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.

We look at the new range of products and give our thoughts below. Spec Differences Between The 2nd & 3rd Gen Scarlett InterfacesFocusrite 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. There wasn't much wrong with the mic preamps on the second-generation Scarletts, and their 50dB gain range was adequate for the vast majority of recording contexts. But at the bottom end of the scale it was possible to run into clipping with loud drummers, while at the other extreme, the maximum gain available wasn't always enough for the quietest sources. The addition of switchable pads on the 18i20 nails the first issue once and for all, and the extra few dB at the top of the range certainly helps with the second, though podcasters with SM7s and quiet voices might still want to lay their hands on a Cloudlifter or similar device. People often ask me what audio interface I recommend. I always answer with two questions: “What are you recording?” and “What’s your budget?” There are products on the market that will suit any answers—there is literally something for everyone. Focusrite has taken that idea and run with it in its new lineup of Scarlett interfaces. While this review focuses on the Scarlett 18i20 3rd generation interface, many of the advancements I mention carry across the entire Scarlett line. Eight balanced line inputs allow you to connect synthesizers, drum machines and other line-level sources so you’ve got no shortage of recording potential! 20 Outputs 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.

Buy the Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 3rd gen USB audio interface today and get all these great features and this amazing sound quality in your studio. Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 3rd Gen USB Audio Interface Specs: 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.

RME Babyface Pro FS Audio Interface – A Real-World Review

I have never in my life even remotely thought that interface can change my workflow this much. Integrated zero-latency hardware 1 bus mixer is game changer since... it works even if PC is turned off and interface is unplugged. It means that you can actually set this interface up in such way that when PC is off Scarlett 18i20 can behave as pass-through device passing any line-in of your choice (eg. inputs 7-8) directly to your main XLR monitors. It makes it really easy to connect multiple either balanced or unbalanced devices to monitors. Kinda like... monitor controller or actual mixer AND interface in one device. Added the ability to change the colour of the good, pre clipping and clipping stages of the Gain Halos on Scarlett 3rd Generation interfaces. At the end of the day, however, all that matters is how it sounds. I tested the inputs with voiceover, vocals, acoustic guitars and other string instruments, electric guitar and some drums. The sound was consistently clean and practically noise-free. At no point did I feel that the 18i20 couldn’t handle what I was throwing at it. It’s amazing that you can set up a powerful project studio, band recording session or complete production studio for TV and radio commercial work at this price point.

With the release of the new third-generation range of audio interfaces, Focusrite shows no plans in slowing down on their quest to provide affordable, easy to use and high-quality audio products for beginners and professionals alike.This device desperately needs hardware controls for user settings. With that, all Focusrite would really need to do to provide Linux support is to make the device USB class compliant. Unfortunately, since the driver is proprietary, the Linux driver is a reverse-engineered one that works but still has some issues, the device being as new as it is. The free/open source community will fix the driver issues in time, and the device is already quite usable, but all the troulbe make one beg the question: why make things so difficult, Focusrite? As the flagship model in the Focusrite Scarlett range, the Scarlett 18i20 offers fantastic audio quality with comprehensive I/O and great expansion capabilities.

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.Most of the new features are self-explanatory, and where they're not, they're usually implemented in the simplest way possible. For example, alternate monitoring on the 18i8 and 18i20 is basic but perfectly effective. Enabling speaker switching in Focusrite Control repurposes line outputs 3–4 to carry the same signal as the first pair, and a front-panel Alt button selects which of them is active or muted at any given time. The main front-panel Monitor level control governs both sets of outputs at once. It's not possible to specify a volume offset so that the main and alternate speakers can be level-matched from the Scarlett, but if that's important to you then it can usually be achieved further downstream anyway. For myself, the only monitoring feature I still miss is a mono button, but then I suppose Focusrite had to leave something for the fourth generation! (For the sake of completeness I should also mention that the firmware version I tested had a bug in it whereby enabling and then disabling speaker switching could lead to outputs 1–2 and 3–4 carrying the same signal and both being active simultaneously, but Focusrite are aware of this issue and have a fix in the works.) 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. Whether you are an in-the-box producer or a musician recording with external instruments, Focusrite lays out your best connectivity options regardless of your chosen scenario. What Is Focusrite Control?