Focusrite Scarlett 18i8 3rd Gen 18-in 8-out USB Audio Interface For Musicians

The third-generation Scarlett 18i8 is the perfect audio interface for recording engineers and producers who need to adapt to their recording environment, wherever they are.

It offers eight analogue inputs: four mic/line inputs, two high-impedance, high-headroom instrument inputs and four additional fixed-line inputs on the rear. An optical input allows for expansion of up to eight additional channels for larger recording sessions. And with improved A-D and D-A conversion, your recordings and playback will sound clear and pronounced up to 24-bit/192kHz, vital to helping you perfect your mix.

Scarlett 18i8 features four of Focusrite’s best-ever-performing third-generation Scarlett mic preamps: with optional Air setting to reproduce the Air effect of their original ISA mic preamp, giving your vocal or acoustic recordings a brighter and more open sound. There’s a pad on every mic preamp to accommodate higher-level signals without clipping.

Scarlett 18i8 offers two extra line outputs over the previous generation, and speaker switching technology for dual monitor setups. Two independent headphone outputs allow for both engineer and artist to monitor during recording sessions, and a pair of virtual loopback inputs allows you to capture a stereo feed of any combination of hardware input and software playback channels – making podcasting, live streaming and sampling tasks easier.

Scarlett 18i8 is designed to stand up to days on the road, and connects straight to your Mac® or PC via USB cable. There’s no better way to step into studio recording – your Scarlett interface comes with some of the best loved tools in the business, including Ableton Live Lite, Avid Pro Tools Artist and Hitmaker Expansion, with exclusive content from legendary Auto-Tune® creators Antares®, along with Brainworx®, Softube®, Landr, XLN Audio®, Relab and more.

If that wasn’t enough, Focusrite have partnered with Splice to give 3rd Gen. interface owners a free 3-month Splice Sounds subscription when setting a new Splice account. Splice Sounds offers millions of high-quality, royalty-free one-shots, loops, and presets, with new releases daily from your favourite producers, sound designers, and artists. Creators use Splice to make all kinds of music, including chart-topping pop, Grammy-winning albums, underground mixtapes, and cinematic scores.

As with all Focusrite products, you’ll also benefit from a three-year warranty with award-winning customer support.

Key Features

• Four of the best performing mic preamps the Scarlett range has ever seen, now with switchable Air mode to give your vocal recordings a brighter and more open sound
• Two high-headroom instrument inputs to plug in your guitar or bass
• Eight balanced line inputs for connecting synthesisers, drum machines and other line-level sources
• Four monitor outputs with anti-thump technology and speaker switching
• High-performance converters enable you to record and mix at up to 24-bit/192kHz

Product Specifications

What’s in the box

• Scarlett 18i8 3rd Gen.
• 1 x USB cable (Type C-A)
• 1 x Power Supply

Included Software

• Ableton Live Lite
  The iconic DAW gives you everything you need to get started including instruments, effects and Live’s trademark clip and scene launching for taking ideas further or performance.
• Three Month Avid® Pro Tools® Artist Subscription with Complete Plugin Bundle
  A three-month subscription to Avid Pro Tools Artist and Avid Complete Plugin Bundle, with a 25% discount on Avid Pro Tools Artist after the subscription period, or a 33% discount on Avid Pro Tools Studio.
• Splice Sounds
  Three months Splice Sounds membership with new Splice accounts – offering millions of high-quality, royalty-free one-shots, loops, and presets, with new releases daily.

Hitmaker Expansion

• Antares® Auto-Tune® Access
  For everything from natural sounding, near-real-time pitch adjustment for getting the best vocal takes, to lightning-fast Hip-hop-inspired pitching for adding a whole new sound to your tracks.
• Softube® Marshall® Silver Jubilee 2555
  The modern evolution of the iconic JCM800, brought to you by analogue-modelling experts Softube®. The Silver Jubilee offers everything from warm cleans, through classic crunch, and up to modern high gain tube amp sounds.
• Landr Studio, plus five free masters
  Produce and release your best work with two-month’s access to Landr Studio, as well as five free masters you can use even when your two month’s subscription is over. Landr Studio provides everything you need to mix and master your tracks, including unlimited MP3 mastering, and unlimited distribution on streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, TikTok, and many more.
• Brainworx® Bx_console Focusrite SC
  The preamps that made Focusrite what we are today to your music. No other plug-in offers the unique character of the iconic large format console, with ISA 110 preamps – the origin of the famous ‘Air’ we still hear on Focusrite interfaces today. Bx_console Focusrite SC is a full channel strip, offering EQ, de-esser, compressor, limiter, gate and expander.
• Focusrite Red 2 & 3 Plug-in Suite
  Featuring a pair of meticulously captured digital models of the truly iconic EQ and Compressors which have made the Focusrite name a staple in world-class facilities across the globe. If you’ve kept up with major releases over the last 30 years, you’ve heard Red 2 and 3.
• XLN Audio® Addictive Keys
  Add beautifully captured piano to your tracks with the choice of one of four professional-sounding models from Steinway®, Yamaha® and the classic Rhodes®. Plug in your MIDI controller and play; instantly be transported to a professional recording studio set up to capture one of these beautiful pianos – right from your studio.
• XLN Audio® Addictive Drums 2: Studio Rock
  Add the sounds of a pro drummer to your songs easily. Featuring expertly captured samples from a high-end Tama® and Pearl® drums, and Paiste® and Sabian® cymbals, recorded at Decibel Studios in Stockholm.
• Relab’s LX480 Essentials
  Get four reverbs, modelled on The Hit Factory NYC’s reverb unit, and used on countless hits. LX480 Essentials gives you the sounds of a studio which has played host to names from Springsteen, the Stones and Kool and the Gang, to The Weeknd, Pharell, Katy Perry, and everyone in between.
  All other product names and brands cited herein are property of their respective owners. All company, product and service names used on this page are for identification purposes only. Use of these names, logos, and brands does not imply endorsement.

Technical Specifications

• Connectivity: USB Type-C
• Protocol: USB 2.0
• Form Factor: Rack Mount (1U)
• Simultaneous I/O: 18 x 8
• A/D Resolution: 24-bit/192 kHz
• Number of Preamps: 4
• Number of Pads: 2
• Phantom Power: YES
• Instrument Inputs: 2
• Line Inputs: 8
• Analogue Outputs: 4
• Headphone Outputs: 2
• Main/Alt Speaker Switching: YES (via software)
• Digital Inputs: S/PDIF & ADAT input
• Digital Outputs: S/PDIF
• MIDI I/O: YES
• Loopback: YES
• Bus Powered: NO
• Included PSU: YES

SUPPORTED SAMPLE RATES

• 44.1kHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz, 176.4kHz, 192kHz

MICROPHONE INPUTS

• Frequency Response 20Hz – 20kHz ± 0.1dB
• Dynamic Range 111dB (A-weighted)
• THD+N <0.0012% 
• Noise EIN -128dBu (A-weighted)
• Maximum Input Level 9dBu (at minimum gain)
• Gain Range 56dB
• Impedance 3kΩ

LINE INPUTS 1-4 (VARIABLE GAIN)

• Frequency Response 20Hz – 20kHz ± 0.1dB
• Dynamic Range 110.5dB (A-weighted)
• THD+N <0.002%
• Maximum Input Level 22dBu (at minimum gain)
• Gain Range 56dB
• Impedance 60kΩ

LINE INPUTS 5-8 (FIXED GAIN)

• Frequency Response 20Hz – 20kHz ± 0.1dB
• Dynamic Range 110.5dB (A-weighted)
• THD+N <0.002%
• Maximum Input Level 18dBu (at minimum gain)
• Impedance 44kΩ

INSTRUMENT INPUTS

• Frequency Response 20Hz – 20kHz ± 0.1dB
• Dynamic Range 110dB (A-weighted)
• THD+N <0.03%
• Maximum Input Level 12.5dBu (at minimum gain)
• Gain Range 56dB
• Impedance 1.5MΩ

LINE/MONITOR OUTPUTS

• Dynamic Range (Line Outputs) 108dB
• THD+N <0.002%
• Maximum Output Level (0 dBFS) 15.5dBu 
• Impedance 430Ω

HEADPHONE OUTPUTS

• Dynamic Range 104dB (A-weighted)
• THD+N <0.002%
• Maximum Output Level 7dBu
• Impedance <1Ω