How to fix focusrite audio issues on Windows 11?

Question

Hello,

I'm not quite sure what discussion topic to pick for this but I wanted to post a question about how my Focusrite is interacting with my audio drivers (I have looked at Focusrite's community page etc. for help and nothing has worked).

Seemingly at random my Focusrite completely disconnects from all audio output channels on my PC. The only way i've found to make it work again is going into the sound output settings and toggling between the Sonic Spatial sound settings. I have done the following:

• Updated audio + video (just incase) drivers.
• Disabled all other audio outputs (I thought maybe it was prioritizing another output)
• Updated Focusrite Control
• Updated Windows 11
• Uninstalled all other instances of any audio interfaces/drivers that might interfere with the Output
• Switch audio interface units with my colleague (It still happens)
• Checked all Driver Device settings and ran troubleshooting for all applicable inputs and outputs

I'm sure i've tried more solutions but none of these have fixed the issue.

My Specs:

• Focusrite 3rd Generation Solo
• Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i9-9980HK CPU @ 2.40GHz (2.40 GHz)
• RAM: 32GB
• 64-Bit Operating System
• Windows 11 Pro
• GeForce GTX 1650

Thank you for taking the time to look and possibly help. I'm at the end of my tether ha.

Answer 1

Hi Graham Blair, thanks for the detailed breakdown. Based on your steps and system specs, here are a few additional suggestions that have helped others.

First, try switching to the older Windows 7/8 Focusrite driver (version 3.6.0). Several users have found this more stable than the latest Windows 10/11 drivers. Before installing, do a clean uninstall: unplug the device, remove all Focusrite entries from Device Manager (enable “Show hidden devices”), uninstall Focusrite Control and drivers from Programs, then reboot and install the older driver.

Second, check your USB connection. Avoid hubs and adapters connect directly to a USB port using the original cable or one that meets Focusrite’s specs. Try different ports, especially USB 2.0 vs. 3.0, as performance can vary.

Third, increase your buffer size in Focusrite Control to 1024. This can help reduce dropouts and improve stability. Also, disable Windows Spatial Sound and background enhancements in the sound settings, as these can interfere with audio routing.

Lastly, consider disabling automatic driver installation in Windows to prevent it from overriding Focusrite’s drivers. You can do this via Group Policy or Device Installation Settings.

Let me know if you'd like help walking through any of these steps happy to help.

If you found the response helpful feel free to mark my answer as helpful/accepted, it might make it easier for others to find the solution too.

Best,
Carl