Focusrite SCARLETT-18I20-3G User Guide

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speakers to other pairs of Line Outputs (e.g., near-ﬁelds to Line Outputs 3 and 4, mid-ﬁelds to Line

Outputs 5 and 6) and switch between them in Focusrite Control. Scarlett 18i20’s ALT function (see

below) has been included to make using a second pair of monitors very simple.

IMPORTANT:

LINE OUTPUTS 1 to 4 incorporate “anti-thump” circuitry that protects your speakers if the

Scarlett 18i20 is turned on while the speakers (and ampliﬁer if used) are connected and

active.

LINE OUTPUTS 5 to 10 do not have this circuitry. If you’re using additional speakers

connected to these outputs, we recommend that you ﬁrst power your Scarlett 18i20 on, then

turn on the speakers or power ampliﬁer.

But get into the habit of following this general rule in any case - it is always good audio

practice to turn on a speaker system of any kind after turning on the equipment feeding it.

NOTE: You run 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 OUTPUTS 3 and 4. After enabling Speaker

Switching in Focusrite Control, you can then switch between your main monitors and the secondary

pair either by pressing the front panel ALT button, or by clicking on the corresponding on-screen

button in Focusrite Control. When ALT is active, the main mix output will be fed to the ALT outputs

instead of the MAIN, and the green ALT LED will light to conﬁrm this.

In the example below, we have shown passive speakers with a separate power ampliﬁer as the main

monitors and active speakers as the secondary pair, but of course, any type of monitors you prefer

may be used in either case.

Main

Monitors

(Passive)

Secondary

Monitors

(Active)

ALTMAIN

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Focusrite SCARLETT-18I20-3G USB-C Audio/MIDI Interface (3rd Generation)