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Inputs 1 & 2 – “Combo” input sockets - connect microphones, instruments (e.g., guitar), or line level signals here. Combo sockets accept both XLR and ¼” (6.35 mm) jacks. Microphones connect using XLR plugs: instruments and line level signals connect via ¼” (6.35 mm) jack plugs of either TS or TRS type. The preamp gain is appropriate for microphones when an XLR plug is inserted, and for higher level signals when a jack plug is inserted. Do not connect anything other than a microphone - e.g., the output of a sound module or FX unit - via an XLR plug, as the signal level will overload the preamp, resulting in distortion. If phantom power is enabled, you may damage your equipment.
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48V – press to enable 48 V phantom power at the XLR contacts (mic inputs) of the Combo connectors. The 48V indicator illuminates red when phantom power is selected.
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GAIN 1 and GAIN 2 - adjust the input gain for the signals at Inputs 1 and 2 respectively. The gain controls have tricolour LED ‘rings’ to confirm signal level: green indicates an input level of at least -24 dBFS (i.e., ‘signal present’), the ring turns amber at -6 dBFS to indicate the signal is close to clipping, and red at 0 dBFS (digital clipping).
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INST – the input type for the jack at Inputs 1 and 2 can be selected in Focusrite Control. The red LEDs illuminate when INST is selected. With INST selected, the gain range and input impedance are altered (relative to LINE), and the input is made unbalanced. This optimises it for the direct connection of instruments (via a 2-pole (TS) jack plug). When INST is off, the inputs are suitable for the connection of line level signals. Line level signals may be connected either in balanced form via a 3-pole (TRS) jack or unbalanced, via a 2-pole (TS) jack.
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AIR – two yellow LEDs indicating selection of AIR mode for Inputs 1 and 2. AIR mode, selected from Focusrite Control, modifies the frequency response of the input stage to model the classic, transformer-based Focusrite ISA microphone preamps.
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PAD – two green LEDs; illuminate when PAD is selected from Focusrite Control for Inputs 1 and 2. PAD decreases the signal level going to your DAW by 10 dB; use when the input source has a particularly high level.
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USB LED - a green LED illuminates when the Scarlett is connected and recognised by your computer.
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MIDI LED – green LED, illuminates when MIDI data is received at the MIDI IN port.
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MONITOR – main monitor output level control – this is an analogue control and adjusts the level at Outputs 1 and 2 on the rear panel.
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- Connect one or two pairs of stereo headphones at the two ¼” (6.25 mm) TRS jack sockets below the headphone volume controls. The headphone outputs always carry the signals routed to analogue outputs 1 & 2 and 3 & 4 respectively (as stereo pairs) in Focusrite Control.
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LINE INPUTS 3 to 6 – four balanced analogue line inputs on ¼” (6.35 mm) jack sockets. Connect further line level sources here, using either ¼” TRS (balanced) or TS (unbalanced) jack plugs.
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LINE OUTPUTS 1 to 4 – four balanced analogue line outputs on ¼” (6.35 mm) jack sockets; use TRS jacks for a balanced connection or TS jacks for unbalanced. Outputs 1 and 2 will normally be used to drive the primary monitoring system, though the signals available at any of these outputs may be defined in Focusrite Control. Outputs 3 and 4 can be used for driving alternative speakers (i.e., midfield, nearfield, etc.), or to drive outboard FX processors.
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MIDI IN and MIDI OUT – standard 5-pin DIN sockets for connection of external MIDI equipment. The 8i6 acts as a MIDI interface, allowing MIDI data to/from your computer to be distributed to additional MIDI devices.
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SPDIF IN and OUT – two phono (RCA) sockets carrying two-channel digital audio signals in or out of the 8i6 in S/PDIF format. These are Inputs 7 and 8 and Outputs 5 and 6 to/from the unit. Like all the other inputs and outputs, signals at these connectors may be routed in Focusrite Control.
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External DC power input – the 8i6 is powered from the supplied AC adaptor (PSU), rated at 12V DC and 1A; the polarity of the coaxial connector is with positive (+12 V) on the centre pin. Note that the 8i6 cannot be powered via its USB port from the host computer.
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Power On/Off switch.
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K (Kensington security lock)– secure your 8i6 to a suitable structure if desired.
Your 8i6 should be powered from an external 12 V DC, 1 A mains adaptor. A suitable adaptor is supplied with the unit.
Important
We recommend you only use the supplied mains adaptor. Failure to use this adaptor is likely to permanently damage the unit.
USB Port Types: The 8i6 has a single Type C USB 2.0 port (on the rear panel). Once the software installation is complete, connect the 8i6 to your computer; if your computer has a Type A USB port, use the Type A-to-Type C USB cable provided with the unit. If your computer has a Type C USB port, please obtain a Type C-to-Type C cable from a computer supplier.
USB Standards: Note that because the 8i6 is a USB 2.0 device, the USB connection requires a USB 2.0 compliant port on your computer. It will not operate with USB 1.0/1.1 ports: however, a USB 3.0 port will support a USB 2.0 device.
When the USB cable has been connected, turn the 8i6 on with the rear panel power switch.
The 8i6 is compatible with any Windows-based DAW that supports ASIO or WDM or any Mac-based DAW that uses Core Audio. After following the Getting Started procedure, you can start using your 8i6 with the DAW of your choice.
Please note - your DAW may not automatically select the 8i6 as its default I/O device. You must manually select Focusrite USB ASIO as the driver on your DAW’s Audio Setup* page. Please refer to your DAW’s documentation (or Help files) if you are unsure where to select the ASIO/ Core Audio driver. The example below shows the correct configuration in the Ableton Live Lite Preferences panel (Windows version shown).
*Typical name. Terminology may differ between DAWs.
Once the 8i6 is set as the preferred Audio Device* in your DAW, all inputs, and outputs appear in your DAW’s Audio I/O preferences. Depending on your DAW, you may need to enable certain inputs or outputs before use.
The two examples below show two inputs and two outputs enabled in Ableton Live's Input and Output Config pages.
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*Typical name. Terminology may differ between DAWs.
Two additional inputs, inputs 9/10 are listed in the Input Config page of your DAW’s I/O Preferences. These are virtual “loopback” inputs within software, not additional physical inputs. You can use Loopback to record DAW tracks from sources within your computer, e.g., from a web browser. Focusrite Control 2 incudes a Loopback 1-2 mix tab, where you can choose which inputs to record.
The 8i6 is an excellent choice for several recording and monitoring applications. Some typical configurations are shown below.
This setup shows a configuration for recording a vocalist and a guitarist together with a keyboard and a drum machine using DAW software on Mac or PC. Inputs 1 and 2 are used for vocals and guitar respectively, Inputs 3 and 4 receive the stereo output of the keyboard and Inputs 5 and 6 are used for the drum machine.
Each source will be recorded on a separate track (or stereo pair of tracks) of the DAW. During recording, a mix of the instruments and the vocalist, plus the playback of any tracks already recorded in the DAW, can be monitored on headphones. Alternatively, loudspeakers can be used if the vocal mic is in a separate room. The mix itself is set up in Focusrite Control.
The front panel input sockets are XLR Combo type, which accept either an XLR male connector (you will have one on the end of your microphone cable) or a ¼” (6.35 mm) jack plug. Note the 8i6 has no “Mic/line” switch – the Focusrite preamplifier stage is automatically configured for a microphone when you plug an XLR into the input, and for a line or instrument when you connect a jack plug. Select INST in Focusrite Control (on the Input Settings page) if you are connecting a musical instrument such as a guitar with an ordinary 2-pole guitar jack. INST should be off if you are connecting a line level source, such as the balanced output of an external audio mixer, via a 3-pole (TRS) jack.
Note
The Combo connector accepts both types of jack plug.
If you are using a condenser microphone, press the 48V button to supply phantom power to the mic. Most modern microphones of other types, e.g., dynamic or ribbon, will not be damaged by the inadvertent application of phantom power, but note that some older mics may be; if you have any doubt, please check the specification of your mic to ensure it is safe to use.
Input channels 1 and 2 of the 8i6 each have a PAD function: when selected from Focusrite Control (PAD illuminates green when active), the signal level fed to your DAW is reduced by 10 dB. You will find this useful if the output level of your source is particularly “hot”, when you might notice clipping or the gain halo turning red, even at minimum gain.
You will frequently hear the term “latency” used in connection with digital audio systems. In the case of the simple DAW recording application described above, latency will be the time it takes for your input signals to pass through your computer and audio software, and back out again via your audio interface.
While not an issue for most simple recording situations, under some circumstances, latency can be a problem for a performer who wishes to record while monitoring their input signals. This might be the case if you need to increase the size of your DAW’s recording buffer, which could be necessary when you record overdubs on a particularly large project using many DAW tracks, software instruments and FX plugins.
Common symptoms of a buffer setting too low could be glitching audio (clicks and pops), or a particularly high CPU load within your DAW (most DAWs have CPU readouts). If you experience this on a Mac, you can raise the buffer size from the DAW itself. On Windows, you most likely need to change this from the ASIO Control Panel, which can usually be accessed from your DAW Setup Preferences*.
The 8i6, with Focusrite Control, allows zero latency monitoring, which overcomes this problem. You can route your input signals directly to the 8i6’s headphone and line outputs. This enables the musicians to hear themselves with ultra-low latency – i.e., effectively in “real time” – along with the computer playback. The input signals to the computer are not affected in any way by this setting. However, note that any effects being added to the live instruments by software plug-ins will not be heard in the headphones, although the FX will still be present on the recording.
When monitoring your inputs through Focusrite Control, ensure your DAW software is not set to route any inputs (what you are currently recording) to any outputs. If it is, the musicians will hear themselves “twice”, with one signal audibly delayed as an echo.
* Typical name. Terminology may differ between DAWs.
The 8i6 allows the easy integration of external outboard processors or effects. A good example is the inclusion of an outboard stereo compressor to a recording setup similar to that outlined above.
Connect Line Outputs 3 and 4 to the compressor’s inputs, and the compressor’s outputs to Line Inputs 3 and 4, as shown below. You can then route the channels from your DAW to outputs 3/4. In Focusrite Control, route Software Playback 3/4 to line outputs 3/4 and the signal will be sent to the compressor. We have omitted the front panel connections in this example for clarity.
You can use Focusrite Control or your DAW software to adjust the levels to and from the external processor if necessary or for creative effect.
The 8i6 has the ability to store a mix configuration defined in Focusrite Control within the hardware. This feature lets you configure it – for example, as an on-stage sub-mixer – using your computer, and upload the configuration to the device itself. Then you can use the 8i6 as a mixer as part of your equipment rig to control the overall mix of multiple instruments.
In the example shown, a guitar, stereo and mono synths and a groovebox are connected to the six analogue inputs of the 8i6; Outputs 1 and 2 go to the main PA system. You can set up a rough mix in Focusrite Control and adjust the levels of the two mono sources against the stereo ones from the front panel.
Using the digital connections on the 8i6 3rd gen, S/PDIF, you can use it as a two-channel stand-alone preamp.
You can connect two input sources to any of the inputs on the Scarlett (microphone, line, or inst) and using Focusrite Control you can route the analogue inputs directly to the S/PDIF outputs. Then you can connect the S/PDIF output to the S/PDIF input on another interface to expand that interface’s channel count, for example a second 8i6, or larger interface such as a Scarlett 18i20.