I always have and always will be a Focusrite fan, having owned both 1st and 2nd gen Scarlett interfaces before this 3rd gen unit. J didn't really need it but wanted to check out the new "air" feature which is pretty neat, and wanted a smaller unit that was smaller and more mobile to easily get an impromptu temporary workstation up and running when I'm away from the usual command centre. This bad boy is built just as tough as my 1st gen18i20 rack unit and my smaller 2nd gen 18i8, but is super sleak and slimline and packs in more I/O in it's tiny footprint than most other units out there of the same size. The Focusrite preamps are 2nd to none, driver and software install/registration couldn't be any more straight forward, the hardware mixer software UI is slick and ... MoreI always have and always will be a Focusrite fan, having owned both 1st and 2nd gen Scarlett interfaces before this 3rd gen unit. J didn't really need it but wanted to check out the new "air" feature which is pretty neat, and wanted a smaller unit that was smaller and more mobile to easily get an impromptu temporary workstation up and running when I'm away from the usual command centre. This bad boy is built just as tough as my 1st gen18i20 rack unit and my smaller 2nd gen 18i8, but is super sleak and slimline and packs in more I/O in it's tiny footprint than most other units out there of the same size. The Focusrite preamps are 2nd to none, driver and software install/registration couldn't be any more straight forward, the hardware mixer software UI is slick and straight forward and a breeze to get setup in your DAW. When I first bought it I was considering returning it as it's definitely in excess to my needs, but after using it a few times, I couldn't bare to part with it. I'll sometimes use it at home as part of my normal setup, because why not, but mostly it's packed up with my smaller mobile recording rig and ready to be whipped out and up and running within a moments notice. Good stuff. Buy one

Great for 2 months- We'll see how Focusrite support works

I use the interface for my guitars into my computer for virtual amping, and also to record. It was working great until I connected the headphone out of a small lunchbox amp (a 6505 Piranha) to the line in on the Focusrite and the interface screeched at me, then lit up like a Christmas tree, and has stayed that way for 2 days. Reinstalls, removing power, etc, it refuses to register in Device Manager in Win 10. I'm pretty sure its toast, and I don't know why. The use case is something its already made for.Other than this incident Ive had Focusrite interfaces before and they were great, this is the first one out of three over the last 4 yrs that I've had a problem with. The others were sold/traded to others so I could upgrade to whatever the next one was. Now im at a ... MoreI use the interface for my guitars into my computer for virtual amping, and also to record. It was working great until I connected the headphone out of a small lunchbox amp (a 6505 Piranha) to the line in on the Focusrite and the interface screeched at me, then lit up like a Christmas tree, and has stayed that way for 2 days. Reinstalls, removing power, etc, it refuses to register in Device Manager in Win 10. I'm pretty sure its toast, and I don't know why. The use case is something its already made for.Other than this incident Ive had Focusrite interfaces before and they were great, this is the first one out of three over the last 4 yrs that I've had a problem with. The others were sold/traded to others so I could upgrade to whatever the next one was. Now im at a place where I need more inputs and outputs, so I got the 8I6-up until this incident it was exactly what I needed for the size footprint that I have. The software routing is a little wonky, and Id like that it had more tactile button control rather than having to use Focusrite control for everything, but overall its a solid unit. I can't find any situations like mine on the Web, Reddit, etc, so this particular incident sounds to be pretty limited.

I really like it

I've been dabbling in home-studio recording for about 25 years. The Scarlett 8i6 is just the third PC audio interface I've purchased, and to cut to the chase, I find it to be excellent for my purposes which are to:1) Simultaneously record acoustic guitar and vocal using two mics in my acoustically untreated basement office/studio. The 8i6 is excellent for this. I also sometimes record with another person and the two headphone outs - one for each performer - is one of the main reasons I picked the 8i6 from the numerous Scarlett models. Here are a few things from my experience I would tell prospective buyers:a. The mic levels seem low, I have to crank the gain up nearly all the way buy it's ok. Even though the waveforms look pretty "small" in my DAW they're super ... MoreI've been dabbling in home-studio recording for about 25 years. The Scarlett 8i6 is just the third PC audio interface I've purchased, and to cut to the chase, I find it to be excellent for my purposes which are to:1) Simultaneously record acoustic guitar and vocal using two mics in my acoustically untreated basement office/studio. The 8i6 is excellent for this. I also sometimes record with another person and the two headphone outs - one for each performer - is one of the main reasons I picked the 8i6 from the numerous Scarlett models. Here are a few things from my experience I would tell prospective buyers:a. The mic levels seem low, I have to crank the gain up nearly all the way buy it's ok. Even though the waveforms look pretty "small" in my DAW they're super clean (noise free).b. You can monitor your performance in real time with no latency if you don't monitor through your DAW.2) Listen to music/work on compositions in my two DAW programs (Reaper and Renoise both of which I highly recommend) through a variety of configurations:a. The two pairs of balanced inputs on the back let me send clean signals to my DAW from my various hardware instruments and record them simultaneously on separate tracks.b. The two pairs of balanced outputs on the back of the 8i6 make it very flexible to route sound to my external mixer, computer speaker system and my stereo system. And of course, for quiet hours listening there's headphones.3) Computer conference calls - Zoom/Skype/MSTeams/etc. all work great using a mic and headphones with the 8i6. Sadly, this is the use that gets the most hours these day - but it does work great for that...I'm very pleased with the 8i6. I'm thinking about picking up a the Solo or the 2i2 to have a USB-powered mobile solution to use with my laptop.

I'm probably not using it like you.

I'm not a musician nor a producer, podcaster, YouTuber, nor anyone else who records much, so why did I lay out my own hard earned cash for this thing then? Well, I had a few different needs that this one piece of equipment handles very well.First and foremost, I'm a music lover. I have a decent sized library of records and a couple of bulging hard drives with ripped cds. I need a way to losslessly rip my records to my computer. I had actually used a Focusrite Saffire but an update to my computer made that piece unusable. This unit seems to be a step up rather than a near replacement as my rips are coming out clean. I also needed a high quality interface between my computer and hifi and the Scarlett once again handles the job with aplomb. It sounds pretty fantastic ... MoreI'm not a musician nor a producer, podcaster, YouTuber, nor anyone else who records much, so why did I lay out my own hard earned cash for this thing then? Well, I had a few different needs that this one piece of equipment handles very well.First and foremost, I'm a music lover. I have a decent sized library of records and a couple of bulging hard drives with ripped cds. I need a way to losslessly rip my records to my computer. I had actually used a Focusrite Saffire but an update to my computer made that piece unusable. This unit seems to be a step up rather than a near replacement as my rips are coming out clean. I also needed a high quality interface between my computer and hifi and the Scarlett once again handles the job with aplomb. It sounds pretty fantastic honestly. Very clear and true to the source material. I also do a little online radio show as an excuse to hang out with long distance friends so I needed a good mic input on my computer. Well that's what the Scarlett is made for so of course it does that well. It also acts as a dac for playing cds with an old Blu-ray player as a transport. It just works at that too. So one product that's a vinyl ripper, soundcard, mic input, and s/dif dac and sounds terrific too boot? That's a home run in my book.So you don't have to be a recording engineer or pro musician to get this, I'm letting you know right here and now that it is perfectly at home in a hifi environment as well. You do need to fiddle with it a little and adjust some settings in your computer to get it to jive with your system but it's not real hard to do. Once that's done though you have an incredibly versatile and well built solution to all kinds o audio problems. Well worth the asking price IMO.

Just one thing lacking.

I can't fault DJCity. Great price and serice!While the Focusrite Scarlett 8i6 does its job well, it's disappointing that it doesn't have a button for turning off the speakers when recording audio in the recording room. Instead I have to turn the volume dial down and then up again after recording. Picky, I know, but it's something that is needed many times during any recording session.

Low latency for VST instruments

Having the gen 1 2i4 scarlett, I needed 2 sets of balanced outputs (2i4 has unbal for the second output that picked up interference in my studio) and standalone power instead of bus power through the USB. I'm running Cubase 11 pro and a full suite of Arturia and Komplete Kontrol standalone VST's. Win 10 intel i7 1400 (from 2013 Dell XPS tower) 8 GB ram. Pros Having TRS cables for all the audio outputs eliminated the noise I had previously. Ultra low latency when using this with VST instruments is a godsend. Audio playback quality is now better through my Rokit 5 gen4 speakers. The speakers were hooked into the bal outputs of the 2i4 previously. After a lot of research I found this to be the most flexible desktop interface for its physical size and price.

Plug and play

I've had this a couple of days so far and have been using with a 2017 macbook pro. I cannot fault it. I've had issues with compatibility or massive latency before with other interfaces (presonus, motu) and a windows machine and had to sell them again and got nothing achieved.This was a much cheaper smaller model than both of those 18 input models and so far as been way better on latency and performance. Even monitoring my guitar without using the direct monitoring and applying ableton native effects to get a distorted sound.I've only recorded some electric guitar (a cheap one) directly in or used AU/VSTs so I cannot comment on the quality of the recordings exactly but its really brought me some joy and I have the freedom to record. I think for this price point ... MoreI've had this a couple of days so far and have been using with a 2017 macbook pro. I cannot fault it. I've had issues with compatibility or massive latency before with other interfaces (presonus, motu) and a windows machine and had to sell them again and got nothing achieved.This was a much cheaper smaller model than both of those 18 input models and so far as been way better on latency and performance. Even monitoring my guitar without using the direct monitoring and applying ableton native effects to get a distorted sound.I've only recorded some electric guitar (a cheap one) directly in or used AU/VSTs so I cannot comment on the quality of the recordings exactly but its really brought me some joy and I have the freedom to record. I think for this price point its certainly worth the value. I look forward to plugging in vocals, recording acoustic guitar and my synth when I get some time and I look forward to doing so and contolling the latter by MIDI.I've only not given it 5 as then they would have nowhere to improve, though I have to admit I cannot think of anything they could do yet.

Porper USB Recording interface for Portable Solutions

Compared to the 6i6 which I have been using for years now this unit stands out for three things.1.) The control software is a doddle to use and the old Mix Control that came with the 6i6 was a disaster area.2.) The feedback through the headphone sockets on the 6i6 was an issue that always anyed me. The 8i6 has done away with that.3.) The Air circuit on the 8i6 is a really nice feature and really lifts up your vocals and guitars.I have been really happy otherwise with the 6i6 and it served me well over the years, despite the few quirks and quibbles. I am hoping the 8i6 is going to be a good companion too.

Review of Focusrite Scarlett 8i6 USB-C Audio Interface

I wanted a way to leave a few devices connected to an amp for "live" practice and also to a PC for recording. I'd looked at ways to do this with a mixer and an audio interface and then I found this Scarlett 8i6 - which for me has exactly the right options and hit the sweetspot costwise. It's a good, solid-feeling device and sound quality is amazing. It needs their routing software to set it up but works as a stand-alone "mixer" without the PC running once it's been configured. That software is a little bit glitchy but in a way you quickly suss how to work around. There's also a huge amount of goodies to download - VSTs and DAWs - and they have regular download offerings and promos for subscribers. Not the cheapest interface but perfect for me and I'd say I got value ... MoreI wanted a way to leave a few devices connected to an amp for "live" practice and also to a PC for recording. I'd looked at ways to do this with a mixer and an audio interface and then I found this Scarlett 8i6 - which for me has exactly the right options and hit the sweetspot costwise. It's a good, solid-feeling device and sound quality is amazing. It needs their routing software to set it up but works as a stand-alone "mixer" without the PC running once it's been configured. That software is a little bit glitchy but in a way you quickly suss how to work around. There's also a huge amount of goodies to download - VSTs and DAWs - and they have regular download offerings and promos for subscribers. Not the cheapest interface but perfect for me and I'd say I got value for money.

This may be my final interface...

Let me begin by saying, I started off on a nice ol' Beringer UM2. I upgraded to M-Audio and then to Focusrite and from there I dove right into the Scarlett series and got an 8i6. I couldn't believe how much of a punch Scarlett packed for the price range, it was a pretty good interface and for it being my 3rd interface I was more than happy. I just decided to upgrade 4-5 months ago to the Clarett+ 2Pre and I'm absolutely in love with it. Much better preamps, and louder gain levels for both monitors & headphones. Take Scarlett, solidify it, and you have Clarett+ (not to mention the much-favored sound of "AIR") I highly recommend Clarett+ to any beginner/professional looking to dabble into Focusrite's incredible line-up of audio interfaces.