Focusrite has a long history of great audio gear; their equipment works with just about any DAW and has superb sound quality. The 18i8 2nd generation is very nearly as good as the 3rd generation hardware but is dramatically cheaper. In all other respects they're quite similar. If you're looking for a multi-input mic preamp which is fairly compact and well built, it's hard to beat. I bought one of the refurbished units at a steep discount and was able to register it as brand new with Focusrite, which got me a warranty and free software downloads.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Refurbished
Listed as 18 in, 8 out. Only 8 inputs are analog, the rest being optical requiring special external gear for use. Of the 8 outputs, 2 are also optical (S/PDIF) and mostly useless. More bothersome to me, of the 6 analog outputs, only two are on standard mono jacks. The remaining 4 are routed as left and right on two headphone jacks. To use these requires awkward splitter cables (not included). Apart from this kind of deceptive product labeling (which I'm afraid is all too common in audio interfaces), the unit's input gain is low throughout, requiring boosting before input or after (compromising audio quality). I will avoid Focusrite in future.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
I'm so glad I finally spent a few bucks more to complete my sound setup. I tried to go cheap by grouping USB audio devices together under ASIO4ALL. I don't usually mind saving a few bucks in exchange for a few hours of tweaking. But then it went to hours and hours wasted. Got the Focusrite and it has been *right* from the start. Very solid. No noise what so ever. You know you have cheap stuff when you have nothing playing, i.e. pure silence, and turn up the volume and hear a bunch of junk. Not so with the Focusrite. Also the latency with the drivers was mind blowing after coming off ASIO4ALL. I work with 128 sample size with no issues. Bottom line, it has exceeded my expectations in every way.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Great product for the money. I used it in my practice space for demos. Along with Abelton Live, it's genius. Easy to use and has a good sound. Great value. I have 2 of these now and they are well made. Good stuff!
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
The interface I bought was factory refurbished. Except for a dent on one corner the rest of the unit was flawless. After installing the appropriate drivers from the factory website it fired right up and connected with Reaper effortlessly. What makes the 18i8 so desirable is its ability to get 8 more XLR channels for a total of 12 using the ADAT connection. If you do alot of remote recording, having this flexibility really is a lifesaver. I'm not an equipment prude. I use Behringer and Korg interfaces too. They all have their purposes and this one is just as awesome!
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Refurbished
For any kind of studio set-up, keeping it simple with great gear that doesn't break the bank but sounds good is where you start. This is one of those items. It's not an ISA, but it's complimentary to one, as this is what you can use along side it as long as it has it's digital card, have two extra channels, and you can record literally anything at seriously great quality, what you would call clean, so you can throw even digital effects on it through your DAW and get exactly what you're looking for. Also it works without having to be plugged into USB, what I do is run it into a Zoom H4N Pro and I record multi-track on the go long as I can plug in the 18i8. It's all about what you can do with your equipment, and this is exactly what I needed.
Verified purchase: No
Great product at a great price does exactly what I need to record my three instrument rock band. Mics on lead vocals, drums and guitar. Bass direct in. Line in from mixing board for backup vocals in the back. It did a great job my first try. Hardly any noise. And there are three more inputs to be utilized. I’m thinking bass drums and cymbals next.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
These interfaces are really nice. Super easy to use with downloaded software from Focusrite website. Bit pricey new, but used ones are really affordable.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
I keep coming back to the Focusrite line of audio interfaces and they NEVER disappoint. Great A/D convertors, the preamps are clean and to my ears sweet! Seriously, I don't think there are better audio interfaces on the market than Focusrite. And who can deny, the red is hot!
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
This is a great product totally useful for my studio needs. In no way a cheap interface. Very pleased!
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
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