Good questions that I do not know enough about to answer with certainty. Based on the depth of your comments, it seems correct.
As for their software, I agree that if Scarlett/Focusrite put as much work into their software interface as they did into their hardware it would improve their reputation dramatically. Their control software in my opinion only, didn't really settle down until the last four versions. If I was to make a guess based on everything you've said, it seems the control interface on the MAC in the earlier versions may have been a large part of the root cause of your issues. Bad drivers always produce bad results.

I had a specific layout I knew I wanted and saved the file to a different location because it worked seamlessly. I never trust updates.
I did that in case the updates forced me to reconfigure everything with multiple speaker outputs. The remnants of too many bad experiences with Windows updates over the years probably drilled that procedure as second nature into me.

 

As a temporary solution you can use network audio from Asio link pro or Voicemeeter (Vban?), one computer connected to the audio interface, the other one connected to lan and sending audio to the other (connected to audio if).

I do it several times to check vst on daw from a remote station, but it gives a bit of latency.

 

yes Antelope Zen Quadro.

 

@nmkeraj, just buy the same audio interface you currently use, again!

 

Last edited: Feb 28, 2025

Why would you even want to connect two computers to the same audio device and record with both of them at the same time? For most people that should be completely unnecessary. The solutions that enable you to do it are expensive and people that buy them will have (a) powerful enough computer(s) to use them and the needed knowledge to pull it off.
As a rule of thumb, for simple USB audio devices with only a few channels it is not possible. Then again any half decent computer should be able to record 8, 16 and even more channels at the same time. I have recorded 16+ channel multitrack recordings with a 10-year-old quad-core laptop with no issues. Most cheap interfaces don't even have 8 channels to begin with.

 

simple : why ? just copy the project. i've seen strange things, like using 8 mikes on a single guitar cab. or for a simple pop song using 250 tracks. but yeah, do it. (but why lol)

 

I don't know if this helps, but I have several audio interfaces that can't be used with any computers. so i know an interface can share zero computers. I don't know if this architecture scales up as I have problems multiplying zero.

 

Especially if you count your own time trying to get things configured and working properly, there are an awful lot of 2nd hand interfaces on Reverb and Ebay...

 

The OP still hasn't answered the questions. Why do you even need to record on two machines at the same time? For what actual purpose?
I'm curious. Because one person can monitor two machines at once. Also, wouldn't such a set-up take double the hard drive space? What's the advantage there?

I'm just curious what the overall goal is?

 

Yeah, I'm really wondering that myself, I can't begin to wrap my head around what benefit this provides.

 

yes please explain we want to learn from the pros

 

Because either you're trying to operate them in sync with each other which is another big old can of worms, or you're just duplicating everything in which case...

 

AS I said... THEORETICAL

 

If i had to guess, redundancy is one offer. Making sure if one system fails the second will keep recording.
Another option would be to record clean in one comp and wet, most likely with outboard gear (that you might not have access to after recording) on the other comp and select afterwards the preferred takes.
Cheers

 

Maybe BV-Audio Matrix and VBAN, you can route the inputs in one computer and send via ethernet to another.

 

Yeah redundancy I considered but it's a lot of hassle and expense to solve a problem that thousands of studios around the world have operated for decades without really having to worry about... maybe if you are operating a recording studio for the Department of Defense or on a nuclear submarine they might want that level of redundancy LOL the other possibility is interesting but kind of seems the same to me, I would just print both the wet and processed versions on the same machine but hey, who knows...

 

The OP hasn't answered even ONE question. I think he's just trolling. I suggest no more responses. You can't ask a question and then not monitor the post. I'm out.