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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