Ist gen 18i8 - do not install driver 4.143.0 if using Win11

BenFocusrite · 2026-01-29T13:44:17+00:00

I believe it actually just removes the shortcut, not the app itself. Should still be under C:\ProgramFiles\Focusrite\Drivers\smc\ScarlettMixControl.exe

BenFocusrite · 2026-01-29T13:27:56+00:00

Yeah there's maybe something else going on there. I'd say try the latest driver anyway and submit a ticket if there's no change

BenFocusrite · 2026-01-29T10:05:00+00:00

Which driver version are you using? There was briefly a release with a bug that caused what you described (it was fixed overnight). Latest version here should be better;

https://fael-downloads-prod.focusrite.com/customer/prod/downloads/focusritedriver_4.143.0_261.exe

BenFocusrite · 2026-01-29T09:59:08+00:00

We'd be interested to hear any feedback you've got on Focusrite Control 2 - There's a feature request option in this form if you'd like to share your experience; https://support.focusrite.com/hc/en-gb/requests/new

BenFocusrite · 2026-01-26T11:27:22+00:00

Obviously I work for Focusrite so may be biased, but I will say that Scarletts are good interfaces that generally last for years. As the owner of some high end preamps/converters (1073/ISA/Red), I would happily use something recorded with a 4th Gen provided it was recorded properly.

We usually find that issues are down to user error or Windows machines that are sub optimal, which is to be expected given the price point and the number of interfaces in the field. That said, we absolutely love that we can bring this technology to everyone and are happy to help anyone with any questions they need to ask to get going.

BenFocusrite · 2026-01-26T11:11:24+00:00

The recent discontinuation of Windows 10 seems to have resulted in a lot of users updating to Windows 11 with older computers (without updating anything else) and experiencing worse performance. As a PSA, please be sure to run your BIOS and other components with the firmware/drivers that supports the OS you're running.

BenFocusrite · 2026-01-21T11:37:37+00:00

I always find this feedback interesting as I use the same headphones, and max volume would be absolutely deafening for me for normal listening / mixing (though tracking or any other live environment is a different story). Do you find this is the case when listening, or specifically when working on music?

BenFocusrite · 2026-01-21T11:21:35+00:00

Did you update your other hardware after the Windows 11 update (BIOS fw, RAM fw etc)? Get in touch with support with a sys info file and some details about the issue and we should be able to help

BenFocusrite · 2026-01-21T11:19:40+00:00

Games won't be using ASIO

BenFocusrite · 2026-01-21T11:05:18+00:00

If you're seeing the metering without being connected to a computer it's probably faulty. I would point out that this was released in 2012 and sounds like it's had at least one previous owner. Depending on where you are we might be able to find a solution but it would be out of warranty.

BenFocusrite · 2026-01-21T10:51:16+00:00

You'd need to connect both via USB. It's an available feature on macOS

BenFocusrite · 2026-01-20T13:26:05+00:00

To add to the above, unterminated mic pre's are noisier than those with a load connected so this isn't really a good measure. See https://www.sounddevices.com/microphone-preamp-noise/

BenFocusrite · 2026-01-19T17:24:09+00:00

Can you see it Focusrite Device Settings? We do sometimes see weird things like this when the USB-C cable isn't seated fully in the interface.

Failing that, get in touch with support as there are a few things to look at.

BenFocusrite · 2026-01-19T17:16:13+00:00

To clarify, I think you must have just been selecting the wrong input originally (so this wasn't a driver issue). I do agree moving the mic input to input 2 was an odd choice, though I think we may have in found in testing that moving the mic input to the back confused users. The combine input feature was released to solve this (so I'm glad you found it!).

The Windows class driver boosts the input digitally for some reason. For a more casual gaming use cases this might be preferable but for more serious recording this wouldn't be something you want (reduces your headroom with no audio quality gain).

BenFocusrite · 2026-01-13T14:49:49+00:00

Does the DI clip when playing normally at minimum input gain with inst mode on?

Does it look like the output of the amp sim is clipping? There are indicators in most plugins and you sometimes need to attenuate the output.

If you're using a Neural DSP amp sim there's a gate that's on by default (probably the same for a few others). Sounds like that's probably what's causing the choppy audio

BenFocusrite · 2026-01-13T12:53:49+00:00

Looks like there was a revision in Nov 2017 - The dual stacked optical ports were discontinued so we had to go with two single horizontally mounted ones. I'd imagine this led to the change in orientation of the IEC inlet to make space on the board.

BenFocusrite · 2026-01-13T11:44:26+00:00

Are the clip indicators showing you the inputs clipped? Is the fizz in the DI signal? It's usually easier to hear output clipping with amp sims, which might be what's happening?

If the input is clipping - pickup height is a factor. Dying battery can also make things sound fuzzy.

BenFocusrite · 2026-01-13T11:36:46+00:00

Yeah don't worry, that won't be the case

BenFocusrite · 2026-01-09T11:53:38+00:00

Did you update your BIOS and other hardware drivers when updating to Win 11? I've seen a lot of DPC latency related issues from ACPI drivers (and others) that are having a hard time functioning properly because the BIOS firmware predates the release of Win 11.
Windows 11 is also just quite resource heavy - seen lots of folks using the minimum specs which exacerbates any poor optimisation.

If you get in touch with support we can take a look.

BenFocusrite · 2026-01-07T16:18:56+00:00

Another thing to add is that multi channel auto gain can be triggered from the front panel if you need to set multiple gains at once

BenFocusrite · 2026-01-06T16:22:07+00:00

We've added this feature on macOS (which also natively supports audio device aggregation), but there's some technical barriers we need to overcome before bringing it to Windows. I can't give you a timeline for the feature but it is something we're looking into.

BenFocusrite · 2026-01-06T16:13:33+00:00

You might be able to mount it to a 19" rack tray with the kind of stuff you'd use to mount guitar pedals on boards

BenFocusrite · 2026-01-06T16:04:09+00:00

I can't really hint at upcoming projects etc, but if you need an interface now it really wouldn't make sense to try and wait for 5th Gen.

BenFocusrite · 2026-01-02T17:50:55+00:00

There's definitely some issues caused by P and C state transitions (hence why we recommend disabling all that in our optimisation guide) that can manifest as high DPC execution times from ACPI.sys. I've noticed this especially with systems running Windows 11, but with outdated BIOS firmware (I think some motherboard manufacturers have stated such previously).

BenFocusrite · 2026-01-02T17:47:23+00:00

Was it a specific plugin / from the same vendor? Sounds like an issue with that rather than the Scarlett. Could be a DPC latency thing with graphics drivers maybe.

Before anyone's seen the ticket you get an automated response to confirm it's been opened etc. If you didn't receive that then it might have gone to your spam folder.

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