Scarlett MixControl
A native MixControl replacement for modern macOS
Scarlett MixControl
Control panel for 1st-generation Focusrite Scarlett interfaces
Focusrite discontinued MixControl, and on current versions of macOS it no longer recognises the hardware. The matrix mixer and output routing the cards still have became unreachable. Scarlett MixControl is an open-source, native macOS app that keeps first-generation cards usable, with a new, modern interface.
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What we delivered
- An 18 × 6 matrix mixer — level, mute, solo and stereo position on every channel
- Output routing, and what gets recorded into your DAW
- Live level metering, and saving settings into the card
- Saved configurations and automatic reconnection
Technologies used
Solution description
The app is written in Swift and SwiftUI as a native macOS application. It sends settings straight to the card, which stores them itself.
Focusrite never published how the cards are controlled. We worked it out from the original MixControl app and confirmed every command against real hardware.
The project is published as open source. Support is confirmed on real hardware for the 8i6 and 18i8; the remaining first-generation cards are ready and waiting for their owners to confirm them.
What was hard
Focusrite never published how the cards are controlled. We pulled the per-model signal tables straight out of the original MixControl binary and confirmed the meaning of every command by disassembling its code.
The hardware is first-generation; the app is not supposed to look it. Its owner compares it with what Focusrite ships for current models, so it had to feel like a present-day program rather than a utility bolted onto old gear. That showed most in the matrix mixer: it is a screen full of controls, and keeping it both readable and modern is not a given.
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