Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 4th Gen

Focusrite Scarlett is rightly one of the most successful and best-selling audio interface ranges in the world. Since the first generation, it has delivered great sound and stable drivers at a very affordable price, so it's no wonder that a whole new generation of producers and many home and low-budget studios have grown up on sound cards with its distinctive red polished aluminium chassis. Over more than a decade of development, Scarlett soundcards have become synonymous with the highest quality in the low- and mid-range and are a great gateway to quality recording.

So what is the fourth generation Focusrite Scarlett like? The best, of course!
There have been many significant improvements in the latest revision of the Scarlett range, especially sonically.

The new RedNet topology converters bring superior 24-bit conversion and support for the highest sample rate of 192kHz to the Scarlett range, achieving a dynamic range of 122dB. The headphone output, which has never sounded better on a Scarlett, has also been upgraded.

The upgraded microphone preamps provide up to 69 dB of clean gain, so you can properly build up even the most demanding dynamic or ribbon microphones without the need for an external preamp.

The redesigned popular Air feature brings a sliver of the sound of the iconic Studio Console mixers with a Presence mode that boosts the high frequencies of your signal, perfect for creating intimate vocal recordings, capturing every tiny detail of acoustic guitar and shimmering drum overheads. For a change, the new Harmonic Drive circuit aims to boost midrange harmonic frequencies, which is great for things like electric guitars.

The Auto Gain, Clip Safe and Dynamic Halo functions help you get the preamp set up just right. Dynamic Halo is a simple solution to indicate signal overdrive. If the backlight is red, reduce the gain so that the color is green. On most models (except the Scarlett Solo and Solo Studio) you can use the Auto buttons to automatically adjust the gain, just sing a few phrases or play an instrument and you're ready to record. Combined with the Safe function activated, you simply can't have an overdriven recording on the input.

There's a Focusrite Control 2 virtual mixing console that lets you set gain directly from your computer or use the handy Loopback setting.

With every Scarlett audio interface you get an Ableton Live Lite DAW and a three-month subscription to Avid Pro Tools Artists and Avid Complete Plugin Bundle, as well as AutoTune Access, Softube Marshall Silver Jubilee 2555, Addictive Drums, Relab Reverb and, of course, a helping of quality plugins direct from Focusrite.

The Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 4th Generation is a USB-C audio interface with 18 input and 20 output channels and is the top model in the Scarlett range. The analogue section consists of 10 combined inputs for microphone, line or instrument signals. The analog output section includes 10 channels, including the connection of two pairs of studio monitors with the ability to switch them with the Alt button. There's also a pair of headphone outputs with individual volume control, as well as a full MIDI interface or built-in microphone for TalkBack. Via the optical ADAT I/O interface divided into 1 / 2 connectors, you can distribute the signal at a maximum quality of 96kHz (only the first connector can be used for up to 48kHz for 8 channels) and thus expand the existing number of inputs and outputs. Perfect synchronization is then ensured by the Word CLock interface. SPDIF connectors are used for digital stereo connection.