Watch Sophie Burrell plug into Focusrite’s Scarlett 18i8 3rd Gen USB Audio Interface to rip out a fierce cover of Michael Jackson's Beat It

We’re already big fans of Focusrite's Scarlett 2i2 3rd Gen USB Audio Interface. And the company has hit it out the park with its Scarlett 18i8 offering as well.

But don’t just take our word for it: listen to guitarist and instructor Sophie Burrell rev up the Scarlett 18i8 with a note-perfect – and spectacular sounding – rendition of Michael Jackson’s Beat It, including Eddie Van Halen’s shredding solo.

“The solo from Beat It is hands down one of my favorite guitar solos of all time,” Sophie says. “I think it is just the best and it’s so much fun to play. And I hadn’t done a full cover of it so here we are.”

And she recorded that full cover using the Scarlett 18i8. “I had absolutely zero doubts when it came to trying out this 18i8 because I’ve been rocking with the Scarlett 2i2 for a couple of years now and it was one of the best investments I ever made when it comes down to improving my home recording situation,” she says.

The Scarlett 18i8 features two high headroom instrument inputs to plug in your guitar or bass, as well as eight balanced line inputs for connecting synths, drums machines or other line-level audio. There’s also four balanced outputs for monitoring and effects sends, and four monitor outs featuring anti-thump tech and speaker switching.

Additionally, the unit is packed with high-performance 24-bit/192kHz converters, four upgraded 3rd-generation Scarlett mic preamps, switchable Air mode for giving recordings a brighter and more open sound (“it makes the biggest difference,” Sophie says), ADAT input that allows up to eight additional inputs, a loopback function, MIDI I/O and connectivity to Mac and Windows.

“And something really cool about this interface,” Sophie says, “is that you have two different headphone output options. So if you’re playing with somebody else there’s no worries – you can both split your headphones and both get a really decent signal in your ears.”

In general, Sophie says “One of the things I absolutely love about Focusrite is how user-friendly they are. So no matter where you are in your musical journey or your recording journey they’re going to have a piece of gear or an interface that is going to suit exactly what you need and is going to fulfill your needs.”

So why the 18i8?

“If you’re looking to record specifically as a band then this is a really great option because you have so many different inputs and controls that you can record a load of different instruments at one time,” Sophie continues.

“For example, if I had a band in this room with me right now I could have my guitar, my vocals, another guitar, a bass guitar, a drum kit and even a synthesizer – because it’s got MIDI controls on the back – and I could record it all at the same time like a live session. So this is a super incredible piece of gear.”

To find out more about the Scarlett 18i8, check out Sophie’s demo video above. Or head to Focusrite.com.