Focusrite Scarlett 8i6 3rd Gen Reviews

Amazing option for the money

I was looking for a new audio interface and needed more inputs and two headphone outputs. After researching my options I chose this one.

Build quality is great, it`s aluminum, and it feels like it will live longer than my previous device.

It also comes with great software and a plugin bundle.

Overall I`m satisfied.

Awesome no fuss recording interface

I use this for both vocals and guitar, sometimes a two mic set up and also line in.

My experience with this has been great, it gets the job done, fast set up and I can rely on the sound being clear and concise.

I practically used this all last year for everything I was putting out.

For it's price range this is the best you can get. I bought an UAD Apollo 8 after this, and the sound of the converters isn't that huge of a gap to me. Not >€1000 difference. If you can't make good music with this it's because of lack of skill, not because of the audio interface. Very hands on to install and use. Software control / routing takes some time to understand but works perfect after that. Would recommend everyone :)

Beast

This audio interface is IMHO the best option if you are the music producer. It have everything you'll need for hook up your gear. Works with all DAW's as plug and play, but have own drivers if you are picky. Absolutely recommended

Solid, Reliable, Excellent

Does exactly what it says on the tin. I have used this for huge multi-track projects and it handles them with ease. Integration is simple and intuitive. Good amount of ins, outs, for my home studio. I have no criticism to make of this product at all. I am sold on Focusrite products for life. Recommended.

SCARLETT 8i6

I recommend this product to everyone, easy to work with and meets all demands

Great machine!

This machine is great! Stable and with great sound! the only con is the headphones that is grouped with 2 outputs for example headphones are routed with 3 & 4 so that means you can put click on the other stereo output because its routed with output 1 & 2.

I wish I bought this 30 years ago.

I'm a computer moron. I've always played live and never wanted to go down the recording path. But this gadget makes it so easy. I have a iMac, and it connects without having to even think about it. Perhaps the same is true for PCs, but I don't know.

I'm very excited about being creative.

Nice look, build and the sound quality but was very dissapointed that the volume at the rear inputs is incredibily low. I have tried plugging in my drum machine in to th rear inputs and keyboard and the volume is unacceptable. This was a response from Focusrite: “ You do highlight a familiar point with the inflexibility of the line inputs; this is something that we are looking to potentially include in future products should this be feasible. Since these fixed gain ports are designed to accommodate such a wide range of input levels (including very 'hot' signals), when some third-party hardware such as drum machines (which are not outputting at such a high level) are being used they can be a little quieter than ideal.” From what I read in the forums a lot of keyboard players are unhappy after purchasing this interface. This interface is more suitable for recording vocals and guitars but not drum machines or keyboards. Also it is not a very straightforward way to set things in Focusrite Control. Was quite dissatisfied and didn’t expect this from Focusrite. My honest review.

Does the Job!!!

I used it to record a band for my school project, it performed amazingly well and recorded In good quality!

Great Little Budget Interface

The Scarlett 8i6 3rd Gen has great sounding converters for abudget interface with just enough audio and midi i/o's for my downsized setup. Super sturdy build and small enough to pack-n-go when traveling without worrying about damage or integrity. My only issue is the headphone pre-amp doesn't manage the impedence on my higher end drivers. Not that big I of an issue if you have a decent cans with less impedance but you really have to crank it up when using fancier headphones. Overall I'm very happy with this interface and plan on relying on it for the next few years until I have space to expand the studio again!

Direct sound

Direct sound option could been placed on button like on previous sound interfaces, but sound quality is really perfect

Very easy to handle

I love the sound quality of this interface. It's intuitive to use and allows gain indicator customization (the three threshold levels allow adjusting the color being used). It's a perfect fit to my SM7B.

The rubin red is also a plus. :-P 1,5m for the USB cabel is slightly short, but that's just my use case for a fixed installation and no issue at all.

Big Update

I had a firewire Saffire Pro14 for years until the left channel stopped recently on it . Having considered all the option i wanted a newer card with more inputs. This fit the bill exactly and I trust the Focusrite Range.

Clear sound, great handling

I really love this. Works great.

Sexy thing

Powerful little sexy thing!!

hIghly recommended USB Audio Interface.

I really like this product. Use it as MIDI interface to my Yamaha Keyboard PSR 775 output to Yamaha HS8 monitors. Sounds really great. The 2 headphone outputs are indeed very interesting.

Reliable interface but Software could be improved.

Firstly, the build quality is excellent, sound is quiet and clear and for this price it’s is a great option for a small home studio set up.

However I find the ‘Mix Control’ software quite confusing and very unintuitive.

I have to restart my mac or already have the Focusrite plugged in on start up, in order for the software to register that it the device connected. The layout of the Mix Control settings are also not user friendly at all.

Another con is that phantom power covers both inputs. It would’ve been nice to have the option to select between the two.

I have since upgraded to external hardware preamps and now mainly use the line inputs / outputs which work absolutely fine. ..once you get the hang of how to route everything with the Mix Control!

Perfect for on the go

I am new to producing, i'm mainly in the field of photo and video prod so i'm not sure if my comments are something of use, anyways, i bought this since i'm trying to use this on live acoustic performances while i'm taking videos of their performance, i think from all the interfaces that i reviewed, Focusrite really presented their products well and i think it's easy to operate even when you're new to the field of producing and with all the software and support that comes with it, it's something you can rely on. what i like as well with the appearance is it's compact body, the read color and the portability, and oh don't forget the SPDIF!

Great Product!

Nice to get such great tool for recording and mixing! Coaxial s/pdif was the most welcome feature for me. Worked great and strongly recommended!