User Guide FFFA001411-01 www.focusrite.
TABLE OF CONTENTS OVERVIEW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
OVERVIEW Introduction Thank you for purchasing this Second Generation Scarlett 18i8, one of the family of Focusrite professional audio interfaces incorporating high quality Focusrite analogue pre-amplifiers. In conjunction with the unit’s accompanying software application, Focusrite Control, you now have a compact yet highly versatile solution for routing high quality audio to and from your computer.
All inputs on the Scarlett 18i8 are routed directly to your DAW software for recording, but Focusrite Control also allows you to route these signals internally within the device to the outputs so that you can monitor the audio signals with ultra-low latency - before they arrive at your DAW, should you need to do so. The Scarlett 18i8 also has connectors for sending and receiving MIDI data; this lets you use it as a MIDI “hub” between your computer’s USB port and other items of MIDI equipment in your system.
GETTING STARTED IMPORTANT: PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOU INSTALL FOCUSRITE CONTROL BEFORE CONNECTING THE INTERFACE TO YOUR COMPUTER. NOTE THAT THE SECOND GENERATION SCARLETT 18i8 DOES NOT REQUIRE SEPARATE USB DRIVERS TO BE INSTALLED FOR EITHER MAC OR WINDOWS. FOCUSRITE CONTROL INCLUDES THE NECESSARY DRIVERS. Software Installation All software required by the Scarlett 18i8 - and several powerful and useful extras - are available for download from the Focusrite website (www.focusrite.com/register).
HARDWARE FEATURES Front Panel 10 4 8 7 11 5 6 3 3 1 2 9 11 The Front Panel includes input connectors for Mic, Line and Instrument signals, the input gain and monitoring controls, and sockets for headphones. 6 1. Inputs 1 and 2 – XLR Combo type input sockets - connect microphones, instruments (e.g., guitar), or line level signals via XLR or ¼” (6.35 mm) jacks as appropriate. Either ¼” TRS (balanced) or TS (unbalanced) jack plugs can be used for instruments or line level signals. 2.
. USB LED – a green LED which illuminates when the unit is recognised by the computer to which it is connected. 8. MIDI LED – a green LED illuminates when MIDI data is received at the MIDI IN port. 9. MONITOR – main monitor output level control – this is an analogue control and adjusts the level at Outputs 1 and 2 on the rear panel. 10. MUTE – push this button to mute Outputs 1 and 2. The button illuminates when MUTE is active. 11.
Rear Panel 20 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 13 12 19 12. LINE INPUTS 5 to 8 – the inputs are balanced, on ¼” (6.35 mm) jack sockets. Connect further line level sources here, using either ¼” TRS (balanced) or TS (unbalanced) jack plugs. 13. MONITOR OUTPUTS 1 and 2 – two balanced analogue line outputs on ¼” (6.35 mm) jack sockets; use TRS jacks for a balanced connection or TS jacks for unbalanced.
Connecting your Scarlett 18i8 IMPORTANT: Before you connect your Scarlett 18i8 to your computer, please complete the software installation according to the instructions at page 5. This will ensure that the hardware uses the correct drivers, and will prevent unexpected behaviour. Power Your Scarlett 18i8 should be powered from an external 12 V DC, 1 A mains adaptor. A suitable adaptor is supplied with the unit. IMPORTANT: We very strongly recommend that you only use the supplied mains adaptor.
Audio Setup in your DAW The Scarlett 18i8 is compatible with any Windows-based DAW that supports ASIO or WDM or any Macbased DAW that uses Core Audio. After installing Focusrite Control and connecting the hardware, you can start using your Scarlett 18i8 with the DAW of your choice.
Once the Scarlett 18i8 is set as the preferred Audio Device* in your DAW, all 18 inputs and 8 outputs will appear in your DAW’s Audio I/O preferences (note however that Ableton Live Lite is limited to a maximum of four simultaneous mono input channels and four simultaneous mono output channels). Depending on your DAW, you may need to enable certain inputs or outputs before use. The two examples below show two inputs and two outputs enabled in Ableton Live Lite Audio Preferences. *Typical name.
Example of Usage The Scarlett 18i8 is an excellent choice for several different recording and monitoring applications. Some typical configurations are shown below. Connecting microphones and instruments Musician’s individual foldback mixes Guitar Bass Microphones Stereo Keys Amplifier Stereo Keys This setup illustrates a configuration for recording a group of musicians with DAW software on Mac or PC. In this case, Inputs 1 and 2 are used for two guitars, while Inputs 3 and 4 are used for vocals.
The front panel input sockets are XLR Combo type, which accept either an XLR male connector (you will probably have one on the end of your microphone cable) or a ¼” (6.35 mm) jack plug. Note the Scarlett 18i8 has no “Mic/Line” switch – the Focusrite preamplifier stage is automatically configured for a microphone when you plug an XLR into the input, and for a line or instrument when you connect a jack plug.
In the example, each vocalist is receiving his/her own monitor mix because they each have their “own” Scarlett 18i8 headphone output. Focusrite Control lets you define up to four separate stereo mixes (or eight mono) and these mixes may include previously recorded DAW tracks as well the current input signals. Here, just two stereo mixes are being used.
Connecting Scarlett 18i8 to loudspeakers The 1/4” MONITOR OUTPUTS jacks on the rear panel will normally be used to send audio to monitoring speakers. Self-powered monitors incorporate internal amplifiers with a volume control, and may be connected directly. Passive loudspeakers will require a separate stereo amplifier; in this case, the rear panel outputs should be connected to the amplifier’s inputs. Active Speakers Amplifier Passive Speakers All the line output connectors are 3-pole (TRS) ¼” (6.
Inputs 1 & 2 on front panel Octopre 8ch Mic Amp Optical ADAT connection (TOSLINK) Computer running DAW and Focusrite Control Up to 16 Mic/Line Sources Using the ADAT connection In addition to the eight analogue inputs, the Scarlett 18i8 has an optical ADAT input port which can provide an additional eight audio inputs at 44.1/48 kHz sample rate or four at 88.2/96 kHz. (Note that the optical ADAT input port does not support 176.4/192 kHz sample rates.
Using the Scarlett 18i8 as a stand-alone mixer The Scarlett 18i8 has the ability to store a mix configuration defined in Focusrite Control within the hardware. This feature lets you configure it – for example, as an on-stage keyboard mixer – using your computer, and then upload the configuration to the device itself. Then you can use the Scarlett 18i8 as a simple local mixer as part of your keyboard rig to control the overall mix of multiple keyboards.
FOCUSRITE CONTROL Focusrite Control software allows flexible mixing and routing of all audio signals to the physical audio outputs, as well as control of output monitor levels. Sample rate selection and digital sync options are also available from Focusrite Control. NOTE: Focusrite Control is a generic product, and may be used with other Focusrite hardware interfaces.
The following table provides the channel routings when preset option “Direct Routing” is selected in Focusrite Control; see the screen image on page 18. At 44.1 kHz and 48 kHz sample rates: CH NO.
At 88.2 kHz and 96 kHz sample rates: At 176.4 kHz and 192 kHz sample rates: CH NO. INPUTS OUTPUTS CH NO.
SPECIFICATIONS Performance Specifications Configuration Inputs 18: analogue (8), ADAT (8), S/PDIF (2) Outputs 8: analogue (6), S/PDIF (2) Mixer Fully assignable 18-in/8-out software mixer . (Focusrite Control) Digital Performance Supported sample rates 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 88.2 kHz, 96 kHz, 176.4 kHz and 192 kHz Clock jitter <250 ps Microphone Inputs Frequency Response 20 Hz to 20 kHz, +0.5/-1.5 dB Dynamic Rnge 109 dB (‘A’-weighted) THD+N < 0.002% Noise EIN –127 dBu Maximum Input Level +8.
Instrument Inputs Frequency Response 20 Hz to 20 kHz, +0.5/-1.5 dB Dynamic Range 109 dB (‘A’-weighted) THD+N < 0.003% Maximum Input Level +12 dBu Gain Range 50 dB Monitor Outputs 1 & 2 Frequency Response 20 Hz to 20 kHz, +/-0.5 dB Dynamic Range 108 dB (‘A’-weighted) THD+N < 0.001% Maximum Output Level (0 dBFS) +16 dBu, balanced Headphone Outputs Frequency Response 20 Hz to 20 kHz, +/-0.5 dB Dynamic Range 108 dB (‘A’-weighted) THD+N < 0.
Physical and Electrical Characteristics Analogue Inputs 1 & 2 Connectors XLR Combo type: Mic/Line/Inst, on front panel Mic/Line switching Automatic Line/Instrument switching Via software from Focusrite Control Phantom power Shared +48 V phantom power switch for inputs 1 and 2 Analogue Inputs 3 & 4 Connectors XLR Combo type: Mic/Line/Inst, on front panel Mic/Line switching Automatic Phantom power Shared +48 V phantom power switch for inputs 3 and 4 Analogue Outputs 1 to 6 Connectors (Outputs 1
TROUBLESHOOTING For all troubleshooting queries, please visit the Focusrite Answerbase at https://support.focusrite.com/hc/en-gb/requests/new where you will find articles covering numerous troubleshooting examples. COPYRIGHT AND LEGAL NOTICES Focusrite is a registered trade mark and Scarlett 18i8 is a trade mark of Focusrite Audio Engineering Limited. All other trade marks and trade names are the property of their respective owners. 2016 © Focusrite Audio Engineering Limited. All rights reserved.
