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!