Using 3 or MOre Mics Through a Multichannel Interface?

[KenRyan]

If I had a Focusrite Scarlett 18i8 interface with 4 mic (XLR) inputs, will all 4 mics work in a Zoom meeting? If not, is there a way to use an app or something to combine all 4 inputs into a single channel so Zoom would recognize it?

Thanks!

Ken

[Ohkawa]

Hi, @KenRyan 

I have never used that device so I don't know the details, but I checked the manual.
It looks like a mixer-amplifier, so it seems to synthesize the audio from four microphones and output it to the PC through a single USB port.
Generally, such a device is recognized by the PC as a USB microphone, so you can use it by selecting it as the Zoom's microphone.
However, you may need to follow the instructions in the manual for setting up the device and installing the special software.

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[Sollner01773 · Accepted solution]

Hi Ken,

I use the Focusrite Scarlett 18i8 with two mics on Zoom. I also use Ableton Live 10 Lite as a DAW for mixing the Scarlett output. You should have no problem getting Zoom to get its sound from the Scarlett as an audio source, regardless of how many mics you have plugged into it. The Scarlett takes care of all the mixing required.

Gerry

[KenRyan]

Thanks Gerry! Yeah, it turned out that it worked just fine, despite all the warnings. :-).

[Ronser]

Hi Ken - you can use the Focusrite Clarett 18i8 USB with multiple mics. There are instructions from Focusrite to make a loopback to do that. Check these two links:

https://support.focusrite.com/hc/en-gb/articles/360012979100-How-to-set-up-your-Focusrite-audio-inte...

• How to use several inputs on your Scarlett (2nd Gen) or Clarett USB interface within video call soft...

The catch here is, I can get 3 mics working but the 4th mic is not heard by Zoom users - yet we can hear it in my studio. If you can get the 4th (or more mics) to work let us know. All the responses so far use only 2 mics which is very simple. The Focusrite video shows how to set up 3 mics but only implies you can set up more. So, any help would be appreciated. Thanks.