How to use your own laptop in the studio
Everything you need to record with your own software, from home prep to pressing record.
Yes, you can use your own laptop and recording software at any Audio House studio. The audio interface in every room is a Focusrite Scarlett 18i20. Install Focusrite Control on your laptop at home before you arrive, plug in using the cable on the desk, choose the Scarlett 18i20 in your software's audio settings, and you are ready to record. Your session, your software, your files.
- Install at homeBefore your session
- Plug in at the deskOne cable does everything
- Choose the interfaceIn your audio settings
- Pick your inputMic is already patched in
- Record and leaveFiles stay on your laptop
Do this at home, before your session
Most of the work happens before you walk in. There are two reasons to do it at home rather than in the room: it takes time, and you don't want to waste your booked time.
Go to the Focusrite official download page for the Scarlett 18i20 (3rd generation):
downloads.focusrite.com/focusrite/scarlett-3rd-gen/scarlett-18i20-3rd-gen
Download and install Focusrite Control for your operating system. On Windows, this also installs the driver the interface needs to talk to your laptop. Let it finish, restart if it asks you to, and you are done with the setup.
You do not need to open Focusrite Control during your session. Installing it is the step. It just needs to be there.
Connect when you arrive
On the desk you will find a cable labelled "laptop". It has both a USB and a USB-C connection, so one end will fit your machine.
Plug it in. Everything switches to your laptop.
The cable is a switch. The moment your laptop is connected, it takes over the studio's audio interface, including the microphones, the headphones, the speakers, and the keyboard and mouse on the desk. The studio computer steps aside. You do not need to turn it on, log in, or open the Audio House app. Everything routes through your laptop now.
Choose the Scarlett 18i20 in your software
Open your recording software and go to its audio settings. On Windows, select ASIO Audio Drivers. Set both the input and the output to the Scarlett 18i20.
If you play something back and sound still comes from your laptop's own speakers rather than the studio monitors, go to your laptop's system sound settings and set the output there to the Scarlett 18i20 as well. That usually sorts it.
Every recording app puts audio settings in a slightly different place, so we have kept this advice general. If you are stuck, we recommend using youtube or google for your specific software. As a last resort, text us and we will try to help (Although, we might not have experience with your specific software).
Which microphone is on which input
The microphones in the room are already patched into the interface. You just need to tell your software which input to record from.
| Input | What is connected |
|---|---|
| Input 1 | Open for your own mic or gear |
| Input 2 | Open for your own mic or gear |
| Input 3 | Shure SM7B (orange) |
| Input 4 | Shure SM7B (red), where the studio has one |
| Input 5 | Rode NT2-A |
| Input 8 | Guitar or bass cable |
In your recording software, create a track and set its input to whichever number matches the mic or instrument you want to use. If you are not sure which mic is which, the colour label on the mic stand will match the table above.
Inputs 1 and 2 are free if you have brought your own microphone or any other gear that connects via the interface.
Your recording stays on your laptop
Because you are working in your own software, everything you record saves to your laptop in whatever format and location your software uses. Nothing goes into the Audio House app, and we do not have access to your files. When you leave, your session leaves with you.
This also means you have full creative control over every part of the process: the software, the settings, the arrangement, the mix. Nobody is shaping the work but you.
Before you leave
When your session is done, unplug your laptop from the cable on the desk. This hands the keyboard, mouse, and audio interface back to the studio computer, ready for the next person.
That is the only thing to remember on the way out.
If something does not work
Text us. That is a completely normal thing to do, and it is the fastest way to get help. The most common issues, like software not seeing the interface, or sound coming from the wrong place, are usually quick to sort out with a message or two.
If you want to check the cost of your session before you book, the calculator at /estimate gives you the exact figure. Your first hour is free: see /free-hour for details. Studio locations are at /studios.