Hey it's Harry and today we're going to look at how simple it is to get set up
with your EVO 8 audio interface.
We've designed EVO 8 to be super easy to set up
so you can spend more time recording, playing and just being creative.
Inside the box you'll find the EVO 8 unit
a quick start guide as well as a USB C to C cable
EVO 8 is powered solely from your computer
so to get started just plug it in using the USB C cable.
If you have a computer with USB A ports then you'll need to get hold of a USB A-C cable
and bear in mind that if you do use the USB A connection that
you'll only be able to get two channels of 48V Phantom Power
for your condenser microphones at any one time.
EVO 8 will work with both Mac and Windows computers, but to begin with
you'll need to download the drivers from our website.
This will give you access to the EVO mixer which allows you to route your audio
the ability to change various settings on EVO 8
and to ensure that your EVO 8 is running the latest firmware.
On a Mac just drag the application into the applications folder
and when you open it it will create an EVO icon in the menu bar
this will let you access all of the different features.
Then to set EVO 8 as your sound device on your computer you just need to go to
the System Preferences Sound menu and then set EVO 8 as your input and output device.
On Windows once you've downloaded the driver follow the installation process through
and then open the app.
This will create an EVO icon in the system tray in the bottom right
of the screen and if you right-click on this you have access to all the different features.
To set EVO 8 as the sound device on your PC you just need to go to the Windows Settings App
go to Sound and then select EVO 8 as the input and output device.
For older versions of Windows you can set EVO 8 as the sound device through the
Sound menu in the Control Panel.
Now you have EVO 8 connected and installed it's time to get some audio going.
To start recording with EVO 8 plug your microphones or line level equipment into
the inputs on the back or if you're wanting to use an electric
guitar or a bass for example then use the instrument input on the front
and remember that the instrument input comes in on channel 1
so if you're wanting to record microphones alongside it you'll need to
use inputs 2, 3 and 4 on the rear.
If you're using a condenser microphone then you're going to need to use phantom power
To activate phantom power on a channel
you just need to press the channel that the microphone is connected to
and then press the 48V button.
This will light up red when it's activated.
You can select phantom power on any or all of the mic preamps at the same time
provided you're using the USB C connection.
Remember if you are using a USB A connection you'll only be able to select
two channels for phantom power at any one time.
So now you have everything plugged in that you want to use it's really
important to set your inputs correctly this way you can get the best quality
recording when you bring it into the computer.
On EVO 8 it's got a really useful Smartgain feature which will
automatically set the perfect inputs for you
and it's really easy to set up you just press the green Smartgain button
and then you select the channels that you want to set the gain for
and then you press the green Smartgain button again.
Now the LEDs will animate to show that it's in Smartgain mode.
At this point you want to sing or speak
or do whatever you're going to be doing when you're recording
and EVO 8 will set the gain appropriately.
Once the Smartgain button turns green
it means that it's set the perfect level for your inputs and you're ready to start recording.
If you want to manually tweak your input levels
or you don't want to use Smartgain at all and you'd rather do it manually
then you just have to press the input that you want to change the gain for
and then rotate the main knob.
The LED ring around the outside will give you a visualisation of what level you've set it to.
Now open up your audio software.
In most audio software you'll need to set EVO 8 as the input and output device
so it can send and receive audio with your computer.
To do this the setting is usually found in some sort of preferences or settings menu
so it's best to check exactly how you do it in your individual software.
Now create a channel in your audio software
set the input to the input you're using
and you're ready to record.
So we have audio coming from your microphones or instruments
into EVO 8 and then into your computer
but now we need to get audio coming out of your computer
and into some speakers or headphones.
You can plug some speakers into the speaker outputs on the back of EVO 8
or you can plug headphones into the front
and when you plug your headphones in
it will automatically mute the corresponding speaker output to make
sure that you don't get spill or your speakers being picked up in your
microphones while you're recording.
You can adjust the volume of each of
your outputs by pressing the corresponding
output button on the top of the unit and then rotating the main knob
and if you want to quickly mute the outputs you just have to
hold the button down until it flashes.
EVO 8 comes with the EVO Mixer which
lets you control exactly what comes out of your speakers and headphones
this also includes the ability to alter the ultra low latency monitoring of your inputs.
This means you can listen to exactly
what's happening live on your inputs as well as a backing track from your computer
but with no distracting delays enabling you to get the most out of your sessions.
You're also able to create a completely custom headphone mix for when
you're working with people who want to listen to something different to what
you're listening to.
For an in-depth look at the EVO Mixer
please go and watch our EVO Mixer Overview video.
Now you have everything you need to get EVO 8 set up but do remember if you
register your EVO 8 on our website you'll gain access to a bunch of free software
and resources to help you with your productions.
Make sure you subscribe to this channel to stay up to date with more EVO 8 related videos
and if you're having any trouble getting set up
then please head over to the help pages on our website
or get in touch with our support team who'd be happy to help you get up and running.