Focusrite 18i8 Port Problem

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Focusrite 18i8 Port Problem

Post by dalezjc »

I've had my Focusrite 18i8 for about 2 years now and it's performed flawlessly. Went to record yesterday and the recorded input from XLR input 1 is very low and muddy. Nothing has changed in my recording setup. Could the input channel have gone bad?

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Re: Focusrite 18i8 Port Problem

Post by shufflebeat »

Input 2 as normal?

Any changes in F/R software?
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Re: Focusrite 18i8 Port Problem

Post by Drew Stephenson »

Was it a microphone or instrument you had plugged in? Any chance you could have accidentally flicked off phantom power when you plugged in?
Are the other channels still working properly?
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Re: Focusrite 18i8 Port Problem

Post by dalezjc »

1. Haven't updated the Focusrite software.
2. All the other channels are working properly.
3. Instrument plugged in (snare drum). When I plug the snare mic into the other channels, it records fine.

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Re: Focusrite 18i8 Port Problem

Post by Drew Stephenson »

Does the 18i8 use the Scarlett MixControl software? Anything changed there?
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Re: Focusrite 18i8 Port Problem

Post by Rockrooms »

dalezjc wrote:I've had my Focusrite 18i8 for about 2 years now and it's performed flawlessly. Went to record yesterday and the recorded input from XLR input 1 is very low and muddy. Nothing has changed in my recording setup. Could the input channel have gone bad?

Dale

It would be quite rare for a single channel to go bad in the way you describe, I wouldn't say impossible, but rare.

Are the gain halos behaving in a similar manner if you switch between CH1 and CH2, i.e they both light green at roughly the same points given the same level of snare hit? Is this behavior both mic and inst input, if you plug a guitar / bass into input 1 does it have a lower level and quality of sound compared to input 2. I'm wondering if the combi jack has somehow become damaged on the first input channel, in the scheme of things CH1 inputs can sometimes get the most wear in terms of plugging things in, if I were to think of one thing that mechanically might fail.

The pot might be a problem point, but I would normally expect crackles to be apparent.

Is the mic dynamic or condenser? The phantom should be the same on 1 and 2, so if one was problematic I would expect the other to be the same, but wondering if dynamic and condenser mics show the same behavior.

If you listen on headphones is the difference between CH1 and CH2 equally as apparent?

It's probably worth getting in touch Focusrite support, they might ask similar questions, the more things you've tried up front might help with diagnosis.

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Re: Focusrite 18i8 Port Problem

Post by dalezjc »

When I plug my guitar or bass into channel 1, it exhibits the same problem. Very low volume and very muddy. I even dime the pot and not much changes. All the other channels work fine.

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Re: Focusrite 18i8 Port Problem

Post by shufflebeat »

blinddrew wrote:Does the 18i8 use the Scarlett MixControl software? Anything changed there?

That was what I had in mind rather than any updates.

It doesn't take much to get lost in mix control but you could load <file/whatever the initial preset is called> to eliminate the possibility of an inadvertent tweak.
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Re: Focusrite 18i8 Port Problem

Post by dalezjc »

I haven't touched the Focusrite software since I did the initial install three years ago.
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Re: Focusrite 18i8 Port Problem

Post by Hugh Robjohns »

It's not entirely unknown for electronically balanced input stages to get blown up, especially if 'hot plugging' mics with phantom power switched on. And the symptoms of low level and muffled sound more like a broken input stage rather than a software mixer setup problem...

That being said, combining two of the same signal with a slight delay between them can produce a sound with a similar description (low level) too, so it is worth checking that you haven't got any weird signal routing going on!
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Re: Focusrite 18i8 Port Problem

Post by dalezjc »

Thanks for all the replies and suggestions everyone. Going to reach out to Focusrite support.

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