Update documentation for Scarlett 4th Gen and Vocaster
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Geoffrey D. Bennett
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docs/iface-large.md
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# ALSA Scarlett2 Control Panel
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## Large Scarlett 2nd and 3rd Gen and Clarett Interfaces
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This document describes how to use the ALSA Scarlett2 Control Panel
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with the larger Scarlett 2nd Gen, 3rd Gen, and Clarett USB interfaces:
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- Scarlett 2nd Gen 6i6, 18i8, 18i20
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- Scarlett 3rd Gen 4i4, 8i6, 18i8, 18i20
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- Clarett 2Pre, 4Pre, 8Pre USB
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- Clarett+ 2Pre, 4Pre, 8Pre
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## Main Window
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The main window is divided into three sections:
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- Global Controls
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- Analogue Input Controls
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- Analogue Output Controls
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The particular controls available depend on the interface model; the
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3rd Gen 18i20 has all the controls so is shown here:
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Note that the View menu option lets you open three other windows which
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contain additional controls, described in the following sections:
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- [Routing](#routing)
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- [Mixer](#mixer)
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- [Levels](#levels)
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- [Startup](#startup)
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### Global Controls
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Global controls relate to the operation of the interface as a whole.
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#### Clock Source (interfaces with S/PDIF or ADAT inputs only)
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Clock Source selects where the interface receives its digital clock
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from. If you aren’t using S/PDIF or ADAT inputs, set this to Internal.
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#### Sync Status
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Sync Status indicates if the interface is locked to a valid digital
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clock. If you aren’t using S/PDIF or ADAT inputs and the Sync Status
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is Unlocked, change the Clock Source to Internal.
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#### Sample Rate
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Sample Rate is informative only, and displays the current sample rate
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if the interface is currently in use. In ALSA, the sample rate is set
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by the application using the interface, which is usually a sound
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server such as PulseAudio, JACK, or PipeWire.
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#### Speaker Switching (Scarlett 3rd Gen 18i8 and 18i20 only)
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Speaker Switching lets you swap between two pairs of monitoring
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speakers very easily.
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When enabled (Main or Alt):
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- Line Out 1–4 Volume Control Switches are locked to HW
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- Line Out 3/4 routing is saved
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- Line Out 3/4 routing is set to the Line Out 1/2 routing
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When set to Main, Line outputs 3 and 4 are muted.
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When set to Alt, Line outputs 1 and 2 are muted.
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When disabled (Off):
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- Global mute is activated ⭐
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- Line Out 1–4 Volume Control Switches are unlocked
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- Line Out 3/4 routing is restored to the saved values
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⭐ You likely won’t expect this to happen. Make sure to unmute the
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outputs after disabling speaker switching if you want to hear
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something again.
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#### Talkback (Scarlett 3rd Gen 18i20 only)
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Talkback lets you add another channel (usually the talkback mic) to a
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mix with a button push, usually to talk to musicians, and without
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using an additional mic channel.
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The Talkback feature has a few parts:
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- Talkback Microphone connected to Analogue Input 9
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- Talkback Disable/Enable and Off/On software switches
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- Talkback Off/On physical switch
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- Talkback Mix (one switch per mix)
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- Mix Input 25
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To set up the talkback feature, set Mix Input 25 to the talkback
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source (usually Analogue Input 9), enable the Talkback Mix switches
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for the mixes you want the talkback input to be heard on, and change
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the Talkback control from Disabled to Off. Leave the Mix Input 25 gain
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controls at zero (−127dB), otherwise the talkback inputs will be heard
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even when talkback is disabled/off.
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Pressing the Talkback switch on the device will then lower the volume
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of the other inputs on the mixes for which talkback is enabled and
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unmute Mix Input 25 on those mixes.
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Talkback can also be activated by changing the Talkback control from
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Off to On.
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The talkback microphone can also be used just the same as any of the
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other analogue inputs and routed to a physical output, PCM input, or
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mixer input.
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### Analogue Input Controls
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This section is applicable to all interfaces except the Scarlett 2nd
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Gen 18i20 which has hardware-only buttons for these features.
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#### Inst
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The Inst buttons are used to select between Mic/Line and Instrument
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level/impedance. When plugging in microphones or line-level equipment
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(such as a synthesizer, external preamp, or effects processor) to the
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input, set it to “Line”. The “Inst” setting is for instruments with
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pickups such as guitars.
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#### Air (Scarlett 3rd Gen and Clarett only)
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Enabling Air will transform your recordings and inspire you while
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making music.
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#### Pad
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Enabling Pad engages a 10dB attenuator in the channel, giving you more
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headroom for very hot signals.
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#### Phantom Power (48V)
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Scarlett 2nd Gen and Clarett devices have a hardware button for
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controlling phantom power.
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Scarlett 3rd Gen devices have hardware and software control of phantom
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power. Turning the “48V” switch on sends “Phantom Power” to the XLR
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microphone input. This is required for some microphones (such as
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condensor microphones), and damaging to some microphones (particularly
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vintage ribbon microphones).
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On Scarlett 3rd Gen devices, phantom power is turned off by default
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when the interface is turned on. This can be changed in the startup
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configuration (menu option View → Startup).
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### Analogue Output Controls
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The analogue output controls let you set the output volume (gain) on
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the analogue line out and headphone outputs. All interfaces support
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setting the gain and muting individual channels.
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Click and drag up/down on the volume dial to change the volume, use
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your arrow keys, Home/End/PgUp/PgDn keys, or use your mouse scroll
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wheel to adjust. You can also double-click on it to quickly toggle the
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volume between off and 0dB.
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The biggest interfaces: Scarlett 2nd Gen 18i20, 3rd Gen 18i8, and 3rd
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Gen 18i20 have a switchable hardware/software volume control. The
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position of the big volume knob on the front of the interface is
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indicated by the “HW” dial in the GUI. The analogue outputs can have
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their volume set either by the knob (“HW” setting of of the HW/SW
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button) or by the dials on each output (“SW” setting of the HW/SW
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button).
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When set to HW, the mute/volume status for those channels is
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controlled by the hardware volume knob and the global dim/mute
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controls and the software volume dial and mute button for those
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channels are disabled.
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There are “mute” and “dim” (reduce volume) buttons below the “HW” dial
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which affect only the outputs with “HW” control enabled. The 3rd Gen
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18i8 doesn’t have physical buttons or indicator lights for these
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controls, but the 18i20 devices do.
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On the other (smaller) interfaces, the big volume knob on the front of
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the interface controls the volume of the Line 1 and 2 outputs. This is
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in addition to the software volume control, therefore both must be
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turned up in order to hear anything. The other (line 3+) analogue
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outputs are only controlled by the software controls.
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The volume controls for the headphone outputs on each interface
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operate in addition to any other hardware or software volume controls
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for those channels. When using headphones, the volumes for those
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channels would usually be set to 0dB and the actual volume controlled
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with the physical headphone volume control(s).
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## Routing
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The routing window allows complete control of signal routing between
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the hardware inputs/outputs, internal mixer, and PCM (USB)
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inputs/outputs.
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To manage the routing connections:
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- Click and drag from a source to a sink or a sink to a source to
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connect them. Audio from the source will then be sent to that sink.
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- Click on a source or a sink to clear the links connected to that
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source/sink.
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Note that a sink can only be connected to one source, but one source
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can be connected to many sinks. If you want a sink to receive input
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from more than one source, use the mixer inputs and outputs:
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- Connect the sources that you want to mix together to mixer inputs
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- Connect mixer outputs to the sinks that you want to receive the
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mixed audio
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- Use the Mixer window to set the amount of each mixer input that is
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sent to each mixer output
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The Presets menu can be used to clear all connections, or to set up
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common configurations:
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- The “Direct” preset sets up the usual configuration using the
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interface as a regular audio interface by connecting:
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- all Hardware Inputs to PCM Inputs
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- all PCM Outputs to Hardware Outputs
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- The “Preamp” preset connects all Hardware Inputs to Hardware
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Outputs.
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- The “Stereo Out” preset connects PCM 1 and 2 Outputs to pairs of
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Hardware Outputs.
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The Direct routing configuration is the simplest most-generally-useful
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configuration:
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### Loopback
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Scarlett 2nd Gen, Clarett USB, and Clarett+ interfaces have as many
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PCM Inputs as Hardware Inputs. Scarlett 3rd Gen interfaces have two
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more PCM Inputs which Focusrite Control uses as “Loopback” inputs.
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The “Loopback” feature advertised for Scarlett 3rd Gen devices is
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actually a limitation of the proprietary Focusrite Control software.
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All supported devices with a mixer (that’s all but the 2nd and 3rd Gen
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Solo/2i2 interfaces) support full reassignment of the PCM Inputs, so
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you can have any PCM Input as a “Loopback” or assigned to any other
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source.
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### Talkback
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The Scarlett 3rd Gen 18i20 talkback microphone is Analogue Input 9 and
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can be routed like any other source. If you want to record using it,
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there is no need for the loopback hack suggested by the manufacturer.
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Just route it to a PCM Input.
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## Mixer
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If you use the Routing window to connect Sources to Mixer Inputs and
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Mixer Outputs to Sinks, then you can use the Mixer window to set the
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amount of each Mixer Input that is sent to each Mixer Output using a
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matrix of controls:
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Click and drag up/down on the gain controls to adjust, or use your
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mouse scroll wheel. You can also double-click on the control to
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quickly toggle between off and 0dB.
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## Levels
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The Levels window shows the current levels of the hardware outputs, the
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mixer inputs, and the PCM inputs.
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Look at this in conjunction with the routing window to understand
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which meter corresponds to which source or sink.
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## Startup
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The Startup window is used to configure settings that are
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applied/relevant when the interface is powered on.
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### Standalone
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When Standalone mode is enabled, the interface will continue to route
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audio as per the previous routing and mixer settings after it has been
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disconnected from a computer. By configuring the routing between the
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hardware and mixer inputs and outputs appropriately, the interface can
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act as a standalone preamp or mixer.
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Standalone mode is supported on all devices supported by the kernel
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driver. Even the Scarlett 3rd Gen 4i4 (which is bus-powered) will
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operate in standalone mode.
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### Phantom Power Persistence (Scarlett 3rd Gen only)
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When Phantom Power Persistence is enabled, the interface will restore
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the previous Phantom Power/48V setting when the interface is turned
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on. For the safety of microphones which can be damaged by phantom
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power, the interface defaults to having phantom power disabled when it
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is turned on.
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### Reset Configuration
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This will reset the configuration of the interface to the factory
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defaults (except for MSD mode which is left off).
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### Update Firmware
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If a firmware update is found in the `/usr/share/firmware/scarlett2`
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directory, then an option to update the firmware will be available
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here.
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