Audio Fix / setup help
Focusrite Scarlett 4i4 4th Gen: capture computer audio using its actual Loopback channels
Focusrite Scarlett 4i4 4th Gen: capture computer audio using its actual Loopback channels. Check prerequisites and the actual response before reporting an outcome.
Manufacturer-documented Reviewed 2026-11-09 · Revision 1
Follow these checks in Audio Fix →When this guide applies
Deliberate computer-playback capture, not selection of a physical microphone.
Connection scope: USB audio. Symptom: Recording or direct monitoring is not working.
This is a documented check, not a diagnosis of your equipment. The model name does not confirm the selected input, mode, software or connected partner.
If your exact model or a required setting is unknown, use the “I don’t know” branch below. Do not apply a similarly named model’s instructions.
Checks and possible outcomes
Start at step-0. Follow the link that matches what you actually observe. Alternative branches are not a single sequence of actions.
step-0
Do you intend to capture computer playback rather than an XLR input?
Loopback inputs are virtual and are not another microphone socket.
Look for: Confirm the actual prerequisite or observation. Unknown stops safely.
- If Yes / check completed → May a stopped DAW track change its input and monitoring state?
- If No / cannot confirm → Keep these observations for official support
- If I do not know / cannot check → A required fact is unknown
- Manufacturer-documented Focusrite Scarlett 4i4 4th Gen official user guide ↗PDF pages 35 — Loopback exposes computer audio on DAW inputs 5–6. Recording channels must be muted to prevent a feedback loop.Exact model/generation named in this manual; external controls and documented host paths only. · Source checked 2026-11-09
step-1
May a stopped DAW track change its input and monitoring state?
Retain the old assignment; do not alter a live take or broadcast.
Look for: Confirm the actual prerequisite or observation. Unknown stops safely.
- If Yes / check completed → Mute the Loopback recording channel in the DAW
- If No / cannot confirm → Keep these observations for official support
- If I do not know / cannot check → A required fact is unknown
- Manufacturer-documented Focusrite Scarlett 4i4 4th Gen official user guide ↗PDF pages 35 — Loopback exposes computer audio on DAW inputs 5–6. Recording channels must be muted to prevent a feedback loop.Exact model/generation named in this manual; external controls and documented host paths only. · Source checked 2026-11-09
step-2
Mute the Loopback recording channel in the DAW
Prevent the captured signal being fed back into its own computer playback path. Unknown monitoring route stops here.
Look for: Perform only the stated operation, then confirm whether it could be completed.
- If Yes / check completed → Select DAW input channels 5–6 for Loopback
- If No / cannot confirm → Keep these observations for official support
- If I do not know / cannot check → A required fact is unknown
- Manufacturer-documented Focusrite Scarlett 4i4 4th Gen official user guide ↗PDF pages 35 — Loopback exposes computer audio on DAW inputs 5–6. Recording channels must be muted to prevent a feedback loop.Exact model/generation named in this manual; external controls and documented host paths only. · Source checked 2026-11-09
step-3
Select DAW input channels 5–6 for Loopback
Use the interface Loopback pair, not analogue inputs 1–2.
Look for: Perform only the stated operation, then confirm whether it could be completed.
- If Yes / check completed → Does the track meter show the intended computer audio without a feedback loop?
- If No / cannot confirm → Keep these observations for official support
- If I do not know / cannot check → A required fact is unknown
- Manufacturer-documented Focusrite Scarlett 4i4 4th Gen official user guide ↗PDF pages 35 — Loopback exposes computer audio on DAW inputs 5–6. Recording channels must be muted to prevent a feedback loop.Exact model/generation named in this manual; external controls and documented host paths only. · Source checked 2026-11-09
step-4
Does the track meter show the intended computer audio without a feedback loop?
Keep the Loopback track monitoring muted. A meter check is not permission to capture protected material.
Look for: Confirm the actual prerequisite or observation. Unknown stops safely.
- If Yes / check completed → Checks completed — report what happened
- If No / cannot confirm → Keep these observations for official support
- If I do not know / cannot check → A required fact is unknown
- Manufacturer-documented Focusrite Scarlett 4i4 4th Gen official user guide ↗PDF pages 35 — Loopback exposes computer audio on DAW inputs 5–6. Recording channels must be muted to prevent a feedback loop.Exact model/generation named in this manual; external controls and documented host paths only. · Source checked 2026-11-09
Possible result
Checks completed — report what happened
Completion is not an automatic solved result. Report solved, partly helped, did not help or could not follow based on your actual observation. No Audio Review physical test is claimed.
steps completed
Reaching this result does not mean the issue is solved. Only your own feedback can report improvement.
Possible result
Keep these observations for official support
A required prerequisite or response was not confirmed. Stop this sequence and use the exact model and partner documentation. Do not escalate to a factory reset, firmware installation, internal repair or unsafe wiring change.
next support
Reaching this result does not mean the issue is solved. Only your own feedback can report improvement.
Possible result
A required fact is unknown
Confirm the exact model, connection, partner capability and current control state before continuing. Do not guess settings or operate an updating product.
insufficient data
Reaching this result does not mean the issue is solved. Only your own feedback can report improvement.