Scarlett 18i16 4th Gen

Scarlett 18i16 is an 18-in/16-out USB-C audio interface for producers who record more than one source at a time. Four 4th Generation preamps carry 69 dB of gain, enough to bring quiet ribbon and dynamic mics up to level without an inline booster, and eight line inputs keep outboard gear connected and ready. Conversion uses the same 24-bit/192 kHz design as Focusrite's RedNet range, with 122 dB of dynamic range for clean results from a soft vocal through to a loud snare. Air mode adds console-style presence or harmonic colour to vocals and acoustic sources while you track. Auto Gain sets sensible levels across four mics in seconds, and Clip Safe checks levels up to 96,000 times a second and trims gain before a peak clips, which matters when the take only happens once. Two custom headphone amps give the engineer and the performer separate mixes with plenty of level for high-impedance headphones. A/B speaker switching lets you reference a mix on a second monitor pair, and hardware metering shows input and output levels at a glance. ADAT, S/PDIF and MIDI in and out handle expansion and hardware sync, while Loopback routes computer audio into a session for sampling or streaming. Focusrite Control 2 sets routing, levels and monitor mixes from a desktop app or an iOS or Android phone, so gain changes happen in the live room. It runs on USB-C bus power, with an external supply included.