Focusrite VOCASTER-TWO Users Guide

User Guide

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Version 1

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CONTENTS

Contents

Overview ................................................ 3

Introduction ............................................ 3

Hardware features ....................................... 4

In the Box ............................................. 5

System requirements..................................... 5

Getting Started ........................................... 6

Easy Start Tool .......................................... 6

Mac Users: ...................................... 7

Windows Users: .................................. 8

iPad Users: ...................................... 9

All users: ...................................... 10

Manual Registration.............................. 10

Audio Setup in your DAW ................................ 10

Audio Setup in Hindenburg ....................... 11

Examples of use .......................................... 12

Recording with microphones.............................. 12

Using Auto Gain ................................ 14

Manual gain adjustment .......................... 15

Microphone Mute ............................... 17

Using Enhance .................................. 17

Listening with headphones ............................... 18

Listening with speakers .................................. 19

Recording a phone ..................................... 20

Using Bluetooth........................................ 21

What do the Bluetooth icon’s colours mean? . . . . . . . . . . 22

Recording to a video camera ............................. 23

Vocaster Hub software ..................................... 24

Controlling the microphones.............................. 25

Controlling your mix .................................... 26

Recording sounds from your computer...................... 27

Example of Loopback usage ....................... 28

Recording Tracks into Software............................ 28

Hardware Features........................................ 29

Top Panel ............................................. 29

Rear Panel ............................................ 31

Specications ............................................ 32

Performance Specications ............................... 32

Physical And Electrical Characteristics ...................... 33

Troubleshooting........................................ 34

Copyright and Legal Notices.............................. 34

Credits ............................................... 34

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OVERVIEW

Overview

Introduction

Welcome to your new Vocaster Two audio
interface. Vocaster Two has been designed to
let you create professional podcasts with the
minimum of hassle.

Content creators of all kinds - vloggers,
voiceover artists, streamers, audiobook
creators, and more – can use Vocaster Two
and the included Vocaster Hub software
to record quality audio to your computer,
camera or iPad.

We’ve designed Vocaster Two for users of all
experience levels. With features such as Auto
Gain and Enhance you can achieve clear and
consistent recordings quickly.

The Vocaster Hub software is designed with
simplicity in mind. The on-screen mixer lets
you get the perfect balance when you record,
along with access to the essential recording
controls.

The Vocaster Two interface has two
independent, high-quality microphone
preamps, so you can record live guest
interviews using separate microphones, for
the best audio results.

Connect Vocaster Two to a computer via its
USB-C port and the cable provided. You can
either live-stream audio in real time, or record
sound for later edit and upload.

Vocaster Two also allows two-way connection
via cable or Bluetooth to a compatible phone,
letting you record interviews or other audio
from your phone to your computer or camera.
You can also record to the audio track of a
camera in perfect sync with your video. You
can monitor your stream or recording process
on either headphones or loudspeakers.

The Vocaster Two interface and the included
Vocaster Hub control software support both
Mac and Windows.

Vocaster Two is also compatible with Apple
iPads with a USB-C port, so you can take
advantage of the additional portability and
convenience the tablet format provides.

If you can’t nd what you need in this User

Guide, please visit support.focusrite.com,
which has a Getting Started section, setup
guides and technical support.

A video series explaining how to set up and
use Vocaster Two is available at our Get

Started pages.

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OVERVIEW

Hardware features

Vocaster Two allows you to connect either
one or two high quality microphones to a
computer running macOS or Windows: this
will let you achieve a much better audio
recording than you would get by using the
microphone built into most laptops or tablets.

The microphone inputs accept a range of
microphone models, including both dynamic
and condenser types. If you are using a
condenser microphone, Vocaster Two can
provide the phantom power (48V) it needs to
operate.

The microphone signals route to your
computer’s audio recording software via the
USB-C connection at up to 24-bit resolution,
48 kHz sample rate. (24-bit/48 kHz is the
standard for most podcasts.)

If you don’t already have recording software,
we recommend Hindenburg. This is included
in the software package available to you free
of charge as a Vocaster owner.

A 3.5 mm jack socket allows you to connect
a phone to Vocaster Two: alternatively, you
can connect to the phone using Bluetooth. A
second, similar socket allows connection to a
video camera.

The phone connector is a TRRS: TRRS means
you get audio both in and out of the phone,
so you can record audio from the phone,
and the phone can also hear the other audio
sources you are recording to your show.

Vocaster Two has outputs for both
headphones and speakers: two front panel ¼’
TRS sockets for host and guest headphones,
and two rear panel ¼’ TRS sockets for
connection to speakers.

The top panel has a multi-function knob for
controlling the gain of either microphone,
and two separate knobs - one for each pair of
headphones - for setting listening level.

The ‘Host’ control also sets the volume in
external monitor speakers, if you are using
them. The microphone control is surrounded
by two halo meters showing the microphone
signal level and a separate halo displaying the
gain setting.

Two sets of three illuminated buttons select
the microphone input’s Auto Gain function,
activate its Enhance feature and mute each
microphone.

There are also LEDs to show when phantom
power, a Bluetooth connection, and the USB
connection are active.

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OVERVIEW

In the Box

Along with your Vocaster Two you will nd:

• USB cable, Type ‘A’ to Type ‘C’

• Getting Started Information (printed inside the box)

• Important Safety Information

As a Vocaster Two owner, you are also entitled to a selection of
third-party software, including the Hindenburg DAW (Digital Audio
Workstation) recording application.

Go to focusrite.com/Vocaster to see what’s available.

System requirements

The easiest way to check your computer’s operating system (OS)
is compatible with the Vocaster Two is to use our Help Centre’s

compatibility articles.

As new OS versions become available over time, you can continue
to check for further compatibility information by searching our Help
Centre at support.focusrite.com.

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GETTING STARTED

Getting Started

When you connect Vocaster Two for the rst

time, your computer recognises it in the same
way as if it were a USB memory stick.

Easy Start Tool

Getting up and running with your Vocaster
Two is made easy by our Easy Start Tool.
To use this, connect Vocaster Two to your
computer with the USB cable supplied, and
power it on by pressing the power button
next to the rear panel USB port.

The following steps show you what will
appear on screen: these help you get set up
whether or not you’re new to audio interface.

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GETTING STARTED

Mac Users:

On connecting your Vocaster to your Mac you
will see a pop-up and/or a Vocaster icon will
appear on the desktop:

Google Chrome pop up

Double-click on the icon or pop-uo to open
the Finder window shown below:

Double-click the Click Here to Get Started.
url icon. This redirects you to the Focusrite
website, where we recommend you register
your Vocaster to access to your included
software package:

After you submit the form you can either
follow our step-by-step setup guide, which is
tailored to how you want to use Vocaster Two,
or go straight to your account and download
Vocaster Hub control software.

When you connect Vocaster Two, your
computer should set it as your default audio
device. If this doesn’t happen, go to System
Preferences > Sound, and ensure the input
and output are set to Vocaster Two USB.

Vocaster Easy Start icon

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GETTING STARTED

Windows Users:

On connecting your Vocaster Two to your PC,

this notication will appear:

Click on the notication to open the dialogue

box shown below:

Double-click:

Open folder to view les

this opens an Explorer window:

This redirects you to the Focusrite website,
where we recommend you register your
device:

After you submit the form you can either
follow our step-by-step setup guide, which is

Double-click:

Click Here to Get Started.

tailored to how you want to use Vocaster Two,
or go straight to your account and download
Vocaster Hub control software.

When you connect Vocaster Two, your
computer should set it as your default audio
device. If this doesn’t happen, go to Settings
> System > Sound, and set Vocaster Two as
the Input and Output Device.

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GETTING STARTED

iPad Users:

NOTE: Before connecting Vocaster Two
to your iPad, we recommend you follow
the ‘Getting Started’ section above
to ensure your hardware is up to date
through Vocaster Hub.

To make the connections:

1. Connect one end of the
USB Type-C to C cable (or
adaptor) to your iPad.

To connect your Vocaster Two to an
iPadOS device you need:

• iPad with USB-C port

• USB-C to USB-C cable(or the
included cable and an Apple
USB-A to C adaptor*)

*This method may require a separate USB hub to

provide enough power to your Vocaster.

2. Connect the other end of the USB
type-C to your Vocaster Two’s USB

48V

Host Guest

Host

Guest

port.

3. Connect your headphones or
monitor speakers to the Vocaster
Two.

Sound from the iPad routes to
Vocaster Two’s outputs. You can route
the microphones and other sources
connected to the inputs of Vocaster
Two to iOS apps that support audio
recording.

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GETTING STARTED

All users:

If you have any issues using the Easy Start

tool, open the le More Info & FAQs, where
you should be able to nd answers to your

questions.

NOTE: When you install Vocaster Hub on a
Windows computer, the driver for Vocaster
Two installs automatically. Vocaster Hub
and the Vocaster Windows driver are always
available to download at any time, even
without registering: see ‘Manual Registration’
below.

Manual Registration

If you decide to register your Vocaster Two
later you can do so at register. You need to
enter the Unique Product Number (UPN)
manually: this number is on the base of the
interface itself, and can also be found on the
barcode label on the side of the box.

We recommend you download and install our
Vocaster Hub software application, as this
unlocks the full potential of the interface. You
can download Vocaster Hub at any time from

downloads.focusrite.com.

Audio Setup in your DAW

Vocaster Two is compatible with any
Windows-based Digital Audio Workstation
(this is the software you use to record and is
referred to as a ‘DAW’) that supports ASIO
or WDM, or any Mac-based DAW that uses
Core Audio. After following the Easy Start
procedure described above, you can start
using Vocaster Two with the DAW of your
choice.

Via the USB connection, Vocaster Two lets you
record all the sources separately, for mixing
later, but also has a Show Mix input which is a
stereo mix from Vocaster Hub software.

To allow you to get started if you do not
already have a DAW application installed on
your computer, Hindenburg is included; this is
available to you once you’ve registered your
Vocaster Two. If you need help installing this,
please visit our Getting Started pages here,
where a video tutorial is available.

Operating instructions for Hindenburg can

be found in the application’s Help les, or at

hindenburg.com/academy.

Please note - your DAW may not
automatically select Vocaster Two as its
default Input/Output (I/O) device. In this
case, you must manually select Vocaster Two/
Focusrite USB ASIO as the driver on your
DAW’s Audio Setup* page. Please refer to

your DAW’s documentation (or Help les) if

you are unsure where to select the ASIO or
Core Audio driver.

* Typical names. Terminology may differ slightly

between DAWs

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GETTING STARTED

Audio Setup in Hindenburg

The examples opposite show

the correct conguration on the

Hindenburg audio preferences on
Windows and Mac. There are two
set ups, automatic and manual:

Preferences page (Mac version),

and at the

Tools > Options > Audio tab
(Windows version).

Mac automatic setup

Tutorial videos explaining how to
set up and use Vocaster Two with
various DAWs can be found at our

Getting Started pages.

Windows automatic setup

Mac manual setup

Windows manual setup

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48V

Host Guest

Host

Guest

EXAMPLES OF USE

Examples of use

Vocaster Two is the ideal audio interface
for podcasting or voice recording using
a Mac, PC, or iPad, and can be used by
one or two live contributors. A typical
set of connection possibilities is shown
below.

Recording with microphones

This setup shows a typical conguration

for recording from two microphones
using software on your Mac, PC or iPad.
You can record your voice (the Host)
and another person (the Guest), while
monitoring yourselves and any other
audio via headphones.

Apart from the headphone sockets, all
Vocaster Two’s connections are on the
rear panel. Connect your computer or
laptop to the USB port (marked )
using the USB cable supplied. Turn the
unit on with the Power button.

The microphone inputs are XLR sockets
and work with microphones with an
XLR connector. You can use Vocaster
Two with most models of microphone,
including dynamic and condenser types.

We recommend dynamic microphones
for speech recording, as they deliver
good quality in the frequency range of
the spoken word, and can help reduce
unwanted noises in your surroundings
from being picked up.

Two types of dynamic microphone

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EXAMPLES OF USE

Recording with microphones (cont.)

Vocaster Two can provide phantom power (48 volts) at the XLR inputs
if you’re using a condenser microphone. To enable phantom power,
press the Host or Guest button to select the input and push the
48V button on the rear panel: the 48V LED lights red to conrm it’s
active.

Dynamic microphones don’t require phantom power. It’s rare, but
you can damage some microphones using phantom power. We
recommend turning off phantom power when you use a dynamic
microphone. If you are unsure whether your microphone needs
phantom power, please check its documentation.

Microphone setup

Vocaster Two has two ways of setting the correct microphone levels.
‘Gain’ is the term we use to describe how much you are boosting a
microphone signal.

You can either set the level automatically with Vocaster Two’s Auto
Gain feature, or manually. Both methods are described in the next
sections.

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EXAMPLES OF USE

Using Auto Gain

Vocaster Two’s Auto Gain feature allows you to
get a good recording level without guesswork.

Activate Auto Gain by holding the button;
press the Host or Guest button according to
which microphone input is to have its gain set.
or, if you have Vocaster Hub open on your
computer, by clicking on the on-screen Auto
Gain icon.

Now you - or your guest - should speak into the
microphone for ten seconds, using a normal
speaking voice you will use for the recording
itself.

The inner halo on the knob acts as a
count down timer, starting fully white, then
extinguishing anticlockwise. A progress bar is
also displayed on Vocaster Hub.

To apply Auto Gain to the other input, hold the
other button, and repeat the process.

After using Auto Gain, you can still manually
adjust the levels with the gain knob any time
you like: short-press the other button rst
if the input you want to adjust is not selected.

Auto Gain didn’t set my input level

If the halos ash amber the signal is too loud or

too quiet so Auto Gain couldn’t set the correct
level and sets it to the minimum or maximum
level.

Vocaster Two

If the halos ash red Auto Gain couldn’t set a

usable level. This could be due to a Mic Level
that was too low:

Halo countdown on Vocaster

• Test a different microphone or cable.

Vocaster Hub

• Make sure 48V is on, if you’re using a
condenser microphone.

When you activate Auto Gain in software or
using the button Vocaster disables all input
controls for the other channel.

After ten seconds, Auto Gain sets the input

Vocaster Hub countdown

• Make sure you switch on your microphone
(if it has an on/off switch).

level for the microphone and you’re ready to
start recording.

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EXAMPLES OF USE

Manual gain adjustment

On Vocaster Two, the large knob marked
is used to set the microphone gain for both
the Host and Guest microphones, and the
levels to your recording software.

You can set the gain of the two microphone
preamp independently. To select which
preamp is to be adjusted, press the Host

or Guest buttons. (A long press
activates the Auto Gain function, which is
described above.)

The buttons light bright white to conrm

which preamp is selected.

When you’re adjusting the gain by turning
the knob, the left halo changes to white to
show the gain setting.

The gain knob is surrounded by LED ‘halo’
indicators: the inner is continuous and the
outer shaped as two arcs.

The outer halos light in various colours to
show you the microphone signal level: the
left halo shows the level for the Host input,
the right halo for the Guest.

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EXAMPLES OF USE

To set the gain for either microphone
preamp, select the input to be adjusted
with its button (a short press) and
speak into the microphone as if you were
recording, adjusting the gain knob until
the halo just starts to turn amber when
you speak at your loudest.

At this point, turn the knob down a bit
until you don’t see any amber. If the
halos ever turn red at the tops, you will

denitely need to turn the gain knob

down: red means your recording is likely
to distort. (See diagram below.)

You can also adjust the gains from
Vocaster Hub by moving the on-screen
Mic Level sliders: drag them to the right
to increase the gain.

Vocaster Hub Host input

Good Level A bit too high

Your recording

will distort

Vocaster Hub Guest input

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EXAMPLES OF USE

Microphone Mute

Both microphone channels have mute
buttons, marked .

Vocaster Two

Vocaster Hub

You can press these at any time to turn a
microphone ‘off’: the mute and Auto Gain
buttons light red and the relevant gain halo
pulses red while the microphone is muted.
Press the button again to unmute.

Using Enhance

Vocaster Two’s Enhance feature optimises
the microphones’ audio processing to
achieve the best possible recording.

It uses compression to control the level of
the microphone signal, equalisation to help
voice recordings sound clearer and inserts

a high pass lter to remove unwanted

low frequencies such as rumbling and
microphone handling noise.

You can use Enhance on either or both
microphone inputs.

Enhance has four presets for you to tailor
the sound to your voice or your intended.
You can select one of the four presets using
the drop-down arrow in Vocaster Hub:

• Clean

To use Enhance, press one of the
buttons. If you have Vocaster Hub open,
click the on-screen Enhance icon.

Vocaster Two

Vocaster Hub

The button lights green when Enhance is
active. Press it again to turn Enhance off.

You can also click one of the Mute buttons
(with the same icon) on Vocaster Hub.
(Broadcasters often refer to this feature as a

• Warm

• Bright

• Radio

‘cough switch’.)

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48V

Host Guest

Host

Guest

EXAMPLES OF USE

Listening with headphones

You can connect headphones to the front
panel headphone sockets marked so you
and/or your guest can hear what you are
recording.

The two sockets provide the same ‘default’
mix of the two microphones and any other
audio sources, such as audio from a phone or
computer playback (the Loopback channels).
You can adjust the volume of individual audio
sources using the mixer in Vocaster Hub.

You can adjust the volume in each pair of
headphones independently with the controls
on Vocaster Two marked for the Host
and for the Guest: these controls do not
affect your recording level.

The Host level controls both the
headphones and speaker outputs. When
you’re using headphones we suggest muting
your monitors in Vocaster Hub (See “Listening
with speakers” on page 19.

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EXAMPLES OF USE

Listening with speakers

Use the ¼’ jacks marked Outputs R and L

to connect speakers.

You can connect powered monitors or an

amplier to these outputs. Speaker volume

is controlled by the same knob used for
headphones volume.

The outputs are balanced ¼’ TRS jack
sockets and provide line level. Small powered
monitors have unbalanced inputs, typically
a 3.5 mm jack plug intended for direct
connection to a computer. Separate power

ampliers are likely to have phono (RCA)

sockets.

You can also mute the speakers using
Vocaster Hub software. Click the speaker icon
in the top right of the Vocaster Hub software
to toggle mute on (red) or off (black)

NOTE: You can create an audio feedback loop
if your speakers are active at the same time
as a microphone! We recommend you turn off
your speakers while recording podcasts, and
use headphones for monitoring.

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EXAMPLES OF USE

48V

Host Guest

Host

Guest

Recording a phone

You can connect a phone to Vocaster Two
record a conversation, or to record music
from the phone.

The rear panel has a phone connector,
marked . This is a 3.5 mm TRRS jack
socket, use a 3.5mm TRRS jack cable
to connect to the phone’s headphone
socket, which is normally a 3.5 mm TRRS
socket.

A 3.5mm TRS cable will work, but you
may not get two-way communication with
your phone guest.

The connector also feeds Vocaster
Two’s output back to the phone so the
person on the phone call can hear the
whole podcast mix, but without their own
voice. This type of mix is known as ‘mix­minus’: it ensures the caller will not hear
their voice delayed or with echoes.

The signal level to the phone depends on
the setting of the input channel sliders in
Vocaster Hub’s mixer. The signal fed to
the phone is a mono version of the stereo
mix, because the phone’s input is a mono
microphone.

If the phone does not have a 3.5 mm
headphone port, you can use a 3.5 mm
TRRS headphone adaptor.

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EXAMPLES OF USE

Using Bluetooth

Vocaster Two’s Bluetooth connection lets
you wirelessly stream audio to* and from
Bluetooth devices, such as your phone, to the
Vocaster to include in your recording.

To transfer audio between a phone and
Vocaster Two, you must pair the two devices.

To pair and get glitch-free audio, Bluetooth
needs your device and your Vocaster to
be within range of each other. The range
is approximately 7 metres in open space:
outside this range, the devices may not pair.
At the limit of this range, or with obstructions,
you might experience problems such as
dropouts or glitches.

Your Vocaster can only connect to one
Bluetooth device at a time.

*Bluetooth audio can only be sent from Vocaster to

phones during phone calls to communicate with your

guest. The guest hears a mix-minus, the whole mix, but

without their own voice.

To pair a device to your Vocaster’s Bluetooth
input:

1. Press and hold the button on the rear
panel for three seconds. The Bluetooth
icon pulses white to show it’s in pairing
mode.

2. Go to the Bluetooth pairing menu on
your Bluetooth device and scan for
new devices – how this works can vary
between devices, so if you’re unsure,
please see the user guide for your
device.

3. Choose Vocaster BT from the list of
available devices.

4. Allow your Bluetooth device to pair with
the Vocaster, if prompted.

Vocaster Two’s Bluetooth icon lights blue
after a few seconds to show your device
has connected. When you play audio on
your device, it appears in Vocaster Hub’s
Bluetooth mixer channel, for you to include in
your Show Mix and recording.

You can also stream audio from your
Bluetooth device to speakers connected
to Vocaster Two, and both Host and Guest
headphones outputs. Your Vocaster sends its
audio, e.g. sounds from your computer and
the Host/Guest inputs, back to your phone via
Bluetooth for your caller to hear.

You can control Bluetooth audio level in
Vocaster Hub, and on your connected device.
Level control in Vocaster Hub only controls
the Show Mix level and won’t affect the
Bluetooth L/R recording tracks.

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EXAMPLES OF USE

NOTE: Vocaster Two cannot pair with
Bluetooth headphones. Vocaster’s
Bluetooth feature is for streaming
Bluetooth audio from a device to the
Vocaster and sending Bluetooth audio
back to your phone so your guest can
hear you.

You can break the Bluetooth connection in
three ways.

• Press the button on Vocaster’s
rear panel. When you turn Vocaster’s
Bluetooth connection back on again,
the previously connected device
reconnects.

What do the Bluetooth icon’s colours mean?

– Grey - Bluetooth is off. Press the

button on the back panel to turn on

Bluetooth.

– Orange - Bluetooth is on but not
connected to a device. If you’ve paired your
device before, make sure it has Bluetooth
enabled and is in range of the Vocaster.

If you’ve not previously paired your Bluetooth
device, follow the steps above to pair it for

the rst time.

– Red - Bluetooth connection has failed.
Press the button to turn off Bluetooth on
your Vocaster, re-enable Bluetooth on your
device and repeat the steps above. If the
Bluetooth icon stays red, please contact our
support team.

– Blue - Vocaster has paired and the
a device is ready to stream audio to the
Vocaster. To disconnect, press the button,
or disable Bluetooth on your phone/device.

• Turn off Bluetooth on your device. Next
time you re-enable Bluetooth on your
device, the device reconnects with
Vocaster.

pairing mode. To pair a device, start from
step 3 above.

– Pulsing White - Vocaster is in

• In your device’s Bluetooth settings,
select the Vocaster and choose the
option to Forget Device. (Note the
description of this option varies
between devices.)

Vocaster Two’s Bluetooth icon

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voice from phone

all audio
is routed
to camera

audio

to/from

computer

EXAMPLES OF USE

Recording to a video camera

If you are working with video, you may want
to record your audio into a video camera.

Vocaster Two has a dedicated output
connector for this purpose, the 3.5 mm TRS
jack socket on the rear panel marked
You can connect this output to the audio/
mic input on your camera using a 3.5mm
jack-to-jack cable.

If your camera input uses a different
connector, use a suitable adaptor cable.
Ensure you select your camera’s external
audio source rather than its internal
microphone.

The camera output carries the same mix as
the USB recording output, and what you
hear in your speakers and headphones.

You can set the mix and levels going to the
camera using the sliders in Vocaster Hub’s
mixer.

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VOCASTER HUB SOFTWARE

Vocaster Hub software

As part of the Easy Start registration process,
you’ll install Vocaster Hub software on your
computer. Vocaster Hub gives you access
to additional Vocaster Two features - most
importantly, it lets you balance your and your
guest’s voices against any other audio in your
mix.

IMPORTANT: A separate Vocaster Hub
User Guide can be downloaded from the

downloads area of the Focusrite website.

This describes the use of Vocaster Hub
in full detail. The following section of this
User Guide is limited to an overview of the
software’s primary features.

To open Vocaster Hub: After you install
Vocaster Hub on your computer this icon
appears in your applications:

If your Vocaster Two interface is not
connected to your computer and powered
on, you will see a welcome page.

Note the Help Centre or Contact Support
links. You can always return to this page by
turning the interface off. More guidance on
using Vocaster Two, including tutorial videos,
are available at these links.

When you connect the interface and power
it on, the icon lights white to conrm
the interface is communicating with your
computer, and you’ll see Vocaster Hub’s
Control Page:

If the icon lights red, it shows Vocaster
Two has not been able to communicate with
your computer, and you should check the
cable is plugged in correctly.

Click it to open Vocaster Hub.

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VOCASTER HUB SOFTWARE

Controlling the microphones

The Host Input and Guest Input panels are
where you adjust Vocaster Two’s microphone
channels:

The Mic Level displays for the two
microphone inputs work identically. Each is
both a level meter and a level control. Click
and drag a grey bar to adjust the gain. This
control duplicates the rotary gain knob on the
interface, and you can adjust the gain with
either control.

The colour bar shows the microphone signal
level, and again, this duplicates the signal
level halo display on the interface.

The bar should remain green most of the
time, with amber showing only on the loudest
‘peaks’. If it goes red, the gain is set too high.

Below the meter/level display are three
buttons which duplicate those on the
interface top panel:

• Mute – click on this to mute the
microphone; the button and the level
display show red when mute is active.
On the interface, the Mute and Auto
Gain buttons light red and the relevant
arc pulses red. Click again to unmute.

• Enhance – click on this to activate
the Enhance feature; the on-screen and
hardware buttons both light green. Click
again to deactivate.

• Auto Gain – click this to start the
Auto Gain function; speak normally
into the microphone for 10 seconds to
calibrate the gain setting.

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VOCASTER HUB SOFTWARE

Controlling your mix

The Mix section of Vocaster Hub allows you to
balance the audio inputs and computer outputs
making up your Show Mix.

Like the Mic Level control, the ‘sliders’ are
both meters and level control. The sliders
affect the headphone/speaker mixes and
Show Mix recording but don’t affect the
level of each channel into your software. The
channels of the mixer are (left to right):

• Host (mono) – this is Vocaster Two’s
Host microphone.

• Guest (mono) – this is Vocaster Two’s
Guest microphone.

• Aux (stereo) – use this when you have
connected a phone to the rear panel

connector. It adjusts the audio level

being received from the phone.

• Bluetooth (stereo) – use this when
you’re streaming audio wirelessly from a
phone or other device using Bluetooth.

• Loopback 1 and Loopback 2 (stereo)
– these control the level of two audio
sources within your computer: these
could be feeds from the internet, pre-

recorded les, or other sources. In the

image below Loopback 2 is ‘clipping’ so
the source level needs turning down to
stop the red clip bar appearing.

• Show Mix (stereo) – this shows and
controls the overall output level of the
mixer.

On the Loopback 2 channel the
red part of the meter is the ‘Clip
Indicator’. This shows you the
source is too loud and may distort
in your recording. Bluetooth and
Loopback are an exception and
may show as clipped more often.

Turn down the track’s source, not
the slider in the mixer. If the
Show Mix clips, turn down the
tracks in the mixer.

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VOCASTER HUB SOFTWARE

Recording sounds from your computer

Vocaster’s Loopback feature lets you record
audio sources from within your computer
(e.g., the audio output from a web browser).

There are two stereo Loopback sliders
on the mixer; these use Vocaster Two’s
‘virtual’ inputs. The virtual inputs don’t have
connectors on the interface, but you can
record them in your DAW in the same way as
any other input.

You can feed each Loopback input from
a different software application. Which
application you use with each Loopback

input is congured in the application’s output

settings.

• Loopback 1 – this input gets its signal
from software with its output routing set
to Playback 1-2, or software that doesn’t
support output routing. The software
you can use with Loopback 1 includes:

- Internet browsers

- Music playback software such as
Spotify or Apple Music

- Video calling and conference
software

• Loopback 2 – this input gets its signal
from audio software with its output
routing set to Playback 3-4. You can

congure this in the software’s audio

settings, but not all software allows
output routing selection, so please
check your software’s user guide for this
feature. Software with the ability to feed
audio to Loopback 2 includes:

- Other recording or playback software
you’re using

- VOIP and video conferencing
applications

If you’re a Mac User and wish to use both
Loopback inputs, we recommend you read

this support article.

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VOCASTER HUB SOFTWARE

Example of Loopback usage

You might want to use both Loopback inputs
when you’re recording a show but need
independent recordings of other software
sounds to mix later. For example, in your
show, you want to record your conversation
with a guest in a video call in addition to
including a sound or jingle playback from
another audio playback software.

Your video call software (e.g., Zoom), routes
its output to Playback 1-2 by default. This
appears as Loopback 1 in the mixer. You
can then route the output of your playback
software to Playback 3-4, which becomes
available as Loopback 2.

In your recording software you can now have
separate tracks for recording:

• Loopback 1 appears on your DAW
channels 11 and 12

• Loopback 2 appears on your DAW
channels 13 and 14

For all further details, please refer to

the Vocaster Hub User Guide.

Recording Tracks into Software

Depending on which recording software you
use, you can pick from up to 14 channels to
record from, to separate tracks.

The fourteen channels you’ll see are:

DAW Input Number Vocaster Input Use

1

2

3

4

5 Host Microphone The Host microphone input.

6 Guest Microphone The Guest microphone input.

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

Video Call L
Video Call R

Show Mix L
Show Mix R

Aux L
Aux R

Bluetooth L
Bluetooth R

Loopback 1 L
Loopback 1 R

Loopback 2 L
Loopback 2 R

A mix of all inputs excluding Loopback, this is a mix-minus so
a video call guest can hear your whole show without hearing
(minus) themselves.

A stereo mix of all the inputs to record your whole show.

Two channels fed from a device connected to the phone input
on Vocaster.

Two channels fed from the Bluetooth input.

Signal from software fed from software playback 1-2.

Signal from software fed from software playback 3-4.

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HARDWARE FEATURES

Hardware Features

Top Panel

The large rotary control adjusts the gain
for either microphone input, as selected
by the Host and Guest buttons. The gain
control has two LED arcs. These have
several functions.

The outer LED arcs surrounding the gain
knob are ‘halo’ meters: the one on the left
is for the Host microphone input, the one
on the right is for the Guest microphone
input:

Host monitor output level control -
sets the output level at both the front
panel Host headphone output and the
rear panel speaker outputs.

• They show microphone level: green
means normal operation, amber
shows the signal is close to clipping,
and red shows digital clipping, which
should always be avoided.

• In addition, each arc pulses red when
the corresponding microphone is
muted

The thinner inner ring surrounding the
gain knob is a multifunction ‘halo’ LED.
This has several functions:

• It illuminates white while microphone
gain is being adjusted, to show the
current gain setting

• It acts as a countdown timer during
an Auto Gain calibration

• Following an Auto Gain calibration
of either microphone preamp, it

will ash green or red to show a

successful or unsuccessful operation
(respectively)

Guest monitor output level control ­sets the output level at the front panel

Guest headphone output.

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HARDWARE FEATURES

Top Panel (cont.)

Buttons

Microphone mute buttons for each

microphone input. Press to mute or
unmute a microphone channel. LED
illuminates red when muting is active.

Enhance button for each microphone
input. Press to activate/deactivate the
Enhance function. LED lights green when
Enhance is active.

A short press assigns the gain knob to
either the Host or Guest microphone
preamp. A long press starts the Auto Gain
function: speak normally into the
microphone for 10 seconds to set the
gain. The LED pulses amber during
the process.

Indicators

An LED which illuminates white when the
interface has communication with the
computer it is connected to, and red if
communication fails.

A multicolour LED which illuminates blue
when a phone or other Bluetooth device
has connected with Vocaster Two, to allow
audio to be sent between the two.

Illuminates red when 48V phantom power
is active for the currently selected
microphone (Host or Guest). Illuminates
dim red if phantom power is only enabled
for the microphone not currently selected.

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HARDWARE FEATURES

Rear Panel

Press to turn Vocaster Two on and off.

USB 3.0 port – Type C connector; connect to your
laptop or computer with the USB cable supplied.

Kensington security slot – make your Vocaster Two
secure using a Kensington lock.

3.5 mm TRS jack socket for connecting Vocaster
Two to the external audio input of a video camera.

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Enables Bluetooth connectivity: see ‘Using
Bluetooth’ section (page 21) for full details.

3.5 mm TRRS jack socket for a wired connection
to a compatible phone.

Outputs L and R – for connecting to
monitor loudspeakers. Two ¼’ TRS jack sockets;
electronically balanced. Either ¼’ TRS (balanced
connection) or TS (unbalanced connection) jack
plugs can be used.

Phantom power switch for microphone inputs –
press to enable 48V phantom power at the XLR
socket for the currently selected microphone
channel.

Host and Guest

XLR sockets for connecting microphones.

On the front:

Host and Guest headphone output sockets.

Connect headphones here. If your headphones
use a 3.5mm jack then you need to use a 3.5mm
to ¼’ jack adaptor.

SPECIFICATIONS

SPECIFICATIONS

Specications

Performance Specications

These specications allow you to compare your Vocaster with other devices and make
sure they’ll work together. If you’re not familiar with these specications, don’t worry you

don’t need to know this information to use your Vocaster with most devices

Sample Rate

48 kHz

USB

Version USB 3.0

Maximum Current 0.9A

Maximum Voltage 5V

Maximum Power 4.5W

Microphone Input

Impedance 3KΩ

Maximum Input Level +12.5dBu @ minimum gain

Gain Range 70dB

THD+N (@ -1dBFS) ≤-94dB

Frequency Response
(20Hz @ mininum gain)

20Hz - 20KHz +0, -0.5 dB

Phone Input

Impedance 16KΩ

THD+N (@ -1dBFS) ≤-94dB

Maximum Input Level 0dBu

Frequency Response 20Hz - 20KHz +0, -0.5

Phone Output

Impedance 220Ω

Maximum Output
Level

THD+N -73dB

Frequency Response 20Hz - 20KHz +0dB, -0.5dB

Impedance 440Ω

Maximum Output
Level

THD+N (@-1 dBFS) ≤-96dB

Frequency Response 20Hz - 2kHz ±0.15dB

-26dBu

Line Outputs

+14dBu

Headphone Output

Impedance 5Ω

Maximum Output Level
@ 0dBFS

Maximum Power (mW)

THD+N -96dB unloaded

Frequency Response 20Hz - 20KHz, ±0.5dB

Camera Output

Impedance 220Ω

Maximum Output Level -24.5dBu

THD+N
(Max Output, -1dBFS,
22Hz - 22kHz)

Frequency Response 20Hz - 20KHz ±0.2dB

Version 5.0

Range 7 metres in open space

+6.5dBu

8.5mW into 270Ω
28mW into 33Ω

-73dB

Bluetooth

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SPECIFICATIONS

Physical And Electrical Characteristics

Other Audio I/O

Camera output 3.5 mm TRS jack on rear panel

Phone input and output 3.5 mm TRRS jack on rear panel

Loopback inputs Two (stereo) via Vocaster Hub

Microphone Input

Connector Balanced, via female XLR on rear panel

Phantom power 48V, rear panel switch

Weight and Dimensions

Weight 440g

Height 50mm

Width 224mm

Depth 113mm

Analogue Outputs

Main outputs Balanced, 2 x ¼’ TRS jacks

Stereo headphone output ¼’ TRS jack on front panel

Output level control
(main and headphone)

On top panel

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TROUBLESHOOTING

Troubleshooting

For all troubleshooting queries, please visit
the Focusrite Help Centre at

support.focusrite.com

Copyright and Legal Notices

Focusrite is a registered trademark and
Vocaster is a trademark of Focusrite Audio
Engineering Limited.

All other trademarks and trade names are the
property of their respective owners.
2022 © Focusrite Audio Engineering Limited.
All rights reserved.

Credits

Focusrite would like to thank the following
members of the Vocaster team for their hard
work to bring you this product.

Adrien Fauconnet, Alex Middleton-Dalby,

Alex Wood, Andre Cerqueira,

Anthony Nicholls, Ben Bates, Ben Cook,

Ben Dandy, Bran Searle, Ben Cochrane,

Chris Graves, Dan Weston, Daniel Clarke,

Daniel Hughley, David Marston, Derek Orr,

Ed Fry, Eddie Judd, Emma Davies,

Harry Morley, Ian Hadaway, Jack Cole,

Jake Wignall, James Johnson, James Otter,

James Surgenor, Jason Cheung, Jed Fulwell,

Jessica Chambers, Joe Deller,

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Kai Van Dongen, Linus Reitmayr,

Luke Matthews, Martin Dewhirst,

Mary Browning, Michail Fragkiadakis,

Mike Richardson, Mukesh Lavingia, Orla Haigh,

Rob Stevenson, Ryan Gray, Seraphin Gnehm,

Steve Bush, Stefan Archer, Stratis Soanos,

Tom Cartwright , Vidur Dahiya,

Vincenzo Di Cosmo and Wade Dawson