Buy the Scarlett 2i2 if your microphone is a low-output dynamic — 69 dB of published gain removes the booster question entirely, and Focusrite tells you the figure. Buy the MOTU M2 if your microphone is a condenser or a hot dynamic and you want the better converters, the -129 dB EIN and the front-panel metering.
The specification gap that decides it
These two boxes are close enough in price and features that the honest deciding factor is which published number you need. Focusrite publishes 69 dB maximum mic gain. MOTU publishes -129 dB EIN and 115 dB mic-input dynamic range but no maximum gain figure at all.
If your microphone is an SM7B at -59.0 dBV/Pa, that missing figure matters. You cannot plan a gain budget against an unpublished number, and the SM7B is precisely the microphone where the budget is tight. MOTU's preamps are widely reported to be capable, but "widely reported" is not a specification and we will not print a figure we cannot cite.
If your microphone is a condenser at -33 dB, the gain question evaporates and the MOTU's genuinely excellent noise and conversion specifications become the interesting part.
Choose the Scarlett 2i2 if
- Your microphone is a low-output dynamic, or might be. 69 dB is the most gain at this price and it is documented.
- You want Air mode as a fixed voicing option on the way in.
- You want the cheaper of the two, which it generally is.
- You want the safest single purchase for an unknown future microphone.
Choose the MOTU M2 if
- Your microphones are condensers or hot dynamics where gain is not the constraint.
- You want to see your levels on the box rather than alt-tabbing to a meter. The LCD is more useful day to day than it sounds.
- You care about the conversion path — -129 dB EIN and the ESS Sabre32 DAC are a real step up on paper.
- You want per-channel monitor switching, which the M2 has on the front panel.
Monitoring and routing
The M2 wins here for anyone tracking regularly. Independent phantom power and a monitor switch per input, plus real metering, means you set up by looking at the box rather than at software. The 2i2's gain halos tell you when you are clipping but not much else.
Both have one headphone output, which is the limitation that matters if a second person is involved — see best 2-channel audio interfaces and the SSL 2+ MKII, which has two.
What else you need to buy
- Scarlett 2i2: nothing. It drives every microphone on this site.
- MOTU M2: possibly a booster if you pair it with a very low-output dynamic, because you cannot verify the headroom in advance.
Both interfaces in detail
Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (4th Gen)
Top pickFocusrite · The most gain per dollar in a two-input box
The default answer for someone buying an SM7B or PodMic: it supplies enough clean gain that you never need a booster, which makes it the cheaper total purchase even when it is not the cheaper box. Look elsewhere only if you need MIDI or four outputs.
Why it is here
- 69 dB is the most gain of any interface at this price, and enough for an SM7B with headroom to spare
- 120 dB dynamic range means the converters are not the weak link
- Two inputs, so a second person does not mean a second purchase
What it costs you
- Air mode is a fixed voicing, not an EQ you can dial
- Plastic-and-metal build feels less solid than the SSL or Audient competition
- No MIDI, which matters if you also play keys
MOTU M2
MOTU · The best converters and metering at the price
The pick if you care most about conversion quality and want to see your levels without alt-tabbing. If your mic is an SM7B and you want a published gain number you can check against the mic's sensitivity, the 2i2 is the safer buy.
Why it is here
- -129 dB EIN is genuinely quiet, and it shows on low-output dynamics
- Full-color LCD metering on the box is more useful day to day than any software mixer
- Independent phantom power and monitor switching per input
What it costs you
- MOTU does not publish a maximum mic-gain figure the way Focusrite does, so gain headroom is harder to plan around
- No onboard voicing or DSP at all
- Loopback needs the software, not a front-panel switch
If neither: the third option
If two headphone outputs matter, the SSL 2+ MKII is the box for you at 64 dB. If you want the cleanest single channel and only need one, the Audient iD4 MKII publishes -129 dB(A) EIN alongside its 58 dB gain. The full field is in best audio interfaces for a home studio.