(Solved - Update) focusrite scarlett 6i6 2G "breaths" on playback

i just got the 6i6 and i love how it sounds, much more perceived depth between me and the speakers, great plug-ins...


that said, i have noticed that during playback, the music sometimes will dropout for a nano, then resume. it's almost as if it runs out of breath, then resumes. the dropout is barely noticeable, just at the threshold of hearing it, but it is there. 
 
i'm using the focusrite 2.1.5 usb driver, and adjusting buffers from 128 upward doesn't make a difference. nor does upping sonar's buffers. this is playback only. it occurs outside of sonar as well. if i do audible mix and hear a glitch, that glitch is not written to the export. i checked carefully in sound forge, no gaps at all, yet playback in sf may have a glitch somewhere else, but when i play it again the glitch is not there and may occur down the line.
 
i'm going to try the wasapi driver today, but other than that i'm out of ideas. any other 6i6 users see this? have a fix?
 
 

I had an 18i20, had to return it much to my dismay it just would not work as advertised on my system. I would get glitches that I could set my watch to, plus random times where SONAR would lose connectivity with the device and I would then get the squeal of death through my speakers....not fun. It was possible I got a bad unit, but I think it was more driver/firmware.
 
One thing I can tell you is make sure you do the following:
 
USB 2.0 vs. 3.0: It shouldn't matter but it does, you will get better results with 2.0
 
Bandwith: These Focusrite usb devices are bandwith hogs. Make sure the 6i6 is plugged into a usb port that has its own root hub with no other devices connected. Too often if it shares bandwith with other devices you will get glitches, hiccups in the audio etc. Also, if this is a desktop, sometimes the usb ports don't have a hub, that data is handled by the chipset which can also cause things to bottle neck. 
 
 

I personally got a defective unit from Focusrite once (One mic pres/input was dead). They sent me a brand new unit.
I worked with them over the phone vs. bring it back to guitar center where I bought it.
it was a few days after the return policy expired but they were cool enough to let me bring the unit back and exchange it for a new one that  they shipped out to GC. It was perfect.
 
That was my old Focusrite. I have had good luck with these units other wise so they have been getting my business for years now because they update drivers, build units like a tank (much along the lines of Mackie's old boards) and besides this one problem have been rock solid. I don't buy in to the "Award winning Mic pres'" this is a selling point. But what I do buy in to is quality and sound. They are great sounding units. By that I even mean the award winning Mic Pres' as well.

Power fluctuation?

Just a long shot,,, there are certain plug ins that in demo mode behave that way. 
 
But I doubt this is a driver issue. 
 
Check with Latency monitor to see if there are background apps using the CPU. 
 
I would also check cables. 
 
I would test it by playing a WAVE file via Media player, or better yet play a wave file of a pure sine wave ( test tone)  which you can download free. 

dlion16
Focusrite tech support rocks! Chatted with nick

I know right. I said the same thing. I believe it was Brandon who helped me.
A lot can be said for good support. it brings buyers back. Glad its all sorted Dlion

Do you know the driver version he sent you? was it 4.26? I tried that one with no luck just curious.
 
 

Thanks, chuck. Emwhy, it is 4.26. Much better than the  previous. I'll do more testing tomorrow. 

dlion16
yes, chuck, usb2 port. before was m-audio firewire 1814. should i also uninstall the 1394 driver? how do i check the firmware version?
 
emwhy, how do i check to see if the usb port has its own root hub?
 
thanks.

http://www.uwe-sieber.de/..reeview_e.html#download

I used mine on a pcie card with 2 USB 3.0 ports. Glitch free and I was able to notice a dip in overall CPU usage plus it was ultra stable with smaller buffer settings. Gotta get these things on their own ports and hubs and not have them sharing USB bandwith.

I consider myself to be one of the more lucky ones because I have never had to disable anything, not even onboard audio (I use onboard audio for PC= you tube, media player, exc). Only when I worked on a laptop I disabled my wireless card because of interference. but this Intel I7 I have, I did nothing except create a power plan. that's it. I use my USB soundcard (Focusrite) and Midi CS plugged in to my Focusrite.
I have 2 sets of speakers for USB soundcard and set of PC speakers for PC.

So, can you only obtain the beta driver by invitation? I am having a few dropout problems with my 6i6 and would very much like to try an updated driver to see if that is the issue. I searched the web for the 4.26 beta driver without any luck.

Ruckman65
So, can you only obtain the beta driver by invitation? I am having a few dropout problems with my 6i6 and would very much like to try an updated driver to see if that is the issue. I searched the web for the 4.26 beta driver without any luck.

http://beta.focusrite.com/

I run my 1st gen 6i6 on the latest beta driver. It works flawlessly. I can record @16 samples, although latency doesn't matter since I started to monitor signal through a real tube preamp.