Scarlett Better

Focusrite has announced the release of the Scarlett 18i20, the latest in its series of high-quality USB 2.0 interfaces. It has 18 inputs and 20 outputs in total, and offers eight Focusrite microphone preamps with switchable phantom power; plus 24-bit/96kHz AD/DA converters. The analogue mic/line inputs are fitted with combination XLR/jack input sockets, and connections for channels one and two are on the front panel and offer additional Hi-Z instrument modes and a switchable 10dB pad. An additional eight channels of digital I/O are provided via ADAT lightpipe, with S/PDIF providing an additional stereo digital input and output. Dual independent headphone outputs allow separate mixes to be set up for the engineer and the artist, while a dedicated monitor section, with dim and mute buttons, provides comprehensive control over studio monitors.
Scarlett 18i20 ships with a software suite that includes Ableton Live Lite music production software, a Focusrite Scarlett plug-in bundles, Novation’s Bass Station soft synth and over 1GB of royalty-free Loopmasters samples.
www.focusrite.com