Help needed with recording set up

  • I run a Focusrite into Ableton....and firstly your questions are not dumb....it was an nightmare for me as it wasn't a simple plug and play.


    I'll start with the statement that 90% of the setup is windows playing nicely with Focusrite. Ableton doesn't need much set up.


    I can;t remember exactly what I did but from memory:

    • Defo run with ASIO. I think I may have had to install ASIOFORALL ( someone else comment please)
    • You need to manage the Focusrite settings in Mixcontrol which should have been installed ( I run an 18i8)- The issue I had was not no sound but ghost sound...but my point is I played with monitoring settings and buffer size.
    • Focus on just getting an unprocessed sound i.e. take the KPA out of the equation for now and just get your bass coming out in Ableton. BTW You need to "arm" a track ( ready to record) and set to auto monitor.

    Hope that helps in some way although I'm a very basic user.

  • 512 is way to high, IMO. I've gone as low as 32 but I would get weird artifact sounds when using delays and verb. 64 works well for me. Yes. you set it manually.

    thank you. It automatically was set to 512 when i plugged it in and set it up. I will play around with the settings today.


    Thank you

  • thanks for the reply. That’s some good information. I’ve got the Focusrite control installed but it seems very basic. Just gives me the level settings for output and the option for line : inst on the input page.


    I’m off work today so I will look into it.


    Thanks mate

  • I think so. It’s set up in my sound settings as Focusrite and everything else is Focusrite.


    Is there anywhere specific to check if it definitely is selected as the audio device ?

    Ensuring it's selected in Preferences as well as the track you're using should be sufficient, but I don't use Ableton, so I'm really flying blind here as far as setting the rest of it up. By the way, is your Focusrite 4i4 a 3rd gen?

  • I have a Focusrite Scarlett for my laptop.


    1) Don't install Asio4All. Focusrite has its own software for ASIO. Go to their website and download the appropriate version for your device.


    2) When you install the software and restart your machine, you will see an icon for the Scarlett. If you right click, it will give you two main options: one is for the mixer, the other is for settings. If you go into settings, you can set your sample rate (i.e. 44.1khz, 48khz, etc). Choose whichever one you like. IIRC, you will also get an option for buffer size, set this as low as you can go when recording/just playing to avoid latency.


    3) Open Ableton. There will be a menu option for Programme Preferences or something like that. In there, there should be an option for Audio Settings or Audio Device, basically some kind of sub-menu. In there, make sure you select your Focusrite USB driver as the main audio engine.


    4) The Focusrite mixer is a bit tricky. You need to basically ensure that the software outputs from Ableton are routed back to your speakers/headphones. Find the software outputs, then use the dropdown menu to route the software output to the headphone output (until such time you get monitors, in which case you will route to output 1/2).

  • When ASIO is running in Windows, you should see a green icon with white arrow in the windows taskbar tray. You click on that to change your sample rate and to turn off inputs and outputs. I think the icon loads only when you load your DAW. But read below...


    I had ASIO4All installed previously but when I got my Motu M4, it installed their version of ASIO (which is the same but has a different user interface). It does not have the green icon in the taskbar tray. Instead, I have a blue Motu icon in the tray. Focusrite may have their own version of ASIO too that gets installed when you install the drivers.


    ASIO is for windows only. Mac has something else.

    Larry Mar @ Lonegun Studios. Neither one famous yet.

  • When ASIO is running in Windows, you should see a green icon with white arrow in the windows taskbar tray. You click on that to change your sample rate and to turn off inputs and outputs. I think the icon loads only when you load your DAW. But read below...


    I had ASIO4All installed previously but when I got my Motu M4, it installed their version of ASIO (which is the same but has a different user interface). It does not have the green icon in the taskbar tray. Instead, I have a blue Motu icon in the tray. Focusrite may have their own version of ASIO too that gets installed when you install the drivers.


    ASIO is for windows only. Mac has something else.


    This is exactly it. It is basically the drivers for their device that you need to install so that you can use it with your DAW. No point using ASIO4ALL when you have a purpose built driver for your interface. Every interface has one for optimal operation.

  • I am still not getting anywhere with this


    So i have changed the driver to ASIO and i have no sound coming out of the laptop or headphones connected to the laptop.


    I am currently set up as


    Guitar - KPA Input (KPA speaker into Orange 2x12)


    KPA 1/4" left out into Channel 1 of Focusrite Scarlett


    Focusrite into Windows Laptop



    On the focusrite the channel indicator is not showing green/yellow/red when i am playing the guitar however the monitor signal in Ableton is showing a reading.


    But i cannot hear anything through the laptop. What am i doing wrong !

  • If I connect my guitar direct to the interface I am getting a signal on the Focusrite. However when I am connecting from the main inputs KPA into the interface I am not getting a signal.

  • You need to have a DAW loaded too. The guitar will not play (send sound to speakers) without a DAW running and "mapping" the inputs and outputs of the audio interface. I know this might be totally basic info, but some new computer/interface users might not know that.

    Larry Mar @ Lonegun Studios. Neither one famous yet.

  • If I connect my guitar direct to the interface I am getting a signal on the Focusrite. However when I am connecting from the main inputs KPA into the interface I am not getting a signal.

    Is this exactly what your Scarlett 4i4 looks like? I'm asking because there are three 4i4 revisions, and each look different.



  • I am still not getting anywhere with this


    So i have changed the driver to ASIO and i have no sound coming out of the laptop or headphones connected to the laptop.

    when you use ASIO from your Focusrite audio card you are disabling the internal audio driver from your laptop,you need to connect Headphones or Monitors to the Focusrite to get audio.

    Guitar: Fender Strat HSS<3 Schecter Custom Solo II

    Signal Chain: Kemper->AxeFX 3>Neural QC>Apollo Twin->M-Audio Monitors

    Computer:Mac Studio