Focusrite saffire driver pro#
Finally, unlike many competitors, the Saffire Pro 40 can only be used while connected to a computer: it doesn't function as a stand‑alone device. They are working on multi-unit support, but it's not yet clear what form this will take or when it will arrive. Focusrite initially told me that two Saffire Pro 40s could be used at the same time, but apparently this is not the case. There's a dedicated pair of monitor outputs as well as the eight standard line outs, and a pair of 'loopback' inputs allows you to route audio from one audio application back into the Pro 40's mixer, to be recorded in another. Digital I/O is available in electrical and optical formats, but there's no word clock, and only a single pair of optical connectors - some interfaces have two pairs, giving you an extra 16 channels of possible I/O via ADAT. You can't bus‑power the unit, but there's an internal power supply that takes a standard IEC kettle lead. Hardware metering is superior to that on the M‑Audio or Presonus offerings, with a five‑LED 'ladder' display for each of the eight analogue inputs. These are summarised in the 'Vital Statistics' box, but it's worth drawing attention to a few features that set the Saffire Pro 40 apart from its competitors. The latest entrant into this market, Focusrite's Saffire Pro 40, retails at a mere £349 $499, yet offers what appears on paper to be an incredible set of features. And, what's more, prices have been tumbling. Products like Presonus's Firestudio, M‑Audio's Profire 2626 and Focusrite's Saffire 26I/O offer a mic preamp for each analogue input, along with sophisticated internal mixing functionality. In the last couple of years, however, we've seen a number of interfaces designed to make an additional mixer redundant.
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A mixer might also be needed if you wanted to set up multiple monitor mixes for different performers, allowing them all to hear themselves with no latency. Until recently, most multi‑channel audio interfaces offered mainly line‑level inputs, and if you wanted to record multiple mics simultaneously you'd need to add a mixer or preamp. The new audio interface from Focusrite offers an awful lot, for an awful lot less than you'd think.