Scarlett 6i6 MixControl Software Tutorial

In this video we show you how to use the Scarlett 6i6 MixControl Software. The Scarlett MixControl software offers you the ability to use flexible routing configurations for your studio setup.
**My Content Creation Gear**
Cameras and Microphones
Panasonic GH6 - amzn.to/3Mdy74W (Amazon Link)
DJI Pocket 3 Creator Combo - amzn.to/3ACbept (Amazon Link)
OBSBOT Tiny 2 - amzn.to/4dOYpX9 (Amazon Link)
Tiny 2 Remote - amzn.to/3ACbpkD (Amazon Link)
DJI Mic 2 - amzn.to/4fSeRaW (Amazon Link)
DJI Mic - amzn.to/46YGF9p (Amazon Link)
Insta360 Flow - amzn.to/3WTtbra (Amazon Link)
Audio:
Focusrite Vocaster 2 - amzn.to/3SWql3a (Amazon Link)
Focusrite 4i4 Gen 4 - amzn.to/3XeOMvB (Amazon Link)
Lighting:
VIJIM VL120 RGB Video Light - amzn.to/3YXKCt5 (Amazon Link)
18' RALENO 45W Led Video Light - amzn.to/4dx8dFk (Amazon Link)

[@andrebeller]

Holy shit dude. It's 2020. I've been using my 6i6 since 2016. And you just taught me why my [headphone] Left and Right "weren't doing anything."

[@rogeliomj]

Happened the same to me! :D

[@santiagodemarte]

Same here. I bought it around 2017 and couldn't use it to record and also mix on the fly until now.

[@timbray4788]

7 years later and this is still a great video. Thanks so much!

[@soundslikezizo]

6 years on, still the best video on this weird piece of software. You just saved my liveset. Thank you 🙏🏽

[@LearningwithMarkWarren]

Glad it helped!

[@santiagodemarte]

I couldn't set this up in stereo since I bought it. Now I can use it as a DAC for my ear-phones. Plus this is the only content I could find that really explain how this counter intuitive software works. Thanks! You certainly helped a lot of 6i6 owners like me!

[@ThanosGod1969]

Thank you so much for this tutorial. I cannot believe how confusing this company made their interface. Those two headphone output symbols were driving me crazy. You saved me a lot of time I can use on my music!

[@JoeyPinter]

+Mark Johnson hi mark, i saw what you said about the 6i6 and could't agree more, i've been on the phone with focusrite and sweetwater (where i bought it) for hours. i've been a musician all my life and have been doing computer recording since 2001 and have never had a piece of gear that is so complicated. i thought learning how to use a DAW was hard, this thing is nuts. have you figured it out yet?

[@KingSe7en]

@@JoeyPinter Taking a shot in the dark here, but i recently got my Shure SM7B, Cloudlifter & the 6i6. I have tried messing around, but it's very confusing. It seems that no matter how much i try and mess with the gain i always hear white noise. Which to my understanding, shouldn't happen with the CL.. Very confusing and frustrating tbh. I can't find any good videos fullying explaining how to get the gain worked out..

[@roro_fosho]

this software has been my nemesis since I got my 6i6 1st gen years ago. Thank you so much for this video, you have helped so much!

[@LearningwithMarkWarren]

You're welcome!

[@GaboLoynaz]

Thank you so so much for this! I was struggling for hours

[@hanshendriksen72]

Hey Mark! Thanks for your tutorial, bought a 18i8 and for the life of me couldn't figure out mixcontrol. Your video pretty much is the only one covering it very clearly, and I am really enjoying my new interface now. Many thanks !

[@luciafebrero6383]

Thank you. 5 years trying to understand this software...very helpful

[@deldridg]

Mark - how ever do I thank you? It is now 2020 and I'm in lockdown in Sydney and about to crank up my 18i8 Gen 1 that I've not touched in a few years. Your excellent video has helped me fast-track and get busy recording here at home. I hope all is well for you and really appreciate the time and effort you put into making this tutorial. Regards from Sydney, Aust - Dave

[@denzelperry7024]

Extremely helpful, clear and concise. Just awesome, many thanks sir ☺

[@LearningwithMarkWarren]

You're welcome and Thanks!

[@colinutus]

You sir are a life saver. I never understood why the output to monitors was coming onto headphones1 jack. I have sent the Focusrite dev chimps an email to tell them exactly how i feel. Thank you!

[@LearningwithMarkWarren]

You're welcome!

[@chriswellz5993]

You just solved a huge problem for me over here. THANK YOU!!!!

[@iPro-Mastery]

I know this was done over a year ago but it sure helped be out today. Thanks again Mark!

[@bellamckendree]

OMG!!! I've literally been trying to work this out for the last 10 years ahaha! HALLELUJAH! Thank you SO much.

[@ReaperMetalProductions]

Thank you Mark this is the most informative tutorial I have watched (which was many), it has saved me many hours and headaches.

[@LearningwithMarkWarren]

+Heavy Metal Relics Glad it helped!

[@thomasmiezenbeek6710]

Thank you sooooo much Mark! I couldn't get my head wrapped around this software, and it doesn't help that I can only use it at my university for which I need to use the 6i6. But you made it possible for me to route a click track to my headphones while the rest of the music goes through the PA. Thanks again

[@LearningwithMarkWarren]

You're welcome!

[@sandramartin9784]

Great tutorial. I have read all the documentation I could find on my 6i6, searched forums and even contacted their tech support but didn't learn as much as I did from your video. I am using a new DAW to me as well so not knowing how to route the 6i6 properly has been driving me nuts. Thank you so much.

[@LearningwithMarkWarren]

Sandra Martin You're welcome!

[@nachobilbao3975]

Thank you so much Mark! About time for Focusrite to realize they designed a really un-intuitive mix control, when a 26 minute tutorial is needed to get it working... Thanks again, it was super helpful!

[@LearningwithMarkWarren]

You're welcome!

[@SlackersJournal]

Thank you! I was stuck on the part at 5:20 for a week. And like you said, it really made more sense after you explained it

[@LearningwithMarkWarren]

You're welcome!

[@poodlebites69]

THank you so much!!!!!!! I have been trying forever to route the click in Reaper to a separate headphone for just the drummer (and not the main out) for live performance. I never would have figured it out if you hadn't mentioned the two headphone situation etc. You rock!

[@LearningwithMarkWarren]

You're welcome!

[@gregmason2760]

Thanks so much for your clarity. My head is not spinning and I haven’t torn any hair out.

[@jimbrownfield8239]

Thanks! This was so much clearer than the "documentation".

[@LearningwithMarkWarren]

You're welcome!

[@TheCompleteGuitarist]

This was driving me crazy and you fed me one simple detail about the headphones that fixed it all. Thanks. Great tutorial.

[@mikestringz3159]

Thanks for making this tutorial. I've had my 6i6 for about 3 weeks now, and just decided to finally start using it. I'm still trying to figure everything out, but your video is helping me out a lot. Initially I was only able to hear sound in my left headphone. It ended up being my headphone adapter. I replaced it, and now I have sound in both sides. I have about 4 adapters scattered around the house, and they all look the same. I would misplace one, and just grab the closest one. I guess they're not all made the same. Thanks again for the thorough tutorial.

[@ezequielmartinez2042]

Thank you so mucho for the SPDIF Loopback routing explanation!! :)

[@deelitebaby]

Mark Warren, thank you so much! This was so so helpful. I had been struggling for a while to understand exactly what you cleared up: that the Headphones L & R were only Headphone Jack 02! That cleared so much up for me. Now onto trying to understand the rest! Thanks again!

[@LearningwithMarkWarren]

You're welcome!

[@groveboytmt]

Finally a great vid on the Mix Control with the 6i6! I recently purchase one and I been trying this with ableton. Thanks

[@LearningwithMarkWarren]

Terrace McKinnon You're welcome!

[@CHYPCAR]

Thanks for this excellent tutorial, Mark. I've been struggling to make sense of this counter-intuitive program, and you've come to the rescue! Much appreciated!

[@LearningwithMarkWarren]

CHYPCAR You're welcome!

[@jgvtc559]

I know hes doing a great job because i have to rewind a bunch to keep up thank you this alone should help my mixdown

[@jgvtc559]

😂😂😂 back 5 years later and it works again This ain't a joke 😂🎉

[@chrispygingerpie]

It took a while but finally the click for the drummer made really great sence! I can't wait to start using mine to it's full potential! :)

[@cyphertarroch]

Awesome! Thank you so much for this! Helped a lot getting my cue out on the right headphone output on my 6i6!!!! YOU ARE GOD

[@charlesschlaudraff908]

Thanks so much for this video, Mark! The best I've seen on the Scarlett MixControl!

[@jeremydesmond4275]

Yes, Mark Warren. Excellent teaching thank you!

[@jonasleothunberg]

Thanks for this, I've spent so much time looking for "output 3" and "output 4". This must be the most idiotic way to name them ever. Thank you for clearing that up, now I can send to external effects :)

[@BTSSIMON]

+jonasleothunberg I can't find it too... Where is it???

[@jonasleothunberg]

It's the outputs designated with the headphone-symbol

[@edkenndy]

Thank you for this! Revisited when I took my old focusrite out of storage and it was very handy as the mixcontrol was quite confusing.

[@oshitoko2]

Thank you! Now you are my new hero, Greetings from Uruguay

[@yousawnothing644]

Dude... I found out that there were drivers for this device (just got an 18i8 1st gen) and it was working before installing. Then I lost all audio.. Thanks for this SO MUCH. The software was controlling everything and I couldn't figure out how to change anything!

[@ShatzThe]

Thank you for making this video! You definitely helped make this software easier to understand! Much, much appreciated!!!

[@LearningwithMarkWarren]

You're welcome!

[@adpt_music]

Thank you for this video! You answered every question I had about the Scarlett 6i6 (routing, using standalone without the pc). Liked and subscribed.

[@guttefan]

This tutorial was awesome! Great patient teacher. Thanks man!

[@MichelBarbaro]

Thanks! Helped me to understand a little more of this "pain-in-the-ass" piece of software!

[@desvonbladet]

Thank you so much for this from Big Year 2020! I've had a first gen Focusrite 6i6 all this time but only now did I want to use the second set of outputs and without your video I would still be scratching my thick but balding old head

[@LearningwithMarkWarren]

You're welcome! Glad to hear this was still helpful.

[@EmenSeranWilik]

can the focusrite saffire 40 pro soundcard not be used on a laptop?

[@electricfireplace5071]

Was looking for a way to bounce tracks on the fly in Cubase or fruity when cpu is suffering or when i wanna hear a particular effect chain on a small part of the audio and i don't like to use the audio mixdown option thing all the time. This works. Thank you so much. Great tutorial.

[@LearningwithMarkWarren]

+ElectricFirePlace Thanks and you're welcome!

[@b.minister]

OMG I LOVE YOU. For whatever reason, I have never been able to wrap my head around MixControl. And I'm a pretty tech-minded guy! I run midi, I build my own computers, I know several DAWS inside and out, but this damn software has always frustrated me. SOOOO many times I've wanted to get rid of my 6i6 because of this stupid interface. And reading these other comments makes me realize it's not just MY secret shame that I can't figure this thing out! It's not just me :) Anyway, THANK-YOU!! (and seriously? The buttons that say "headphones" aren't for the main headphone jack?!?)

[@jjose100ify]

Thank you so much. Trying to use a guitar pedal as an fx send. This is helping me figure it out

[@kkm5758]

Have to say thanks for all of your informative videos. It has helped me get the most out of my 6i6. You would be an asset to Focusrite if you worked for them, or anyone given your ability to thoroughly explain concepts in a way that is easy to follow along with. I just picked up an S/PDIF cable a couple days ago because of your tutorial. I had it working great yesterday, but I forgot how because I'm still trying to wrap my head around that part of it but I'm re-watching the tutorial now to review the process and hopefully develop a total understanding. Cheers!

[@MaickSousa]

Hey Mark! do u know what is the best away to setup the mix control with a monitors par and subwoofer? thank you!

[@kyriacosevgeniou3289]

Thank you so much I have been trying to fix such issues since 2 days..

[@leventopoulos]

thanks for explaining the output section in 6:00 couldn't figure out what was going on! I wonder why on earth did they name the routing labels in such a confusing manner

[@vipuldive6091]

Mark sir thankx for the tutorial it was so nic n clear from vipul dive , India Maharashtra

[@LearningwithMarkWarren]

You're welcome!

[@vipuldive6091]

Sir very nice tutor. I like this .

[@TechieBaby]

Helpful. I get most of the points but still need to get down to real practices for better understanding.Thanks Mark.

[@LearningwithMarkWarren]

You're welcome and you're right practice makes perfect!

[@masgujeff]

very helpful, definitely the Focusrite engineer need to learn how to make Graphical User Interface that represent the actual functionality so can help user, i’ve been confused how to select the output 2 for particular input, now everything is clear, thanks

[@TheBenje2009]

Great tutorial Mark, explained very well, thank you!

[@fullertonestudio2730]

Great video Mark!! I am still messing around and getting comfortable with the software myself.. I do have a question regarding your comment on the 6i6 being a stand alone device as well. I have a Mustang 2 amp that also acts as a USB interface in it's own right, and what I am trying to achieve is running vocals into the DAW using the amps FX presets to come up with some cool sounding vocal tracks. The problem is that I can't seem to do use them both at once to make this happen. If I indeed unplug the 6i6 from the computer and run the 1/4" cable from the 6i6 out into the amps Input, and use the amp as the interface to record the vocals, will this work do you think? I just don't want to ruin my new toy right after I got it. This question can also be for anyone that might own a Mustang 2 amp offering any tips or suggestions. Thanks again Mark, great help!!

[@cThreep]

Solid tutorial, thanks!

[@007mercucio]

Thanks for the video! You've got a great radio voice! You sound like a DJ talk show host. :-)

[@LearningwithMarkWarren]

+007mercucio Thanks and you're welcome!

[@cyanic666]

Awesome Video Tutorial!!! Thank you very much. How do I go about running outboard analog gear? Line output 3 into the input of the gear then the output of the gear into intput 3? I'm having trouble figuring this one out with the scarlett mix control software. Thanks again for sharing this video!!

[@vmj8971]

It's very helpful. Thank you and I wonder if you can include how to record all 8 channels (front and back panel of the Scalett 18i8) simultaneously for the band with acoustic drum that will be great.

[@LDuGrave]

Now I can use SPIDF for videos and songs and don't need open another pre saved config to use DAW. Very cool.

[@subhasishchristche]

can you make a video on how to get started with 6i6 and atleast cover the steps to connect it to the guiat , keyboard and a vocal mic,,and how to record a track. thank you

[@jgvtc559]

subhasish christche Filmmaker if your keyboard is usb you just route through your daw in midi settings

[@DougAldridge]

Thanks for this video! Focusrite should delete their videos and link to you. Great job!

[@LearningwithMarkWarren]

Thanks!

[@subhasishchristche]

I have bought a 6i6 recently. I am an ametuer, dont even know hot to connect correctly my guitar,keyboard and the vocal mic to this device and how to record a song simultanously with my guitar and keyboard. plz help

[@rodineiaparecidogalvao1144]

Very well, I think very interesting video. Tank you very much about your help.

[@LearningwithMarkWarren]

You're welcome!

[@SAZIZMUSIC]

Apart from the nice review, what about that Arturia keylab ? Did you have any issue regarding the keys ? Like key noise or ghost note or things like that. I am really confused regarding keylab novation and launchkey.

[@jgwire]

this is great, simple information -- thanks..it's just a shame that focusrite has not bothered to make a video such as this.....or even explain it this way in their manual.

[@LearningwithMarkWarren]

jay wire You're welcome!

[@jgwire]

Learning with Mark Warren yes, im happily using scarlett right now -- if i'd tried to learn through focusrite, i'd still be figuring out how to plug it in....

[@fiddlestickzmuzik]

great video enjoyed the way you went through this, I'm also a Reason user and have never been able to work out how to record KZbin into it with my MOTU 8pre, as I'm looking to upgrade my audio interface and possibly this Focusrite model this was helpful..

[@subhasishchristche]

Like you said when i am connecting my guitar in the mic premps i have to tick on instrument in mixcontrol,,while connecting my keyboard with a midi cable what should i do,,how to set up that?

[@adairfr]

Thanks a lot for giving us a great explanation about this, apparently, useless and annoying software. I have an specific question since I'm using reason 7 too. How do you connect the cables of your busses to the hardware interface? I can see cables going out from the ctrl room out of the master section and from channels 3&4 of the Audio I/O but I can't understand the route of these cables. Thanks for your help, I'm really really gratefull. Greetings from Mexico.

[@Phill1478]

Great Video! Can you shed a little light on the monitor preset section? Can it be used to switch between multiple studio monitors to A/B mixes?? Thanks!

[@LearningwithMarkWarren]

Phill1478 You could use the monitor preset section to mute the outputs 1/2 and 3/4. However I think it's somewhat easier to leave these options always on and create your A/B mixes in your DAW.

[@ElevenBravo]

Very helpful video. How did you rename the Mix 1, Mix 3 tabs to something different - Main Mix, 3/4 Output Bus ?? I can't seem to figure out how to rename my mix tabs? Thanks in advance.

[@LearningwithMarkWarren]

It's at 13:55 how to rename: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jHXSaGCcr99-qrs

[@ChristopherStoppiello]

This was giving me such a headache. I was trying to send a drum mix with a click for live performance and couldn't figure out why my headphone jack had to be tied to ouputs 1 & 2. Just had to switch headphone jacks. Thank you so much!

[@marciolisandrosouzadantas1669]

Esses programas que vc abriu é da 6i6 é. Eu estou com uma mais estou perdido. Eu trabalho com gravação de mídias. Boa noite.

[@luismorales-guidos5159]

So helpful. Thanks you!!!

[@Svendar]

Help! I just moved and I had to re-set up my home studio and everything works great with my headphones plugged in my Scarlett 8i6 card, but when I want to use my speakers, I can not hear more than about 3% of the volume (the volume is very, very low) when I play KZbin videos (haven't tried Protools 11 yet, but it's probably the same). I use a macpro (late 2013), I use a 16 track console + rackmounts (everything is correctly plugged in). Any particular things I should check? Thanks in advance and great video, very informative! :)

[@rimpe]

Harambe as a wallpaper 10/10 video

[@wlue1]

Thanks Mark for that, though, I didn't fully get it, I have a little better understanding of it now. I am using the mix control and Ableton Live and i am totally new to this. All I want to be able to do is record my drum set into Ableton Live. I am still not clear on how to do that. I have the Safire Pro 26, Mix Control and Ableton 9 Live. Thanks. William

[@phonkdaddy]

Hey Mark-What do you know about Garage band and the 6i6? I just started learning about this after years of using Apogee Duet (first Gen,)!Sorry I can't be more specific but this is all new stuff to me!

[@johndoremi3872]

Exelent tuto!!

[@MikeDeanOfficials]

Thanks for this, was good. But how do I independently change the volume of outputs 3/4?

[@SteveBorsch]

VERY nicely done Mark. Thank you! I agree with Mark Johnson...the headphone output symbols is a crazy-maker and their documentation is very poor. Great effort man.

[@LearningwithMarkWarren]

+Steve Borsch Thanks!

[@andreidoanca4262]

great tutorial mate!

[@stopblahda9830]

Does this video go over how to set up outboard gear without creating feedback loops? I have been trying to set up an EQ with a scarlet 18i20 gen 1, and it seems like no matter what I do I create feedback loops😭

[@WiznDash]

Hi Mark, thank you for this...I'm also using reason with the mixcontrol but I keep getting drop outs every time I record vocal, saying computer too slow..I keep adjusting the Buffer size but it doesn't make any difference...is there any tips you can give to optimize the software so that this doesn't happen and is there somewhere we can download your settings template?....thanks in advance :)

[@ethosmega]

Thank you for this video! How did you set up the 3-4 bus and get reason to recognize it? No other bus shows up in reason. And when I flip the rack around There are no cables hooked up to the reason i/o 3-4. I'm trying to loop record the spdif but I etc a feedback loop and can't figure out why.

[@LearningwithMarkWarren]

ethosmega Here's how I setup my 3/4 bus. Create a new audio track. Under Audio output click the dropdown and select new output bus (Ctrl G). Flip the rack and wire the direct out to 3/4 on the Audio I/O. That's pretty much it. When it comes to loop recording you cannot monitor the signal while you're recording it. This is what's causing your feedback loop. Either turn off monitoring on the track while recording or send the output to somewhere other than output 1/2, ie 3/4 output bus. Once your recording is complete you can change the output back to master which goes to 1/2 by default or some other channel. I hope this makes sense. I'm sure there other ways to do this but this is what works for me.

[@barryjneely]

This is a great video. I'm annoyed Focusrite forced you to make a 26-minute video so we could understand their software!

[@LearningwithMarkWarren]

Thanks!

[@mrianforest]

Hi Mark, is it possible to group the two mic inputs on the front of the 6i6 into one single INPUT that can be seen by my software? In the software I can select the 6i6 as the input device and then have the choice of 1-6 input pairs. Hope I can, great video btw!

[@LearningwithMarkWarren]

Ian Forest Not directly in the Mix Control software. Your DAW would and should be able to handle this. I use Reason and Ableton Live and I'm able to combine inputs 1 and 2 to a stereo pair. I'm not sure which program you're using but I would check the help for you program versus the Mix Control software.

[@shaolin95]

Do you have any issues with this and Windows 10? I have the 8i6 and is driving me crazy. I cant seem to be able to listen to my voice even though the mixer shows that the microphone is working. I have a Creative Labs Z card as well. I am connected to my computer via the USB cable. Thanks!

[@subhasishchristche]

Do i have to download reason and install it for the recordings or I can do it with ableton live lite 9

[@LearningwithMarkWarren]

subhasish christche No you can do a lot in Live 9 Lite.

[@subhasishchristche]

Learning with Mark Warren can you make a video on how to get started with 6i6 and atleast cover the steps to connect it to the guiat , keyboard and a vocal mic,,and how to record a track. thank you

[@the80386]

Learning with Mark Warren hey Mark, first of all thanks for the video! Which video capture software is being used and does it use ASIO? Another thing. Are you recording to an external audio source? Because even before you turned the mic phantom power or played the guitar I was hearing your voice the whole time.

[@antoneckert8424]

I have a Question... So i've running a Monitoroutput from my Microphone (shure mv5) into my Interface and i get good and loud sound... at least thats what MixControl says but if i want to record Something its always way more quiet... can i set an Option in my WINDOWS-sound controls so my PC gets a louder sound from the interface...? For the rest a great video thanks for the introduction! :)

[@gabrielcaporali1939]

Thanks a lot bro, you solved my problem!

[@MrGiulianeddu]

Thanks a lot this very clear video ! But I'm still in trouble with one stuff, maybe you could help me : I got a hardware compressor that I would like to use with my DAW (ableton live 9) on a track as a plugin. I know I have to use the "external effect" but after that I don't manage to do the routing.... U got an idea about that ? Thx in advance !

[@MrGiulianeddu]

I forgot to say that my monitors are on the outputs 1 and 2 and that I link the output 3 with the input of the compressor, then the output of the compressor to the in put 3 of the 6i6. The only thing I get is a messy phasing sound...

[@kat1595]

Thank you for this video! There is only one problem I am facing. I am getting signal through both Scarlett Mix Control and signal through ProTools and it is recording fine. The only problem is I can not hear sound thorough the Scarlett Mix Control at all. I hear playback through Pro Tools, so I know this is a problem through Scarlett Mix Control. Do you have any suggestions? Maybe a problem with the software?

[@LearningwithMarkWarren]

***** I'm not sure I'm understanding your problem. If you're hearing ok in Pro Tools then that tells me your 6i6 is working ok. The Mix Control really doesn't do anything more than route signals to the different outputs of your interface. I would need more specifics as to what in the mix control isn't working.

[@meltedhoneymusic]

Thanks man... was confused.

[@LearningwithMarkWarren]

You're welcome!

[@mischugo]

Thanks for the presentation. May be you have an idea or hint ... After a new setup in my home office, the volume control on my 6i6 no longer has any effect Not after a reboot, or parameter ram delete, or other cables ... nothing. Mix Contorl reinstalled... nothing. I'm going crazy

[@PuertaAbierta2012]

Hi, thanks for posting your video. Could you please share the MainMix file? I tried setting it up the same way that you show it on your video but my 6i6 is not showing any return signal under SPDF1 and 2 channels. I did it the same way that you have it on your video but there is no returning signal at all. How do you exactly return output of mix 2 to input 1 in mix 1?

[@quinceyhall1276]

How do you have your system to play youtube videos plugged into your interface, Also did you download Reason separately.

[@akyaXmetozade]

Thank you Mark !!!!

[@wimvanmuijen8655]

great video. thanks a lot!