Focusrite Saffire Firewire Audio Interface with DSP
No longer available at zZounds
4 inputs (two digital,) 10 outputs (two digital,) 24-bit, 192kHz. Includes Cubase LE software.
Overview
The Focusrite Saffire, a new breed of Firewire interface with onboard DSP and 24-bit/192kHz processing. Saffire fuses state-of-the-art hardware with highly integrated software to take audio interfacing one giant step closer to the professional studio experience.
Four inputs (two digital) and 10 outputs (two digital) with unrivalled foldback and monitoring options ensure the engineer has all he needs to navigate through a modern recording session. Focusrite build and sound quality, intelligent front-end design and cutting-edge compression, EQ and foldback reverb software combine to guarantee an intuitive and trouble-free recording experience.
The brand new software accompanying the Saffire hardware is a revolutionary new platform from the team that produced LiquidControl and the Forte Suite. This stylish application floats comfortably over any recording software and allows extensive control over the sound of the recorded signals and the multiple (monitor and headphone) output paths.
Compression, reverb, amp modeling and EQ Saffire-powered plug-ins are included. All four are also available as a suite of plug-ins from within the recording platform in use. Up to five separate user-defined stereo mixes can be created of all incoming signals and recorded tracks from the recording platform. With such comprehensive monitoring/foldback options and onboard high quality signal processing and effects, the Saffire is truly the interface of choice for the serious recording engineer.
Features… read more
Ultra-low latency Firewire 400 interface with onboard DSP
24-bit, 192kHz integrated A-D/D-A
Four inputs; two Focusrite preamps and SPDIF I/O
Eight balanced outputs for creating separate headphone/monitor mixes or 7.1 surround monitoring
Suite of Saffire-powered plug-ins; compression, EQ, amp modeling and monitor path reverb available on analogue inputs, for recording wet and or monitoring
Free accompanying software allows the engineer to create up to five unique stereo mixes of all incoming and recorded tracks
Plug-ins also available for use within the user's software platform
MIDI I/O
Includes Cubase LE software read less
Four inputs (two digital) and 10 outputs (two digital) with unrivalled foldback and monitoring options ensure the engineer has all he needs to navigate through a modern recording session. Focusrite build and sound quality, intelligent front-end design and cutting-edge compression, EQ and foldback reverb software combine to guarantee an intuitive and trouble-free recording experience.
The brand new software accompanying the Saffire hardware is a revolutionary new platform from the team that produced LiquidControl and the Forte Suite. This stylish application floats comfortably over any recording software and allows extensive control over the sound of the recorded signals and the multiple (monitor and headphone) output paths.
Compression, reverb, amp modeling and EQ Saffire-powered plug-ins are included. All four are also available as a suite of plug-ins from within the recording platform in use. Up to five separate user-defined stereo mixes can be created of all incoming signals and recorded tracks from the recording platform. With such comprehensive monitoring/foldback options and onboard high quality signal processing and effects, the Saffire is truly the interface of choice for the serious recording engineer.
Features… read more
Ultra-low latency Firewire 400 interface with onboard DSP
24-bit, 192kHz integrated A-D/D-A
Four inputs; two Focusrite preamps and SPDIF I/O
Eight balanced outputs for creating separate headphone/monitor mixes or 7.1 surround monitoring
Suite of Saffire-powered plug-ins; compression, EQ, amp modeling and monitor path reverb available on analogue inputs, for recording wet and or monitoring
Free accompanying software allows the engineer to create up to five unique stereo mixes of all incoming and recorded tracks
Plug-ins also available for use within the user's software platform
MIDI I/O
Includes Cubase LE software read less
Specs
Operating System
Windows,
XP Service Pack 2 (Home, Professional, 64bit XP or Media Centre Edition) or Windows Vista (32bit only)
Mac,
OS X Panther (10.3.3 or later) - Mac OS update may be required
Additional Info
Firewire chipsets from TI (Texas Instruments), VIA, and NEC are recommended
It is highly recommended that Saffire be run on its own Firewire bus/card
In order to use Saffire with a 4-pin IEEE1394 port you will need a 4-pin to 6-pin cable (not included) and must use the PSU (included)
MIC
Frequency Response: 20Hz - 20kHz +/- 0.1 dB
THD+N: 0.001% (measured at 1kHz with a 20Hz/22kHz bandpass filter)
Noise: EIN > 120dB (measured at 60dB of gain with 150 Ohm termination (20Hz/22kHz bandpass filter)
LINE
Frequency Response: 20Hz - 20kHz +/- 0.1dB
THD+N: 0.001% (measured with 0dBFS input and 22Hz/22kHz bandpass filter)
Noise: -88dBu (22Hz/22kHz bandpass filter)
INSTRUMENT
Frequency Response: 20Hz - 20kHz +/- 0.1dB
THD+N: 0.004% (measured with 0dBu input and 20Hz/22kHz bandpass filter)
Noise: -87dBu (20Hz/22kHz bandpass filter)
DIGITAL PERFORMANCE
Clock Source: Internal clock or sync to word clock on SPDIF
A/D Dynamic Range 104dB 'A-weighted'
D/A Dynamic Range 110dB 'A-weighted'
Clock Jitter < 250 pico seconds
Sample rate 44.1 to 192kHz
WEIGHT and DIMS
1.1kg - 6.5cm x 17cm x 17cm
ANALOGUE INPUTS
Mic: 2 x XLR on front panel
Mic Gain: +13dB to + 60dB
Line: 2 x 1/4" TRS Jack
Line Gain: -10dB to +36dB
Instrument: As above, switched to Instrument
Instrument Gain: +13dB to +60dB
ANALOGUE OUTPUTS
Line level 8 x 1/4" TRS Jack
Nominal output level 0dBFS = 16dBu, electronically balanced
All outputs are useable as monitoring outputs
DIGITAL I/O
2 x SPDIF (RCA phono) on rear panel (24-bit, 96kHz) Output transformer isolated
MIDI I/O
1 in / 1 out on rear panel
FIREWIRE S400
2 ports
POWER
Either via FIREWIRE or external PSU (12v AC, 1.5A)
HEADPHONE MONITORING
2 x 1/4" TRS Jack on front panel (mirrors outputs 5-8)
Windows,
XP Service Pack 2 (Home, Professional, 64bit XP or Media Centre Edition) or Windows Vista (32bit only)
Mac,
OS X Panther (10.3.3 or later) - Mac OS update may be required
Additional Info
Firewire chipsets from TI (Texas Instruments), VIA, and NEC are recommended
It is highly recommended that Saffire be run on its own Firewire bus/card
In order to use Saffire with a 4-pin IEEE1394 port you will need a 4-pin to 6-pin cable (not included) and must use the PSU (included)
MIC
Frequency Response: 20Hz - 20kHz +/- 0.1 dB
THD+N: 0.001% (measured at 1kHz with a 20Hz/22kHz bandpass filter)
Noise: EIN > 120dB (measured at 60dB of gain with 150 Ohm termination (20Hz/22kHz bandpass filter)
LINE
Frequency Response: 20Hz - 20kHz +/- 0.1dB
THD+N: 0.001% (measured with 0dBFS input and 22Hz/22kHz bandpass filter)
Noise: -88dBu (22Hz/22kHz bandpass filter)
INSTRUMENT
Frequency Response: 20Hz - 20kHz +/- 0.1dB
THD+N: 0.004% (measured with 0dBu input and 20Hz/22kHz bandpass filter)
Noise: -87dBu (20Hz/22kHz bandpass filter)
DIGITAL PERFORMANCE
Clock Source: Internal clock or sync to word clock on SPDIF
A/D Dynamic Range 104dB 'A-weighted'
D/A Dynamic Range 110dB 'A-weighted'
Clock Jitter < 250 pico seconds
Sample rate 44.1 to 192kHz
WEIGHT and DIMS
1.1kg - 6.5cm x 17cm x 17cm
ANALOGUE INPUTS
Mic: 2 x XLR on front panel
Mic Gain: +13dB to + 60dB
Line: 2 x 1/4" TRS Jack
Line Gain: -10dB to +36dB
Instrument: As above, switched to Instrument
Instrument Gain: +13dB to +60dB
ANALOGUE OUTPUTS
Line level 8 x 1/4" TRS Jack
Nominal output level 0dBFS = 16dBu, electronically balanced
All outputs are useable as monitoring outputs
DIGITAL I/O
2 x SPDIF (RCA phono) on rear panel (24-bit, 96kHz) Output transformer isolated
MIDI I/O
1 in / 1 out on rear panel
FIREWIRE S400
2 ports
POWER
Either via FIREWIRE or external PSU (12v AC, 1.5A)
HEADPHONE MONITORING
2 x 1/4" TRS Jack on front panel (mirrors outputs 5-8)
Documents and Manuals
For support or warranty questions, please contact the manufacturer:
Phone: 310-322-5500
Web: https://support.focusrite.com/
Phone: 310-322-5500
Web: https://support.focusrite.com/
Reviews
Reviewers gave this product an overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars.
(95 ratings)
Submitted October 7, 2007 by a customer from hotmail.com
"Unsatisfied at first, very at 2nd."
overall, this product satisfy's my every taste buds for quality.
the price was a bit high for me (im not those top music producers who can spend so much on their gears) but i am quite serious of my "HOBBY". never the less, it was all worth it after hearing my own creation through my earphones along with this interface. It was only 8 due to its poor ease of use and price, regardless, its sound is amazing !!!!
if your like me, who requires critical professional sound quality with a little bit more budget to spend on a sigle toy (seeing that you already have a descent mic), then buy it. You wont regret you did.
Sound
The sound itself is hard to work with at first. In my case, after EQ'ing on the on board DSP, i find that the eq was not that noticeble after a vocal recording. The vocal was rather dry than wet, but i fixed this problem by EQ'ing the recorded vocal through cubases's direct x plugins, and under FOCUSRITE SAFFIRE>EQ, the problem was fixed, thus satisfying my ears :). Sound is very transparent if you have the right gears onboard (IE: a good condenser/tube mic... this is where it all matters)
Features
it served me well with all it had to offer: 1.) Compression 2.) AMP 3.) EQ 4.) Reverb which could all be projected at a 192KHZ. *compared to those of m-audio who has only 92khZ sample rate.
Ease of Use
as i said, i did not have a lot of trouble understanding the "symbols"… read more it had on its DSP. However, it took me a while to get use to them since sliders and knobs were too broad and inaccurate (interms of adjusting volumes, reverbs, and eq's). But, although it may seem that you may not be able to set an exact amount, the closest to accuracy with this product is by holding shift as you adjust your knob or slider. If your buying this product just for the sake of people telling you "THE PREAMPS ARE AWSOME", think again, although its preamp is awsome, you may have trouble working with this thing. so if you dont have a clue of the music symbols (ex: heart meaning cardiod which then means that only one particular side of the mic receives all the sound etc...) this product is not for you.
Quality
awsome! very very pleasing to my ears. I believe that with the use of descent microphones (i have a neumann TLM 103, RODE NT1A, and apex 460) you will get your righteous sound that you strive to attain. note: a dynamic microphone (those handheld once) + focusrite saffire = not the perfect combination. this product is not for those who can relate to this example, but for those who owns a fairly decent CONDENSER/TUBE mic, BUY THIS!!!! you wont be disappointed.
Value
i bought it $399 USD plus tax. I bought this toy in hopes to achieve that quality i'd like to hear. i took a risk, and finally, i achieved my goal!!!! i love my focusrite saffire, asside from its cost, it was all worth the buy.
Manufacturer Support
i have yet to need their assistance. Never the less, ive heard bad forums about their support. take care of it properly, this will avoid alot of hastle of contacting them.
The Wow Factor
when i read about its specs, "DAMN"... you should read it and see for your self. I WANT IT, I GOT IT!!!! my vocals are nice sampling at a 192khZ .
Musical Background:
Hobbyist as a: producer and a musician
Musical Style:
Positive vibe, Rap and RnB read less
Sound
The sound itself is hard to work with at first. In my case, after EQ'ing on the on board DSP, i find that the eq was not that noticeble after a vocal recording. The vocal was rather dry than wet, but i fixed this problem by EQ'ing the recorded vocal through cubases's direct x plugins, and under FOCUSRITE SAFFIRE>EQ, the problem was fixed, thus satisfying my ears :). Sound is very transparent if you have the right gears onboard (IE: a good condenser/tube mic... this is where it all matters)
Features
it served me well with all it had to offer: 1.) Compression 2.) AMP 3.) EQ 4.) Reverb which could all be projected at a 192KHZ. *compared to those of m-audio who has only 92khZ sample rate.
Ease of Use
as i said, i did not have a lot of trouble understanding the "symbols"… read more it had on its DSP. However, it took me a while to get use to them since sliders and knobs were too broad and inaccurate (interms of adjusting volumes, reverbs, and eq's). But, although it may seem that you may not be able to set an exact amount, the closest to accuracy with this product is by holding shift as you adjust your knob or slider. If your buying this product just for the sake of people telling you "THE PREAMPS ARE AWSOME", think again, although its preamp is awsome, you may have trouble working with this thing. so if you dont have a clue of the music symbols (ex: heart meaning cardiod which then means that only one particular side of the mic receives all the sound etc...) this product is not for you.
Quality
awsome! very very pleasing to my ears. I believe that with the use of descent microphones (i have a neumann TLM 103, RODE NT1A, and apex 460) you will get your righteous sound that you strive to attain. note: a dynamic microphone (those handheld once) + focusrite saffire = not the perfect combination. this product is not for those who can relate to this example, but for those who owns a fairly decent CONDENSER/TUBE mic, BUY THIS!!!! you wont be disappointed.
Value
i bought it $399 USD plus tax. I bought this toy in hopes to achieve that quality i'd like to hear. i took a risk, and finally, i achieved my goal!!!! i love my focusrite saffire, asside from its cost, it was all worth the buy.
Manufacturer Support
i have yet to need their assistance. Never the less, ive heard bad forums about their support. take care of it properly, this will avoid alot of hastle of contacting them.
The Wow Factor
when i read about its specs, "DAMN"... you should read it and see for your self. I WANT IT, I GOT IT!!!! my vocals are nice sampling at a 192khZ .
Musical Background:
Hobbyist as a: producer and a musician
Musical Style:
Positive vibe, Rap and RnB read less
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No longer available at zZounds
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