The 25" scale guitar is notable in that it is the first PRS guitar to sport so many colors. Its stained curly maple "9 top" features a bold, prism-like display of colors that, in true PRS style, still allows the beauty of the wood to stand out. The guitar has a Peruvian mahogany back and 10" radius neck with a 22 fret Mexican rosewood fingerboard. The neck features a custom Al Di Meola neck carve which is on the thinner side front-to-back, but is a bit wide across the fretboard. Other appointments include grommet-style locking tuners, abalone bird inlays, a tremolo bridge and 1957/2008 pickups. The pickups, which PRS afficionados are referring to as 5708''s, are made with wire produced by the same machine that made wire for the much sought-after PAF pickups; it was recently acquired by PRS.
Attendees of Experience PRS 2008, a gathering of select PRS enthusiasts at the company''s headquarters in Stevensville, MD, got an introduction to the guitar that is about as comprehensive as it gets. They got to see the guitar being made in open house-style factory tours, see/hold/play it themselves and attend a product demo where PRS Director of R&D/Director of Private Stock, Joe Knaggs, talked about its design. They also got to see Di Meola play the guitar in a clinic and then perform with it as his band got together for their first live show in a year and a half.
Di Meola and Paul Reed Smith have collaborated for more than 30 years, beginning with a 12-string electric with a built-in phaser that Di Meola commissioned and then used on his second solo album, Elegant Gypsy. The design for the Al D Prism guitar was formulated from the features of a Modern Eagle guitar, one of Smith''s own guitars actually, that Di Meola first played at Experience PRS 2007. Today, the two joke with each other about how Di Meola "stole" the guitar. Di Meola showed up to Experience PRS 2007 without a guitar so Smith let him borrow his Modern Eagle for the night. The next thing he knew, Di Meola was using it in rehearsals for the Return to Forever reunion tour.
Video 1 - Al Di Meola Prism Guitar Demo with Joe Knaggs
Video 2 - Al Di Meola Experience PRS 2008 Clinic Performance
Video 3 - Al Di Meola Experience PRS 2008 Concert Performance
For more info:
PRS Guitars
Scarlett’s fourth generation introduced several major advances that build on Focusrite’s legacy in professional audio: best-in-class audio specifications, enhanced creative capability, powerful workflow tools, and more. The three new interfaces add more analogue inputs and outputs, front-panel monitor switching and mute control, S/PDIF and ADAT connectivity, additional headphone outputs, and a built-in talkback mic on Scarlett 18i20.
Focusrite Scarlett 4th Gen 16i16, 18i16, and 18i20 now feature:
- Huge 122dB dynamic range, using the flagship RedNet range converters – found in the world’s best studios.
- All-new, remote-controlled preamps with 69dB of gain for studio sound from any mic.
- Pair Focusrite Control 2 for desktop with Focusrite’s new mobile app; enjoy full wireless control over inputs and monitoring mixes, allowing the adjustment of settings without being tethered by cables.
- Re-engineered Air mode with Presence, and all-new Harmonic Drive, adding rich harmonics to recordings by emulating the characteristics of vintage preamps.
- New Auto Gain and Clip Safe modes can handle up to eight microphones at a time, making session setup simple, and ensuring every take is a keeper.
- Brand-new Custom-designed headphone amps for the best playback ever heard from Scarlett.
- Redesigned Dynamic Gain Halos now with output as well as input metering.
- Professional studio features included: A/B speaker switching, built-in talkback mic on 18i20, and more.
- MIDI in /out plus S/PDIF, and ADAT in/out.
- Refreshed Easy Start tool, making it easier than ever to get set up and recording in minutes.
- Includes Ableton Live Lite, Pro Tools Artist 3 months, and FL Studio Producer Edition 6 months.
- Huge bundle of plug-in instruments and effects; including Antares Auto-Tune, Marshall Amp Modelling, synths, keys, drums, EQ, compression, reverb, and more.
Three new Scarlett interfaces
Scarlett 18i20 4th Gen, an update to the flagship 3rd Gen model, is a rack-mountable USB audio interface featuring 18 inputs, including eight advanced fourth-generation Scarlett preamps, and 20 outputs. 18i20 not only has an impressive amount of analogue and digital I/O, but also features additional workflow enhancements that make it a perfect fit for even the most complex project studios: a built-in talkback mic; A/B speaker switching for instant referencing on different monitors; and eight channels of LED bar metering, assignable to inputs or outputs as well as master output metering.
Scarlett 18i16 is a desktop-format USB audio interface with 18 inputs, including four 4th Gen Scarlett preamps and 16 outputs. Ideal for multitrack recording and designed for producers, 18i16 is the industry-leading interface for project studios. It makes an ideal hub to integrate hardware with a DAW, providing enough analogue and digital I/O to connect a huge number of external instruments, processors, and effects. Plus, manage complex routing with ease via the included Focusrite Control 2 software for desktop and mobile devices.
Scarlett 16i16 is a desktop-format USB audio interface which shares the same feature set as 18i16 but is slightly more compact, with 16
Scarlett 4th Gen
A giant leap for the world’s most popular audio interface range, Scarlett’s fourth generation debuted in 2023 with the Solo, 2i2, 4i4, Solo Studio, and 2i2 Studio.
All Scarlett 4th Gen interfaces feature re-engineered audio circuitry and professional-grade converters (taken directly from Focusrite's flagship RedNet interfaces), which deliver up to 122dB dynamic range. With up to 69dB of mic preamp gain on tap, they are designed to get the very best sound from any microphone. Custom-designed headphone amps with independent volume controls drive high-impedance headphones louder and with more clarity than any previous Scarlett.
Scarlett’s 4th Gen mic preamps feature a re-engineered Air mode, based on the sound of legendary Focusrite consoles. Each one now includes a selectable all-analogue Presence mode, and a new DSP-based Harmonic Drive mode for added richness.
The range also introduced two new features designed to ensure artists and producers never miss a perfect take: Auto Gain analyses ten seconds of incoming audio before setting set the perfect level, while Clip Safe automatically readjusts it to prevent clipping. These tools help artists record themselves easily and let experienced engineers quickly set multiple gains in high-pressure environments.
The included Focusrite Control 2 software takes care of setting up routing, levels, monitoring mixes, independent outputs, and routing options. In addition to the desktop application, the iOS and Android Focusrite Control 2 apps enables engineers and performers to adjust monitor mixes and mic preamp gains while away from the computer.
To help users get up and running with Scarlett in record time, Focusrite has developed an Easy Start tool that quickly guides from initial connection to their first recordings.
All Scarletts come with Ableton Live Lite, three months of Pro Tools Artist recording software, and six months of FL Studio Producer Edition. Also included is a curated selection of essential production software from Focusrite, Softube, Native Instruments, Antares, and many more. In addition, there are five free masters from Landr that can be used at any time, plus a two-month subscription to Landr Studio, offering unlimited music distribution on streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music and TikTok.
These interfaces will be available beginning mid-October 2024 with U.S. pricing as follows:
USD (excluding tax)
Scarlett 18i20: $649.99
Scarlett 18i16: $499.99
Scarlett 16i16: $369.99
For more information, please visit us.focusrite.com.
Focusrite Scarlett 18i16 Fourth Generation USB Audio Interface
