Zoom UAC allows it as well, and gives AWESOME latency too!

R

eikelbijter
Zoom UAC allows it as well, and gives AWESOME latency too!

Yes, I have overseen that since hardware Gain knobs are not encoders (I have the same on VS20).
If they update R8-R24 with UAC technology, I will have problem with money... UAC-2 is just "2", UAC-8 is 8 (more then I need) while close to MOTU/RME price range. So I am still waiting for wonder
 

mettelus
The hardware knob has no linkage inside the mixer (there are only 2 of these for all inputs... the rest are digital only). The mixer can control each input on each mix separately (digital faders). There are actually multiple faders and busses internally, so "input gain" there is a fader. It gets as "complex" as the interface it is running.

I am not sure which models carry MixControl (some Scarletts did not), and is certainly not unique to Focusrite.

I am confused by the question. MixControl is the ASIO control panel for the unit, and a fader is gain control. Did I miss something?

From scarlett Focusrite Control (Scarlett 2nd Gen) documentation:

Set the recording levels by adjusting the gain controls on the Scarlett front panel.

So no pre-amp gain control from software.

Yes to be clear, You do use the front panel gain controls on all models of Scarletts. Mix Control is only available from the 6i6 upwards and does not come with the Solo, 2i2 or 2i4.  
But you can certainly save mix scenes and levels within the mix control. As well as you do have to use mix control to toggle the PADS. 
I really don't see a situation where one can't take the 10 seconds to adjust the gain level. Besides, if you have more instruments than inputs and find your self swapping cables a lot, you should really get an interface that has enough inputs so this won't happen. Or have a mixer where all your outboard is connected and then you just mute and un-mute channel strips. 
I've seen people shopping for interfaces and they say - "well there's only me so I only need 2 inputs". But this is not smart. You need as many inputs as you have potential instruments on hand that you plan on using regularly. 

The Audient iD22 allows you to load and save settings. Settings include input gain as well as routing configuration.

To the OP --
You have two systems still running Win 7 (according to your sig). If it were me, I'd upgrade one to Win 10 and see if that fixes the crashing (Win 10 is supposed to run much more efficiently overall. Makes sense that would also apply to the Quad-Capture drivers). 
 
That's roughly $100 for the O.S. upgrade vs several hundred for a new interface.  Just a thought...

Cactus Music
Yes to be clear, You do use the front panel gain controls on all models of Scarletts. Mix Control is only available from the 6i6 upwards and does not come with the Solo, 2i2 or 2i4.  
But you can certainly save mix scenes and levels within the mix control. As well as you do have to use mix control to toggle the PADS.

In general I agree, but OP question was about digital gain control... And I must admit I was unaware that Zoom and Audient also have it.
 

I really don't see a situation where one can't take the 10 seconds to adjust the gain level.

At least one case exists, with Roland/Cakewalk VS-20. It is 2x2 interface but can switch between inputs, most important between guitar and mic. I have found rather annoying adjusting several parameters, including input gain, manually when switching. So I have organized that as saving relevant settings in Sonar track so they are automatically recalled when I record arm corresponding track (unfortunately not yet working with BOSS effects selection, but that also can be done).
 
For "real pro" all that is not an issue... but pro interfaces have it. For hobbyist that can be an issue, I am switching audio interfaces and connections all the time (for just playing a song I use TC GTX, it also has build-in audio but it is basic and without ASIO. So when I want record I reconnect to VS-20... as long as I am ok with BOSS effects, because latency is to high for computer processor, in that case I use M-Audio).

Thank you all very much. Your replies really helped me learn about some models that I hadn't really considered before. While (re-)checking out the manufacturers/models you recommended, I realized that I don't even need MIDI ins/outs (because the only MIDI device I use is connected to the MIDI input of my MIDI keyboard controller), so I considered some of the "no MIDI" models as well. Below are my impressions so far.

Babyface Pro: I'm sure this is fantastic in terms of both sound quality and stability. I seriously considered buying this, but it won't fit in the space where I want to put it (maybe it will, but it will be hard to see the meters and access the buttons/cables), so I'll have to buy longer monitor cables and some device to put it on. If it was a half-rack style, I would buy it, although it's very expensive for me...

UltraLite-mk4: I'm very certain I don't (and won't) need more than two inputs and two outputs. I can imagine myself telling myself "I paid extra money for what I'll never use" every time I see the many outputs on the back panel or the many channels/routing options in its mixer software.

Microbook IIc: I need two mic inputs (one for a condenser mic through which the singer sings, and the other for a dynamic mic through which I need to talk to the singer), so I had to drop this one. It seems to me that MOTU isn't interested in people who only need 2 mic ins, 1-2 guitar ins and want to record high quality audio at home. If they had such a model that is positioned between UltraLite-mk4 and Microbook IIc, I would buy it.

UAC-2: At one point this became the top candidate. I saw very positive reviews, except for some driver issues which may have been fixed by now, but there were three people who said the quality of the headphone amp was not very good (e.g. rather opaque in the high frequency range) or horrible, which discouraged me from buying it...

Audient iD14: This excited me the most. There are lots of positive reviews on Sweetwater, and the sound quality seems the best in this price range. It's not a half-rack style, but I think I can put it in the limited space on my desk and won't be difficult to plug in/out the cables. But I watched a YouTube video this morning and learned that the Mic 1 and Mic 2 faders in its mixer software aren't for adjusting the input gain knobs (on the unit) or the record levels...

Scarlett 6i6 G2: I didn't quite understand the explanations in the above posts about the Scarlett's software mixer, but it seems to me that you can't see the input gain value. Maybe I'm mistaken.
 
 
So, I haven't decided which model to buy yet. What I really learned in the last two days is that the Quad-Capture is the only interface that meets my needs perfectly, and it's so unfortunate that the device causes my heavy projects to go silent. 

 

JonD
Are you sure your issues aren't system-specific? I don't recall ever hearing another Quad Capture owner report the same issue you described (Sonar goes quiet with a heavy project).

 
Even if it's system-specific, I don't know how to fix it. I've configured all audio-related settings as recommended in the Quad-Capture manual, SONAR manual, etc., and there's no one here who can come to my place and solve the issue for me. But I think it's a Quad-Capture driver issue, because if I use a Tascam 2x2-SC, which I've been renting for a couple of days now from TEAC Japan thanks to its 2-week free rental campaign, the heavy project plays fine. I said "heavy project" just because it uses lots of plugin effects etc., but, according to the Performance Module which you can see in the screencast below, the project isn't really heavy. I reported the issue to Roland Japan, but they said they have never heard of the issue before. I also have never seen anyone in the SONAR forum experiencing the same issue. So I'm probably the only one in the world experiencing it. How unfortunate.
 

 

JonD
You have two systems still running Win 7 (according to your sig). If it were me, I'd upgrade one to Win 10 and see if that fixes the crashing (Win 10 is supposed to run much more efficiently overall. Makes sense that would also apply to the Quad-Capture drivers).

That's roughly $100 for the O.S. upgrade vs several hundred for a new interface. Just a thought...

 
I downloaded Win10 when it was available for free, so upgrading is free. But I'll have to buy a new backup software and external hard drives because they aren't supported by Win10. Also, upgrading might cause some other issues (even IF it fixes the current issue), and I don't really like Win10 in terms of usability and design (I've used it several times before). I'm very happy with Win 7 except this particular issue.

To icontakt : Just got the UltraLite-mk4 (have yet to set it up) --- had the Focusrite Scarlett 18i8 (first generation) which was fine (I am new to this stuff, however) but the problem I had with the 18i8 was that it some how got fried because of a power outage. My computer and the rest were not affected, I believe this is because they have their own power supply. So in effect the audio interface would not turn on. Did a bit of research and the UltraLite-mk4 seemed to fit the bill. Plenty of driver updates and continued support for product. Plenty of inputs (two for guitar on the front face) Usb2 and firewire and Midi. Really, before this becomes an Ad for them just look them up on internet. The thing I wanted to mention is that I also got a Furman PST-8 (power station) which basically is a power conditioner and a surge suppressor to plug all my gear into.