Intro and Use Cases
We recently got sent one of the new Focusrite Scarlett 4th Gen Audio Interfaces to install and check out, and this one’s a doozy – coming it as the flagship model in the range, the 18i20 boasts 18 inputs, 20 outputs, rackmount options and a whole bevy of features that would take an entire series to get into. That said, we’ll stick to the highlights so you know the main features that apply to the majority of studio setups, and we’ll give you our candid thoughts along the way. Plus, we just like saying the word “bevy.” Shall we begin?
What’s New
Let’s start with the main features, the new analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog chips (DAC) are fantastic. One of the benefits of having a close relationship with Focusrite over the years is that we’ve been able to test out all the previous iterations of the Scarlett range over USB, and we can go back into old scratch track demos from Pro Tools and Logic to hear what our old reviews were based on. The new convertors in the 4th generation are quite simply a fantastic update and for the money, beating just about anything else we’ve demo’d in this price range.
One of the nice new bonus features is the auto-gain setting, which essentially allows you (if you wish) to “set it and forget it” when it comes to the new mic preamps. Now, you can still ‘ride the faders’ if you’re old school, but the new intelligent settings worked incredibly well on all mic sources regardless of what instruments we were throwing at the 18i20, or any vocal takes you purposefully may try to run into the red. So kudos on that to the Focusrite engineering team.
Build Quality and Tactile Features
If you’re in the market for something beyond a little 2-channel desktop interface, this is the place to start. The unit is a bit heftier than you might think, in terms of weight, and the brushed red metal case accents are a nice, elegant touch. On the sides you’ll find some rubberized, removable covers that conceal the rackmount bracket holes, which you can utilize if you want to throw this in your rackmount rig (duh), or on a wheel-able sidecar for a studio expansion option.
We decided to keep it desktop-only for testing purposes, but appreciate the flexibility, especially as it gives a bit of a pro edge compared to other USB models it competes against.
We also appreciate the front-accessible mic inputs, since we’ve encountered other manufactures who move ALL the inputs and outputs to the rear when moving up the range from their lower-cost consumer interface offerings. Now, that’s great if you plan to permanently route all your outboard gear, mic pres and standalone mics to the rear and never change up your studio setup. But for the rest of us who like to swap out mics, try new things and just generally like the option to audition stuff, having to reach around back or worse, move an entire stationary (and sometimes heavy, awkward) rack can be an utter pain. Focusrite thankfully lets you plug in XLR sources on the front panel if you want, and/or connect to the 8 XLR inputs located on the rear.
Bottom line – it’s sleek, yet built like a tank, so it’ll be right at home on your desk, in a rack, as part of your sidecar setup or just about anywhere else it needs to fit in if space (especially vertical space) is at a premium.
Inputs and Outputs
The aforementioned 8 mic pres on the back should be enough even to mic up a full drum kit, and if you are a synth nerd like us and have an office full of hardware synths, you’ll appreciate the plethora of I/O options for line-level sources, too. If that weren’t enough, you can always pipe in more channels over a Toslink cable using the ADAT tech that’s built-in. You’ve got the optical ins and outs right on the back, along with an incredibly generous 10 quarter-inch outputs.
So, if you’ve ever felt the limitations of just having only a main (2-ch) monitor mix out on a smaller interface, no worries here. You can go out to multiple monitor sets for A/B testing your mixes, or send out to customized headphone monitor mixes for any musicians you might be tracking.
Again, this is a step up in the Scarlett range, so if you’ve tested the water with one of the simpler, 1 or 2-channel options before, this’ll open up a whole new world of input and output capabilities.
And lastly, in terms of I/O you’ve got full-size MIDI ins and outs (yay!) No stupid mini jacks, but real full-size DIN MIDI that works, and helps geeks like me control my boutique 808, Moog and Arp synths, as well as my little sequencer that ties it all together. I wish every interface included MIDI as a basic necessity, but sadly it’s not the case for all manufacturers.
There’s even a talkback mic for communicating with your live room, if you do decide to install this in a control room and have musicians tracking in a separated space. Very nice, and not normally found at this price. Full disclosure, we didn’t test out this function but it’s nice to know it’s available.
Time Management (aka World Clock Out)
You’ll also notice as BNC connector on the back for hooking up a world clock – now, when you’re interfacing with a number of digital units that all need to be in sync with each other (especially in the world of video, for example), this can become a crucial and necessary avenue to invest in. If you’ve only ever used consumer grade audio interfaces before to track your vocals and maybe an acoustic guitar, it’s likely that you’ve never encountered this type of output and may be a bit perplexed by its usefulness.
Fear not! Focusrite anticipated this, and has a very helpful explanation on their site that covers it in depth: https://us.focusrite.com/articles/a-primer-on-word-clock/
Ease of Setup
Setting up is a breeze, as expected. All the connectors are nice and tight, and the software that comes bundled is dead-simple to setup, as well. The Focusrite Control 2 app takes no time at all to install and gives you remote control over the mix, outputs and routing options with ease. As if that weren’t enough, there’s even an Easy Start option if you just want to get recording right away.
Routing all the channels and assigning things in your DAW was hiccup-free, so you can begin laying down tracks on your preferred channels in no time.
Sound Quality and Real-World Demo
Here’s one of the benefits of having used and demo’d the previous generations, I can actually go back and listen to what we’ve done in the past and try to recreate it with the new hardware. Thankfully, Focusrite has kept their “Air” option, which as we’ve mentioned n numerous times before, we just keep engaged on all channels (especially vocals) 24/7, without question.
In the latest generation, Air comes in two flavors, one that claims to be a “presence” mode which to our ears boosts essential high-end and upper mids, to being an added push to the clarity of your top end. In reality, this likely works best for mixes that need a little extra umph to make those higher-end textures really pop. Great for making things radio-ready and more finished sounding. The other mode is going to be your guitarist’s new fave: the harmonic drive and presence on tap for this option really bring out the mids and harmonic content in amplified guitars, which we think is going to be the new secret sauce to make your axe standout in any mix. Give it a shot, if you’re like us you’ll likely keep these activated at all times, as well.
Mic preamps, as we suspected, are dead quiet, latency-free, and reveal dynamic levels of clarity that we’ve heard in much more expensive units. Now you can get commercial studio-quality sound for less than the cost of a good mic, and it blows us away to think how far we’ve come in just the past ten years. Truly stunning, to say the least.
Of course, the outputs are just as important, and testing them with Yamaha, KRK and ADAM Audio monitors all revealed excellent sound staging and clarity across the spectrum – setting up our Sennheiser and new Zildjian headphones made mixing sound fantastic as well, and we appreciate having the headphones outs front-accessible, too.
Included Software and Perks
Besides the quick start guide and app, you also get access to a few “lite” DAW options to audition, but the real draw is the Hitmaker Expansion which provides a bunch of cool amp sims as well as Auto-Tune pitch correction tools for vocalists. There are channel strips, additional mix tools and frankly more than we had time to dig into. Suffice to say, you can create retail-ready recordings from scratch using the 18i20 and included bundle as the new brains of your studio operation. We wish we had this when we began home recording in the 90’s.
Our Final Verdict
It looks killer, it’s built like a military-grade bomb shelter, it has a ton of expandability, sounds fantastic, is super easy to use and control, and comes in a price point less than $650 at retail. If you’re even half-way serious about putting a pro studio together, and can’t shell out $100k for a room-sized SLL board, this’ll get you what you want at a price that can’t be beat, with all the bells and whistles you could ask for outside of, say, someplace like Abbey Road.
PROS:
Excellent value, build quality, AD/DA convertors, versatility and overall looks
CONS:
None
STREET PRICE:
$649 USD
For More Information
To check out the full specs of the new 4th Gen Scarlett interfaces from Focusrite, head to https://us.focusrite.com/scarlett or go right to this link for the 18i20: https://us.focusrite.com/products/scarlett-18i20