Scarlett 8i6 usb audio interface woes.

Ok, So I recently purchased the Focusrite Scarlett 8i6 usb audio interface. I've noticed that if I have my usb network adapter plugged in, I get consistent pops, static, and clicks. I'm not all that surprised by this. I had issues with my old Firewire audio interface aswell. Also, at some point, the focusrite mixcontrol will say that I've lost connection to the driver.. Then if I unplug and replug in the usb cable, it says there is no hardware connected at all.. The only way to fix this is to remove the power adapter for a few seconds and plug it back in. Also, (and I've never had this happen before) if I'm downloading a file, I will hear really fine static but also the samplerate will go crazy and my audio will climb up and down in pitch depending on the xfer rate. I had some fun going to a speedtest website and listening to audio at the same time. Has anyone had that happen? I always hear about static or the device losing connection but the pitch thing just seems weird. Unplugging the network adapter fixes the static and the pitch problems. But I've also noticed that even at high buffer settings, if I have Amplitube 3 or GR4 in high quality modes, I get static, but it's even more bizarre sounding than the static I get with my usb adapter plugged in. If I switch into the low quality modes, it's fine.. This is at 44.1khz, 24 bit.. The higher the buffer setting, the less intense the static is, but even at the highest buffer setting I can still hear static. Some amp models are worse than others. One thing I'd like to point out is that I have a Steinberg CI1 usb interface that I was using before and I never had any issues whatsoever, even at the lowest buffer setting. No pitch changing or static at any time even with the network adapter downloading at fast speeds. I'm thinking about buying a usb port expansion card and putting the scarlett on that by itself. I'm wondering about chipsets. My onboard usb 2.0 is VIA.. Maybe I should go NEC? BTW: I'm still waiting to hear back from Focusrite support, I'm just looking for some general advice from anyone who has had similar issues, as the community here tends to be very helpful. Thanks.

Hi Junkfood, I just got my hands on an 18i6.... I had a 'no hardware plugged in' error message once - the unplug replug thing fixed it. I haven't had any issues since. I haven't heard anything like the static you describe however my setup is pretty lean and no doubt different to yours.

Hey boatbassguy. Thanks for the response. I've found that if I have my usb network adapter plugged in, and my network activity is very little, the audio interface performs as it should (with the exception of certain audio plugins in high quality modes causing static.) If I start any downloads, the audio will crap out and the next time I try to open any audio applications, the mixcontrol will report that the interface is disconnected from the driver. After that, If I unplug and replug in the usb cable, mixcontrol says the the hardware is not connected all together and my usb led on the 8i6 goes solid, regardless of whether or not the usb cable is plugged in.. So it seems when the 8i6 doesn't have a certain ammount of bandwidth to use, it freaks out and disconnects, forcing a power cycle to get it back. I'm confident that getting a dedicated usb port card will do the trick. I'll post my results when I find out more. Quick question though. When you first power on your 18i6 without the usb cable plugged in, does the usb led on the front of your interface go solid green or does it stay unlit? thanks

With power on but the USB cable disconnected my USB light on the unit stays unlit. There is mention in the user guide of potential conflict if USB 1.1 devices are used concurrently...? I understood that a 1.1 device would drag the operationg level of a port down to that standard. Don't know if this is globally or by the port. Just a thought. Let me know if there is anything else I can do. cheers.

Thanks again for the input. Unfortunately I couldn't get things going smoothly, even with a new usb card with a nec chipset. At this point it looks like it could be a hardware problem so I'm gonna ship it back to the store. Unsure If I'm going to swap it for a new one or get a refund.. I may just stick with my CI1.. Owell.

I've noticed a couple of USB audio devices just are arent happy sharing a buss with anything else. I've also noticed that there doesnt seem to be any rhyme or reason to which USB ports share a buss necessarily. Try moving which USB port you are connecting the interface to around and see what that does and be aware it may not make any sense which ports are sharing a buss in terms of their orientation vertically or horizontally on your machine.

I'm wondering how this turned out. Any progress? I believe if you mix USB 1.1 and 2.0 devices on the same bus, you'll drag things down to USB 1.1 speeds (as previously mentioned). If the Scarlett was the only thing plugged into your NEC USB controller, then I don't know what to say. In general, when I have USB problems I start eliminating hubs and sometimes the strangeness goes away. It would be interesting to see if the problems persisted on a different computer.

New Driver 

Interesting thing is that I and many others bought the original saffire 6 and I have yet to hear of anyone having these sort of problems. Glad I bought what I did...

Hi guys, We now have full release versions available of Scarlett MixControl and the Focusrite USB 2.0 driver (inc. with Scarlett MixControl) that fix several issues that users were experiencing with the earlier version of the driver: If you have any issues at all with the new driver, please get in touch with us via the Focusrite contact form and we will be happy to assist: Best regards, Alex Lucas Focusrite Technical Support