Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 3rd Gen USB Audio Interface for Recording, Producing and Engineering — High-Fidelity, Studio Quality Recording, with Transparent Playback

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What’s more; you also get a free 3-month subscription to Splice Sounds when you create a new Splice account. Incl. USB cable (type C to A) and Hitmaker Expansion software bundle (Ableton Live Lite, 3 months Splice Sounds membership and Plug-in bundle for songwriting, mixing and mastering) If you're having problems installing the driver on Windows 7, please try the steps in the following article: Focusrite USB Driver will not install on my Windows 7 machine (digital signature problem). Which unit in the Scarlett lineup is best for you depends on your needs and budget, but at this price, the 18i20 3rd Gen will have you set for a long time without breaking the bank. Competition is fierce in this market, and in 2016, Focusrite renewed the Scarlett range to reflect buyers' ever-increasing expectations in terms of sound quality, features and low-latency performance. Three years on, they've repeated the exercise to create the third generation of Scarletts. Wait & C

In addition, you have two high-headroom instrument inputs so you can record your electric guitar or bass with no clipping or unwanted distortion – just crisp captures of the performance. The upgraded specs and added features are welcome additions, and we think they’ve done well to remain competitive. That being said, if you’ve only recently bought a 2nd gen interface — we wouldn’t worry. As the flagship model in the Focusrite Scarlett range, the Scarlett 18i20 offers fantastic audio quality with comprehensive I/O and great expansion capabilities. Focusrite has done a great job with the new 3rd generation interfaces. While first glances may give the impression that they are just a prettier version of their former selves, the real magic lies under the hood. This is evident in many of the upgrades:

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New to the Scarlett line is Air, which is an emulation of the sound of Focusrite’s transformer-based mic preamps; it adds a clean brightness to whichever channel you assign it (via Focusrite’s control software). An “Air” LED will light under the knob on the interface to let you know it’s engaged. It’s a nice touch, but I wonder whether you can’t achieve the same effect with post EQ. Air is smooth and adds a nice crispness to vocals, voiceovers and instruments alike, so while I believe in “leaving it flat” (particularly for voiceover recording), I can see why people appreciate it. Adding Air to Scarlett is a nice bonus, and it brings the unit’s capabilities a little closer to the Clarett line.

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Focusrite has upgraded the preamps on the Scarlett line for its third generation with all-new “Air” settings that aim to recreate the rich, open high-frequency response of the company’s standalone ISA preamps. The Air setting alters the signal before it reaches your DAW, so it’s a good idea to experiment with it before committing it to your recorded sound; sound; I found it to be a little crispy and harsh for my taste applied to drums and my voice, but it added some extra magic to my Casio synth and to distorted electric guitar in a very natural and organic way. For drums and vocals, I much preferred the 18i20’s preamps without the Air setting engaged; this rendered a relatively neutral-sounding recording with a bit of wooly low-end that was a nice departure from the brittleness commonly found in less expensive interface preamps. Software interface is fairly intuitive and enables users to make alternative monitoring. Drivers are working without problem with Voiceomeeter Banana stuff. My old Steinberg card does not work with them properly. Anyway, as your question relates to purely home studio mixing, in-the-box, and working with soft synths, the short answer is that yes, the Scarletts (any of the generations) will be more than enough to cater for your larger instrument ensemble needs. Seek them here or seek them there, you don't have to look very far to find Focusrite's Scarlett interfaces. From the compact and portable Scarlett Solo to the versatile Scarlett 18i20, this is a range that caters to most home-studio needs; and since their introduction in 2011, these modestly priced USB devices for getting audio into and out of a computer have carried all before them. Added the ability to change the colour of the good, pre clipping and clipping stages of the Gain Halos on Scarlett 3rd Generation interfaces.

Despite their powerful and comprehensive features, these DAWs are still intuitive enough for you to get great results in no time; even if you’re a complete beginner. The Air feature is clearly proving popular, as Focusrite have now rolled it out across all of their interface ranges. In practice its main effect is to add quite a noticeable high-frequency boost; very often this simply anticipates what you'd have done at the mix anyway, but you do need to be careful with sources or mics that already have a lot of top end. (Note that the new Scarlett preamp circuit is not the same as that found on Focusrite's Clarett and Red interfaces, though: switching Air off on the Claretts changes the input impedance, whereas the new Scarlett preamps remain at the Air impedance.) Added the ability to choose whether 48V is retained after restarting Scarlett 3rd Generation interfaces. Focusrite has done a great job with the new 3rd generation interfaces. While first glances may give the impression that they are just a prettier version of their former selves, the real magic lies under the hood. This is evident in many of the upgrades listed above. Includes Ableton Live Lite, three months of Pro Tools Artist, and the Hitmaker Expansion, with plugins from Antares, Softube, Landr, XLN Audio and more.While physically speaking the quality of this unit is great, the software implementation leaves a lot to be desired. Many configuration options, such as extending the number of inputs through the ADAT connection, require using the Focusrite Control proprietary software suite, which is only available for Windows and Mac. Why not make all options configurable without a PC, and especially without a proprietary piece of software? The specific Input Channel will vary depending on your interface and Sample Rate. Below are the input channels for Scarlett 3rd Gen interfaces at a Sample Rate of 44.1-48kHz. For more information, see the Focusrite Control User Guide for your specific interface.

In total, as the name suggests, the Scarlett 18i20 3rd gen has 20 outputs which give you a huge amount of options for recording and monitoring. With its speaker-switching technology, the Scarlett 18i20 gen 3 also allows you two to switch between two different sets of monitors. This is an essential feature to ensure the best possible mix and professional level results. When your interface needs a firmware update, a box will appear when you first open Focusrite Control letting you know. Please install the firmware update if Focusrite Control tells you. One welcome difference is the new headphone amps, which drive significantly louder (and clearer) than previous generations.Focusrite are excited to announce an extension to the standard limited warranty, which comes with all new products. Your interface is now ready to use! If you're using recording software then make sure you select the Focusrite ASIO driver in the audio settings for that software. The Scarlett 18i20 3rd Generation audio interface also features eight of Focusrite’s best ever preamps used in the Scarlett series. Your recordings will shine with professional clarity with its 24-bit/192kHz converters. At the same time , Air mode (also present in the Clarett USB range but works slightly differently) emulates the famous boost in the mid-high frequency range — adding unique high-end detail, which was a renowned characteristic of Focusrite’s original ISA mic preamp at the famous AIR Studios.