Scarlett 8i6 Review - Reviews - Music Tech Magazine

Two more USB interfaces are here to join the Saffire 6, but do they live up to Focusrite’s reputation? Liam O’Mullane finds out.

Price: £200.00
Manufacturer: Focusrite
Website: http://www.focusrite.com

Saffire Scarlett 8i6 Interface

Until now the Saffire 6 was the only USB device in Focusrite’s FireWire-based product range, but now we have the Scarlett series, and two devices to choose from. At first glance the Scarletts look like red-coloured Saffire devices with USB ports added at the back (and they do have their similarities) but the main difference is the need for external power. Focusrite has mentioned that USB simply doesn’t supply the power they require for the performance we expect from them, especially giving the volatile nature of one USB port’s actual power output to the next. So we feel that this is a solid, no-compromise move on Focusrite’s part, but potential buyers must be aware that they won’t be able to do any mobile laptop recordings with these devices. If this is a requirement, have a look at the Saffire FireWire range, with the Pro 14 being the closest in price to the 8i6.

Making connections

There are two Scarlett interfaces: 8i6 and the 18i6; we are reviewing the first. Although high in and out counts are claimed by Focusrite, it’s important to be aware of the actual simultaneous connectivity available as the two front ports are TRS/XLR combos covering line, mic and instrument levels. Asides from the physical, shared phantom power button on the front, line and instrument input types are selected from within the included MixControl software. Input metering on the unit is pretty basic, with green and red lights for inputs one and two. Inputs three and four at the back are TRS and line-level only, with low- and high-gain options in the software. Four TRS line outputs are also at the rear, with three and four doubling to feed the headphone output. Other connections include S/PDIF in and out along with five-pin MIDI ports.

MixControl is essential to running the device and can be used to monitor input levels as well as create monitor mixes with minimal latency. This works by bypassing your DAW entirely and staying internal to the hardware connections. It’s very easy to create a mix of input signals for a headphone mix and you can also use different sends from your DAW to make use of backing tracks and ambience effects while a performer listens to the dry signal directly from the box. The software isn’t completely intuitive so it will take ten minutes or so to get through the manual and understand it fully, but once you have, various setups can be created and stored for better session workflow.

Plug and play

The 8i6 is bundled with Ableton Live LE, over 1GB of samples, Novation’s BassStation and the new Scarlett plug-in suite. We tested the Scarlett range (comprising a reverb, compressor, EQ and gate) over a few mixes. They are all perfectly functional but we didn’t find anything extraordinary asides from using the reverb for some incredibly dense plate-like ambience, letting us fill the mix without too much high end and wash-out. But the rest of the suite is handy for anyone starting out with their software collection.

On the record

Installing the 8i6 and plug-in suite is simple and hassle-free. We tested the unit using Live and achieved very low latency settings, to the point when monitoring via the DAW felt tight for vocal and guitar tracking. We stress-tested the very lowest setting on a quad-core PC running at 96kHz with a latency setting of 1ms. This managed to record all four inputs while running eight instances of Massive with CPU usage at around 50%. Massive is a hungry plug-in, so this gives an indication as to the stability of the product. This means that you can get plenty of fast response for the recording and composition stages of a project, then back off the latency to gain more CPU power for the mix and processing.

The quality of the recordings themselves came as no surprise to us, having reviewed various Focusrite interfaces before. We noted a clean, natural sound, all with an incredibly low noise floor. In all, then, this is one of the best devices of its kind for the price, as long as you don’t want the luxury of being truly mobile. MTM

9/10 Verdict - An excellent-sounding interface that trades USB power for an assured quality through the mains.

WHY BUY

+ Focusrite sound quality
+ Bundled plug-ins
+ Lots of preamp gain

WALK ON BY

- Needs power supply
- Limited hardware metering

Score: 9/10

This review first appeared in Music Tech Magazine issue 100
Filed under Home, Audio Interfaces, Hardware, Reviews

/mtm/reviews/focusrite-scarlett-8i6-review

New users, please register here

Please enter your details below to set up your new account. Fields marked with a red asterisk * are required.

Your name
*First name:
*Last name:
Job title:
Company:

Account settings
*Email address:
	Please make sure your email address is correct, as we will send you an email with a link to activate your account.
*Username:
	Choose a username between 7 and 100 characters in length, without spaces or unusual characters. You may use your email address as your username, but note that it may appear in community areas of the site where others can see it.
*Password:
*Confirm password:
	Choose a password between 7 and 100 characters in length, without spaces.
	Remember me on this computer

Your address and contact info
Address 1:

Town or city:
County or state:
Postcode or ZIP:
Country:
Telephone:
Fax:
Website:

	By registering to use the Music Tech website you agree to allow us to contact you with our Music Tech email newsletters featuring news, competitions, exclusive content and special offers, as well as with communications from our carefully selected music technology retail and manufacturer partners. If you provide phone and post details we may contact you by those means as well with special offers relating specifically to Music Tech Magazine and our other publications. WE WILL NOT PASS YOUR DETAILS TO ANY THIRD PARTY. If at any time you wish to stop receiving our email newsletter, simply follow the Unsubscribe instruction on our newsletter. Contact us by email of post if you wish your post or phone details to be removed from our database.

MTM 111	FXpansion BFD Eco Review For those who don’t want to go the whole hog and dish out for the full version of BFD 2, BFD Eco brings you many similar features...	MTM 108	Brainworx Vertigo VSC-2 Review Brainworx’s latest plug-in is modelled on a £3,600 German-built VCA compressor. Mark Cousins finds a head for heights.
MTM 108	Yamaha 01V96i Review The latest incarnation of Yamaha’s new digital console continues the evolution of the 01V. Mike Hillier takes to the stage.	MTM 107	25 Tips for Mix Processing There is a multitude of mixing tools and features to be found in every DAW, but how and when should you use them? Liam O’Mullane takes you through the options.
MTM 107	Control for Live Performance Marrying technologies old and new with the traditional aspects of live performance, controllerism is one of the fastest-growing arenas, both in terms of music itself and the kit we use to make it. Hollin Jones reveals how you can get a slice of the		Music Tech Focus - Ableton Live 2012 MTF Ableton Live 8, 2012 edition is on sale now featuring 132 all-new pages of Live 8 Workshops, tips, features and interviews - buy online now
	Music Tech Focus - Synthesis 2012 MTF Synthesis 2012 is on sale now featuring tutorials for Arturia, Cubase 5, Logic Pro 9, Massive, Reason 5, Razor, FM8 and more	MTM 106	25 Pro Tips for Kick-starting Composition Initial ideas that spark the songwriting process must inspire you enough to see it through to completion. Liam O’Mullane explains how he gets the fire going...

Focusrite Scarlett 8i6 Review