What Does the Direct Monitor Button Do on the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 audio interface

if you have the focusrite Scarlet 2i2 audio interface you've probably spotted the direct monitor button on the front panel but what does it do and when should you use it so let's dive in and demystify the focusrite direct monitor button but before I begin make sure you subscribe and hit that notification Bell to make sure that you get notified of all my latest videos alright so let's get started so what exactly is the focusrite direct monitor button and what does it do well it allows you to toggle the rusing of the audio input between three output settings which are off mono and stereo when the direct monitor button is set to off you can only monitor the input audio in your headphones via the door on your computer however you may experience a delay in the audio due to latency settings latency is the delay that occurs when your audio signal is converted into digital and processed on your computer before being sent back to your headphones depending on the latency setting this can result in the audio crackling and a delay being introduced if you monitor yourself in headphones while speaking the delay can make it very difficult to talk normally because you're hearing what you've just said and this is where the direct monitor button can help you can monitor your input audio directly from your interface and because this signal doesn't have to be processed Center the door return to the interface and then sent to the headphones there's no appreciable delay to turn on generate monitoring press the button once to listen in mono or twice for listening in Stereo and to turn it off press the button one more time sent to Mono you'll hear the audio as a mono signal in both left and right ears regardless of whether you're using just one or both inputs but when you set the button to stereo you'll hear input 1 in your left ear and input 2 in your right ear now you might be wondering when to use the direct monitor button and when to keep it off well it's straightforward if you're recording near your computer and monitor speakers or if you don't want to hear yourself while recording then keep it off but if you need to or want to monitor your audio in real time and enjoy a high quality monitoring experience then turn on Direct monitoring if you're close to your computer and speakers use the big monitor dial to turn down the speakers and adjust your headphone level using the smaller dial above the quarter inch headphone output socket you want to use monodirect monitoring when you want to hear the audio as a mono mix when you don't need to differentiate between input 1 or input 2. typically this will be when you're recording your own voice into one of the inputs and it's also natural to hear your voice centered in your headphones but if you choose stereo your voice will be completely on the left or the right depending which input your microphone is plugged into this mode is ideal where you're using both inputs on the 2i2 interface perhaps recording a podcast with you and a guest or recording a vocal plus instrument because stereo direct monitoring separates the two inputs into left and right if you've got a problem on one of the channels then it's easier to tell which input is the one that's got the problems so as a rule of thumb use mono when you're recording with one input and use stereo when you're recording with two inputs there you have it the focusrite direct monitor button on the Skylark 2i2 audio interface explained if you've got a USB microphone like the blue yeti I've got a video that explains how you can connect it to a focusrite Scarlet 2i2 audio interface there should be a link up in the corner don't forget to like this video leave us a comment and share it with others who you think might find it useful thanks for watching and I'll catch you on the next video [Music]

Channel: DIY Video Studio

Views: 20,902

Keywords: audio interface, focusrite, focusrite scarlett 2i2, interface, sound interface, sound interface for recording, audio interface for home studio, 2i2, 2i2 3rd gen, 2i2 scarlett, usb audio interface, best budget audio interface, direct monitor focusrite, direct monitor focusrite solo, direct monitor button focusrite, focusrite solo direct monitor button, monitoring audio recording, 2i2 audio monitoring, focusrite scarlett 2i2 3rd gen setup, using scarlett, best audio interface

Id: mXgqQV1M7wc

Length: 4min 33sec (273 seconds)

Published: Fri Jun 09 2023