I need help:
I have two computers, a notebook with Windows 10 and a desktop computer with Windows 8.1. I use the same hardware (Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 USB Interface) and I installed exactly the same version of Audacity (the latest 2.1.3), and their settings are all the same, I checked them. As far as I know the sound settings of the operating systems are the same in both cases too.
When I use the notebook (Windows 10) to record a guitar sound, and if I make stereo recording, the left channel is blank and the right channel contains the guitar sound (because it’s mono sign), and if I make mono recording, the guitar sign is on the one recording channel, works well.
But when I plug the Focusrite to the desktop computer (Windows 8.1) and I use this, the stereo recording behaves the same (left channel is blank, right channel contains the sign), but when I make mono recording, the channel remains empty unlike on the notebook… My only chance to record the mono guitar sound is using stereo recording and then later removing the unnecessary empty channel always. I don’t know, what can be the difference, what am I doing wrong, is there special Audacity settings to this…
Can anybody help me to use my desktop computer like my notebook to be able to make mono recordings from mono sign correctly? I hope there is a solution.
Normally, channel 1 is left and channel 2 is right.
When you record in mono you should get channel 1 & 2 mixed together, but you may only get the left channel (channel 1). The difference may be the drivers*, or Focusrite may have a configuration utility to control how it behaves. If you’re plugged into channel 2, and you’re only getting channel 1, obviously you’re going got get silence…
If the silent channel is being mixed with the active channel, the signal level will usually be limited to -6dB (50%). That is, with the LED for one channel on the Focusrite just below clipping (just below “red”?), your L+R mono level in Audacity will be just below -6dB. (That’s OK, you can boost it after recording.)
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Note that Audacity uses regular Windows drivers, not the ASIO drivers. If the regular Windows drivers are not supplied by Focusrite, it’s using the Microsoft supplied USB audio drivers, which may be different for Win8 and Win 10.
Thank you for your detailed answer!
In Control Panel at the details of the drivers it seems to be the same installed drivers on Windows 8 and Windows 10, but may be only same names of them. I ask Focusrite about this problem. First I didn’t know, who do I have to ask from, where can be the problem (Audacity or the USB interface or other).
Are you sure? That is very unusual. For two channel USB interfaces, the *normal behaviour is that recording as mono gives the left channel only.
(The left channel of a stereo Audacity track is the upper channel).
*According to the USB audio specification, recording mono should record the left channel (channel 1) only.