Focusrite direct monitoring not working for you?

Your voice is lost under the backing track, or turning it up wrecks the recording. I’ll set up direct monitoring and a proper headphone mix in Focusrite Control, live on a remote session.

Get a free diagnosis

5.0 from 175+ Google reviews for my consultancy, Audio Support

Sound familiar?

You can’t perform well if you can’t hear yourself.

Voice lost in the mix

With the backing track at a good level, you can’t hear yourself.

Turning up ruins the take

Raising your vocal in the recording software makes it record too hot.

Hearing yourself late

Your voice comes back a fraction late through the software.

Hear one mix, record another

Your headphone mix and your recording level should be separate. Focusrite interfaces can give you a custom headphone mix with direct monitoring, so you hear yourself instantly and record at the right level.

How I fix it

A live remote session. You stay at your desk, and I work on your computer with you.

I call you on WhatsApp

A voice line on your phone, separate from the mic we’re working on, so we can talk while we test.

I connect and listen

I connect to your computer with AnyDesk and hear your audio in real time through Audiomovers LISTENTO.

We build your headphone mix

Direct monitoring on, your headphones switched to a custom mix in Focusrite Control, then your voice and the backing track balanced to taste.

A real fix

A home recording artist who couldn’t hear their vocal over the backing track.

Live Diagnostic CASE ID #265

A headphone mix that works, on a Focusrite Scarlett 6i6

The setup

The problem

They were tracking vocals in Cubase through a Focusrite Scarlett 6i6. With the backing track comfortable, their voice was lost; turning the vocal up in Cubase made it record too hot.

What I did

Explained the difference between the headphone mix and the recording, using a live “stage mix” comparison.
Talked them through switching the headphone output in Focusrite Control from “Playback (DAW)” to “Custom Mix”.
Balanced the zero-latency mic input against the Cubase backing track, without touching a fader in Cubase.

The result

Result: they could adjust their headphone mix on the fly, separately from their recording level, and perform comfortably.

Read the full case study →

What it costs

No packages to decode, no upsells. Pick the one that fits and book it.

Diagnosis

Free

Send me your audio clips. I’ll listen properly and tell you what’s wrong and how I’d fix it — back with you by the next working day, UK hours.

Send me your audio

Live Diagnostic

£90

A focused, one-hour, screen-shared session to find and kill a specific problem. Mic suddenly not recording, distortion out of nowhere, routing that’s blocking your chat, software that won’t behave. Most issues are gone inside the session.

Book a Live Diagnostic

Full Studio Setup

£180

Around two hours. I take control and configure your whole rig from scratch — hardware and software, gain staging, mic positioning, routing, the lot. For new gear, a new room, or a setup that’s never quite worked properly. You end up with a system that just runs.

Book a Full Studio Setup

Priced in GBP. International clients welcome — your bank converts at checkout.

Before you book

The questions home recordists ask me most.

What is direct monitoring?

Hearing your mic straight from the interface, before it goes through your computer. There’s no delay, and your headphone level doesn’t change what gets recorded.

Does my Focusrite have this?

Many Scarlett models do, through Focusrite Control. If you’re not sure about yours, the free Diagnosis will tell you.

Can I add reverb to my headphones?

On some interfaces, yes. On an RME interface I set up a zero-latency reverb directly on the hardware for a singer’s headphone mix.

Get a free diagnosis

Takes less than 2 minutes.