There are two basic processes in the setup. The first is the hardware connection and the next is the proper configuration of FL Studio’s audio device.
To use the Scarlett 2i2 with FL Studio, connect the interface to your PC using a USB-C cable. Open FL Studio > Select Options > Audio Settings. Under input/output, select Scarlett 2i2 USB (for Mac) or Focusrite USB ASIO (for Windows) as the audio device.
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To connect the Scarlett Interface to your computer, you will need a USB cable. If you are using an earlier MacBook (2015 and above), your PC will come with USB A ports, so you’ll need to connect the two ends of the cable to the corresponding ports the Scarlett audio interface and your computer.
Newer MacBooks (2015 to present) come with Thunderbolt ports, which resemble and are compatible with Type-C ports. That means you cannot connect the USB cable that comes with Scarlett to your computer directly.
You can find a way around this by purchasing a ‘USB C to USB C cable or a USB C adapter. After connecting the devices, Turn on the interface using the power button.
Once you have properly connected the Scarlett to your computer, the next step is to set up the interface in FL Studio. In FL Studio, you have to make sure the input and output are appropriately set to the Scarlett audio Interface.
In FL Studio, click “Options” from the tab, then select “Audio Settings”. The Audio Settings window features three sections which are “Input/Output”, “CPU” and “Mixer”. The section important to us is the input/output section.
Under input/output, change “Device” to Scarlett 2i2 USB. Doing this will make FL Studio recognize your Scarlett as the audio device where input comes and also sends the output of the master to Scarlett.
Get your microphone with an XLR cable or 1/4″ cable, or your guitar (instrument) with its 1/4″ jack-to-jack cable and plug it into one of the input ports on your Scarlett interface. Scarlett 2i2 has two XLR ports, Each of which can also serve as a line-in for a 1/4″ jack.
Now, open the mixer by clicking its icon or pressing the shortcut “F9”. Click on an empty track to set audio input for the track in which you will record.
On the FX panel (which by default is on the right side of the mixer) you will find the menu to choose input and output for each track. The button to select input is above and the button for output is below.
There are two inputs on the Scarlett interface, Left and right. When you open the input drop-down menu, you’ll find two sections: one for stereo and the other for mono.
The stereo input (In 1 – In 2) lets you combine the two inputs into one. You should select this only when you have a microphone plugged into each input.
This way, one mic records the left side, while the other records the right. This is what people refer to as recording in “stereo.”
If you’ll be using one microphone (or instrument), You should select one of the mono inputs. The one to be selected depends on where you have plugged your microphone/instrument.
If you connected your mic to the left input, select “In 1”, and select “In 2” when your mic is connected to the input on the right. To choose the output, select the master track and make sure the Output is set to “Out 1 – Out 2”.
After selecting an input, you should see the audio coming through that track when you speak into the mic or play your instrument. By default, the track selected is readily armed for recording. To switch on this setting in cases when it isn’t, click on the last button beside the volume fader of the track selected.
Before you start recording, make sure to check the input levels of the microphone/instrument by speaking into the mic (playing the instrument) and ensuring that the signal coming through is adequate for the music you’re recording.
Also, check the gain knob on the Scarlett interface to see that the colour is green not red or yellow.
This is to ensure that your audio won’t start clipping and distorting. You can always increase the volume when editing, but it is not advisable to work with distorted audio. Also, remember to check your headphones and speaker levels.
I usually turn on the 3-2-1 (count-in button) and the metronome as well.
Once you have connected all your gear, click the record button on the FL Studio toolbar. You might find a pop-up window asking “What would you like to record?”.
The first option records into Edison, while the other option records directly into the playlist. Choose what works best for you and start recording. The FL Studio online manual goes in-depth on how to record audio in different instances.
As of now, I record directly into the Playlist, but I think recording into the Edison could be a great idea if you plan on doing considerable audio manipulation.
Plug the ends of the USB into the corresponding ports on the Scarlett audio interface and the computer, then switch on the audio interface. This is the required process to get the hardware up and running.
In FL Studio, what is needed is to adjust the settings so that the Scarlett interface is recognized as the audio device.
From the tab, click “Options” then select “Audio Settings”. In the Audio Settings window, there are three sections which are “Input/Output”, “CPU” and “Mixer”.
The input/output section is where you will select what audio device FL Studio will use for recording and output.
Under input/output, open the device menu. You’ll find two options; “Direct Sound Devices” and “ASIO Devices”. Direct sound devices are the drivers that come from the PC manufacturer. ASIO drivers come with FL Studio installation.
If you do not have ASIO installed on your computer, you can always download and install it. Select Focusrite USB ASIO under ASIO devices.
Plug your microphone into one of the input ports on your Scarlett interface using an XLR cable, or a 1/4″ cable for instruments. The input ports on the Scarlett 2i2 are hybrid for both XLR and 1/4″ connectors.
Click the mixer button or press “F9” to open the mixer. Then select an empty track. If you were using macOS, you would have to add the “fn” function in order to get the shortcut to work.
Each track’s input/output source is located on the FX panel (which by default on the right side of the mixer). The input button is in the top corner of the FX panel.
The Scarlett 2i2 interface has two inputs. Left (In 1) and Right (In 2). Open the input menu, you will find stereo and mono inputs. The stereo input (In 1 – In 2) combines both inputs.
Only use this option if you have a microphone inserted into each of the inputs. In this way, one microphone records the left side and the other the right side.
For one microphone (or instrument), which is usually the case, choose one of the mono inputs. Choose “In 1” if your microphone is connected to the left input, and “In 2” if it is connected to the right input. Select the master track and make sure the Output is set to “Out 1 – Out 2”.
Arm your track for recording by clicking the “Arm for recording button on the bottom side of the volume fader of the track you selected.
Now click record and choose whether to record into the playlist or Edison This section of the FL Studio manual provides more information about recording.
Unlike GarageBand and Logic Pro X, you can’t configure your DAW so that the audio interface functions as the input device and then your built-in speakers are the output device.
Currently, I have my iLoud Micro Monitors connected to my laptop computer via the headphone port (aka, Built-in Output), and then I use my Scarlett as the input device.
With this configuration, it’s not actually possible to output to the iLouds in this way and continue using the Scarlett. If I want to monitor, I have to plug headphones into the Scarlett or connect the speakers to it.
However, you can get around this by setting up an Aggregate Device in the Audio MIDI Setup area of your laptop (on macOS).
Obviously, the first part of this process is to connect your Scarlett to your PC with the USB-C cable as I showed you earlier. Once you’ve done that, we can start with the settings and configuration.
In simple terms, this allows you to combine or “aggregate” input and output devices into one. We can then use it as an audio driver in FL Studio’s settings.
You also don’t need to do anything else on this menu. No need to label anything or mess with any other controls. Just check the boxes and you’re done in this particular section.
Once you’ve done that, you can select your Input/Output in the Mixer (fn + F9 to bring it up), click the Monitoring button, press play, and then start recording.
Andrew Siemon is the principal creator of ProducerSociety.com, a website dedicated to all things music, including music production, music theory, recording, and how to use the most popular DAWs. Starting out as a metal guitarist, Andrew has since moved into other areas of music production including hip-hop and fusion
