Focusrite Scarlett 8i6 - Clicks And Pops - Fixed!

[Michael Trigoboff]

I bought a Focusrite Scarlett 8i6 to use with the S/PDIF digital audio output of my new Genos. Very nice little audio interface, but I kept getting random clicks and pops.

I bought the 8i6 from Sweetwater, whose customer support support has always been amazingly good in my experience over many years. I called their tech support. The first thing they did was to send me another S/PDIF cable to see if that might be the problem. It didn't help; same problem with the new cable.

So I called tech support again, and this time they sent me another 8i6. That didn't fix the problem either. But when you start using a new 8i6, the device takes you through a setup sequence that includes using the Focusrite Control app to configure data paths through the audio interface.

While I was doing this, I spotted a setting I hadn't previously noticed: Clock Source. It defaults to Internal, but another setting is available: S/PDIF. It made sense to me this could be the cause of the clicks and pops; the Genos and the 8i6, each running on its own clock, randomly getting out of sync with each other as a result. So I changed the setting to S/PDIF and the problem went away!

It's too bad that Sweetwater tech support didn't know to tell me about this, but I can't fault their willingness to help. I am sure that if I had not figured this out myself, their next step would have been to send me a new Genos to try. Given my many positive experiences with Sweetwater customer support there is no way I would consider buying music equipment from anyone else.

Once I knew what the problem was, I looked around on the Focusrite support site but I did not find anything that suggested the solution I figured out.

I've attached a screenshot of the Focusrite Control app showing the setting that fixed my problem, circled in red.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Michael Trigoboff]

By the way, the only thing I don't like about the 8i6 is the green MIDI light on the front of it that continually blinks. It's very annoying.

I fixed that problem with a small piece of black gaffer's tape. 

[svpworld]

Thanks for the tip, I've got exactly the same interface and although I usually monitor via the analog input and use SPDIF for recording, I also noticed the popping and clicks. 
Another thing is to ensure the interface is set to 44KHz and not 48KHz, as I seem to recall on my old Saffire interface (Pro 24 DSP) that caused issues.

Simon

[Michael Trigoboff]

I guess that's the problem with climbing a very steep learning curve: so much information coming in at once, some of it falls out of my head. Thanks for trying to help, even if it didn't exactly work the first time.

[Michael Trigoboff]

The Genos' S/PDIF digital audio output only works at 44.1 kHz, so the audio interface has to be set that way for anything to work.

[Michael Trigoboff]

It's also possible on Genos to set up the output level of S-PDIF, into the settings menu. I personally set it to +6dB on my Scarlett 18i20 2nd gen to make the Genos level right with my PC audio streams and recording level.

I have my Genos set up that way too.

[JohnS (Ugawoga)]

Hi
I have a first generation focusrrite Scarlet6i6.
I had problems and all solved with the latest drivers.
Focusrite are very good in backing up older boxes
The quality is 100% just going through the in and outs and usb to computer.

Wth Cubase -- Daw1  ---  Daw 2

Headphones    Daw3----   Daw 4
Thats it . You can also run at 48 Khz if you wanted

Updates to Windows and latest drivers sorts out most problems and right buffer sizes.
Nowadays you need a fast computer with 32 gig ram to be safe and future proofed a little

Anyone running Cubase 12, a few problems in there have to be sorted with an update coming soon






All the best
John

[tyrosman]

i cant understand why people need these kind of things Genos sounds great through its own speakers and all can be done in mixing console

[Lee Batchelor]

i cant understand why people need these kind of things Genos sounds great through its own speakers and all can be done in mixing console

That's true but sound is such a personal choice. If you heard the Genos through 150,000 watts with 6 dual 18" subs in front of 2,000 people outside like I have, your jaw would hit the ground !

On the other hand, many just love the sound of the Genos speakers in a living room. Nothing wrong with that either.

[Michael Trigoboff]

i cant understand why people need these kind of things Genos sounds great through its own speakers and all can be done in mixing console

I use a DAW, Cubase. If I want to record audio into the DAW, there are two possible sources of audio from my Genos:

• analog audio from a pair of LINE OUT 1/4" jacks
• digital audio from the DIGITAL OUT S/PDIF connector

If I use analog audio, my sound will go through two conversions: digital to analog as it comes out of the Genos, and analog to digital as it goes into my PC. These two conversions will degrade the sound quality.

If I use digital audio, there will be no conversions and I can record all of the sound quality that the Genos is capable of producing.

If my PC (a Surface Pro i5) had an S/PDIF digital audio input, I would not need the Focusrite Scarlett 8i6 audio interface. But it doesn't. The point of the 8i6 in my rig is to take digital audio from its S/PDIF input and send it to the PC via its USB digital audio output.

My previous synth, a Yamaha Montage 7, has its own self-contained audio interface and is capable of sending digital audio directly to a PC via USB, so I do not need a separate audio interface to use with that. The Genos does not have this capability.

[JohnS (Ugawoga)]

In my view the Genos Speakers are  tinny and a rip off.
Using the Genos is great but it sounds does not compare with the quality of VST 3.
The Best thing that Genos is great at is the Saxophones in my view and you have everything in one box which can only be good if we do not have a million pound studio.
I find you have to eq artifacts out of Yamaha strings to clean them up, the same with Choirs as an example.
When recording on the Genos it leaves loads of partial notes all over the place in a style which can cause glitches in the sound that you are hearing .
This is because the Genos is a machine and if you do not hit a chord right on the nose , you get partials that spread all over the place and unwanted gaps.
If you put a recorded song in Cubase and look through the Style backing you will be surprised at the amount of flack in there.
You have to highlight the whole song that you have made and give a note length (very small) and hit clean. After that you have to quantize to tighten the gaps.
This is the way to get clean recordings
For those who want to experiment in the sound department VST3 is the way to go and you do not have to work so hard to EQ and compress etc

For people who are not fussy about recording and playing that is ok,
For people who want to go deeper your expectation of quality gets more important.
Since i have been learning to mix and try to master with Ozone and a touch of Gulfoss, i am understanding a lot more about sound and stereo arranging
I found with a song that i was doing , i was hearing a lawn mower sound in the strings  which annoyed me ( i know that my perception of a lawn mower sounds strange )and once the frequency is found, it can be pulled out of the mix.
it has taken me a long while to use EQ  to fix problems instead of changing the sound and only use compression wisely.
it is great learning and to me going foward is enjoyable, but sometimes it gets like snakes and ladders


All the best
john

[tyrosman]

I use a DAW, Cubase. If I want to record audio into the DAW, there are two possible sources of audio from my Genos:

• analog audio from a pair of LINE OUT 1/4" jacks
• digital audio from the DIGITAL OUT S/PDIF connector

If I use analog audio, my sound will go through two conversions: digital to analog as it comes out of the Genos, and analog to digital as it goes into my PC. These two conversions will degrade the sound quality.

If I use digital audio, there will be no conversions and I can record all of the sound quality that the Genos is capable of producing.

If my PC (a Surface Pro i5) had an S/PDIF digital audio input, I would not need the Focusrite Scarlett 8i6 audio interface. But it doesn't. The point of the 8i6 in my rig is to take digital audio from its S/PDIF input and send it to the PC via its USB digital audio output.

My previous synth, a Yamaha Montage 7, has its own self-contained audio interface and is capable of sending digital audio directly to a PC via USB, so I do not need a separate audio interface to use with that. The Genos does not have this capability. i Have QSC 10 Cabs with a qsc Sub and that blowes youe socks off