Owner's: Is Focusrite 18i20 stable on Intel iMac and Monterey?

[zevo]

I'm looking specifically for brutally honest stability experiences, where stability is defined as:

• not having regular/frequent clicks and pops at buffers 128 or greater?
• not disconnecting/reconnecting if plugged in to a good/direct USB port
• not requiring me to disconnect required USB devices or disable bluetooth/wifi
• and generally working

I'm not likely to use the digital I/O anytime soon, if ever, but I found one of these relatively cheap (new) so I figure I might as well, just in case.

I'm using two MOTU M4s now as an aggregate device, which is fiddly, but they're definitely stable using the above definition.

I also use an M1 Macbook Pro, and eventually all the machines will be M-somethings, so any M* owners feel free to chime in if you have the time.

Thanks, 

- zevo

Edited February 1 by zevo

[des99]

I have a 6i6 gen2, which is likely using the same drivers. It works fine on M1 here - zero problems.

[zevo]

Good to hear. Thanks.

Are the drivers a separate thing, or just the Mac's drivers? The MOTUs are either/or.

[des99]

I can't remember offhand - I think the actual driver is class-compliant, so no extra driver is actually needed, but the control panel is a separate app. I think it's only Windows that needs a driver, because, well, Windows...

[zevo]

ok, cool... seems like $365 new for this is a good deal

[rushella]

On 2/1/2023 at 6:42 PM, zevo said:

I'm looking specifically for brutally honest stability experiences, where stability is defined as:

• not having regular/frequent clicks and pops at buffers 128 or greater?
• not disconnecting/reconnecting if plugged in to a good/direct USB port
• not requiring me to disconnect required USB devices or disable bluetooth/wifi
• and generally working

I'm not likely to use the digital I/O anytime soon, if ever, but I found one of these relatively cheap (new) so I figure I might as well, just in case.

I'm using two MOTU M4s now as an aggregate device, which is fiddly, but they're definitely stable using the above definition.

I also use an M1 Macbook Pro, and eventually all the machines will be M-somethings, so any M* owners feel free to chime in if you have the time.

Thanks, 

- zevo

Hiya

I have been using Focusrite audio interfaces for over 10 years and have always found them extremely reliable  

You may find this helpful too https://www.rochellearthurs.com/post/focusrite-scarlett-solo-studio-bundle-set-review

Kind regards

Rochelle

[zevo]

Thanks, Rochelle

I went ahead and ordered the an 18i20. Was a bit worried they'd sell out, or change the price back up to it's normal cost.

It arrives tomorrow so hopefully it works out. Seems like it will.

[rushella]

On 2/6/2023 at 9:06 AM, David Nahmani said:

Hi Rochelle, that sounds great! Unfortunately I'm swamped and won't have time for a zoom call. But if you have any specific questions let me know by message here and I'll do my best to help out! 🙂 

 

13 hours ago, zevo said:

Thanks, Rochelle

I went ahead and ordered the an 18i20. Was a bit worried they'd sell out, or change the price back up to it's normal cost.

It arrives tomorrow so hopefully it works out. Seems like it will.

Well done and let me know if you need any help ❤️

[zevo]

The 18i20 arrived last week, followed by days of experimentation, re-organizing and revamping things (I really need to fight my OCD, but I think it did me good this time).

During that, it interestingly exposed an issue with my little modal craft synth 2 that was driving me crazy: that little synth makes a lot of noise if it's connected via USB at the same time as the MOTU M4s (bus-powered issue, or M4 issue, I don't know). It's now silent and happy with the 18i20, so that's been a plus.

Since I'm mostly going DAW-less for writing/composing sessions, my primary use-case for it is to host direct outs from various bits of hardware to route to effects/processing. It's already more-than-excelled at that, particularly coupled with IK MixBox, which sits right with it perfectly (I didn't even know I HAD mixbox - guess it came with some upgrade 'special' or another).

I've been grinning all day (took a long time to get everything where it's supposed to be... within arm's reach).

Super-happy with this interface so far. If it goes on sale for $365 again I might pick up another one and be done with it.

Thanks, rushella and des; I nearly didn't pull the trigger and then the price went back to normal

[rushella]

20 minutes ago, zevo said:

The 18i20 arrived last week, followed by days of experimentation, re-organizing and revamping things (I really need to fight my OCD, but I think it did me good this time).

During that, it interestingly exposed an issue with my little modal craft synth 2 that was driving me crazy: that little synth makes a lot of noise if it's connected via USB at the same time as the MOTU M4s (bus-powered issue, or M4 issue, I don't know). It's now silent and happy with the 18i20, so that's been a plus.

Since I'm mostly going DAW-less for writing/composing sessions, my primary use-case for it is to host direct outs from various bits of hardware to route to effects/processing. It's already more-than-excelled at that, particularly coupled with IK MixBox, which sits right with it perfectly (I didn't even know I HAD mixbox - guess it came with some upgrade 'special' or another).

I've been grinning all day (took a long time to get everything where it's supposed to be... within arm's reach).

Super-happy with this interface so far. If it goes on sale for $365 again I might pick up another one and be done with it.

Thanks, rushella and des; I nearly didn't pull the trigger and then the price went back to normal

Awww you are most welcome. So pleased for you. ❤️