Focusrite Scarlett 18i8

- Which technical specifications motivated your choice?
I bought it a week ago to replace an M-Audio mobilepre soundcard, which was awful (latency, crackles and big incompatibility problems). I had the need of several mic inputs, 4 are enough, especially since you can add more thanks to the ADAT output of the soundcard

- Do you use it with other instruments or systems and what's your setup?
Connected via USB. I plug a bunch of instruments, as well as mics and midi.

- What do you use it for?
I use it on my own for now, so track per track. However, I bought it because I wanted to be able to record a band.

- What's your setup (motherboard, CPU, RAM, hard drive,...)?
I use it with an Asus R500V notebook with 4GB ram, 750GB HDD and intel core i5 2.56HZ processor. I use Cubase 5 as DAW.

UTILIZATION

- Are the drivers stable?
Very stable, no complaints.

- How many tracks can you record/playback simultaneously?
For the time being I only record track per track, so no comments.

- What's the latency of your system?
Around 7ms.

GETTING STARTED

- Did you have any problems during the installation?
You register the product on Focusrite's website, download the driver, connect the soundcard and that's it. I didn't need to read the manual (which can be downloaded from the website). So the installation is relatively simple.

- Did you have any incompatibility problems?
I had one problem: If you turn off the soundcard while the DAW is still open, you'll get a blue screen of death. But once you know that, you just have to pay attention.

- Is the user's manual clear and comprehensive?
I haven't opened it, but if you need it, you can download it from Focusrite's website (very handy if you lose all the documentation, like I did).

OVERALL OPINION

- How long have you been using it?
I've been using it for a week now.

- Did you try any other models before buying it?
I had an M-Audio mobilepre which was terrible — it's like night and day!

- Which feature do you like the most / the least?
The most: The number of inputs, the quality of the preamp, the design (it is very nice), and the ease of use.
The least: The blue screen of death if you unplug it from the PC while the DAW is open. Other than that, nothing.

- How would you rate its value for money?
Very good, for the price I find the sound very good. The number of inputs is enough, it fulfills its role fine. Good value for money.

- Based on your experience, would you buy this product again?
Even if my experience with this soundcard is limited, I would buy it again without hesitation!

I was persuaded by the seriousness of the brand
Sturdy and appealing looks
I needed 8 analog inputs
The outputs were not that important

I have been into computer music for a long time, I7 2.9 GHz 4GB Ram, HDD 7200rpm, Cubase 7 64 under w7 pro 64

UTILIZATION

Everything seems to work just fine. I downloaded the most recent drivers. I bought it yesterday to replace a layla 24/96, whose driver don't quite follow the evolution of the system.
4 to 5 ms of latency.
I have already done a couple of recordings and haven't had a single problem yet during recording or playback.
Aside from that, I had an issue with cubase and the "monitoring direct" option, which remained grayed out while an echo disrupted the recording, so I had to deactivate the tracks' bus. Nothing unsurmountable, but I contacted support about it.

GETTING STARTED

No issues during installation, you only need to follow the instructions.
Pretty easy

OVERALL OPINION

I bought it yesterday
I found no review
Different discussions led me to choose this soundcard
It's pretty solid, it doesn't give any problems
The preamps don't have too much gain, but it's enough
A nice idea: Instead of a VUmeter, it's the LEDs around the controls that illuminate (green-orange-red)
The mixing console is quite comprehensive, but I haven't really dived into it.

Its value for money seems unbeatable:
However, I would've loved an ambiance simulation for the mix, like on most other soundcards (the saphirre pro 24 DSP's VRM)

A drawback for mobility fans (which isn't my case): It can't be USB powered, only via an external PSU.
I will update my review once I have more experience with it.