Applies to:

• Scarlett 2nd Gen
• Scarlett 3rd Gen
• Scarlett 4th Gen
• Clarett+
• Clarett USB
• Vocaster

The Focusrite Low Latency Kext Installer download link is located at the end of this article.

The Focusrite Low Latency Kext is a file that alters the audio buffer of the Mac Core Audio driver in order to further reduce latency. This allows Mac users to improve their round-trip latency by approximately 1m/s (system dependent).

Compatibility

The Low Latency Kext is compatible with Apple Silicon and Intel chipsets. 

As of macOS Tahoe (macOS 26), the Low Latency kext will not properly install; however, due to changes in Apple's Core Audio driver, the Low Latency Kext is no longer needed on macOS Tahoe and above, as Apple have improved their Core Audio latency performance. 

Before updating to macOS Tahoe, we recommend uninstalling the Low Latency Kext by using the uninstall instructions below, as we have found that having the Low Latency Kext installed will produce incorrect latency reporting in some DAWs 

Installation

To install the Low Latency Kext, please follow the instructions below.

Intel Macs:

• Run the installer. 
• Head to the following location: Apple Logo (top left corner)  > System Preferences > 'Security and Privacy'.
• In Security and Privacy's 'General' tab, click the 'Allow' button in the lower right corner:

• On Ventura, the “Allow” button will be found in System Settings > Privacy & Security > in the Security section, click on “Details…”:

• Restart the computer.

Apple Silicon Steps (M1/M2/M3/M4):

• Switch off your system.
• Hold the power button to switch the computer on in Recovery mode (keep the button pressed until the Startup Options dialogue appears on the screen).
• Click Options, then click Continue. Afterwards, select your account and click next. A prompt for your password will appear, enter the password to your account to continue. 
• At the top of the screen, you'll see the taskbar with the Apple Logo in it. Click “Utilities”, then select “Startup Security Utility”.
• Select your boot drive (generally named “Macintosh HD”).
• Go to the “Security Policy” section, click “Reduced Security” and then “Allow user management of kernel extensions from identified developers”. This is an Apple requirement when installing any kernel extension from any manufacturer, not just our driver.
• Click the Apple logo in the top left corner and then select “Restart” to restart your computer.

Once your computer boots up again as normal, run the installer and allow the kext as per the Intel steps.

Glitchy Audio

Please note that lower buffer sizes are more demanding on your CPU. Therefore, depending on your Mac system spec, buffer size in your DAW session, sample rate settings and other contributing factors, it is possible that you may experience audio glitches after installing.

If this happens, we recommend that you return to the default Mac Core Audio driver buffer settings by uninstalling the Low Latency Kext.

Uninstallation

Intel Steps:

1. Run the uninstaller that's bundled with the installer.
2. Restart your Mac.

Apple Silicon Steps (M1/M2/M3/M4):

1. Run the uninstaller that's bundled with the installer.
2. Switch off your Apple Silicon system.
3. Hold the power button to switch the computer on in Recovery mode (keep the button pressed until the Startup Options dialogue appears on the screen).
4. Click Options, then click Continue. Afterwards, select your account and click next. A prompt for your password will appear, enter the password to your account to continue. 
5. At the top of the screen, you'll see the taskbar with the Apple Logo in it. Click “Utilities”, then select “Startup Security Utility”.
6. Select your boot drive (generally named “Macintosh HD”).
7. Go to the “Security Policy” section, and click “Reduced Security”.
8. Click the Apple logo in the top left corner and then select “Restart” to restart your computer.
9. Boot into macOS
10. Reboot into recovery again and turn on Reduced Security again

The Focusrite Low Latency installer is not supported for use with Scarlett 1st Gen interfaces and may prevent them from functioning properly.

If you require any further information on this, please contact our Tech Support team here