How to multitrack record a Soundcraft Ui24R

Last checked 2026-11-07

Short answer. Plug the Ui24R's USB-B DAW Connection socket into a computer and record at 48 kHz. It sends 32 channels in a fixed order: USB 1-2 are the Master L/R, USB 3-10 are AUX 1-8, and USB 11-32 are inputs 1-22. There is nothing to patch. A Mac needs no driver; Windows needs Soundcraft's driver. With no computer, the Ui24R records up to 22 tracks to a USB drive in its front MEDIA - REC socket. Soundcraft doesn't say whether an iPhone or iPad works: not tested yet.

Quick start

1. Connect the DAW Connection socket to the computer. On a Mac, no driver is needed. On Windows, install the Soundcraft Multi-Channel USB Audio Driver, V3.20 or later. (Ways to record)
2. Set your recording app to 48 kHz. (Recording settings)
3. Arm USB 11-32 for inputs 1-22. The USB map is fixed, so there is nothing to patch on the mixer. (USB routing)
4. Set each preamp's gain before the show: it is in the recording, while the channel EQ, dynamics and fader are not (our reading). (Tap points)
5. Record a 30 s test and play it back before the show.
6. Input 1 not on track 1? It arrives on USB 11. (Only the master on tracks 1 and 2?)

Every other mixer is in the mixer recording guides. Words you may not know are in the glossary. Facts come from Soundcraft's Ui24R manual and Harman's Soundcraft support articles unless a line says otherwise. The sources are at the end.

Ways to record a Ui24R

To a computer over USB

Plug the USB-B socket marked DAW Connection into the computer. Then record in any DAW (a recording app for computers, such as Reaper or Logic).

• Channels: 32 to the computer and 32 back. The manual calls it "a 32 x 32 USB Audio Interface with CORE Audio and ASIO drivers".
• Sample rate: 48 kHz. Harman's DAW article says Pro Tools "Sample Rate NEEDS to be 48kHz", and Ableton "should automatically set to 48kHz".
• Bit depth: not stated by Soundcraft for USB.
• Mac: no driver. Harman: "Yes, the Ui24R is Core Audio compliant. If you are using a Mac, the Mac will recognize the Ui24R as an Audio Interface automatically."
• Windows: install the Soundcraft Multi-Channel USB Audio Driver, V3.20 or later.
• One mixer per computer: only one Ui24R can be connected to a computer at a time. In cascade mode (two mixers linked as one), the channels of the second mixer don't reach the DAW.

With no computer: to a USB drive

The Ui24R records by itself to a USB drive in the front MEDIA - REC socket. The manual says it can "multitrack record up to 22 separate tracks which can then be imported into any DAW software". It also makes 2-track stereo recordings.

• Tracks: up to 22, one per input. They are "recorded directly from the mic preamps" (see Tap points).
• The drive: Harman asks for a drive:
  • "formatted in FAT32 only"
  • "32GB or less in size"
  • with a read/write speed of "25mb/s or higher"
• For playback: the manual adds: "Multi-track USB Playback will require a minimum of USB 3.0 with a transfer rate of 25mb/s."
• SD cards: an SD or microSD card in a USB adapter also works: FAT32, 32 GB or less, UHS-3 or V30.
• Speed check: a speed buffer indicator in the player goes green, yellow, then orange. It shows an error if the drive is too slow (Ui24R manual).
• File format: not stated by Soundcraft in any document we read.
  • A 2017 review in Sound On Sound says "the multitrack format is either uncompressed WAV or the more space-efficient FLAC", chosen on the settings page.
  • The Ui Session Maker converts imported files to "FLAC 24bit" for the multitrack player. That is for imported files, not what the recorder writes.
  • So: WAV or FLAC, set in the settings, per a 2017 Sound On Sound review.
• Sample rate on the drive: not stated by Soundcraft.

To an iPhone, iPad or Mac with an app

• A Mac works like any computer above, with no driver.
• Soundcraft doesn't say whether an iPhone or iPad works over USB: not tested yet.

The details are in Mac, iPad and iPhone below.

Ui24R recording settings

Over USB, there is almost nothing to set. Set your recording app to 48 kHz.

• USB sample rate: 48 kHz.
• USB bit depth: not stated by Soundcraft.
• USB channel count: 32, fixed. There is no setting for fewer.
• Clock: Soundcraft's documents mention no word clock or external sync (a socket to lock to outside gear).

To record to the USB drive:

1. Open the PLAYER > MULTITRACK page. It has the sessions and the record button.
2. Choose which tracks record on the Multitrack Config page (Harman).

Drive recording formats:

• Multitrack format and bit depth: the 2017 review says "The USB bit depth and file format can be chosen within the settings page." Soundcraft's documents don't name that setting or list its options.
• 2-track bit depth: SETTINGS > 2 TRK RECORD MODE, with 32-bit, 24-bit or 16-bit. The manual's line for it says "sample rate", but the options are bit depths.

Only the master on tracks 1 and 2? Inputs start at USB 11

The first 10 USB channels are the mixes, not the inputs. Harman: "First 10 channels are your Masters (L, R, Aux Buses 1-8), so the input channels start at patch point 11."

• Input 1 arrives on USB 11, and input 22 on USB 32. Arm those tracks in your app.
• USB 1-2 carry the Master L/R, and USB 3-10 carry AUX 1-8.
• On Windows, install the Soundcraft Multi-Channel USB Audio Driver, V3.20 or later, before you record.
• In cascade mode, only the mixer plugged into the computer reaches the DAW.

Ui24R USB routing

Recording every channel? There is nothing to set. Harman: "No USB send patching is required on the Ui24R's end, it automatically is set."

The USB map is fixed:

• USB 1-2: the Master L/R.
• USB 3-10: AUX 1-8. Harman: "Patching is not switchable on the Ui, so the sends to the DAW from the mixes is 3-10 (corresponding to Mix 1-8)."
• USB 11-32: inputs 1-22.

Good to know:

• No per-slot routing: you can't choose a source for a USB channel or change the order on the mixer.
• The main mix: USB 1-2. Soundcraft doesn't state where the main mix on USB 1-2 is taken.
• The onboard recorder takes each track from its physical input, whatever the channel is patched to. Harman: "the record 'send' is the physical input jack and preamp on the mixer." After re-patching, the track labels on the Multitrack Config page can show the patched label rather than the input really recorded.

To record a processed or post-fader channel (with its EQ and fader moves), use an AUX as a group. Harman describes this in its article on recording from groups.

1. Set the AUX to POST and POST PROC.
2. Send the channel to it at 0 dB.
3. Record that AUX's USB channel (3-10).

Ui24R playback for virtual soundcheck

Virtual soundcheck means playing a recording back through the mixer's channels, so you can set the mix with no band on stage.

From a computer over USB:

1. Go to SETTINGS > PATCHING > CHANNELS.
2. Pick USB DAW 1-16 or 17-32 at the top.
3. Press Patch 1:1, or patch each channel by hand.

Any of the 32 USB returns (tracks played back from the computer) can go to any channel. From firmware V2 they can also go straight to a hardware output (Ui24R v2.0 addendum).

Line the tracks up. Your app decides which USB return each track plays on. If it plays each track back on the number it came in on, input 1 returns on USB 11. Then either:

• patch USB 11-32 to channels 1-22, or
• move the tracks to outputs 1-22 in your app and use Patch 1:1 (our advice).

From the USB drive:

• Turn on the Soundcheck patch set, in SETTINGS > PATCHING > OVERVIEW or on the PLAYER > MULTITRACK page (Ui24R manual).
• Channels 21-24 can take a USB return or a local input, but not the onboard multitrack player (Ui24R v2.0 addendum).
• The manual asks for a USB 3.0 drive at 25 MB/s or faster for multitrack playback.

Ui24R tap points

The tap point is where in the channel the recording is taken: the raw input, or later, after the EQ or the fader. Which one to pick, and why, is in Pre or post fader. On the Ui24R:

• Which to pick: there is nothing to pick. The tap is fixed and can't be set per channel.
• The onboard recorder: Harman's Ui24R article: "The tracks are recorded directly from the mic preamps."
• USB 11-32: Harman, in an article that covers the Ui series and the Si consoles: "Recording from channels will only be pre-fader, pre-processing." No Harman article says in so many words that USB 11-32 use the same point as the onboard recorder, but both point that way (our reading).
• Gain is in the recording: the analog preamp gain changes the recorded level. The channel EQ, dynamics and fader don't (our reading of "pre-processing").
• HPF: Soundcraft doesn't say where the high-pass filter sits relative to the tap. "Pre-processing" suggests it is not in the recording (our reading).
• For a post-fader or processed track: record an AUX set to POST and POST PROC (see USB routing).

Ui24R on Mac, iPad and iPhone

• Mac: no driver.
  • Harman: "the Mac will recognize the Ui24R as an Audio Interface automatically."
  • Harman also lists the Ui series on macOS Sequoia as "plug and play ... no additional driver needed".
  • The 2017 v1.0 manual says a Soundcraft driver is required for multichannel USB. Harman's newer FAQ limits that to Windows.
• iPhone and iPad: Soundcraft doesn't say whether either works over USB, and neither is tested yet with a Ui24R.
• Cable: the Ui24R's DAW Connection socket is USB-B. From a USB-C iPhone or iPad, we'd try a USB-C to USB-B cable (our advice, not Soundcraft's).
• Power: Soundcraft doesn't say whether the Ui24R charges a phone or tablet. For a long show, use a powered USB-C hub or a camera adapter that passes power through (our advice).
• Windows: install the Soundcraft Multi-Channel USB Audio Driver, V3.20 or later.

ShowRecorder (the app this site makes) records every USB Channel from any class-compliant mixer (one that needs no extra driver on a Mac, iPhone or iPad). We haven't tested it with a Ui24R yet. There is no Mixer Link for the Ui24R. Mixer Link, which reads channel names and colors, works only on the XR18/MR18 and X32/M32. If you record a Ui24R with it, we'd like to hear how it goes.

Runs on a USB-C iPhone (iPhone 15 or later) on iOS 26, or a USB-C iPad on iPadOS 26. Mac: join the TestFlight beta.

Your mixer not listed, or not tested? Ask us

Sources

Soundcraft manuals:

• Ui24R User Manual v1.0: the 32 x 32 USB interface, the USB drive recorder, the 2-track setting, the Soundcheck patch, the speed indicator.
• Ui24R v2.0 User Guide Addendum: USB returns to hardware outputs, channels 21-24.

Harman support articles:

• Ui24R Core Audio Compliance: the Mac with no driver, the Windows driver.
• Ui24R Multitrack Recording with a DAW: 48 kHz, the fixed USB map, USB returns.
• Ui series compatibility with macOS Sequoia.
• Ui24R cascade mode does not allow more DAW channels.
• Ui24R USB direct recording requirements: FAT32, 32 GB or less, 25 MB/s.
• SD and Micro SD for recording on the Ui24R.
• Creating a playable multitrack session from imported audio files: the Ui Session Maker.
• Recording from groups to achieve post-fader processing and effect: pre-fader, pre-processing channels, USB 3-10, the AUX workaround.
• Ui24R record track labels: the onboard tap and the track labels.

Not from Soundcraft:

• Sound On Sound review of the Ui24R (Mike Crofts, August 2017, linked from Soundcraft's site): WAV or FLAC on the drive.