Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 3rd Gen USB Audio Interface Reviews

The focusrite scarlet series has been my favorite interface for a while now, so when I decided to get something with more inputs, I wanted to give the 18i20 a chance. This thing is great, it does anything you'd expect it too and more. Specifically the "Air" feature seems to add really tasteful tape saturation to your audio that delivers a nice warm sound. You can't go wrong with this interface, works great with Logic and I hear equally great with Pro Tools etc. Look no further for a simple but very effective device that will meet your needs and then some. In my opinion, this is the best home studio interface on the market.

As everyone has already said, this product is tried and true. Great functionality at a somewhat reasonable price. For recording, I wouldn't trade the 18i20 for anything else on the market that isn't at least 2x this price.

This interface is straightforward, but high quality. The preamps are invisible, but I only use it for drum machines and synths. I wish there were a mono button on the front panel, as well as a physical button for the "air" setting. All in all, I'd recommend it for electronic musicians that don't need too much from preamps in terms of color or gain. For recording vocals and guitars, I would use a tube pre or something with more character. For synths however, it's (almost) perfect.

Works just like it should.

Mike Singer recommended this for my set up and I couldn't be happier. Hardware is great and the software functions well. Seems to be a very stable machine. Thank you

This audio interface is perfect with the Yamaha TX816 rack synthesizer, and it records beautifully. Awesome construction.

Amazingly sweet and open sounding pre's. I'm a Focusrite guy. I have the Saffire Liquid 56, Pro 40 and an ISA One and now the 18i20. With the alternate speaker and built in Talkback mic, I sold the monitor controller I had. The 18i20's Focusrite Control software is much easier to use than the Mix Control as well. I'm a music artist/guitarist here in Nashville TN. I'm also a modest small studio owner and engineer/producer etc etc.. I really love the Focusrite sound. And Sweetwater is seriously the best.

Was looking to spend more on thunderbolt but I needed something fast and this is what my retailer had in stock. Super stable. Unnoticeable latency when tracking drums even without using direct monitor and using effects. Great sounding conversion. Sturdy feel and overall build. Really nice surprise is input level trim which is really useful for outboard preamps and makes gain staging super easy, especially while driving nice pres into the red. My recordings sound much better than my more expensive interface that died.

This is a great investment , it simplifies the recording process of a band's rehearsal and the collection of plug-ins you get as a bonus makes the whole experience that much more satisfying, couldn't be happier with the choice of adding this interface to my setup

Perfect piece for the right price. I've been drumming for over 20 years, only recently I decided to build my own portable/home studio. I did extensive research and found this to be the right item for me.

This thing is awesome! Drastically improved my overall sound quality with recording and playback. Very good value and nice overall feel and function.

This device is amazing. It gives you all the features expected from the Focusrite Scarlett brand and more. The first thing I noticed was the control surfaces. They felt amazing. The knobs feel solid and sure and offer just the right amount of resistance when turned. What I especially liked is the, not one, but two, independent headphone jacks that each have their own volume control and of course the talkback feature. Every pro situation must have a talkback feature and this one is built right into the interface. The first two combination inputs are up front while the remaining 6 are on the back and lets not forget about the ADAT lightpipe feature. This thing is just loaded with inputs and outputs. I come from using Presonus Firestudio Project devices and they are amazing but this interface is unbelievable and not to mention it is built extremely solidly. High quality is standard in every way with this interface. If I run out of channels, I won't hesitate to buy another. I recommend this device and it gets a 10/10 from me.

As most of you have noticed by now, it's extremely difficult to find software drivers in an audio interface that also work with 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound in Windows. Focusrite makes awesome drivers for Windows that work in both ASIO and WDM. I previously fought for over two years with an expensive Antelope Discreet 8 Synergy Core interface. Antelope's drivers on Windows are slow and unreliable AND they do not work in any way for 5.1 surround setups outside of the DAW. I consulted with the Antelope audio engineers and they said that their drivers will not work for 5.1 games or movies. I'm never buying another Antelope interface ever again! The Antelope hardware is great, but the drivers are garbage for Windows users. There's a night and day different between Antelope's drivers and Focusrite's drivers in Windows.

The Focusrite Control software also searches and handles any firmware updates automatically. After you install the Focusrite Control drivers, in you Windows Sound options you can click on the Focusrite USB driver and get a Configure button at the bottom. Clicking on that Configure button takes you to the Speaker Configuration where you have the following choices: Stereo, Quadraphonic, 5.1 Surround, and 7.1 Surround. From there any games you play that have 5.1 surround like, Alien Isolation, Division 2, Tome Raider, etc. will work perfectly! Also movies going through my Cyberlink Power DVD software sound amazing in 5.1!

By the way, for my 5.1 surround setup, I'm running two Adam A77Xs and three Adam A7Xs. An Adam Sub8 is on my list for the future. If you are a 5.1 sound junky like I am, and you want your DAW, your games, and your movies to run through your audio interface with reliable drivers that just work in Windows... then you'll defiantly want to stick with Focusrite!

Focusrite control gives you the ability to route signals how you want. You get multiple output mixes which is really useful. This is all before you even mess with a DAW.

I replaced a mixing board I was using for recording because I wanted a higher quality input for guitar and vocals, etc. What I wasn't ready for was the difference in quality. I was blown back by the difference. The only word I could think of for the review is pristine. I am hearing things I sonically never heard before. Both input AND playback are stunning. I am also able to dynamically switch mixes from my Kali's and my small PreSonus monitors, a feature I use all the time now. Best move I've made in some time.

This is an amazing interface for the price point. I had a smaller $40 invoice from another manufacturer that was ok'ish but really was lacking a lot. Only 16 bit not 24 and only 48 kHz. I want record my old band other groups but needed more IO and better processing with no latency. Mission accomplished! This checked every box and wasn't too pricey. Extremely happy with purchase and my sales engineer Christian Baer was incredible to work with and extremely helpful. Highly recommend this product and highly recommend Sweetwater!! Oh btw they give you a two year warranty!! Awesome

I've been using an older interface outside of my studio to mix at home/run my PC audio from, and I was encountering so many issues. I had used this interface before (1st gen), and knew it was one of the best pro-sumer options. I've had this interface for one weekend, and it's already solved all of my tech dilemmas, to say nothing of the improved preamps from the 2nd gen. Great software too! Loopback feature is very handy.

Head room...you bet...easy set up very simple directions. Every thing downloads very fast...you will not regreat this purchase

At this price point, all you can ask for is a solid and stable device that won't interrupt your workflow or demand special attention. If you need the inputs and outputs this is a great device that is solidly built that requires little fuss or configuration. I've had no issues with the drivers and performance.

The routing software isn't the most intuitive interface, but won't be critical to most people who are just looking to add inputs.

Combine this interface with the $99 Studio one Artist DAW, you have a professional sounding studio... Great sounding pre amps for the money, easy controls, input monitoring, tons of gain room, tons of inputs for this price point. Not to mention, David at Sweetwater in customer service makes ordering any equipment from Sweetwater a no brainer. I believe he has a degree in audio engineering and is super helpful at anything "music" you need to know. Don't know what you don't know? Well no problem, they'll call you just to make sure you're getting along with your new equipment and bend over backwards to make sure you are.

Honestly, this interface is SO easy to use, I was a little afraid hopping into it, but it was definitely an easy transition from my M-Audio Air. I will say, the only downside of it is the fact that it's capable of being rack mounted, not necessarily a bad feature, but it makes me want to buy rack mounted gear

After owning and using the Scarlett 18i20 1st gen for several years I was very happy with the product line. I had only a few issues with the 1st gen unit but they were mostly involving the control software which was quite confusing for me to wrap my head around. But the unit itself was gorgeous to look at and performed well doing what it was supposed to do. The 3rd gen uses Focusrite Control software which is a 100% improvement over the old unit. Setting up my system was super easy and the added Alternate monitor select button and function was just what I needed for my 2 sets of monitor speakers. Also, the Focusrite "air" effect is switchable on the first 4 preamps and is a nice subtle touch on vocals. But the 3rd gen case did away with that wonderful red premium-looking case and the unit's all black with narrow red around the front edge doesn't do it justice. For the price, this is an excellent unit for anyone needing more than a few inputs. I would give it 10 stars if I could!

For me, this isn't exactly a cheap or budget item, but I will say it is well worth the money. I had 2 Tascam interfaces that led to clipping, pops in recordings, etc. This thing is night and day. Cool preamp simulation too. Displays are very helpful. Using a Acer Laptop with 16gb ram, works like a charm.

This the second one I've bought from Sweetwater. I bought a Gen 1 that worked so well I bought a Gen 3. Perfect mixer / pre-amp for a smal home studio!

I have had this interface for a few weeks now, and I have yet to have any issues with it. The zero latency monitoring is GREAT for band rehearsals, and setting up mic placement. While it did take me a minute to get it set up, it was a very easy process, as it did most of the work for you. Lastly, it simply looks great! The display on the interface works great for when I need to see what track may be clipping, and adjusting volumes. Would recommend.

Literally perfect. If you need 8 mic pres and are on a budget this is the ONLY choice. It's amazing... wonderful customer service as well :)

Summary

After 10 years the death of my laptop meant that I had to replace it. I purchased a high end gaming laptop. Plugging my Beyerdynamic monitor headphones into the computer I felt that I was getting decent sound. Wow was I wrong. The Intel/NVIDIA audio was, I thought, pretty good. I work with FL Studio and musicians. I needed to be able to have more flexibility with inputs and outputs. So I purchased the Scarlet. The difference is more dramatic than going from a $3.99 set of earbuds to my Beyerdynamic monitor headphones.

Setup

At least as impressive as the sound was the setup process. When you first plug in the Scarlet you are directed to a file. Running that file starts an interactive setup process complete with videos. One is led step by step to complete installation. I was particularly impressed that the videos were also tailored to one's DAW. Early in the process I was asked to identify my DAW. From that point on all of the video instructions included both the Scarlet and FL Studio. It is the most sophisticated and complete install process I have every experienced.

Competition

Although I compared the specifications of similar products I bought the Scarlet without the opportunity for hands on comparison to other company product lines. While it exceeded my expectations I can't comment on if I would have been more pleased with another brand. The unit is physically pretty. I like the feel of the physical controls, both buttons and knobs. Also, Focusrite Control (the software that one uses to set up routings in the box) is quite easy to use (once you read the manual. Haha. Since the unit is brand new I also can not comment on how it will stand up over time.

"NVIDIA Broadcast"

NVIDEA has come out with a free application for their GeForce RTX cards. It has three functions: Noise removal for the microphone (audio in), noise removal for the speakers (audio out), and "green screen" manipulation of video. It only works with Channels 1 & 2 on input and "Focusrite USB audio" on output. Setting the output gain at maximum on the Scarlet (while muting the audio feeds so as to not blow my ears out) and turning the output noise reduction on eliminated (to my tired geezer ears) the background noise completely. This is obviously not something one would use while doing music production but for casually listening to streaming music it does make a difference.

Conclusion

A nice bit of "kit." I am satisfied with my purchase.

I bought this item a few months back because I was down an interface and wanted something that I could expand off of in the future. This thing is amazing!! The preamps for the price you can't beat, you can buy buy and ADAT preamp ling to expand your outputs (guys for live drum recording this is amazing), plus for vocals the air option for the preamp is nice and the live talkback button makes communicating with your vocalist or anyone tracking with headphones on a breeze. Big thanks to Shawn F!! He really helped me with my order and was very knowledgeable about not just this item but the rest of the items in my order. True professionals here in the sweetwater service department!!

Me encanta!, la mejor

I think is the best interface for a great price! Air feature is a great addition to 3rd Gen!

The Focusrite DI is such a great piece of equipment that allows more control over sound both playing live and recording.

So I've had this for about 2 weeks now. This is a very capable piece of equipment for the money with a lot of room for expansion. I would be remiss not to mention I purchased this with great input from my sales engineer Jon Mostacato. I need an interface specifically to record multiple inputs at once without outboard gear. I haven't been able to use it in this way due to shutdowns given the circumstances but I have been able to benefit from the combo inputs and midi inputs. I've been able to integrate this seamlessly with a Reaper workflow using amp sims so I'm very eager to try this out with in a trio setting and for location recording. Again, for the money I don't think you can find something better than this and keep as robust a feature set.

I chose the Scarlett 18/20 due to positive previous experience with Focusrite and the specific need for ADAT support with wordclock. Even with an outboard mixer, I also need several analog inputs and a couple mic-pre's. Scarlett fits the bill at a competitive price. Solid quality. FYI the only other interface I considered was the Audient id44 (which appears to be a wonderful device), but having no experience with their OS drivers I opted for the company that I already know works well with Linux, MacOS and Windows7/10.

As a synth enthusiast with a long-time hobby of home recording, I have owned several audio interfaces over the years from TC Electronics, Tascam, Avid, Echo, Focusrite and the earlier iteration of M-Audio. With the exception of the Echo Layla G (which I loved, but sold after support dropped), I use the devices daily and on multiple OS platforms.

In a clutch after one of my older interfaces failed, I purchased a Focusrite 2i4 for mobile project work. I was delighted to learn the backward compatibility extended back a decade on MacOS! Incredible. Being a USB device, it also connects to all of my computers, whereas the older Firewire and PCIe devices created limitation. Rarely have I been more happy with a purchase as I connected it to all my computers and operating systems and it worked plug and play again and again.

So, the Scarlett was an easy choice. As expected, it connected immediately for audio, and after installing control app I was able to get ADAT and wordclock up and going quickly. Only hitch was inability to attenuate ADAT signal at point of audio card, but that was solved by changing global volume output on older synth. A small disappointment, but not truly a big deal - just a dive into the synth menus and few minutes of gain adjustment to get the ADAT normalized relative to analog signal path. Still, ability to attenuate or pad ADAT signal through adjustment on computer would be helpful.

Love the sound. No hitches. No snaps or crackles. Backward compatible. Good price. Convenient layout of Scarlett's front panel. Dedicated on/off switch on unit's front. Great input flexibility, usable metering, intuitive control app, decent mic pre's. And for me, just plug and play!

Strongly recommend the Scarlett 18/20. Thank you Sweetwater for another perfect transaction!

This Scarlett unit is just incredible. I purchased this so we could record our church worship for streaming without the need to set up the x32 for sound and it works great! The tracks record seamlessly, and it is super easy to use. Sweetwater made the purchase process easy and the item was delivered super quick.

I'm new to the home studio world. This interface was easy to setup and it works seamlessly with my MacBook Pro. The video tutorials were so helpful.
I'm now recording 8 channels of drums. Very cool!

Exactly what I needed, easy to use right out of the box

I'm getting quality recordings for a reasonable price! The 18i20 is very plug n play ready. I purchased this for our church to pre-record services and I can say it's the best decision I've made in awhile. Eventually I want to lay down some drum
Tracks with it, I'll update when I do

Perfect for recording acoustic or electric drums ( if you have more than 2 outputs ) I ordered this 18i20 after purchasing the 2i2, which imho was way better than the PreSonus usb96.

I use this with my Alesis Strike Pro Se kit which has 8 individual outputs for the kick, snare , Toms (left/right) , hi-hat, ride and cymbals (left/right).

Having individual control of the kit was exactly what I was looking for.

As pictured below, I did make my own patchbay so I can utilize the rear inputs from the front.

No latency , no noise, super easy to use. ( 2017 MacBook Pro )

My Focusrite Scarlett 18i8 died so I had to replace it and chose the 18i20 for more input/output options. Great upgrade and had nice look and feel besides a more robust preamp presence.

I needed a new studio interface, did my research and decided to give the Scarlett 18i20 3rd Gen a try - was so happy with it that when I needed to set up a new studio in a different location, I just went a head and got a second Scarlett. Extremely easy to use, everything I need and more, and the new preamps are great. At this price, I doubt you can get something with as many input and output options that sounds this good. Really happy with my Scarletts!!

I upgraded from the first gen 18i8, and this thing just blew my mind. The quality of the converters is a huge step up from what I was using previously, and the talkback mic and loopback system are really handy features to have. The added "Air" feature to all of the mic pre's is a really nice addition, and all of the extra connectivity in regards to ADAT in and out makes this a great centerpiece for a home studio. Love it!

I’ve been a Focusrite fan and user of their interfaces and preamps for 15 or more years.

I owned the original 18i20 interface and I’m very happy with the upgrade to the 3rd generation. It’s luxurious by comparison to the original in terms of its added features, latency improvement and build quality.

The software control panel is different which caused me a bit of time to figure out but its simple once you figure out the in’s and out’s of it.

Tip: when recording set focusrite control panel to ‘system playback’ so you can match incoming signals levels via DAW faders with previously recorded tracks.

I also purchased the Scarlett Octapre Dynamic.
It has really nice compressors for anything running via ADAT to the 18i20.

The 18i20 has dual ADAT in and out ports as well for even more expansion. Although the 18i20 is a USB 2.0 device with a USB C connector on the device which connects to a USB A type connector on your computer via the included cable this is not a problem in terms of forward/backward compatibility with newer USB formats. I’m running mine through a USB 3 port on my computer with great and stable results.

Very nice for the price and gets the job done.

Set up was easy, just follow online instructions and you're good to go. Just did some quick guitar and bass recording and it sounds really good. Phantom power's working as well as the headphone jacks. Justin at Sweetwater was a big help in recommending this unit for my needs.

Sounds great and super easy to use. Love the Focusrite interface, easy to navigate and also easy to use, though I mainly control things through my DAW. I would personally like a hardware toggle button for the AIR pre amps on each input, but it's easy to switch in the Focusrite Control. Had a hardware issue pop up about 1.5 years after purchase, a grounding issue on the 8th input. Focusrite and Sweetwater both were super responsive and helpful with getting me a replacement unit with just a few emails between the two. Great costumer service from both, and a really solid workhorse unit for intermediate and armature studios. Haven't played much with the ADAT, but plan to in the near future.

I have to say that this unit is easy to use, sounds great, and is priced right! Only reason I didn't give it five full stars is because I didn't want anyone to get the idea that it is as good as units twice the price (or more). For my needs, it is PERFECT! Special thanks to Aric, my sales engineer for helping me with this decision. I'm very happy with my purchase.

The Focusrite Scarlet 18i20 is just what I needed in my Studio. My Tech guy Spencer has been great to work with. Very helpful and knowledgeable.

Like several others have experienced, I also suffered for years with pops, clicks, glitches, stutters etc. It was not due to a lack of CPU, RAM, Block size or computer setup. It was poor audio driver performance. The Focusrite 18i20 ended all that frustration and I no longer have to worry about random digital noise making it into my production. I highly recommend this unit to anyone who is sick and tired of dealing with digital nonsense and just wants their DAW to operate correctly.

This thing is phenomenal, to say the least. Easy hook up, but the biggest headache was Focusrite Control. Different daws require different set ups, and this took me over 12 hours to figure out and a freakout thinking I damaged my outboard equipment. Just be sure you understand focusrite control before hooking up ANYTHING. Otherwise, be ready for a headache.

This is my third interface from Focusrite. My first was a 1st Gen Scarlett 2i4. Worked great, so great that years later I bought a Scarlett Solo (3rd Gen). I then got more involved with recording. For me, the drawback of the smaller interfaces is that they are light and plugging-in and removing cables is messy and the box moves around and gets dragged by cables. I realized I would benefit from a rack mounted interface so I could maintain dedicated inputs for various mics and instruments. I looked at their top of the line Claret series (2x the cost) but in my basement studio, the slightly greater dynamic range and slightly better converters would be lost on me.

Well, the 3rd Gen 18i20 solved all my problems and more. My workflow is so much better and it sounds great. For me, the rack-mount and the stability it offers is key. In terms of the operation of the interface and connectivity with the DAW, the 18i20 has the same awesome performance as my smaller Scarlett units.

I've replaced a Presonus Studio 192 with this 18i20...I think the Scarlett is cleaner and easier to use.

No issues installing this with an ASUS Zen Book (11th Gen i7). Software installed easily, downloaded and installed the included ProTools First license as well. Thankfully AVID is moving to a cloud based license instead of the iLok, so the bundled DAW is friendlier to use.

Preamps are nice and clean, I would compare them to the 2nd gen Clarett preamps. No distortion. Air mode is excellent and a welcome addition to the Scarlett line as well.

Outputs and the ability to easily map the outputs is a great touch. The same goes for headphones and getting independent mixes on headphones outs. My Presonus was a nightmare in these regards.

The only thing to watch for are USB cables. I have a 2.5' Thunderbolt 3 cable that works flawlessly. The 8' USB-C I have will not work, neither will USB-C to USB-A cables. The only cables that work are Belkin Thunderbolt 3 cables. I'm certain another name brand Thunderbolt 3/4 cable will work as well. I'd love to use the 8' cable so I can put the Scarlett where I want it in my desk, but I'm stuck until I buy a compatible 6' cable. Yes, I know this is a USB-C USB 2.0 unit...mine will only work with high quality Thunderbolt 3 cables. Not a big deal for me when I'm already dropping $... another $ for a good cable isn't a deal breaker.

The Scarlett 18i20 is one awesome interface for this newbie producer in recording drums, guitar, bass, vocals, and keys. I love that it can be expanded to use additional inputs with the Octopre, and love that it integrates well with Cubase 11.

For someone who is new to recording, this is a pretty big first step. I have marked down a half point for the Focusrite Control application, as it is not real intuitive and could have been a bit better in the UI layout. But this interface can do things I have not even heard of and am discovering new capabilities every day. I know that someday I will want to move up to the Clarett, but for being able to use the Scarlett at this price point as part of my education, is perfect for the time being.

Sweetwater is awesome!! I feel like I am listened to and understood and am given opinions and recommendations when I ask for them. Noah is so cool and has spent countless texts and emails and calls with me in answering questions. I literally will not go anywhere else!

Thank you Focusrite! Thank you Sweetwater! And thank you Noah!!

I just recvd the octopre and plugged it in. Use it for drums only. Sound was awesome using protools (newest) and was super easy to configure. Love it so far.

I recently bought it and am new to Focusrite interfaces. I found it sensational and still bought Octopre Dynamic to have 16 channels (I'm a drummer :-)). After contacting support I had two disappointments: 1. The phantom power button (+ 48v) does not record the option, so when you turn it off and on it will be off; 2. Despite being class compliant interface, in Logic Pro X in Audio Device Control I can't have + 48v control. This causes me to have to push the button every time I call. Overall and for the price, great product!

I have been using the 18i20 for a few weeks and am pleased in what it can do. I originally purchased the 4i4 about a year ago as a way to get my synths connected to my computer for playing and recording, but have since added a few new keyboard synths and wanted the ability to switch between them without having to rearrange cables and adjust the related settings.

One thing I did not like about the 4i4 was the Control app required to properly configure the audio interface. As far as I can tell, it is the same basic software used for the 18i20 as well. Although it is still clunky, it appears to be a bit more usable. That could be due to the additional I/O and capabilities. I have more testing to do with it, but have been quite pleased with the ease of setup, connection, and front panel operations thus far. I have not downloaded the included software applications, but plan to do so.

With the additional I/O, I have added an XLR cable for my Jupiter-X direct to the front panel ports. So far, that has worked quite nicely. My other synths (ASM Hydrasynth and Moog Matriarch)are connected using 1/4" TRS cables. I currently use the 18i20 with my Windows 10 machine running the Ableton Live 11 Standard DAW. I have also tested it on my MacBook Pro with no issues noted.

Using only audio, the recorded songs sound great. I have noticed some occassional noise but do not attribute that to the 18i20. It is more likely the computer or peripheral equipment; tracking that down will take some time to troubleshoot. I have also recorded MIDI through the 18i20 without noticing any problems.

Lastly, I would like to thank Brad Irvan for his recommendations. He listened to my wants and "needs", offered his positive and negative suggestions including the why or why not for each. He's always there ready to serve. I also appreciate that he takes interest in what you are doing making the interaction more personable. Thanks Brad! Now back to making music.

After having recorded with it for a couple of years I can say that I am very happy with it. Clean, clear and easy to use. I just added a Focusrite OctoPre to it and, with excellent technical support from Sweetwater, I now have what I am confident will be 16 channels of clean clear input to easily record a 6-piece band.

As my title suggests... I wanted to give a review of this interface, but I have a first generation version of it. I'm sure that there are some differences between them, but likely very few. This is an excellent and fairly stable prosumer unit. I've had mine for roughly 8 years, and it's been pretty much flawless. I've have to do the occasional reboot of it, so it re-finds the inputs, but that's likely something even higher end models will suffer from. I mean... electronics are somewhat unpredictable. It's stable once running.
My biggest COMPLAINT with Focusrite is the exceedingly un-user friendly Mix Control. It's a neat concept, but I shouldn't have to watch countless Youtube videos to try and figure out how to route stuff. it's not intuative, and they seriously need to fix this. All in all... these guys were first to marked (as far as I could tell when I was initially looking) with massive I/O in a low budget interface. Others have now followed suit, but these guys had the initiative to come to market with that concept first. And for that.. I applaud them.

okay here we go. I'm going to tell you all the things I wish someone told me back when I purchased this product:



These preamps are OK. Not bad, but not good either. And no, I'm not saying they are "nuetral" or "colorless". That would be great. They're not. They are muffled, flat, and the DI sounds plain ol' boring (and they're noisy with low-output mics too). When you have nice instruments, nice mics, and a nice room to record in, these preamps can be pretty disappointing. They have virtually zero depth and don't have a lot of headroom, compared to the "good" (expensive) gear.
If you're serious about recording, get the "Clarett+ 8Pre" version. For only a little more money, you are guaranteed something priceless: the ability to record professional, high quality audio without spending so much time mixing & fixing.
with this product... it always feels flat and lifeless no matter what I plug or play into it.

Then, there's the issue with low-latency monitoring and CPU overloading with recording multiple tracks simultaneously. With this interface, that is not possible. You would need a ridiculously powerful computer to compensate for the fact that this interface has no DSP or processing power of its own. All of the strain will go straight to your computer, so if you do not have a powerful computer (with a large SSD), you will have latency.

The latency issue applies to the Clarett series, too. These are both considered "budget friendly gear", and will simply never stack up to the performance of a professional interface. An interface with built-in processing power (DSP) will end up costing as much as 6-8 of these Scarlett 18i20s... it's called the law of diminishing returns.
Buying the right audio interface is extremely difficult no matter what your budget is, so I hope that my explanation has cleared up some of your doubts (or delusions) about what this product is capable of.

I have not used it enough yet to provide a very good review. I had issues getting it to work correctly at first. The documentation provided via the internet was not helpful in solving my issue. I got very little help from Focusrite tech support. In the end it was Sweetwater tech support that gave me the help I needed to get it going. That was because I was able to actually talk to someone. I will remember that going forward.

It was a handy unit from the looks of it, but several months in I've grown to loath the preamps... the lack of tonal color, harmonic richness... I want to bypass the preamps with ones that I built; but not sure that's possible. Noisy... the AIR option is something they should have left out. There is no punch in port. For a DIY composer there is no excuse for no punch in. Had I known these things I would have never bought... now I have to figure a way to work around.
If you know the sound you want, are used to devices that can deliver, you will only be disappointed by the sound you get out of out of the box.

I've been using the focusrite 18i20 3rd for about 9 months now. I use it for both the recording studio and for live sound. I must say the pre-amps and amazing. I have it hooked up to a Behringer ada8200 and the focusrite pre-amps are a lot better. The only issues I have is the focusrite control software is not user friendly. The loop back functions I could live without. The 2 headphone connections on the front steal from the 10 outs on the back. Good by to 4 of the outs on the back. Outs 1 and 2 are for the monitors. That leaves you with only 4 outs on the back for anything else. Pretty frustrating. Other than that it sounds amazing.

It records audio, and the audio sounds good. But that feels like the bare minimum. All of the products in this price range can record good-sounding audio.

The real problem is the Focusrite Control software, which might be the worst application I've ever used, going back to Windows 3.1... There is nothing intuitive or user-friendly about it. The manual for the software will get you close to what you're trying to do and then something like "You can now set up ____"-- without ever providing the instructions for the final steps. I nearly pulled my hair out. It took me 2 days to figure out how to get the 8-channel external preamp to connect to the 18i20 and show up in my DAW. On my first gen 18i20 with the old MixControl software it took about 10 minutes.

My recommendation would be to look for any hardware that doesn't use Focusrite Control and then buy that hardware instead.

250 pcs of jitter and no option to slave it under an external word clock. No BNC IN makes it so the 18i20 always must be master clock. Decent device besides that. Love the routing options and control app.

Not a fan of digital recording to begin with,I've heard something about the interface not being good with a P.C.due to the drivers,No volume,tons of popping noises,the air effect is not great,analog recording was fun,this is hours wasted on passwords,bitrates,conversions,drivers,computer storage,virus,Avid,I can get a better sound on my phone(for free)

It gets 2 stars for functionality only. Price says it all. Cheap price = junk converters. Muddy sound, junk converters, good luck!

This thing MIGHT be fine for Mac or linux users but windows users beware. THIS THING IS TRASH. Nothing but problems and constantly ruined recordings. Not even good for just listening to audio

I believe the problem here is their inability to code actual drivers for their device. Long story short, it has problems with the windows buffer. Constantly ruins recordings by cracking popping or just straight up going full Mr Roboto. The more mics plugged in (whether in use or not) the shorter the amount of time you have before the buffer fails and the Mr Roboto starts.

Even when just using it to run my monitors, it "freaks out" all the time. And by freak out i mean the Mr Roboto thing OR just BLASTING full volume static. I think it would have been more productive to have just burned the munny i was spending on this and then pay for a completely different interface

I've used this many times in live and studio situations. Almost every time it has given me issues and not worked when I needed it to.

multiple issues... returned.

Preamp suck the Scarlett 18i20 should have been the clarity.this audio interface in a toy a gimmick cause of focusrite greed

So I purchased this from Sweetwater. This review doesn't reflect on Sweetwater's awesome service. Focusrite on the other hand is disappointing. There are only 8 inputs unless you include the adat input and the s/pdif input. You will have to buy another device and hook up the rest of the inputs to that. As for the outputs it's the same thing. This device only has 10 outputs.

I bought one for my demo room and despite being an affordable interface with lots os ins and outs it will give you headaches (I'm using a Mac) regarding the "no hardware connected" on the terrible terrible terrible (I repeat) terrible Focusrite Control software (that looks and feels like something from the 90s). Even with the updates it still shows the no hardware connection until will turn it off and on again. It is simply unacceptable for a brand like Focusrite. Respect your buyers!. Plus the headphones outs share the same paths as the last 4 outs (basically you loose 4 outs if you wanna use the headphones) DO NOT BUY THIS.