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User Guide

www.focusrite.com

Version 1.0

Summary of Contents for Scarlett 18i20

Page 1: ...User Guide www focusrite com Version 1 0 ...

Page 2: ...Rear Panel 13 Connecting your Scarlett 18i20 14 Power 14 USB 14 Audio Setup in your DAW 15 Examples of Usage 17 Recording a band 17 Low Latency Monitoring 18 Connecting Scarlett 18i20 to loudspeakers 19 Using the ADAT connection 24 Using the Scarlett 18i20 as a stand alone mixer 25 FOCUSRITE CONTROL 26 Channel Listing tables 27 Digital I O Modes 27 SPECIFICATIONS 32 Performance Specifications 32 P...

Page 3: ... so no need to install a driver if you are a Mac user YourThirdGenerationScarlettinterfaceiscompatiblewithourFocusriteControlsoftwareapplication this lets you control various hardware features set up monitor mixes and configure routings There is a Focusrite Control installer for both Mac and Windows platforms and no driver is required for Macs The Windows version of the installer contains the driv...

Page 4: ... functions can be activated from the front panel but they can also be configured and selected on screen from Focusrite Control All inputs on the Scarlett 18i20 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 arr...

Page 5: ...er to do this the rack ears supplied with the unit need first to be fitted To fit the rack ears Remove the rubber Focusrite inserts from the sides of the case This will reveal three tapped fixing holes Rubber Insert Fix the rack ears to the sides of the chassis using the three countersunk M4 screws supplied ...

Page 6: ...rovided Note that Scarlett 18i20 is a USB 2 0 device and thus the USB connection requires a USB 2 0 compliant port on your computer Your computer will initially treat your Scarlett as a Mass Storage Device MSD and during its first connection the Scarlett will be in MSD Mode Quick Start Tool We have tried to make registering your Scarlett 18i20 as simple as possible The procedure will probably be s...

Page 7: ...Scarlett or to follow a step by step setup guide based on your choices Once you have installed the Focusrite Control software to set up and configure your interface the Scarlett will be switched out of MSD mode so that it no longer appears as a Mass Storage Device when connected to your computer Your OS should automatically switch the computer s default audio inputs and outputs to the Scarlett 18i...

Page 8: ...ear on the desktop Note that the drive letter may be something other than D depending on what other devices you have connected to your PC Double click on the pop up message to open the dialogue box shown below Double click on Open folder to view files this will open an Explorer window ...

Page 9: ... software for your Scarlett or to follow a step by step setup guide based on your choices Once you have installed the Focusrite Control software to set up and configure your interface the Scarlett will be switched out of MSD mode so that it no longer appears as a Mass Storage Device when connected to your computer Your OS should automatically switch the computer s default audio inputs and outputs ...

Page 10: ...te you can do so at https customer focusrite com user register You will need to enter the Serial Number manually this number can be found on the base of the interface itself and can also on the barcode label on the side of the box We recommend that you download and install our Focusrite Control application as this will disable MSD mode and unlock the full potential of the interface Initially when ...

Page 11: ...power is selected 3 Gain 1 2 adjust the input gain for the signals at Inputs 1 and 2 respectively 4 INST two switches changing the input configuration for the jack contacts at Inputs 1 and 2 When INST is selected the gain range and input impedance are altered relative to LINE and the input is made unbalanced This optimises it for the direct connection of instruments usually via a 2 pole TS jack pl...

Page 12: ...associated LED DIM yellow MUTE red indicating that the function is selected Note that DIM and MUTE may also be selected from Focusrite Control 14 Talkback microphone 15 TALKBACK press and hold this button to activate talkback When active TALKBACK illuminates green and the talkback mic 14 may be routed to the 18i20 s various outputs By default talkback routes to the two headphone outputs 17 but the...

Page 13: ...Hz sample rates At 44 1 48 kHz sample rate only the right hand port of each pair is used at 88 2 96 kHz sample rate both ports are used with the right hand port carrying ADAT Channels 1 4 and the left hand port carrying ADAT Channels 5 8 Note that the optical input and output are disabled when sample rates of 176 4 192 kHz are in use The left hand port of each pair IN and OUT may alternatively be ...

Page 14: ...tware installation is complete simply connect the Scarlett 18i20 to your computer if your computer has a Type A USB port we recommend you use the Type A to Type C USB cable provided with the unit If your computer has a Type C USB port please obtain a Type C to Type C cable from a computer supplier USB Standards Note that because the Scarlett 18i20 is a USB 2 0 device the USB connection requires a ...

Page 15: ... Operating instructions for Pro Tools First and Ableton Live Lite are beyond the scope of this User Guide but both applications include a full set of Help files Instructions are also available at www avid com and www ableton com respectively You can find a video tutorial on getting started with Ableton Live Lite at https focusrite com get started Please note your DAW may not automatically select t...

Page 16: ...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 s Input Config and Output Config pages Typical name Terminology may differ slightly between DAWs ...

Page 17: ...W software on Mac or PC A selection of sources microphones guitar and a keyboard are shown connected to the Scarlett 18i20 s inputs Note that only Inputs 1 and 2 can be configured to accept instruments directly so we have chosen to plug the guitar into Input 2 Ensure that INST is selected for this input The connection to the PC or Mac running DAW software is via the USB cable supplied This will ca...

Page 18: ...monitoring which overcomes this problem You can route your input signals directly to the Scarlett 18i20 s headphone outputs This enables the musicians to hear themselves with ultra low latency i e effectively in real time along with the computer playback The input signals to the computer are not affected in any way by this setting However note that any effects being added to the live instruments b...

Page 19: ...are 3 pole TRS 6 35 mm jack sockets and are electronically balanced Typical consumer hi fi amplifiers and small powered monitors will probably have unbalanced inputs either on phono RCA sockets or via a 3 5 mm 3 pole jack plug intended for direct connection to a computer In either case use a suitable connecting cable with jack plugs at one end Professional active monitors and professional power am...

Page 20: ...un the risk of creating an audio feedback loop if loudspeakers are active at the same time as a microphone We recommend that you always turn off or turn down monitoring loudspeakers while recording and use headphones when overdubbing Speaker Switching The 18i20 s Speaker Switching function makes adding a second pair of monitors very easy simply connect the second pair to the ALT outputs LINE OUTPU...

Page 21: ... software supporting multichannel ASIO In most cases this will be your DAW and in general DAWs capable of mixing in surround allow you to set the speaker mapping up in the DAW s Audio Output Preferences or I O Settings page Please see the User Manual or Help files for your DAW for guidance on setting up the outputs for surround mixing with the speaker configuration you wish to use Mac users On Mac...

Page 22: ...22 The example below shows how you would connect the six loudspeakers in a 5 1 surround monitoring arrangement Left L Rear Left RL Rear Right RR Centre C Right R Sub Bass LFE ...

Page 23: ...ptical cable To synchronise the two devices over ADAT set the clock source of the Scarlett OctoPre to Internal and that of the Scarlett 18i20 via Focusrite Control to ADAT Alternatively stable clock synchronisation may be achieved by connecting the Scarlett 18i20 s WORD CLOCK OUT to the Scarlett OctoPre s WORD CLOCK IN and setting the Scarlett OctoPre to use Word Clock as its clock source In this ...

Page 24: ...20 as a stand alone mixer The Scarlett 18i20 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 18i20 as a simple local mixer as part of your keyboard rig to control the overa...

Page 25: ...gured to suit the number of inputs and outputs and other facilities available on the hardware IMPORTANT A separate Focusrite Control User Guide can be downloaded from the downloads area of the Focusrite website This describes the use of Focusrite Control in full detail together with examples of application To open Focusrite Control Installing Focusrite Control on your computer will place an FC ico...

Page 26: ...ese assignments out of the box Use this mode if you need a coaxial S PDIF audio input or if you wish to use a coaxial S PDIF signal as a clock source Digital port Sample rate kHz 44 1 48 88 2 96 176 4 192 Inputs S PDIF IN S PDIF S PDIF S PDIF OPTICAL IN 1 ADAT 1 8 ADAT 1 4 x OPTICAL IN 2 x x x Outputs S PDIF OUT S PDIF S PDIF S PDIF OPTICAL OUT 1 ADAT 1 8 ADAT 1 4 x OPTICAL OUT 2 ADAT 1 8 ADAT 1 4...

Page 27: ...channels when working at 88 2 96 kHz sample rate Digital port Sample rate kHz 44 1 48 88 2 96 176 4 192 Inputs S PDIF IN x x x OPTICAL IN 1 ADAT 1 8 ADAT 1 4 x OPTICAL IN 2 x ADAT 5 8 x Outputs S PDIF OUT S PDIF S PDIF S PDIF OPTICAL OUT 1 ADAT 1 8 ADAT 1 4 x OPTICAL OUT 2 ADAT 1 8 ADAT 5 8 x ...

Page 28: ...AT 1 1 ADAT 1 1 Digital In 4 ADAT 1 2 ADAT 1 2 ADAT 1 2 Digital In 5 ADAT 1 3 ADAT 1 3 ADAT 1 3 Digital In 6 ADAT 1 4 ADAT 1 4 ADAT 1 4 Digital In 7 ADAT 1 5 ADAT 1 5 ADAT 1 5 Digital In 8 ADAT 1 6 ADAT 1 6 ADAT 1 6 Digital In 9 ADAT 1 7 ADAT 1 7 ADAT 1 7 Digital In 10 ADAT 1 8 ADAT 1 8 ADAT 1 8 OUTPUTS DIGITAL I O MODE COAXIAL S PDIF OPTICAL S PDIF DUAL ADAT Output 1 Output 1 Output 1 Output 1 Ou...

Page 29: ...UTPUT PRESET Output 1 Output 1 Output 1 Output 1 Output 1 Output 2 Output 2 Output 2 Output 2 Output 2 Output 3 Output 3 Output 3 Output 3 Output 3 Output 4 Output 4 Output 4 Output 4 Output 4 Output 5 Output 5 Output 5 Output 5 Output 5 Output 6 Output 6 Output 6 Output 6 Output 6 Output 7 Output 7 Output 7 Output 7 Output 7 Output 8 Output 8 Output 8 Output 8 Output 8 Output 9 Output 9 Output 9 ...

Page 30: ...S PDIF 2 via co ax socket x x OUTPUTS DIGITAL I O MODE COAXIAL S PDIF OPTICAL S PDIF DUAL ADAT Output 1 Output 1 Output 1 Output 1 Output 2 Output 2 Output 2 Output 2 Output 3 Output 3 Output 3 Output 3 Output 4 Output 4 Output 4 Output 4 Output 5 Output 5 Output 5 Output 5 Output 6 Output 6 Output 6 Output 6 Output 7 Output 7 Output 7 Output 7 Output 8 Output 8 Output 8 Output 8 Output 9 Output 9...

Page 31: ...Response 20 Hz to 20 kHz 0 1 dB THD N 0 0012 minimum gain 1 dBFS input with 22 Hz 22 kHz bandpass filter Noise EIN 128 dB A weighted Maximum Input Level 9 dBu no PAD 16 dBu PAD selected measured at minimum gain Gain Range 56 dB Input Impedance 3 kohms Line Inputs 1 to 8 Dynamic Range 110 5 dB A weighted Frequency Response 20 Hz to 20 kHz 0 1 dB THD N 0 002 minimum gain 1 dBFS input with 22 Hz 22 k...

Page 32: ...mpedance 1 5 Mohms Line Outputs 1 to 10 Dynamic Range 108 5 dB A weighted Maximum Output Level 0 dBFS 15 5 dBu balanced THD N 0 002 minimum gain 1 dBFS input with 22 Hz 22 kHz bandpass filter Output Impedance 430 ohms Headphone Outputs Dynamic Range 104 dB A weighted Maximum Output Level 7 dBu THD N 0 002 measured at 6 dBu with 22 Hz 22 kHz bandpass filter Output Impedance 1 ohm ...

Page 33: ...ine switching Automatic Pad 10 dB attenuation selected per channel from Focusrite Control Phantom power Shared 48 V phantom power switches for inputs 1 to 4 and 5 to 8 AIR function Selected per channel from Focusrite Control Analogue Outputs Main outputs 10 x balanced TRS jacks on rear panel Stereo headphone outputs 2 x TRS jack on front panel Main monitor output level control On front panel Headp...

Page 34: ...mode 8 x yellow LEDs Pad active 8 x green LEDs MIDI data received Green LED Lock indicator Green LED Talkback active Green LED ALT speakers selected Green LED Monitors DIM and MUTE Yellow LED DIM red LED MUTE Weight and Dimensions W x D x H 482 6 mm x 46 6 mm 1U x 259 8 mm 19 in x 1 83 in 1U x 10 23 in Weight 3 195 kg 7 16 lb ...

Page 35: ...ett 18i20 has a two year warranty valid anywhere in the world against manufacturing defects Full Terms and Conditions of the Warranty can be found at https focusrite com warranty Focusrite is a registered trade mark and Scarlett 18i20 is a trade mark of Focusrite Audio Engineering Limited All other trade marks and trade names are the property of their respective owners 2019 Focusrite Audio Enginee...

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