Timestamps for this video: 0:00 - Introduction 0:17 - Hardware Overview 6:41 - Focusrite Control Software Overview 9:31 - Connecting a Chromecast Audio via Rear Input 15:45 - Using the Focusrite Scarlett as a Standalone Unit 18:25 - Recording a Keyboard (AUX) via Rear Input 22:49 - Recording a Guitar (DI) via Front Input 25:22 - Recording a Microphone via Front Input 27:25 - Basic Monitoring 28:49 - Direct Monitoring / Zero Latency 32:30 - Dual Monitoring Setup 34:39 - Using the Loopback Feature Any questions leave a comment cheers, Trevor
Hi Trevor I’m connecting a Mastersounds 4 valve rotary mixer via the master outs into Focusrite 8i6 line inputs then the aux outs from the mixer to line inputs on the focusrite. The focusrite is connected to the MacBook Pro via usb. I have no audio signal showing in OBS so I can stream the audio with the Focusrite selected as the audio device - any ideas? Thanks
@@marcusgaskell9448 Hi Marcus. Unfortunately OBS only sees the first two inputs which are on the front. Only way to get round this is to use an app like audio hijack. When I start streaming again I’ll probably ditch obs for another software that just works in the first place
@@TrevorSwayne thanks that’s good to know! I noticed a signal of plugging into the front. Will take a look at audio hijack. Which streaming software would you recommend instead of OBS?
Fantastic tutorial. This by far was easy to understand and follow. Thanks Trevor. I now have a better understanding of how to set up my instruments, input selections and use with my DAW. Keep the tutorials coming. Thanks Again
Now two minutes further in he tells me I can't use this interface. Wrong inputs for me. I need two guitars, three vocals and my computer, but I'm grateful he explained what the inputs are good for. All other videos assume I know what the technical terms mean. I love this guy. Down with old Firewire interfaces I say. Boat anchors now.
@@TrevorSwayne Have you tried connecting a guitar to the 3-6 line input? I have a doubt, according to the 8i6 3rd gen specs, the 3-6 line input impedance is 44k ohms, while the guitar impedance output is 10k Ohm. Do you think I will have problems? Since inputs 1-2 I use the Y technique to take Impulse speakers.
Héctor Cerrato I’ve never connected guitar to 3-6. I don’t believe it’s recommended. Just stick to 1 or 2 on the front and you should be fine. That said if you plug into an amp first you could in fact connect the line/di or even headphone out from the amp and into inputs 3-6 and should be fine. If in doubt check with the focusrite support team :) cheers!
Great work Trevor! Newly subscribed. I ordered this unit today. All I really want to do is get some good audio from my iMac Apple Music stream and play my guitar along with it. So essentially a good jam along setup. Your use of the keyboard also got me thinking about buying an inexpensive keyboard so that I could work on my music theory a bit as well. Thanks again for making this video.
Fantastic thanks for the sub and kind words. You can’t go wrong with this interface and I’m sure you’ll be able to achieve some nice results. All the best!
I've seen some people plug in front the left and right using the channels so they can have gains, they can control manually without software For example using your chrome cast or the keyboard by splitting the two in front inputs Have you tested with this? Thanks
Great video, thanks a lot! But i do have a question about the SPDIF out, I was thinking of buying this interface for playback of backingtracks (into my PA mixer) fx out1= bas - out2= drums - out 3+4= "stereo other instruments" and SPDIF out5= clicktrack - out6= cues. Do you think that routing is doable ? I would then use a small SPDIF to RCA DAC to convert to analog signal for my mixer
@@BatexMultimedia tough question but it really depends on how you intend on using it and what your experience level is. Personally for starting out you can’t go wrong with the Scarlett, by the time you’ve mastered working with the Scarlett you’ll know what sound you wish to hone in on and where you want to improve on, maybe you’ll go down the route of external mic preamps or better room acoustics, speakers etc. I can’t speak for pc but at least on Mac the Scarlett is rock solid, versatile and no latency issues. I’m too much of a beginner to talk about the tone of the mic preamps and even if I knew, my room isn’t acoustically treated and I have a sub-£20 microphone!! I guess to answer the question my opinion is just buy whatever you can comfortably afford that has the number of simultaneous in and outs you need, whilst allowing budget for other items in your setup as well e.g. half decent microphone
@@TrevorSwayne Thanks Trevor - appreciate your feedback. Think I'll go for the Scarlett! Also looking at buying the new Mac when it eventually comes out. I've been a PC man all my life... so Mac will be interesting!
@@BatexMultimedia any new Mac with those m1 chips and you can’t go wrong honestly. I know it’s cliche but Mac just works. I was a pc man all my life too, years of tinkering, reformatting windows, building pcs and upgrading laptops... I’ve been using same Mac since 2011 now and it’s been rock solid ever since. I’m holding out for the new m1 based iMac, otherwise I’d be tempted to buy the Mac mini. It’s a pity I have to use a pc at work, windows 10 really messed things up where windows 7 was actually okay. All the best, Trevor.
Hi Trevor- great video, cleared a lot of things up for me. Question for you- my speakers are on the older side and only have one 1/8th inch plug for both speakers- I have a 1/4 inch adaptor. Is there a way to plug just the one quarter inch adaptor in, or will I have to get a splitter? Thanks!
Hi Mike thanks for watching and subbing! Unfortunately you will need to get a splitter because unless I’m mistaken I believe the 1/8th inch connector you have is a stereo pair, and the focusrite inputs can only accept mono either as unbalanced or balanced. You need this: www.amazon.co.uk/Stereo-Female-Splitter-Adapter-Converter-1-Meter/dp/B077VP9CG4
@@TrevorSwayne strangely enough, I tried plugging in the 1/8th inch with the 1/4 inch adapter into output 1 in the back.... and it worked! I'm not sure how but sound is coming out of both of my speakers, without a splitter. I have no explanation, other than something worked, and I'm not sure how!
@@mikenagoda search for a video on TH-cam for left and right speaker sound test. Make sure the left is the left and right is the right. It may be that you’re just getting one channel.
Apologies for not seeing this comment sooner, did you figure it out? I didn't have the best of luck with using mine with OBS, main issue being OBS only sees inputs 1 and 2 (front two) and therefore you can't even use the loopback feature.
Nice job! This one is definitely the best video about this 8i6. I just have a question: i would like to know if is it possible to route the main audio (i.e. from browser, youtube or any media player) from a Win 10 pc to the SPDIF out and connect with a coaxial cable to my HiFi (Yamaha R-N500) amplification in order to use it's internal DAC instead of using the Focusrite's DAC. Using less words...is it possible to use SPDIF out as Main Out?! Thanks
Thanks appreciate the support!! Yes it is possible. You route it in the software at the bottom just as you would for the line outs! Definitely handy hey :)
@@TrevorSwayne Thank you so much for the answer!!! Can you confirm that this works without opening the DAW but just setting the Fcusrite Control as you shown in the example with Chromecast?
@@Dare_To_Imagine whilst I’ve not explicitly tested SPDIF out I can safely say it should work without the daw as this is a standalone interface. As long as it’s routed correctly in the focusrite control software you’re good!
@@TrevorSwayne Thanks a lot!!! I'm looking information in order to choose my first audio interface and i will use it just for simple recording session using headphones, but mainly i will use it for listening through the HiFi and it would be nice to avoid having two stage of preamp (the Focusrite and then the HiFi). Thanks again for your time!
Great video! If I understand it well, how many channels can your monitor/record simultaneously? Is it 6? I’m looking for setup with two, three synths and guitar into ableton with all of synths playing sequences and guitar over it... would 4i4 be enough for this? Thanks!
zimske thanks! It really varies depending on how you monitor. So technically ableton should be able to access all of the inputs simultaneously, so in my case that’s 8, but if you want zero latency monitoring from within focusrite control software then the mixer maxes out at 6channels of input. In the case of 4i4 I imagine you’d be able to use all 4 no problem, but remember is your synth stereo or mono out? 4i4 is only 4 channels of mono or two pairs of stereo. Hope this helps thanks!
I can't get my 18i8 to output audio to outputs 3 and 4, I use reaper and know how to do it, but I can't get it to work with the Focusrite. I think the problem is within the Focusrite control, any suggestions?
Hey Trevor. Great tutorial! I just got a question. I'm thinking of buying the Focusrite 18i8, because I need the line inputs for synths, keys and to use the front mic inputs for recording vocals and bass at the same time. But I've noticed the rear Line inputs has a very low input signal. As you showed us, your keyboard only goes up to around -15 dBFS. I will only use stereo for my synths and keyboards. So 2 inputs for each instrument. If you would increase the input signal on the Focusrite Control software. Would the keyboard go up in volume then? Is the input signal enough to record synths and keyboards? Or do I need to add a gain to my DAW everytime I want some volume to my keyboard? Would it make any input signal difference to have TRS or just TS cables? Best Regards Victor
Hey Victor thanks for the comment! It’s a tough one as I’ve seen quite a few ppl with issues on the rear inputs level wise. From the research I’ve done you’d probably be fine if your keyboards/synths are semi-pro and or using stereo as you’d get a stronger signal, and whilst I’m not sure if trs would be better still but if your synths had that capability then definitely use it. With all this said I’d say it’s best to ask the focusrite support team before you buy just to be safe. All the best, Trevor
Thanks for the video. Can you confirm that SPDIF input can be direct monitored? Also, can audio from the PC and inputs be monitored simultaneously (playing audio from PC and jamming to it with guitar)?
Thanks for the video!! Still learning this Focusrite software so need to rewatch the video a few times. I noticed you clicked on the two red dots to remove them - what was that for? I 've just done the same and now want to get them back
Neil Bird welcome buddy appreciate the support! Are you referring to the red dots above the volume/level meters? If so what I’m doing there is resetting the clipping status... signal was too hot initially so the signal peaked and the red dot marks the fact the signal clipped/distorted. What you’d do then is turn the gain down and then click on the dots to reset. Ideally you don’t want any red dots!! Hope this helps and let me know if you were talking about something else hehe it’s a long video!
Thank you very much for this video! Small question: on min 33:24 you show the outputs channels selection, and I'm wondering: what does output 5-6 do? Can you use that? If I'm not mistaken the 8i6 has only 4 outputs (and 2 headphones at the front), if you activate 5-6 what happens? I'm looking for an audio interface with at least 6 outputs and I was wondering if the 8i6 would work :) thanks a lot!
Hi there. Good question. So technically speaking the 8i6 has 6 outputs that why you see 5-6, however 5 and 6 are actually SPDIF outputs not line. So if you needed more than 4 line you’d need a bigger interface yes. Also just in case my video wasn’t clear, the headphones share the channels so doubt count as their own outputs. E.g. headphone 1 uses channel 1-2 as per output on the back and headphone 2 uses channels 3-4 as per line outs on the back. Hope that helps
Hey! Awesome guide! I've got some questions. I have Yamaha HS8 and i have had the Focusrite Scarlett Solo gen 2 i think before. I plugged that one in differently than this and i need some help. Currently i have the two XLR cables going from the monitors connected to a groundloop (RCA) and then a splitter that goes to the back of the 8i6 but i can't seem to get any audio out from it. Should i just skip the groundloop+RCA and go for XLR Female male to stereo jack adapters so that i can plug the HS8s directly to the 1 and 2 in the 8i6s back? Sorry for alot of text x)
Thank you buddy! Umm I’m not sure how important the groundloop is but if you go down that route you’re losing the balanced connection as rca is just a +ve and -ve.. in fact that’s probably why you’re getting no signal at all because the signal is being cancelled out?? Anyway I’d ditch that and get the cable as you said, the xlr to jack (trs not ts). I’ve never had grounding issues with these speakers so you should be fine also. Cheers!
Hi Xavier I really wouldn’t know the answer to this so best thing to do is prob contact the focusrite support team via their website. Else if you know someone with one or a music shop you could test? There are of course the manuals too but may not answer the question. Cheers. Trevor
Hi Trevor. I need some help with my scarlett 816 3rd gen and KRK rokit 7 monitors. When I plug my monitors into line outputs 1&2 on the back of interface, the sound from speakers is low - having to turn up monitor volume knob on interface to get some sound but sound is unbalanced; the right speaker is low and the left is louder. I've checked all levels on speakers and focusrite control and it seems fine. When I plug in left speaker into line output 3 and right into line output 4 the sound is good but I can't turn volume up or down using the interfaces monitor volume knob. I can control the volume on the computer in the focusrite control, line outputs 3&4. But it says that monitors need to be in line outputs 1 and 2 on back of interface. I'm very confused! - my current setup; I have korg minilogue xd into line inputs 5&6 and korg drumlogue into line inputs 3&4. Interface is plugged into macbook pro M1 2023.
Hi Trevor, thanks for great video. Could you pls advise on this: if I run guitar's signal through a DI box, would it be possible then to plug in and record it through any of inputs 3/4/5/6?
can I use 2 separate outputs like 1&2, 3&4 at the same time? I tried but no luck. I have two cards 1st gen and 3rd gen can I use two card with internal sync? I used the same with different cards but in this case the softwares are different for 1st gen and 3rd gen
Hi, great video; I have a question regarding inputs 3 - 8 on the back of the device. I was wondering how i can control the inputs on the back. When i open the input section on focusrite control i can only control inputs 1 & 2. Keep up the good work!
Thank you! So to answer your question what you do is select ‘output routing’ in the focusrite control, then click the plus icon to the right of the inputs, then you can select the inputs you want and it routes them to all outputs ready to go. You can then control the levels and mute etc depending on your needs. 11:19 Just be aware the inputs on the back are fixed gain not like the two on the front that have the gain control hardwired.
Trevor, I have a question for you. Is it possible to play guitar live and stream it without having some slight delay using the loopback feature and getting the sound from the DAW... im not explaining it well right now, but I have tried everything possible and I use logic and obs. I mean playing my guitar there is the slight delay. If im just playing TH-cam videos its fine. Have we not gotten to the point where its possible to not have a very slight delay when streaming live guitar through a DAW or what? I have tried using loopback and loopback also. well if I use the loopback feature with obs from Focusrite then I dont even get the full sound. but if I use loopback that I bought along with loopback in the Focusrite I get the full daw sound but I also get the slight delay. So either way its not good for the guitar live like that. Im sure I can def explain this better another time. Ill have to come back if you dont understand. But ive yet to find anyone that can help me with this. I would just use an amp and mic it but im stuck in some stupid apartment forever thats the worst for music and so much noise and bla.. anyway... appreciate if ya can help. trying not to lose my mind here haha.
Hi Randy, have to admit I’m really novice when it comes to loop back abs also streaming. My take on OBS is that it’s pretty limited and you’d be better looking at an alternative software. That said I don’t think it would solve your latency problem. So the simple thing is if you want no latency for when you hear back what you play you need to mute the audio coming out of your daw and just listen to the direct guitar channel. You can still send the full signal to the streaming software so that shouldn’t matter...If you are wanting to hear the full signal e.g. Fx from the daw you can only really try and improve the latency not remove it altogether. Not sure your setup but in logic you’d want to switch the buffer size to 128ms or lower. If that’s not possible you’d need a better computer. May I suggest a Mac and not a pc as the sound setup and latency is always been better for me on Mac. Hope this helps and hope others can comment and help also.
So i have a technical problem with my scarlett. With output at default vol. setting, why is my headphone volume very low on the headphone output? I'm using a decent beyerdynamic headphone for monitoring. DAW volume is set at default as well.
Really usefull video, I just get an 8i6 as my first audio interface. I'm trying to use the rear inputs but Ableton doesn't recognize them, on the input config. When you open Chanel Config the rear inputs appear there but aren't selected and all you do is turn them on. Do you know what could be the reason Ableton doesn't show them? Hope you understand what i'm saying, English isn't my first language, Thanks. Great content by the way :)
Manuel González Méndez 👋🏻 and thanks for the support! Couple things come to mind, either you need to install the correct focusrite Scarlett driver, or you need to install ASIO (if using PC), or assuming you have both then select said driver = asio and audio device = focusrite Scarlett in the drop downs on audio settings, just above where you click into the outputs and inputs. Cheers and hope you figure it out so you can enjoy the interface!
hey great vid. I just ordered one because I bought a turntable and want to hook it up to my monitors while simultaneously having my laptop hooked up. This will allow me to cross over between both channels simultaneously right?
@@TrevorSwayne Do you know how I am able to hear the audio from input 1? I have my turntable connected to the back of the Focusrite in input 1 and 2 and I have my output going to my speakers. I can hear music when I play off my laptop but I get nothing from the turntable? How do I choose to hear audio from the actual input itself?
@@joegeezly9613 good to hear. Yh just get used to opening that up whenever you need a new setup. Good thing is once you got it set up you’re good and don’t need to always have it open.
Hi there, question maybe you can help !!! Using Scarlett 6i6 2nd gen and want to go from my pioneer mixer out to line input 3-4 on the rear of my focusrite and in the the front want to use a MC, impossible to make it work in OBS studio, any advice or tweak ??? In Focusrite Control or in Obs Studio ???? Don't want to use the MC on the mixer want to go trough the audio device .... thank you !!!!
Sacha Vasic hey. Good question. Well I had the same issue back when I was testing obs, but after loads of googling I think the issue is obs only sees the first two inputs of the focusrite. So you’d have to use the mc on the pioneer, or perhaps if you got the loop back software by rogue amoeba you should be able to route the extra input anyway. Another option is maybe try a different streaming software... cheers!
One thing I'm unclear on is if the back inputs (or front inputs for that matter) take a stereo signal? I've been using 1/8" stereo jack to left/right 1/4" split cables which hog two inputs on my scarlett. If I got cables that had a single stereo 1/4" plug, would I get stereo on each individual channel (input)?
Hi Good video. Got my Scarlett 8i6 today but im confused. Im going to use it to connect my new Synth to my new KRK's but firstly i have a question. If im not using a DAW (yet) can i send audio from my PC to my KRK's via the Scarlett? is just play spotify through my speakers? My configuration is, power connected, USB C connected to my PC, speakers connected via 1/4" jack to XLR. Surely i dont need to take an analogue audio out from my PC and send to the Scarlett as an audio input? This would be over the USB yeah?
Hey good to hear from you! Yes in a nutshell, the scarlett is just a usb sound card, therefore you are bypassing the traditional in/out jacks on your pc.. so just by installing the drivers and plugging into usb, you should be able to hear anything from your pc straight onto your KRKs. there are lots of routing options in the control software so you should at least have one way of doing something maybe even two it's pretty versatile.
@@TrevorSwayne Thanks Trevor. I also have a Mac Mini which ive just connected, downloaded the drivers, played spotify and sound coming out the speakers immediately. If only Windows was as simple as that. God knows why im not getting any audio still from that.
@@1975Stevo i've only ever used this on mac but it's flawless, many people use on pc mind, and it should work on both sample rates quite honestly but for just pc sound it doesn't matter either one as long as you're getting something.
Hi Trevor great video I have Focusrite Clarett 8Prex I got 8 mics connected through Ableton 11 example Input channels Input Monitoring out 1.Guitar. 1. Guitar 2. Tabla. 2. Tabla 3.Timbale. 3. Timbale and so on but I want to try through software and Direct monitor ( Clarett ) and but monitor channel to main speakers I want all mixed is that possible ? please help me if you can make a short video will be great it will help me really appreciate
Hello, how can I get the sounds to come out of my headphones and computer speakers? I recording a scratch vocal and guitar track using protools on my Focusrite 8i6 but no sound is coming out. Thank you.
Do you have the focusrite control software installed? Generally you can tweak the routing on there if it’s not setup correctly. That said you really should be hearing something by default. Check all outputs on the device and most importantly check the setting in pro tools to ensure the focusrite device is selected as main output.
Sorry missed this comment. So you’ve configured in ableton and you’ve selected the drop down on the channel you want to output... so are you seeing any activity on the audio meters in focusrite control for spdif? Could be muted in control software on the left perhaps, or maybe you need to adjust the clock source?
I have a question, i have an analog compressor, i connected it via the back of the focusrite. But i hear 2 tracks when i listen back . I connected my headphone to the headphone output
Hi hard to say without seeing it in front of me but sounds like you need to mute the hardware inputs section. Play around and gradually move each slider down until you get what you want. Cheers
Don't suppose you know if you can get channels 1-2 to come out of both of the headphone jacks? I've got channels 1-2 coming out of the left headphone jack and channels 3-4 coming out of the right headphone jack. I'm trying to use the right jack to sample the master from Ableton into my Digitakt
Hi there, by 1-2 and 3-4 i presume you mean inputs 1-2 and inputs 3-4 yes? If so what you need to do is click on the 'line outputs' 3-4 on the left of the software, then add inputs 1-2 under 'hardware inputs', so clicking on outputs 1-2 should look the same as outputs 3-4, if you see the VU meter going on both but still don't hear sound then check again on the left that it's not muted. I'm using 13:09 as reference here you can see the screen you need to be on. In short, the left headphone output corresponds to the jack outputs 1-2 on the back on the device, and the right headphone output corresponds to the jack outputs 3-4 on the back, so only by using software routing as mentioned here will you get the same outputs as it won't be by default. hope this helps. Trevor
@@TrevorSwayne Sorry, I don't think I was clear. What I want to achieve is for software playback 1-2 to come out of both headphone outputs but I want software playback 3-4 to continue outputting on line outputs 3-4. I still can't work out how to do this. I can't find a way to customise the mix to achieve this unfortunately
@@freddiefranklin1 thanks that is clear now and sorry for delay reply. Right so here’s what you do: firstly add all the inputs you need you need in the routing section. Then using the mute/volume slider on the mixer of the inputs you want vs the output. You can’t remove the input from output 1-2 as it will remove it for outputs 3-4 so to get round it you use the mute/volume. I go through this approach in my video in section dual monitoring setup 32:33.
Thank you. Well the inputs are balanced or unbalanced mono only, so if you plugged in a stereo jack the left channel would just cancel the right channel out so you probably wouldn’t hear anything. Best thing to do is what I did with the chrome cast and just split the stereo into two separate mono. Hope this helps cheers
its a great interface I'm just a little disappointed it doesn't have monitor switching built in like its higher tier line having to jump to the software feels a lil clunky vs a dedicated button I bought it with plans to use a secondary set of monitors, but found I had to get a mackie passive for quicker monitor mangement
Styrant the I hear you there. Tbh I was dubious about any of the software functions but I can say I’ve got used to it pretty quickly, because so many features have to be controlled with software on the 3rd gens you soon get used to it. I’d always say though if you can push for the one you want then go for it. Long term cost is nothing if you keep for years and you can always sell it down the line if you’re still not happy.
Hi, it should run fine on pc but I only have experience on Mac. That said from what I have heard you have two options you can either rely on the standard focusrite drivers or the asio4all. Either way best advice would be to download latest drivers and focusrite control software after logging into the focusrite site then if you get stuff their support team is pretty good or you can check the forum they have
Hello! I was wondering, is there a way to increase the gain of the rear inputs (3-6)? When I record through them, the signal is always a bit quiet, and I was curious if there was a way to adjust their gain level from the Focusrite Control software. Thanks in advance, and great video!
Hi there unfortunately not. Whilst you could boost the volume via the control software or even the daw this wouldn’t be hardware gain as only the inputs on the front have actual hardware gain. I’ve heard a lot of people having problems with the rear inputs but they are supposed to accept ‘line’ level signals
can you solve my problem? i need to play two keyboards at the same time in a live session. i need to send the signal from the scarlett 8i6 to a mixer (mackie 1202VLZ4), but at the same time i need to record the audio of the keyboards (two separate stereo audio) in a DAW. How can i do it without latency (on pro tools it doesnt matter, but it matters if i have latency in the live). thanks a lot
Hi sorry sounds complex but I’ll do my best to understand and answer. So the 8i6 puts out zero latency as standard from whatever you’ve got going into it, therefore the keyboards should be fine when output goes from 8i6 to mackie. You just have to make sure you’re using the output from the focusrite control software and not the daw output, which should be fine as you’re only recording there anyway right. If that didn’t work how you want could you not send the keyboards to the mixer and then an output from mixer back into the 8i6?
So I bought a new Microphone which is the Blue Baby bottle. I am running it through a Scarlett 4i4 3rd gen. I use this for gaming/Music Production. I use Discord a lot to chat with friends. Eversince I started using that new Microphone ive been having some issues with the way I sound. At first my friends hear me crystal clear, then at any moment my Microphone makes me sound robotic/choppy/distorted. My friends say it sounds bad. I am trying to figure out what the issue is that causes this. Not sure if it is the microphone or my audio interface. I do have my sample rate up to 48000 and my buffer size ia currently at 128. Any thoughts of what it it? This only happens in discord for what I know of. Not sure if it does it outside of that.
Hey. Two things that come to mind are clipping and filters. I’m not familiar with discord but there could be some filters applied to the sound at some stage, this could be windows perhaps or the software you’re speaking with for instance. That could be interfering with the signal. Other thing and probably more likely is you’re clipping somewhere. I’m guessing as you have a focusrite you’re plugging the mic into the front port and you’re not seeing any red halo lights on the front with the gain, so it could be further along the signal path where it’s being distorted because of too much gain. Again check windows/Mac settings, discord etc. Another thing to try is just to record separately with that mic to see if it sounds okay. Could even be defective mic who knows right?
Confused by it being 8i6. There are only 6 actual inputs right? For example my 4i4 has 4 inputs, 4 outputs so the naming matches up with the actual inputs. Sort of misleading unless I am just missing something
Yh I understand your confusion lol. The ins and outs include the midi and spdif. So there are 8in and 6out. The headphones don’t count as the number because they share same channels as the line outs for monitors.
@@TrevorSwayne I don't think MIDI is included (Scarlett 4i4 has 4 line ins and MIDI but no SPDIF). It's the SPDIF in/out that are counted as 2 ins and 2 outs (SPDIF is stereo).
Hi there, sounds like your computer is not using the focusrite device. What you need to do is go to sound settings and select the focusrite as the output device as it’s not always automated. This is same for mac and pc.
Hello Trevor. I'm new in audio interface and i need help. I have Fractal FM3 connect by SPDIF to scarlett 8i6. FM3 & scarlett by usb to pc. MY guitar direct to FM3. Scarlett out to monitors and headphones. I don't understand focus control inputs & outputs and in spanish there aren't videos tutorials. I need that by monitors and headphones ear my guitar sounds through the FM3-SPDIF-SCARLETT and other sounds for example of youtube, etc from PC. AND can RECORD IN reaper my guitar. What is the configuration in & outs in focus control and reaper?. CAN YOU HELP ME?
Sorry I don’t fully understand but I’d say best thing to do is just play around with the focusrite control software and also make sure the inputs and outputs are setup in the DAW and that the correct device is selected. Also it’s worth noting you can download the user manual on the focusrite website and from what I recall they were translated as well. All the best anyway!
Whats the best way to connect two keyboards to it, both have midi, USB, XLR and jacks? Want to use the keyboards as controllers as well as live standalone instruments using my Adam 7's?
Hey there. Well the focusrite only has one set of traditional midi so I’d prob just connect both keyboards to your computer via usb so they can be used as controllers. Then use the rear line inputs to take the line out jacks from each keyboard. There are 4 line ins on the back so you could run two per keyboard if they are stereo. Hope this helps. Btw how do you find the Adam speakers?
@@TrevorSwayne Thank you. They give a nice balance not too bright and over bass lovely high end. Compared to my mk3 rockets much more enjoyable. A bit of a learning curve for final mix but love them. :-)
@@TrevorSwayne Having real problems. If i plug my keyboards in the back i get nothing and the connections do not show up in the controll panel (for connecting channels?)
@@stephenmorgan5100 are you connecting with line/jack? Most likely you need to load up the focusrite control software and add the channels you need there. See 11:05 onwards. If you’re on pc make sure you installed drivers from website as it’s not strictly plug n play. Even with Mac you need to have the focusrite control installed to use all the features.
On the back side it has 4 line inputs. How can I use them? I mean, what if I want to use dynamic microphone, it doesn't use phantom power, so technically I can connect d. mic to the line input. And it works...but! There is no gain knob, so the signal is too weak. Is it possible to use it this way? What I'm doing wrong?
Hi there. Unfortunately any microphone you plug won’t really work in the rear inputs. These are line level only so they’ll take mixers or fix units or keyboards. Microphones have to be plugged in the front, that said I f you use an external mic preamp then you can plug that into the rear inputs and that will work.
The line out from the amp would be fine but I’m not 💯 sure about the tape out from analog mixer... from what I understand tape out is not as loud as a line out. Maybe someone else here can comment if they’ve tried?
Hello please, I need help. I cannot send anything to output 3/4 from Ableton, I set it up but I get no sound. From Live Control it is working but in Ableton for example I cannot send the input 1 to output 3 or 4
Hi there, bit rusty myself but went back to my video at 32:34 was able to follow my steps and got it working... Try the following if you still aren't getting what you need: 1. make sure channel 3/4 is added to software/daw playback at the bottom of focusrite control 2. make sure line output 3/4 isn't muted on the left hand side of the focusrite software panel! 3. in ableton configure sound settings make sure outputs 3/4 are enabled 4. in ableton make sure 'audio from' is Ext. in: input 1, and 'audio to' is Ext. out: 3/4 5. crucial step, you have to arm the recording of the track and set monitoring to either 'in' or 'auto' otherwise the audio wont send to 3/4 in realtime
@@TrevorSwayne thanks a lot for your detailed answer!! I actually got it working just before similarly by routing 3/4 to 3/4 playback and 1/2 to 1/2 in custom mix. Just saw your trick with putting them both in custom mix and the muting them . accordingly. Cant understand why in custom mix you cannot put different playbacks, But with muting trick it works. Thanks again.
Good question. I’ve no experience of audient or this device but it sure looks good for the price. I think to some extent it depends on your needs, having 4 mic in on the evo would be handy indeed. For me I knew 2 would be okay. Compare the specs as a start vs your needs then check out a dedicated video I’d say.
None that I've experienced, nor from what folks are saying on the comments here. In fact it had a lot better latency than the m-audio equivalent so i'm told :) Thanks for the support!
Hello sir, I'm using focusrite 6i6 but line in 3&4 I have plugged in keyboard right and left but those line input 3&4 doesn't give me enough gains volume is very low..how can increase in ouput volume..
Hi there, unfortunately they are fixed gain inputs so all I can suggest is to turn volume up on the keyboard and mixer, and if you have some kind of plugin in the DAW to boost gain that could help too... otherwise maybe you could get some external preamp to boost the keyboard... though if you wanted to save money and didn’t need simultaneous recording I’d just say plug the keyboard into the front instead.
@@TrevorSwayne thanks mate... could u please suggest me any pluggin or preamps that can boost my keyboard's output volume please..I would like to buy some thing like that..
@@sunalshrestha3425 I will have a look but I’ve yet to buy one my self yet. I’m thinking maybe the DAW has something as standard. What software are you using?
You can hear your artist while recording yes. By default it will be setup to do that. All it means is you have options to split the sound if you so wish. Cool right?!!
bro please help me. i wanna record, and have tried to. my problem is, that as soon as i plug the mic into the interface, it starts working, so i think that everything is fine, then when i go to my daw and trynna put some plugins on the tracking track nothing happends, what should i do? i use fl studio btw. but my old interface worked without a problem. it's just like i'm broadcasting or something? i cant hear the real sound that i'm recording with all the effects on it before it recorded it i hope you understand and can help
Young Mozardt Peter Lindhardt responded on the other video. You need to mute the inputs on focusrite control, then enable monitoring from within FL studio.
Q great question. Think I remember this was asked on my other video and it was deemed it should be fine, that said from what I understand is that a headphone preamp will make it sound even better as I guess 250 is on the upper limit of the focusrite. Maybe see if there are any shops you can test the interface at with your headphones?
@@TrevorSwayne ok so a 8i6 3rd gen and a 2i2 3rd Gen wouldn't make a difference in sound when it comes to powering up 250ohm headphones? If that's true i should just get a 2i2 3rd gen and look for a good preamp.
Q good point. Well I guess check the tech specs on the site and compare, I mean it’s possible the 8i6 has a better amp than 2i2 as it uses a dedicated power supply, but Yh who knows!
My headphones is not working ... i mean i can hear my piano and guitar and also my mic ... but i can't listen to anything on windows or TH-cam ... any suggestions ? i can see the signal tho but i can't hear it :c
Sounds like what your hearing is the ‘direct monitoring’ of your inputs. On the control software mixer click the headphone out then on the bottom section where it says ‘software ‘daw’ playback’ make sure it shows playback 1&2 of windows/Mac. You can add another one and see all the options til you hear something but it’s normally channels 1&2 you want. Also check it’s not muted, there are more than one mute switch on the software
Are you using active speakers or passive? It’s most likely a routing issue or mute issue, both can be resolved by playing around with the focusrite control application. Check my video again and try match the settings.
@@johnpeterson5354 yep so the focusrite doesn’t have an amp large enough to drive passive speakers, you’d need to run the outputs from the focusrite to a dedicate speaker amp and then connect the speakers to that.
Timestamps for this video:
0:00 - Introduction
0:17 - Hardware Overview
6:41 - Focusrite Control Software Overview
9:31 - Connecting a Chromecast Audio via Rear Input
15:45 - Using the Focusrite Scarlett as a Standalone Unit
18:25 - Recording a Keyboard (AUX) via Rear Input
22:49 - Recording a Guitar (DI) via Front Input
25:22 - Recording a Microphone via Front Input
27:25 - Basic Monitoring
28:49 - Direct Monitoring / Zero Latency
32:30 - Dual Monitoring Setup
34:39 - Using the Loopback Feature
Any questions leave a comment cheers, Trevor
My output is not being performed. Pls help
Hi Trevor I’m connecting a Mastersounds 4 valve rotary mixer via the master outs into Focusrite 8i6 line inputs then the aux outs from the mixer to line inputs on the focusrite. The focusrite is connected to the MacBook Pro via usb. I have no audio signal showing in OBS so I can stream the audio with the Focusrite selected as the audio device - any ideas? Thanks
@@marcusgaskell9448 Hi Marcus. Unfortunately OBS only sees the first two inputs which are on the front. Only way to get round this is to use an app like audio hijack. When I start streaming again I’ll probably ditch obs for another software that just works in the first place
@@TrevorSwayne thanks that’s good to know! I noticed a signal of plugging into the front. Will take a look at audio hijack. Which streaming software would you recommend instead of OBS?
@@TrevorSwayne will I be able to stream to OBS using audio hijack?
I have a possible job tomorrow and they told me that they use this device. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to inspect it beforehand!
Fantastic tutorial. This by far was easy to understand and follow. Thanks Trevor. I now have a better understanding of how to set up my instruments, input selections and use with my DAW. Keep the tutorials coming. Thanks Again
That’s really good to know thanks for sharing and good luck with it all. Will hopefully be making more videos soon!
After days of scouring the net - 5:58 - confirmed my hunch. You solved a lot of my problems. Keep Up!
Great Job....you should be over 200 subscribers easily.....people with 100k follows don't describe as well as you
Thanks that means a lot :)
Now two minutes further in he tells me I can't use this interface. Wrong inputs for me. I need two guitars, three vocals and my computer, but I'm grateful he explained what the inputs are good for. All other videos assume I know what the technical terms mean. I love this guy. Down with old Firewire interfaces I say. Boat anchors now.
Excellent video. just what I needed. All the options and functions of Focusrite 8i6 3rd gen
Héctor Cerrato very welcome. All the best!!
@@TrevorSwayne Have you tried connecting a guitar to the 3-6 line input? I have a doubt, according to the 8i6 3rd gen specs, the 3-6 line input impedance is 44k ohms, while the guitar impedance output is 10k Ohm. Do you think I will have problems? Since inputs 1-2 I use the Y technique to take Impulse speakers.
Héctor Cerrato I’ve never connected guitar to 3-6. I don’t believe it’s recommended. Just stick to 1 or 2 on the front and you should be fine. That said if you plug into an amp first you could in fact connect the line/di or even headphone out from the amp and into inputs 3-6 and should be fine. If in doubt check with the focusrite support team :) cheers!
@@TrevorSwayne Thank you very much friend
Héctor Cerrato welcome buddy, have fun recording :)
Such clear explanations! Really helped with my 8i6 - thank-you!
Great Video, helped me figure out what the Analog 3 and 4 were for so that is where I put the Axe FX III. Works great. thanks again..
Best video ever. Added this to my saved music production class videos.
Thank you for the support and glad I was a help 😊
Great work Trevor! Newly subscribed. I ordered this unit today. All I really want to do is get some good audio from my iMac Apple Music stream and play my guitar along with it. So essentially a good jam along setup. Your use of the keyboard also got me thinking about buying an inexpensive keyboard so that I could work on my music theory a bit as well. Thanks again for making this video.
Fantastic thanks for the sub and kind words. You can’t go wrong with this interface and I’m sure you’ll be able to achieve some nice results. All the best!
Awesome video. Just what I needed. Keep them coming. I’m now a subscriber to your channel.
Great to hear thanks and will do!
Hi Love your content. I am the 200th subscriber so yay!
Amazing thank you!!
I've seen some people plug in front the left and right using the channels so they can have gains, they can control manually without software
For example using your chrome cast or the keyboard by splitting the two in front inputs
Have you tested with this? Thanks
HI, yes i've tested this and it works just fine... in fact you can see me doing this in my pioneer speaker sound test video!
Just got mine today and this vid really answered all my questions.. thx, great vid!
Great to hear bud and thanks for the support! Trevor.
Great video, thanks a lot! But i do have a question about the SPDIF out, I was thinking of buying this interface for playback of backingtracks (into my PA mixer) fx out1= bas - out2= drums - out 3+4= "stereo other instruments" and SPDIF out5= clicktrack - out6= cues. Do you think that routing is doable ? I would then use a small SPDIF to RCA DAC to convert to analog signal for my mixer
Awesome. Just what i was looking for
Awesome content thanks man! Really well explained for newbies like me haha
This comment has totally made my day thanks so much 😊 🙏🏻
Looking at buying a Focusrite. Found your video very useful. Well done
Thanks buddy. Still recommend this interface you can’t go wrong!
@@TrevorSwayne Thanks Trevor. Do you think it's worth paying the extra money for a focusrite clarett? (instead of scarlett).
@@BatexMultimedia tough question but it really depends on how you intend on using it and what your experience level is. Personally for starting out you can’t go wrong with the Scarlett, by the time you’ve mastered working with the Scarlett you’ll know what sound you wish to hone in on and where you want to improve on, maybe you’ll go down the route of external mic preamps or better room acoustics, speakers etc. I can’t speak for pc but at least on Mac the Scarlett is rock solid, versatile and no latency issues. I’m too much of a beginner to talk about the tone of the mic preamps and even if I knew, my room isn’t acoustically treated and I have a sub-£20 microphone!! I guess to answer the question my opinion is just buy whatever you can comfortably afford that has the number of simultaneous in and outs you need, whilst allowing budget for other items in your setup as well e.g. half decent microphone
@@TrevorSwayne Thanks Trevor - appreciate your feedback. Think I'll go for the Scarlett! Also looking at buying the new Mac when it eventually comes out. I've been a PC man all my life... so Mac will be interesting!
@@BatexMultimedia any new Mac with those m1 chips and you can’t go wrong honestly. I know it’s cliche but Mac just works. I was a pc man all my life too, years of tinkering, reformatting windows, building pcs and upgrading laptops... I’ve been using same Mac since 2011 now and it’s been rock solid ever since. I’m holding out for the new m1 based iMac, otherwise I’d be tempted to buy the Mac mini. It’s a pity I have to use a pc at work, windows 10 really messed things up where windows 7 was actually okay. All the best, Trevor.
Hi, great video; I have the same card and I was able to configure it well thanks to you. Do you also have a background rustle?
Very welcome and thanks for the support! Don’t have a background rustle what is that 😆 🤔
Thanks Trevor. Very thorough. Just got one of these to record my Line6 Helix using the SPDIF into Reason. It’s great!! Subbed.
Hi Trevor- great video, cleared a lot of things up for me. Question for you- my speakers are on the older side and only have one 1/8th inch plug for both speakers- I have a 1/4 inch adaptor. Is there a way to plug just the one quarter inch adaptor in, or will I have to get a splitter? Thanks!
Hi Mike thanks for watching and subbing! Unfortunately you will need to get a splitter because unless I’m mistaken I believe the 1/8th inch connector you have is a stereo pair, and the focusrite inputs can only accept mono either as unbalanced or balanced. You need this: www.amazon.co.uk/Stereo-Female-Splitter-Adapter-Converter-1-Meter/dp/B077VP9CG4
@@TrevorSwayne strangely enough, I tried plugging in the 1/8th inch with the 1/4 inch adapter into output 1 in the back.... and it worked! I'm not sure how but sound is coming out of both of my speakers, without a splitter. I have no explanation, other than something worked, and I'm not sure how!
@@mikenagoda search for a video on TH-cam for left and right speaker sound test. Make sure the left is the left and right is the right. It may be that you’re just getting one channel.
Hi it´s a great video. Pleace can you tell me, how you get the sound from your DAW into the obs? Is it possiple with Loopback?, Greatings
Apologies for not seeing this comment sooner, did you figure it out? I didn't have the best of luck with using mine with OBS, main issue being OBS only sees inputs 1 and 2 (front two) and therefore you can't even use the loopback feature.
Thank you very much for this tutorial!!
Nice job! This one is definitely the best video about this 8i6.
I just have a question: i would like to know if is it possible to route the main audio (i.e. from browser, youtube or any media player) from a Win 10 pc to the SPDIF out and connect with a coaxial cable to my HiFi (Yamaha R-N500) amplification in order to use it's internal DAC instead of using the Focusrite's DAC.
Using less words...is it possible to use SPDIF out as Main Out?!
Thanks
Thanks appreciate the support!! Yes it is possible. You route it in the software at the bottom just as you would for the line outs! Definitely handy hey :)
@@TrevorSwayne Thank you so much for the answer!!!
Can you confirm that this works without opening the DAW but just setting the Fcusrite Control as you shown in the example with Chromecast?
@@Dare_To_Imagine whilst I’ve not explicitly tested SPDIF out I can safely say it should work without the daw as this is a standalone interface. As long as it’s routed correctly in the focusrite control software you’re good!
@@TrevorSwayne Thanks a lot!!!
I'm looking information in order to choose my first audio interface and i will use it just for simple recording session using headphones, but mainly i will use it for listening through the HiFi and it would be nice to avoid having two stage of preamp (the Focusrite and then the HiFi). Thanks again for your time!
Such a thorough video! Thanks for the help.
Thank you so much appreciate the support!
Awesome tutorial thanks! :)
Thank you 🙏🏻
thank you ive been going out of my mind trying to figure this damn thing out lol
Great video! If I understand it well, how many channels can your monitor/record simultaneously? Is it 6? I’m looking for setup with two, three synths and guitar into ableton with all of synths playing sequences and guitar over it... would 4i4 be enough for this? Thanks!
zimske thanks! It really varies depending on how you monitor. So technically ableton should be able to access all of the inputs simultaneously, so in my case that’s 8, but if you want zero latency monitoring from within focusrite control software then the mixer maxes out at 6channels of input. In the case of 4i4 I imagine you’d be able to use all 4 no problem, but remember is your synth stereo or mono out? 4i4 is only 4 channels of mono or two pairs of stereo. Hope this helps thanks!
Trevor Swayne yeah, one is stereo the other one mono. Looks like the choice is pretty obvious.
I can't get my 18i8 to output audio to outputs 3 and 4, I use reaper and know how to do it, but I can't get it to work with the Focusrite. I think the problem is within the Focusrite control, any suggestions?
helpfull guide, thanks man keep on growing.😇
Dj Piyush Soni thank you so much 😊
Hey Trevor. Great tutorial! I just got a question. I'm thinking of buying the Focusrite 18i8, because I need the line inputs for synths, keys and to use the front mic inputs for recording vocals and bass at the same time. But I've noticed the rear Line inputs has a very low input signal. As you showed us, your keyboard only goes up to around -15 dBFS. I will only use stereo for my synths and keyboards. So 2 inputs for each instrument. If you would increase the input signal on the Focusrite Control software. Would the keyboard go up in volume then? Is the input signal enough to record synths and keyboards? Or do I need to add a gain to my DAW everytime I want some volume to my keyboard? Would it make any input signal difference to have TRS or just TS cables?
Best Regards
Victor
Hey Victor thanks for the comment! It’s a tough one as I’ve seen quite a few ppl with issues on the rear inputs level wise. From the research I’ve done you’d probably be fine if your keyboards/synths are semi-pro and or using stereo as you’d get a stronger signal, and whilst I’m not sure if trs would be better still but if your synths had that capability then definitely use it. With all this said I’d say it’s best to ask the focusrite support team before you buy just to be safe. All the best, Trevor
Thanks for the video. Can you confirm that SPDIF input can be direct monitored? Also, can audio from the PC and inputs be monitored simultaneously (playing audio from PC and jamming to it with guitar)?
Thanks, very useful, need more for routing 👍 hope u make one...
Welcome. What routing specifically?
great viid, thinking about this product
Trevor, can I plug my iphone in the input on the back of the 8i6 for a backing track?
Hi John, yes you can, you'd use same process i used for my chromecast (09:31) in this video
Thanks for the video!! Still learning this Focusrite software so need to rewatch the video a few times. I noticed you clicked on the two red dots to remove them - what was that for? I 've just done the same and now want to get them back
Neil Bird welcome buddy appreciate the support! Are you referring to the red dots above the volume/level meters? If so what I’m doing there is resetting the clipping status... signal was too hot initially so the signal peaked and the red dot marks the fact the signal clipped/distorted. What you’d do then is turn the gain down and then click on the dots to reset. Ideally you don’t want any red dots!! Hope this helps and let me know if you were talking about something else hehe it’s a long video!
@@TrevorSwayne Yes thanks that helps I didn't fully understand first time around
Neil Bird hey all good. This is why I appreciate all the comments. Hope to make future videos even better because of it :)
Really nice tutorial. Thank you
Thank you for the informative video. Does it work fine with Garageband? Greetings.
Welcome! I’ve not tested it with GarageBand but I’ve no reason to believe it wouldn’t work just fine..
@@TrevorSwayne thank you!
You're a big help! My man, thanks!
Thank you very much for this video! Small question: on min 33:24 you show the outputs channels selection, and I'm wondering: what does output 5-6 do? Can you use that? If I'm not mistaken the 8i6 has only 4 outputs (and 2 headphones at the front), if you activate 5-6 what happens? I'm looking for an audio interface with at least 6 outputs and I was wondering if the 8i6 would work :) thanks a lot!
Hi there. Good question. So technically speaking the 8i6 has 6 outputs that why you see 5-6, however 5 and 6 are actually SPDIF outputs not line. So if you needed more than 4 line you’d need a bigger interface yes.
Also just in case my video wasn’t clear, the headphones share the channels so doubt count as their own outputs. E.g. headphone 1 uses channel 1-2 as per output on the back and headphone 2 uses channels 3-4 as per line outs on the back. Hope that helps
@@TrevorSwayne Thank you so much for the reply! Super clear! I wish you a great start of the new year!
@@yuvi85 and the same to you too. Happy new year!
great stuff, man ! thank you !
Beats and Home Workouts thank you, all the best! 🙏🏻 😊
Hey! Awesome guide! I've got some questions. I have Yamaha HS8 and i have had the Focusrite Scarlett Solo gen 2 i think before. I plugged that one in differently than this and i need some help. Currently i have the two XLR cables going from the monitors connected to a groundloop (RCA) and then a splitter that goes to the back of the 8i6 but i can't seem to get any audio out from it. Should i just skip the groundloop+RCA and go for XLR Female male to stereo jack adapters so that i can plug the HS8s directly to the 1 and 2 in the 8i6s back? Sorry for alot of text x)
Thank you buddy! Umm I’m not sure how important the groundloop is but if you go down that route you’re losing the balanced connection as rca is just a +ve and -ve.. in fact that’s probably why you’re getting no signal at all because the signal is being cancelled out?? Anyway I’d ditch that and get the cable as you said, the xlr to jack (trs not ts). I’ve never had grounding issues with these speakers so you should be fine also. Cheers!
Hi Trevor, can I connect a synthesizer to the SPDIF input? I guess I should use an analog-digital conversor, but would that be possible? thanks!!
Hi Xavier I really wouldn’t know the answer to this so best thing to do is prob contact the focusrite support team via their website. Else if you know someone with one or a music shop you could test? There are of course the manuals too but may not answer the question. Cheers. Trevor
Is it possible to put a compressor or reverbo inside the Focusrite control software to effect all the audio interface output?
Hi Trevor. I need some help with my scarlett 816 3rd gen and KRK rokit 7 monitors. When I plug my monitors into line outputs 1&2 on the back of interface, the sound from speakers is low - having to turn up monitor volume knob on interface to get some sound but sound is unbalanced; the right speaker is low and the left is louder. I've checked all levels on speakers and focusrite control and it seems fine. When I plug in left speaker into line output 3 and right into line output 4 the sound is good but I can't turn volume up or down using the interfaces monitor volume knob. I can control the volume on the computer in the focusrite control, line outputs 3&4. But it says that monitors need to be in line outputs 1 and 2 on back of interface. I'm very confused! - my current setup; I have korg minilogue xd into line inputs 5&6 and korg drumlogue into line inputs 3&4. Interface is plugged into macbook pro M1 2023.
Hi Trevor, thanks for great video. Could you pls advise on this:
if I run guitar's signal through a DI box, would it be possible then to plug in and record it through any of inputs 3/4/5/6?
Hi there, yes providing the DI box has line-level outs it should work fine. I tried the DI out of my Marshall amp into the back and it was okay too.
@@TrevorSwayne , thanks for your prompt reply, much appreciated.
can I use 2 separate outputs like 1&2, 3&4 at the same time? I tried but no luck. I have two cards 1st gen and 3rd gen can I use two card with internal sync? I used the same with different cards but in this case the softwares are different for 1st gen and 3rd gen
Hi, great video; I have a question regarding inputs 3 - 8 on the back of the device. I was wondering how i can control the inputs on the back. When i open the input section on focusrite control i can only control inputs 1 & 2. Keep up the good work!
Thank you! So to answer your question what you do is select ‘output routing’ in the focusrite control, then click the plus icon to the right of the inputs, then you can select the inputs you want and it routes them to all outputs ready to go. You can then control the levels and mute etc depending on your needs. 11:19 Just be aware the inputs on the back are fixed gain not like the two on the front that have the gain control hardwired.
Trevor, I have a question for you. Is it possible to play guitar live and stream it without having some slight delay using the loopback feature and getting the sound from the DAW... im not explaining it well right now, but I have tried everything possible and I use logic and obs. I mean playing my guitar there is the slight delay. If im just playing TH-cam videos its fine. Have we not gotten to the point where its possible to not have a very slight delay when streaming live guitar through a DAW or what? I have tried using loopback and loopback also. well if I use the loopback feature with obs from Focusrite then I dont even get the full sound. but if I use loopback that I bought along with loopback in the Focusrite I get the full daw sound but I also get the slight delay. So either way its not good for the guitar live like that. Im sure I can def explain this better another time. Ill have to come back if you dont understand. But ive yet to find anyone that can help me with this. I would just use an amp and mic it but im stuck in some stupid apartment forever thats the worst for music and so much noise and bla.. anyway... appreciate if ya can help. trying not to lose my mind here haha.
Hi Randy, have to admit I’m really novice when it comes to loop back abs also streaming. My take on OBS is that it’s pretty limited and you’d be better looking at an alternative software. That said I don’t think it would solve your latency problem. So the simple thing is if you want no latency for when you hear back what you play you need to mute the audio coming out of your daw and just listen to the direct guitar channel. You can still send the full signal to the streaming software so that shouldn’t matter...If you are wanting to hear the full signal e.g. Fx from the daw you can only really try and improve the latency not remove it altogether. Not sure your setup but in logic you’d want to switch the buffer size to 128ms or lower. If that’s not possible you’d need a better computer. May I suggest a Mac and not a pc as the sound setup and latency is always been better for me on Mac. Hope this helps and hope others can comment and help also.
So i have a technical problem with my scarlett. With output at default vol. setting, why is my headphone volume very low on the headphone output? I'm using a decent beyerdynamic headphone for monitoring. DAW volume is set at default as well.
Very useful video. Thank you.
Really usefull video, I just get an 8i6 as my first audio interface. I'm trying to use the rear inputs but Ableton doesn't recognize them, on the input config. When you open Chanel Config the rear inputs appear there but aren't selected and all you do is turn them on. Do you know what could be the reason Ableton doesn't show them?
Hope you understand what i'm saying, English isn't my first language, Thanks. Great content by the way :)
Manuel González Méndez 👋🏻 and thanks for the support! Couple things come to mind, either you need to install the correct focusrite Scarlett driver, or you need to install ASIO (if using PC), or assuming you have both then select said driver = asio and audio device = focusrite Scarlett in the drop downs on audio settings, just above where you click into the outputs and inputs. Cheers and hope you figure it out so you can enjoy the interface!
That was very good I enjoyed watching that.
Thanks so much your comment means a lot!
hey great vid. I just ordered one because I bought a turntable and want to hook it up to my monitors while simultaneously having my laptop hooked up. This will allow me to cross over between both channels simultaneously right?
Hey, Yh that should work, it’s so flexible this interface!
@@TrevorSwayne Do you know how I am able to hear the audio from input 1? I have my turntable connected to the back of the Focusrite in input 1 and 2 and I have my output going to my speakers. I can hear music when I play off my laptop but I get nothing from the turntable? How do I choose to hear audio from the actual input itself?
Figured it out, had to go inside the virtual mixer and change my input (easy enough) just figured I wouldn't need to actually go in there.
@@joegeezly9613 good to hear. Yh just get used to opening that up whenever you need a new setup. Good thing is once you got it set up you’re good and don’t need to always have it open.
In Focusrite Control, is it possible to route all 6 DAW Playback Outputs to the Main Monitor Outputs for monitoring at the same time? Thanks.
Hi there, question maybe you can help !!! Using Scarlett 6i6 2nd gen and want to go from my pioneer mixer out to line input 3-4 on the rear of my focusrite and in the the front want to use a MC, impossible to make it work in OBS studio, any advice or tweak ??? In Focusrite Control or in Obs Studio ???? Don't want to use the MC on the mixer want to go trough the audio device .... thank you !!!!
Sacha Vasic hey. Good question. Well I had the same issue back when I was testing obs, but after loads of googling I think the issue is obs only sees the first two inputs of the focusrite. So you’d have to use the mc on the pioneer, or perhaps if you got the loop back software by rogue amoeba you should be able to route the extra input anyway. Another option is maybe try a different streaming software... cheers!
@@TrevorSwayne Thank you for your response, that's what I though aswell, obs problem, thanks again ;-)
What would be the correct way to setup in DJ mode?
Thank you man🌹🌹🌹
love to see you do demo of more loop back explanation and physical loop connection spfd?
Noted thank you will look into this when I get a chance. 👍🏻 😀
thankyou
One thing I'm unclear on is if the back inputs (or front inputs for that matter) take a stereo signal? I've been using 1/8" stereo jack to left/right 1/4" split cables which hog two inputs on my scarlett. If I got cables that had a single stereo 1/4" plug, would I get stereo on each individual channel (input)?
All the inputs on the Scarlett are mono so for stereo signal you indeed need to split the output into two 1/4 inch mono jacks.
Hi Good video. Got my Scarlett 8i6 today but im confused. Im going to use it to connect my new Synth to my new KRK's but firstly i have a question. If im not using a DAW (yet) can i send audio from my PC to my KRK's via the Scarlett? is just play spotify through my speakers? My configuration is, power connected, USB C connected to my PC, speakers connected via 1/4" jack to XLR. Surely i dont need to take an analogue audio out from my PC and send to the Scarlett as an audio input? This would be over the USB yeah?
Hey good to hear from you! Yes in a nutshell, the scarlett is just a usb sound card, therefore you are bypassing the traditional in/out jacks on your pc.. so just by installing the drivers and plugging into usb, you should be able to hear anything from your pc straight onto your KRKs. there are lots of routing options in the control software so you should at least have one way of doing something maybe even two it's pretty versatile.
@@TrevorSwayne Thanks Trevor. I also have a Mac Mini which ive just connected, downloaded the drivers, played spotify and sound coming out the speakers immediately. If only Windows was as simple as that. God knows why im not getting any audio still from that.
Ah ok so I've just changed the sample rate from 48kHz to 44.1kHz and i have PC sound. Is this the normal setting?
@@1975Stevo i've only ever used this on mac but it's flawless, many people use on pc mind, and it should work on both sample rates quite honestly but for just pc sound it doesn't matter either one as long as you're getting something.
@@TrevorSwayne Thankyou mate. Appreciate the help. All working fine now. Subscribed.
Hi Trevor great video I have Focusrite Clarett 8Prex I got 8 mics connected through Ableton 11 example
Input channels
Input Monitoring out
1.Guitar. 1. Guitar
2. Tabla. 2. Tabla
3.Timbale. 3. Timbale and so on but I want to try through software and Direct monitor ( Clarett ) and but monitor channel to main speakers I want all mixed is that possible ? please help me if you can make a short video will be great it will help me really appreciate
Hey not sure I understand sorry, could you elaborate more?
Hello, how can I get the sounds to come out of my headphones and computer speakers? I recording a scratch vocal and guitar track using protools on my Focusrite 8i6 but no sound is coming out. Thank you.
Do you have the focusrite control software installed? Generally you can tweak the routing on there if it’s not setup correctly. That said you really should be hearing something by default. Check all outputs on the device and most importantly check the setting in pro tools to ensure the focusrite device is selected as main output.
Great Video. I got a question. Why am i not able to use the 7/8 Spdif channels as an output channel in ableton live? any suggestions?
Sorry missed this comment. So you’ve configured in ableton and you’ve selected the drop down on the channel you want to output... so are you seeing any activity on the audio meters in focusrite control for spdif? Could be muted in control software on the left perhaps, or maybe you need to adjust the clock source?
@@TrevorSwayne i got it. Spdif in is line 7/8. Out is 5/6. Had to mark line 5/6 in the Focusrite Control
@@derbanger1097 oh yes of course that makes sense now. Glad you sorted it and thanks for letting me know :)
Hell yeah. Thank you!!
Love this!!
I have a question, i have an analog compressor, i connected it via the back of the focusrite.
But i hear 2 tracks when i listen back .
I connected my headphone to the headphone output
Hi hard to say without seeing it in front of me but sounds like you need to mute the hardware inputs section. Play around and gradually move each slider down until you get what you want. Cheers
Thanks for the review
I have a question. Can it work when only connected to USB without a dedicated power adapter?
Nope. This Scarlett has to have power adaptor. The smaller scarletts work without powder adaptor I believe.
Ahh. Nothing is perfect 🤷♂️
Tell me if you connect gaming headphones (headset) will the microphone work? Or you need to connect the microphone to the adapter
If there’s just one jack then yes you’ll need an adaptor.
Thanks for the video! Does Scarlett work with Cubase Steinberg?
It does indeed. In fact it even comes with lite version of cubase
@@TrevorSwayne Thanks a lot!!
Don't suppose you know if you can get channels 1-2 to come out of both of the headphone jacks? I've got channels 1-2 coming out of the left headphone jack and channels 3-4 coming out of the right headphone jack. I'm trying to use the right jack to sample the master from Ableton into my Digitakt
Hi there, by 1-2 and 3-4 i presume you mean inputs 1-2 and inputs 3-4 yes? If so what you need to do is click on the 'line outputs' 3-4 on the left of the software, then add inputs 1-2 under 'hardware inputs', so clicking on outputs 1-2 should look the same as outputs 3-4, if you see the VU meter going on both but still don't hear sound then check again on the left that it's not muted. I'm using 13:09 as reference here you can see the screen you need to be on. In short, the left headphone output corresponds to the jack outputs 1-2 on the back on the device, and the right headphone output corresponds to the jack outputs 3-4 on the back, so only by using software routing as mentioned here will you get the same outputs as it won't be by default. hope this helps. Trevor
@@TrevorSwayne Sorry, I don't think I was clear. What I want to achieve is for software playback 1-2 to come out of both headphone outputs but I want software playback 3-4 to continue outputting on line outputs 3-4. I still can't work out how to do this. I can't find a way to customise the mix to achieve this unfortunately
@@freddiefranklin1 thanks that is clear now and sorry for delay reply. Right so here’s what you do: firstly add all the inputs you need you need in the routing section. Then using the mute/volume slider on the mixer of the inputs you want vs the output. You can’t remove the input from output 1-2 as it will remove it for outputs 3-4 so to get round it you use the mute/volume. I go through this approach in my video in section dual monitoring setup 32:33.
Nice video! Would it work if I connect the 6.3 mm Stereo jack from a Yamaha DTX452K E-Drum Set to Line In?
Thank you. Well the inputs are balanced or unbalanced mono only, so if you plugged in a stereo jack the left channel would just cancel the right channel out so you probably wouldn’t hear anything. Best thing to do is what I did with the chrome cast and just split the stereo into two separate mono. Hope this helps cheers
Is there a reason why you can’t connect the usb to your computer?
its a great interface I'm just a little disappointed it doesn't have monitor switching built in like its higher tier line having to jump to the software feels a lil clunky vs a dedicated button I bought it with plans to use a secondary set of monitors, but found I had to get a mackie passive for quicker monitor mangement
Styrant the I hear you there. Tbh I was dubious about any of the software functions but I can say I’ve got used to it pretty quickly, because so many features have to be controlled with software on the 3rd gens you soon get used to it. I’d always say though if you can push for the one you want then go for it. Long term cost is nothing if you keep for years and you can always sell it down the line if you’re still not happy.
Is there Any tips or tricks to setting up the 8i6 to a Dell i9 Windows 10 ? I've heard people having issues! Thanks
Hi, it should run fine on pc but I only have experience on Mac. That said from what I have heard you have two options you can either rely on the standard focusrite drivers or the asio4all. Either way best advice would be to download latest drivers and focusrite control software after logging into the focusrite site then if you get stuff their support team is pretty good or you can check the forum they have
@@TrevorSwayne thanks bro
Should I plug my electronic drums in the back of my 8i6?
Yes that should be fine!
Hello! I was wondering, is there a way to increase the gain of the rear inputs (3-6)? When I record through them, the signal is always a bit quiet, and I was curious if there was a way to adjust their gain level from the Focusrite Control software. Thanks in advance, and great video!
Hi there unfortunately not. Whilst you could boost the volume via the control software or even the daw this wouldn’t be hardware gain as only the inputs on the front have actual hardware gain. I’ve heard a lot of people having problems with the rear inputs but they are supposed to accept ‘line’ level signals
@@TrevorSwayne Ah, I understand. Thanks Trevor!!
What kind of instrument did you record through rear inputs?
can you solve my problem? i need to play two keyboards at the same time in a live session. i need to send the signal from the scarlett 8i6 to a mixer (mackie 1202VLZ4), but at the same time i need to record the audio of the keyboards (two separate stereo audio) in a DAW. How can i do it without latency (on pro tools it doesnt matter, but it matters if i have latency in the live). thanks a lot
Hi sorry sounds complex but I’ll do my best to understand and answer. So the 8i6 puts out zero latency as standard from whatever you’ve got going into it, therefore the keyboards should be fine when output goes from 8i6 to mackie. You just have to make sure you’re using the output from the focusrite control software and not the daw output, which should be fine as you’re only recording there anyway right. If that didn’t work how you want could you not send the keyboards to the mixer and then an output from mixer back into the 8i6?
THANK YOU
So I bought a new Microphone which is the Blue Baby bottle. I am running it through a Scarlett 4i4 3rd gen. I use this for gaming/Music Production. I use Discord a lot to chat with friends. Eversince I started using that new Microphone ive been having some issues with the way I sound. At first my friends hear me crystal clear, then at any moment my Microphone makes me sound robotic/choppy/distorted. My friends say it sounds bad. I am trying to figure out what the issue is that causes this. Not sure if it is the microphone or my audio interface. I do have my sample rate up to 48000 and my buffer size ia currently at 128. Any thoughts of what it it? This only happens in discord for what I know of. Not sure if it does it outside of that.
Hey. Two things that come to mind are clipping and filters. I’m not familiar with discord but there could be some filters applied to the sound at some stage, this could be windows perhaps or the software you’re speaking with for instance. That could be interfering with the signal. Other thing and probably more likely is you’re clipping somewhere. I’m guessing as you have a focusrite you’re plugging the mic into the front port and you’re not seeing any red halo lights on the front with the gain, so it could be further along the signal path where it’s being distorted because of too much gain. Again check windows/Mac settings, discord etc. Another thing to try is just to record separately with that mic to see if it sounds okay. Could even be defective mic who knows right?
Confused by it being 8i6. There are only 6 actual inputs right? For example my 4i4 has 4 inputs, 4 outputs so the naming matches up with the actual inputs. Sort of misleading unless I am just missing something
Yh I understand your confusion lol. The ins and outs include the midi and spdif. So there are 8in and 6out. The headphones don’t count as the number because they share same channels as the line outs for monitors.
@@TrevorSwayne got ya thanks
@@TrevorSwayne I don't think MIDI is included (Scarlett 4i4 has 4 line ins and MIDI but no SPDIF). It's the SPDIF in/out that are counted as 2 ins and 2 outs (SPDIF is stereo).
@@GenePavlovsky spot on thanks for clarifying!
For some reason I can’t seem to control the volume with the focusrite 8i6 nob, I have to use the volume slider on the computer, can you help?
Hi there, sounds like your computer is not using the focusrite device. What you need to do is go to sound settings and select the focusrite as the output device as it’s not always automated. This is same for mac and pc.
Hello Trevor. I'm new in audio interface and i need help. I have Fractal FM3 connect by SPDIF to scarlett 8i6. FM3 & scarlett by usb to pc. MY guitar direct to FM3. Scarlett out to monitors and headphones. I don't understand focus control inputs & outputs and in spanish there aren't videos tutorials. I need that by monitors and headphones ear my guitar sounds through the FM3-SPDIF-SCARLETT and other sounds for example of youtube, etc from PC. AND can RECORD IN reaper my guitar. What is the configuration in & outs in focus control and reaper?. CAN YOU HELP ME?
Sorry I don’t fully understand but I’d say best thing to do is just play around with the focusrite control software and also make sure the inputs and outputs are setup in the DAW and that the correct device is selected. Also it’s worth noting you can download the user manual on the focusrite website and from what I recall they were translated as well. All the best anyway!
Whats the best way to connect two keyboards to it, both have midi, USB, XLR and jacks? Want to use the keyboards as controllers as well as live standalone instruments using my Adam 7's?
Hey there. Well the focusrite only has one set of traditional midi so I’d prob just connect both keyboards to your computer via usb so they can be used as controllers. Then use the rear line inputs to take the line out jacks from each keyboard. There are 4 line ins on the back so you could run two per keyboard if they are stereo. Hope this helps. Btw how do you find the Adam speakers?
@@TrevorSwayne Thank you. They give a nice balance not too bright and over bass lovely high end. Compared to my mk3 rockets much more enjoyable. A bit of a learning curve for final mix but love them. :-)
@@TrevorSwayne Having real problems. If i plug my keyboards in the back i get nothing and the connections do not show up in the controll panel (for connecting channels?)
@@stephenmorgan5100 are you connecting with line/jack? Most likely you need to load up the focusrite control software and add the channels you need there. See 11:05 onwards. If you’re on pc make sure you installed drivers from website as it’s not strictly plug n play. Even with Mac you need to have the focusrite control installed to use all the features.
On the back side it has 4 line inputs. How can I use them? I mean, what if I want to use dynamic microphone, it doesn't use phantom power, so technically I can connect d. mic to the line input. And it works...but! There is no gain knob, so the signal is too weak. Is it possible to use it this way? What I'm doing wrong?
Hi there. Unfortunately any microphone you plug won’t really work in the rear inputs. These are line level only so they’ll take mixers or fix units or keyboards. Microphones have to be plugged in the front, that said I f you use an external mic preamp then you can plug that into the rear inputs and that will work.
would a line out from an amp be able to be plugged into the back inputs or a tape send from an analog mixing desk
The line out from the amp would be fine but I’m not 💯 sure about the tape out from analog mixer... from what I understand tape out is not as loud as a line out. Maybe someone else here can comment if they’ve tried?
Good info!
Shiva thanks dude hope you are well!!
@@TrevorSwayne all are well thanks! ;keep it up!!
So are you able to get the music to play through both headphones so my artist can hear himself and I can hear him also
Atm SoundStudioMastering yep spot on. This is why I got this one!
@@TrevorSwayne ok bet that and a bypassable preamp is what I needed finally found one lol
Hello please, I need help. I cannot send anything to output 3/4 from Ableton, I set it up but I get no sound. From Live Control it is working but in Ableton for example I cannot send the input 1 to output 3 or 4
Hi there, bit rusty myself but went back to my video at 32:34 was able to follow my steps and got it working...
Try the following if you still aren't getting what you need:
1. make sure channel 3/4 is added to software/daw playback at the bottom of focusrite control
2. make sure line output 3/4 isn't muted on the left hand side of the focusrite software panel!
3. in ableton configure sound settings make sure outputs 3/4 are enabled
4. in ableton make sure 'audio from' is Ext. in: input 1, and 'audio to' is Ext. out: 3/4
5. crucial step, you have to arm the recording of the track and set monitoring to either 'in' or 'auto' otherwise the audio wont send to 3/4 in realtime
@@TrevorSwayne thanks a lot for your detailed answer!! I actually got it working just before similarly by routing 3/4 to 3/4 playback and 1/2 to 1/2 in custom mix. Just saw your trick with putting them both in custom mix and the muting them . accordingly.
Cant understand why in custom mix you cannot put different playbacks, But with muting trick it works. Thanks again.
@@dpen6849 I know it seems backward you have to do it like that but at least you can eventually get the result you need. All the best!
This one vs EVO8? What to buy? Thanks.
Good question. I’ve no experience of audient or this device but it sure looks good for the price. I think to some extent it depends on your needs, having 4 mic in on the evo would be handy indeed. For me I knew 2 would be okay. Compare the specs as a start vs your needs then check out a dedicated video I’d say.
great review.....any latency issues ?
None that I've experienced, nor from what folks are saying on the comments here. In fact it had a lot better latency than the m-audio equivalent so i'm told :) Thanks for the support!
thanks dude.
Alberto Sandino very welcome :)
Hello sir, I'm using focusrite 6i6 but line in 3&4 I have plugged in keyboard right and left but those line input 3&4 doesn't give me enough gains volume is very low..how can increase in ouput volume..
Hi there, unfortunately they are fixed gain inputs so all I can suggest is to turn volume up on the keyboard and mixer, and if you have some kind of plugin in the DAW to boost gain that could help too... otherwise maybe you could get some external preamp to boost the keyboard... though if you wanted to save money and didn’t need simultaneous recording I’d just say plug the keyboard into the front instead.
@@TrevorSwayne thanks mate... could u please suggest me any pluggin or preamps that can boost my keyboard's output volume please..I would like to buy some thing like that..
@@sunalshrestha3425 I will have a look but I’ve yet to buy one my self yet. I’m thinking maybe the DAW has something as standard. What software are you using?
I used to use audacity and cubase..
Could you run line-outs from amplifiers into there rear inputs without issue?
Yep you should be fine to do this.
So if each head phones use 1,2 &3,4 does that mean I won’t be able to hear my artist in the headphones while recording
You can hear your artist while recording yes. By default it will be setup to do that. All it means is you have options to split the sound if you so wish. Cool right?!!
I was able to get signal with calling tech support. 75% knob turn and leveling off. My first time using an interface.
bro please help me. i wanna record, and have tried to. my problem is, that as soon as i plug the mic into the interface, it starts working, so i think that everything is fine, then when i go to my daw and trynna put some plugins on the tracking track nothing happends, what should i do? i use fl studio btw. but my old interface worked without a problem. it's just like i'm broadcasting or something? i cant hear the real sound that i'm recording with all the effects on it before it recorded it i hope you understand and can help
it's just the input/ raw sound
Young Mozardt Peter Lindhardt responded on the other video. You need to mute the inputs on focusrite control, then enable monitoring from within FL studio.
Will the 8i6 (3rd Gen) be strong enough to drive dt990 250 ohm headphones?
Q great question. Think I remember this was asked on my other video and it was deemed it should be fine, that said from what I understand is that a headphone preamp will make it sound even better as I guess 250 is on the upper limit of the focusrite. Maybe see if there are any shops you can test the interface at with your headphones?
@@TrevorSwayne ok so a 8i6 3rd gen and a 2i2 3rd Gen wouldn't make a difference in sound when it comes to powering up 250ohm headphones? If that's true i should just get a 2i2 3rd gen and look for a good preamp.
Q good point. Well I guess check the tech specs on the site and compare, I mean it’s possible the 8i6 has a better amp than 2i2 as it uses a dedicated power supply, but Yh who knows!
My headphones is not working ... i mean i can hear my piano and guitar and also my mic ... but i can't listen to anything on windows or TH-cam ... any suggestions ? i can see the signal tho but i can't hear it :c
Sounds like what your hearing is the ‘direct monitoring’ of your inputs. On the control software mixer click the headphone out then on the bottom section where it says ‘software ‘daw’ playback’ make sure it shows playback 1&2 of windows/Mac. You can add another one and see all the options til you hear something but it’s normally channels 1&2 you want. Also check it’s not muted, there are more than one mute switch on the software
I plugged speakers into output 1 and 2 of the Focusrite 8i6 and still can't get sound. Not sure why . . . . .
Are you using active speakers or passive? It’s most likely a routing issue or mute issue, both can be resolved by playing around with the focusrite control application. Check my video again and try match the settings.
@@TrevorSwayne I am using passive speakers. Should the speakers have independent power and volume control?
@@johnpeterson5354 yep so the focusrite doesn’t have an amp large enough to drive passive speakers, you’d need to run the outputs from the focusrite to a dedicate speaker amp and then connect the speakers to that.
@@TrevorSwayne Thank you