after this and never looked back!
Gave up on Focusrite after this.
I was always interested in the Compounder though because a buddy of mine introduced me to this box. Not bad, but then again, I have so many dedicated nice compressors I gave up on Focusrite, but still checked out the silver faceplate Platinum range. It worked really good in front of my analog desk, but then I was already going halfway hybrid at this time, and it was just a different time in my studio of experimenting with going hybrid and digidesign, getting rid of the vanilla pres and going with what worked for me.

Just my experience from what I can remember from all the years of going through the Focusrite products with all their different models.

I still own the 110’s and a 215 and the rest didn’t make the cut. Just my 2 cents.
. Oh and I forgot the 110 LE, I wanted to buy one and compare to my original 110’s, but I couldn’t find one and never heard it. I think they sold out of these quick. I really wanted to get a chance to hear these…There is something to be said about the original 110’s, there is something in those pre’s that is just alive!

The transformer less green series almost felt more like a nice Soundcraft rather than a Neve design plus that really strange textured front panel was just strange. I wanted to love the Green EQ when they were going dirt cheap but I never really felt like I was using more than a typical British console.

+1, I tracked on the Focusrite Console they had at Paramount, I think its at Ocean Way now.  It really was a gorgeous sounding console.  I think my dislike for the ISA 220 is related to the fact that the outboard didn't sound like the console.   But then again, my aml 1073's sound great, but not like a Neve console either (nor should they be expected to).

There is also the fact that other than the original 110’s and 115’s none of the ISA series was made by the same company as the consoles. Focusrite as most know it is the result of the company that built the consoles being bought after bankruptcy by a group headed by the guy who was in charge of Soundcraft Spirt division at Harmon. Sort of explains the whole down market progression doesn’t it.

The originals were racked versions of what was in the consoles same PCB’s and outboard PSU’s.
Until Focusrite the highend manufacturer avoided MI like the plague. It’s part of why they exploded: nobody who was selling the stuff new the legend except for what they read in Mix, but it was all based on a Rupert Neve design so no matter what it had to be great right? It’s not bad but it’s not the same as what’s in the board!