Focusrite Scarlett 3rd Gen 8i6, 18i8 & 18i20: Overview, Features and Specs

In this video we walk you through the features and specs for Scarlett 3rd Gen 8i6, 18i8 and 18i20, to help you gain a better understanding of how to get the most out of your interface.
With its exceptional design and rock-solid build quality, Scarlett is already loved by guitarists, singer-songwriters, electronic musicians and engineers as a truly versatile and reliable recording solution - but Scarlett 3rd Gen takes every element of it a step further.
For Scarlett 3rd Gen, we’ve added our best-ever Scarlett mic preamps, additional fixed line inputs, refined monitoring features and enhanced performance, ensuring professional-quality recording results every time.
--- Find out more:
focusrite.com/scarlett
--- Scarlett Solo, 2i2 & 4i4: Overview, Features and Specs:
• Focusrite Scarlett 3rd...
--- Vocaster One and Two: Overview, Features and Specs:
• Focusrite Vocaster One...
00:00 - Intro
00:29 - About Focusrite
01:20 - The Scarlett Range
01:42 - Scarlett 8i6, 18i8 & 18i20 Overview
01:57 - Microphone Preamps
02:46 - Air Mode
03:07 - Inst Mode
03:20 - Loopback
03:40 - Gain Halos
04:16 - Direct Monitor Mode
04:33 - Outputs
04:52 - Scarlett 8i6
05:27 - Scarlett 18i8
06:47 - Scarlett 18i20
08:39 - Focusrite Control
09:12 - Included Software
11:56 - Warranty & Support
12:13 - Outro
#Focusrite #Scarlett #8i6 #18i8 #18i20 #AudioInterface #Interface #Learn #Recording #Music

[@jemarmitchell5555]

Yes focusrite

[@ChuckHipolitho]

I wonder If I can connect a guitar directly in the back inputs. Do I need a DI box? Will it have any gain control?

[@FocusriteTV]

Hello, sorry for the delay in response. if you want to connect a guitar to one of the line inputs you would need another device to boost the signal and to provide gain control. This can be done with a DI box, a guitar amp with a line output, or a standalone preamp. Please let us know if this helps or if you have additional questions.

[@prowlermadmax2]

I just bought the 18i20 and i was wondering if the Focusrite Control has an equalizer to boost the Bass, mid and treble for my desktop audio apps like youtube and spotify.

[@FocusriteTV]

No, Focusrite Control functions purely as a remote control for the hardware and provides visual metering. Audio does not pass through Focusrite Control so it's unable to process the signal in any way but that could be achieved using Loopback and the bundled software, such as Ableton Live Lite.

[@helloitsmehb]

I just bought the 18i20 to be able to get 8 discrete analog outputs from my video editing system Having trouble getting playback out of Devinci Resolve. Any tutorials on Resolve and your interfaces specifically?

[@FocusriteTV]

Afraid we haven't created any videos specifically on DaVinci Resolve but our Support Team is on hand to assist. You can discuss this with them via phone, live chat or email - bit.ly/FocusriteSupport You should also find that you can select your desired 18i20 outputs as the Left and Right outputs within DaVinci Resolve from Preferences > Video and Audio I/O.

[@didouclavist024]

S'il vous plaît, puis-je couper le son provenant directement des haut-parleurs ?

[@FocusriteTV]

Quel produit Focusrite utilisez-vous ? D'une manière générale, cela est certainement possible et peut être contrôlé depuis Focusrite Control. John // Focusrite Royaume-Uni 🇬🇧 J'utilise Google Traduction

[@J-Dawg-1]

I want to use a Scarlett usb interface for: 1) record 4 people for a video podcast. Which one would I use? 2) record a band with 4 musicians and 2 singers. Which one would I use?

[@FocusriteTV]

If you need to record 4 microphones simultaneously on Mac or Windows PC, the smallest option from our current range would be Scarlett 18i8 3rd Gen. This features 4 of our 3rd Generation Scarlett mic preamps. That said, if you also require an audio interface for recording multiple instruments and vocalists simultaneously, you may also want to consider Scarlett 18i20 3rd Gen. This benefits from 8 3rd Generation Scarlett mic preamps. You might want to try our 'Interface finder' to help you select an appropriate audio interface - focusrite.com/compare-interfaces

[@J-Dawg-1]

@@FocusriteTV thank you so much!!

[@4ervpodzabornij493]

I thinking to get myself audio interface propably somethin like 18i20, does those outputs, can be set seperate for each of the channel? And how the audio interface know were the left and right in main outs?

[@FocusriteTV]

It's great to hear that you're considering Scarlett 18i20. The signals that are sent to the outputs can be defined using the Focusrite Control application. You can also route tracks from your DAW to specific outputs. When working with stereo pairs, the odd numbered outputs will carry the Left signal and the even numbers will be the Right. Line outputs 1 and 2 are the main outputs, typically used to drive the Left and Right speakers of your monitoring system.

[@MentshaleLol]

Is it possible to plug the line outs of a 4i4 into the line ins of an 18i8 to use the 4i4's preamps? I want to route the audio of analog inputs 1/2 on the 4i4 into discrete channels on the 18i8.

[@FocusriteTV]

This could possibly work, however, the Scarlett 4i4 3rd generation cannot be used standalone. So for this to work you would need to connect the 4i4 to a separate computer or iOS device so it can pass audio, or you would need to be working on Mac and create an aggregate device, so two interfaces can be connected. More info on that here: support.apple.com/en-us/102171 Please let us know if this helps or if we can answer additional questions.

[@TriAmpHiFi]

Hello, I would like to understand the digital aspect of this product too. Perhaps you could help. 1. So it's true. This connection is a PCM input as well as output only? I can connect a CD transport for analog out? 2. The 18i8 has 3 digital "inputs"? How does one switch from one digital input to another? 3. How does one vary the digital input levels? Thanks. Reggae, Funk & Brass 🔈🔉🔊

[@FocusriteTV]

Hi, I'm not sure I fully understand your questions. When referring to the other digital inputs such as ADAT and SPDIF, these are inputs that can be sent from other pieces of hardware and their input levels must be set on the first piece of hardware. Once connected to the Scarlett, these inputs will appear in Focusrite Control, and you can adjust the output levels in that program. As for PCM, this article may be of some assistance to you: support.focusrite.com/hc/en-gb/articles/115003835145-Connecting-a-TV-Video-Game-Console-or-other-device-to-your-interface- Let us know if this helps or if you have additional questions.

[@TriAmpHiFi]

@@FocusriteTV . OK, let me ask a single question. Using the Scarlett 18i8, may I use a toslink cable from the 'optical out' of a CD player into the 'optical in' of the Focusrite & have a bass guitar output using a 1/4" plug cable into any of the Focusrite's front face inputs (set to instrument) AND then, using a pair of TRS cables from the Focusrite analog outputs to a balanced analog input on a stereo preamp thus resulting in a mixed CD & Guitar signal at the preamp?

[@FocusriteTV]

The Optical input on Scarlett is designed to accept ADAT information, although they use the same connector, an optical cable from a CD player will not work. You should see if there is a SPDIF output on your CD player, as this will work with Scarlett and be recognized in Focusrite Control. This method of connecting your Bass guitar will work, and as long as your stereo preamp is able to accept line-level signal from a TRS cable then that will work as well.

[@TriAmpHiFi]

@@FocusriteTV . Thanks. I've got some learnin' ta do.

[@fadel1254]

Is working with phone android music app dwa? Thank you

[@FocusriteTV]

Afraid Scarlett 3rd Gen is designed for use with Mac and Windows PC only. The smallest models in the range, Scarlett Solo and Scarlett 2i2, can also be used with USB-C iPads. Scarlett wouldn't be expected to be able to draw power and pass audio if connected to an Android phone.

[@fadel1254]

@@FocusriteTV thank you 😘

[@CelestialKappa]

Is the Focusrite Control the same program for every device? Lets say as example, the 8i6 and 2i2. Do they possess the same program?

[@FocusriteTV]

That's correct. All audio interfaces in both the Scarlett 2nd Gen and 3rd Gen ranges utilise Focusrite Control. The features available will differ, for example, in the case of Scarlett Solo and 2i2, additional output routing isn't available through software as all available outputs are located on the hardware itself. Our new Scarlett 4th Generation audio interfaces utilise Focusrite Control 2.

[@julianmanjarres1998]

​@@FocusriteTVplease fix the focusrute control window not being resizable or able to do fullscreen. It's a problem.

[@gudnet]

Hi, can we use 2 of the 18i20 3rd Gen and connect them via adat as expansion? Or we can only do that with 1 18i20 while the other is Octopre as expansion?

[@FocusriteTV]

Hi, thanks for reaching out, this is absolutely possible. You would just need to put one of the 18i20s into standalone mode. More info on how to do this can be found in this article, but please let us know if we can answer additional questions. support.focusrite.com/hc/en-gb/articles/115003394169-Using-Standalone-Mode-to-increase-your-channel-count

[@levialston9046]

how do I connect my tv to the 8i6 scarlet

[@levialston9046]

@@godzoo18 that's not working

[@FocusriteTV]

Is your Scarlett also connected to a Mac/Windows PC? Are you hoping to record the output from the TV or are you hoping to use the Scarlett in standalone mode, to output the TV audio to monitor speakers?

[@cryptokingz615]

@@levialston9046 Have you tried turning the tv on?

[@TriAmpHiFi]

@@FocusriteTV Can he use the TV's toslink out to the 18i8's optical in for balanced analog output to a preamp with balanced analog input for audio?

[@samueldecker2406]

I picked up a couple new synthesizers that I THOUGHT I could record with the line inputs on my Focusrite Scarlett 8i6. But with the synth at full volume it records at -30 db which I consider pretty damn useless. Are all line inputs so quiet? I'm not sure what to replace this POS with!

[@FocusriteTV]

Hi, we apologize for the delay in response. That is a peculiar issue, that we would like to look further into. For further assistance, please reach out to our support team at the link below. bit.ly/FocusriteSupport

[@tomfoolery4077]

@@FocusriteTV same issue here, I bought the 18i8 so I could plug my moog grandmother and subharmonicon into the back, with the volume all the way full , barely any signal coming in on Ableton. Really too bad you couldnt add a simple gain boost in the software.

[@shiltzy00]

so when is the 4th gen releasing? It's been quite a few years since 3rd gen released.

[@FocusriteTV]

Afraid we don't have any news to share at the minute but we really appreciate your interest in that! If we were to create something like this, are there any particular features that you'd be keen to see?

[@1996Lakeshow]

@@FocusriteTVmake it in silver!!

[@SunlightOfTheSpirit]

@@1996Lakeshow yeah, let’s make the ‘Scarlett’ in silver 😂

[@1996Lakeshow]

@@SunlightOfTheSpirit so? who cares it would look wayyyyyyy better anyway 😂

[@FocusriteTV]

We did that back in 2012 😅 focusrite.com/en/ios-audio-interface/itrack/itrack-solo

[@TheGeorges101]

Sounds great, but no support for Linux is a deal breaker

[@FocusriteTV]

Thanks for checking it out! Afraid none of our audio interfaces are designed for use with Linux systems. As they're USB Class Compliant devices, Scarlett would be expected to be able to pass audio on Linux but Focusritre Control, which effectively functions as a remote control for the hardware, is not compatible.

[@JAGERSHI]

focusrite 8i6 support 250 ohms?

[@FocusriteTV]

Apologies for the delay in response. 250 ohms is the highest recommended impedance for 8i6 and all mains powered Scarlett interfaces, but this means that they should work sufficiently with 8i6. For more information please refer to this help article. support.focusrite.com/hc/en-gb/articles/360021413360-What-impedance-headphones-should-I-use-with-my-audio-interface-

[@tomfoolery4077]

nope, I have the beyer dt990 250 ohm and you have to have the volume full, and its still not loud enough

[@JAGERSHI]

@@tomfoolery4077 I bought ID 4 and they works even too loud

[@0072gldnfngr]

Balanced inputs/ output?

[@FocusriteTV]

The 1/4 inch inputs and outputs on Scarlett can use either unbalanced signal from TS cables, or balanced signal from TRS cables. Please let us know if this helps or if we can answer additional questions.

[@0072gldnfngr]

@@FocusriteTV clarifying question. If I have a stereo signal, say; a turntable, and I use a TR Y/ split to TRS cable and I plug the TRS end into the Focusrite channel, it will produce a true split stereo signal (L/R)?

[@FocusriteTV]

What kind of output does your turntable feature? Generally speaking, connecting the stereo output from any line-level device into the 2 mono inputs on Scarlett will effectively capture the stereo output from the device.

[@0072gldnfngr]

@@FocusriteTV I can switch between phono or line, as the table has a built-in preamp. However, the tables jacks are the red and white A/V style, not 1/4 in., which I don’t think matters. So basically, I’d be using the A/V style outputs (L/R) on the turntable, to single TRS input on the Focusrite. Essentially, I want to know if using one channel on the Focusrite with a TRS cable can split the stereo output signal or would it turn the signal into mono forcing me to use two channels if I want a left/ right signal

[@FocusriteTV]

That's right. The inputs on all of our audio interfaces are mono so you will need to connect the Left and Right outputs to 2 separate inputs, perhaps using 2 RCA to 1/4" TRS 👍