Don’t miss the main article—our Focusrite ISA C8X review.
Focusrite Control 2 serves as the desktop software control center for the ISA C8X, extending nearly every major front-panel function to the computer. A companion iOS or Android app can remotely control and view Focusrite Control 2 when the mobile device and computer are connected to the same network, although the mobile app does not communicate directly with the interface.
From the Mixer tab, users can combine the interface’s analog and digital inputs with DAW playback channels to build multiple independent monitor and headphone mixes. Each mix includes familiar controls for level, pan, mute, solo, and mono or stereo channel configuration, making it easy to create a main control-room mix alongside separate cue mixes for performers.
Preamp settings can also be adjusted remotely, including gain, input selection, phantom power, impedance, Auto Gain, Air, Drive, Console mode, inserts and high-pass filtering.
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The Routing tab handles the more complex job of assigning hardware inputs, DAW playback channels, or custom mixes to the C8X’s analog and digital outputs. This is also where users configure the Main, Alt 1 and Alt 2 monitor groups, split stereo output pairs into independent mono channels, trim individual output levels, set up loopback, and build surround or immersive monitoring systems up to 7.1.4.
Once a studio configuration is complete, it can be saved as a preset that recalls input settings, mixer levels, routing, monitor groups and output assignments. This makes Focusrite Control 2 especially valuable in studios that regularly move between tracking, overdubbing, mixing and immersive-monitoring setups.
