Focusrite's Clarett+ 8Pre 18-in/20-out audio interface is a powerful foundation for your studio or mobile recording rig. It sports eight great-sounding Clarett+ microphone preamplifiers, an outstanding dynamic range, and ultra-fast, low-latency performance enabled by USB-C. The magic starts as soon as you plug your microphones in — the mic preamps feature Focusrite's switchable Air effect, which gives your microphones the air and clarity of an ISA transformer-based mic preamp. With comprehensive connectivity including analog I/O, S/PDIF, and ADAT I/O, the Focusrite Clarett+ 8Pre is ready to integrate into virtually any recording rig.

Outstanding versatility, speed, and sonic performance

The Clarett+ 8Pre's eight newly designed mic preamps deliver a truly impressive dynamic range. Perfect for your studio or mobile recording rig, the Clarett+ 8Pre gives you a wealth of connectivity — including ADAT and MIDI I/O — all in a sleek 1U form factor. With its sonic performance, leading edge round-trip audio latency and ease of use, the Clarett+ 8 Pre is an excellent choice of interface.

Eight Clarett+ mic preamps with Air effect

Focusrite fitted the Clarett+ 8Pre with mic preamps that were designed exclusively for the Clarett+ range with loads of pristine gain and vanishingly low noise. In addition, these preamps include Focusrite's proprietary Air feature that switches in an analog model of Focusrite's acclaimed classic transformer-based ISA mic pre, breathing life into your recordings. If you've always wanted vocals that shimmer with presence and silky air, then try recording with the Clarett+ 8Pre. You will be impressed!

The cleanest way yet to get sound in and out of your DAW

Music Experience engineers know that conversion is key to superior digital audio, and every Clarett+ features the latest in Focusrite's class-leading 24-bit/192kHz conversion. Offering an expanded dynamic range and higher signal-to-noise ratio than previous models, the Clarett+ is the cleanest way to get sound in and out of your DAW.

Generous I/O to handle any recording scenario

The Focusrite Clarett+ 8Pre gives you 18 audio inputs and 20 outputs packed into a trim 1U rackmount chassis. This includes eight analog inputs, ten analog outputs, stereo S/PDIF I/O, and eight channels of ADAT I/O. The ADAT output is perfect for sending audio to an external D/A for line output expansion, while the input can be used to bring in eight additional digital mic preamp channels, such as the Focusrite OctoPre MkII, for maximum flexibility. In addition, two front-panel mic/line/instrument inputs give you quick and easy access — even when you've got your Clarett+ rack mounted. And those hi-Z inputs have copious headroom to handle your guitars and basses with hot passive or active pickups.

Accessible metering and monitoring

Featuring a 6-segment, multichannel LED meter, the Clarett+ 8Pre's monitor panel keeps you informed of analog and digital input levels and main monitor outputs. Monitoring facilities include a level control, as well as dim and mute buttons. Add to that two wide dynamic range front-panel headphone outputs with enough power to deliver healthy levels to high-impedance headphones, and the Clarett+ becomes your go-to device for tracking and mixing.

Intuitive and easy-to-use software mixer

Your Clarett+ comes with Focusrite Control, a brand-new software mixer that makes short work of configuring your monitoring and routing setups. Simple and intuitive to use, Focusrite Control offers an easy-to-grasp traditional mixer workflow and gives you immediate access to dim, mute, and other internal hardware functions.

Remote control from your iPhone or iPad

With the free Focusrite iOS Control app, you can adjust the mixes you made with Focusrite Control on the desktop app from your iPad or iPhone.

Use your favorite plug-ins in real time

With the Clarett+ 8Pre's exceedingly low round-trip audio latency over USB-C, you can record and monitor in real time with your favorite DAW plug-ins. No special processing or DSP is required. Select any plug-in and create your dream recording chain on every single channel. Every Clarett+ ships with the Focusrite Classic Red 2 and Red 3 plug-in suite, which accurately models Focusrite's classic Red range EQ and compression hardware, and the Brainworx bx_console Focusrite SC, which faithfully captures the sound, feel, and style of the original Focusrite ISA 110 Equaliser and ISA 130 Dynamics Modules.

Included Hitmaker Expansion Pack software bundle:

• Antares Auto-Tune Access
• Relab LX480 Essentials
• Softube Marshall Silver Jubilee 2555
• XLN Audio Addictive Keys
• XLN Audio Addictive Drums 2
• Brainworx bx_oberhausen
• Brainworx bx_console Focusrite SC
• Focusrite Red Plug-in Suite
• Brainworx bx_masterdesk

What Focusrite Says...

Clarett+ 8Pre is a high-performance and immensely capable studio centrepiece for PC and Mac, which inspires producers, engineers and artists to create their best work.

Eight High-performance Clarett⁺ Preamps

Eight high-headroom, low-noise, low-distortion Clarett+ mic preamps — featuring All-analogue Air with impedance switching and relay control — capture vocals, drums and acoustic instruments with precise clarity. Two JFET instrument inputs preserve the natural tone of guitars, just like plugging into an amplifier.

Bring Clarity And Presence To Your Recordings

You’ll find the Air feature on the mic preamps of every new Focusrite recording interface. It’s a single button-push (or click) that makes vocals shine, brings added presence to guitars, and makes drum overheads shimmer. It’s always a completely analogue process, meaning there’s no DSP, no latency or timing issues, and 100% pure. But, as you’ll discover in this piece, there’s a slight difference between the Air circuitry found in Clarett+ versus other Focusrite interfaces, which brings added clarity and more sonic options when recording. The Clarett+ range of interfaces was designed around the ethos of ‘Clarity Redefined,’ and a large part of the range’s appeal can be found in the Air circuit. Air emulates the classic ISA 110 mic preamp found in the Focusrite Studio Console, which has been behind millions of hit records. The benefits of tracking with Air on Clarett+ interfaces are enormous. Air brings a new dimension to your sound by adding by switching the impedance to 2.2kΩ and adding two cumulative high shelves, totalling a 4dB boost in the high frequencies— a feature not found on Scarlett interfaces. This means that Clarett+ Air is particularly good at emphasising transient response for things like snare drum and acoustic guitar, while also brightening vocals, strings and other acoustic sources. With Air, you can capture every nuance and ensure clarity in your recordings.

When Should I Use Air On My Focusrite Interface?

Air is simple to use — it’s just a single button press, either on the interface’s front panel or in Focusrite Control — so you can try it on literally any input to your preamp and A/B the treatment in an instant. Engage Air on your vocal mic preamp, add it to your stereo drum overheads or apply it to your room mics, to bring additional clarity and an etherial high-frequency lift. And the best part is that you don’t need to modify your settings or patch hardware, because its all-analogue circuitry is always there, in the box. Its simplicity helps you to keep sessions moving with minimum interruption, and gives you options with minimum effort. Our mission at Focusrite has always been to use our decades of technical expertise and experience to help you deliver your very best. And with Clarett+ we’ve empowered producers, engineers and artists of all kinds with premium-quality recording tools. With All-analogue Air impedance switching and relay control, Clarett+ inspires producers, engineers and artists to make their best music. We hope it helps you, wherever you are on your creative journey.

New And Improved A-D and D-A Converters

Independent A-D and D-A converters bring recording artists closer than ever to their music, with extremely wide dynamic range, low noise and low distortion. Greatly improved D-A dynamic range brings every detail into focus, so engineers and producers can embrace no-compromise audio quality in abundance. Incredibly low A-D converter distortion lets you capture signals with more clarity, for greater transparency and sonic accuracy. Two powerful and transparent headphone outputs inspire artists to hear every nuance of their sound on any type of headphones, customise their foldback mix, and perform their best.

Anything, Anywhere

Whether you’re multi-tracking a drum kit or connecting to synths and outboard equipment, Clarett+ 8Pre lets you constantly develop your musical ideas while always maintaining analogue purity and extreme audio clarity. Expand via ADAT to add eight inputs and outputs using Clarett OctoPre, and connect to MIDI and S/PDIF equipment to maximise your creative potential.

Hitmaker Expansion

Create studio quality vocals, powerful guitars, luscious keys and huge drums, then mix and master with iconic Focusrite studio hardware – all in the box. Every new Scarlett 3rd Gen, Clarett and Red interface comes with an unbeatable range of tried-and-tested studio tools from some of the biggest names in the business. Hitmaker Expansion – available with every Scarlett 3rd Gen, Clarett+, Clarett USB and Red interface purchased and registered on or after October 1st 2021 – is built to get you creating records immediately. These are all the plug-ins you need to write, produce, mix and master your music in studio quality. Hitmaker Expansion features exclusive content from legendary Auto-Tune® creators Antares®, along with Brainworx®, Softube®, XLN Audio®, Relab and more.

Emulate Iconic Focusrite Hardware