Focusrite Liquid Saffire 56 User Guide
Liquid Safre 56
User Guide
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Important Safety Instructions
Read these instructions.1.
Keep these instructions.2.
Heed all warnings.3.
Follow all instructions.4.
Do not use this apparatus near water.5.
Clean only with dry cloth.6.
Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.7.
Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other apparatus (including ampliers) that produce heat.8.
Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized or grounding-type plug. A polarized plug has two blades with one wider than the other. A grounding type 9.
plug has two blades and a third grounding prong. The wide blade or the third prong are provided for your safety. If the provided plug does not t into your
outlet, consult an electrician for replacement of the obsolete outlet.
Protect the power cord from being walked on or pinched particularly at plugs, convenience receptacles, and the point where they exit from the apparatus.10.
Only use attachments/accessories specied by the manufacturer.11.
Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or when unused for long periods of time.12.
Refer all servicing to qualied service personnel. Ser vicing is required when the apparatus has been damaged in any way, such as power-supply cord or 13.
plug is damaged, liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen into the apparatus, the apparatus has been exposed to rain or moisture, does not operate
normally, or has been dropped.
The apparatus shall be connected to a Mains socket outlet with a protective earthing connection. 14.
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The apparatus shall not be exposed to dripping or splashing and that no objects lled with liquids, such as vases, shall be placed on the apparatus.15.
WARNING16. - To reduce the risk of re or electric shock do not expose this apparatus to rain or moisture.
The appliance coupler is used as the disconnect device, the disconnect device shall remain readily operable.17.
No naked ame sources, such as lighted candles, should be placed on the apparatus.18.
Do not use a damaged or frayed power cord.19.
If the mains plug supplying this apparatus incorporates a fuse then it should only be replaced with a fuse of identical or lower rupture value.20.
Use only with the cart, stand, tripod, bracket, or table specied by the manufacturer, or sold with the apparatus. When a cart is used, use caution when 21.
moving the car t/apparatus combination to avoid injur y from tip-over.
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Contents
Introduction .................................................................................................................. 4
Basics ........................................................................................................................... 4
Box Contents ................................................................................................................ 4
Getting Started ............................................................................................................. 5
Hardware ...................................................................................................................... 6
Back Panel ........................................................................................................... 6
Front Panel ........................................................................................................... 7
Installation ................................................................................................................... 8
Audio Set-up in your DAW ............................................................................................. 8
Liquid Safre 56 Architecture ...................................................................................... 9
Safre MixControl ......................................................................................................11
Mixer Section ......................................................................................................12
Routing Section ...................................................................................................16
Monitor Section ...................................................................................................18
Device Setup Section ...........................................................................................21
Settings Menu .................................................................................................... 22
File Menu ............................................................................................................ 24
Liquid Safre 56 Specications .................................................................................. 25
Troubleshooting.......................................................................................................... 26
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Introduction
Thank you for purchasing Liquid Safre 56, the latest Focusrite professional multi-channel Firewire interface. You now have a
complete solution for routing high quality audio in and out of your computer.
This Guide provides a detailed explanation of both the hardware and accompanying control software “Safre MixControl” to help you
achieve a thorough understanding of the product’s operational features. We recommend that both users who are new to computer
recording, as well as more experienced users, take the time to read through the user guide so that you are fully aware of all the
possibilities that the Liquid Safre 56 and accompanying software has to offer.
If the main User Guide sections do not provide the information you need, be sure to consult http://www.focusrite.com/answerbase,
which contains a comprehensive list of common technical support queries regarding the product to date.
Basics
The Liquid Safre 56 hardware interface provides the means for connecting microphones, line-level signals, instrument-level
signals, and digital signals to your computer, which are then routed to your audio recording software / digital audio workstation
(referred to throughout this user guide as “DAW”).
The Liquid Safre 56 features two Liquid Pre-amps. ‘Liquid’ refers to our hybrid microphone pre-amplier technology, matching
high quality Focusrite Mic pre design with meticulously sampled pre-amp emulations transporting classic front-end processing into
the digital age.
All audio signals connected to the inputs, plus audio output from your computer programs are routed to the physical outputs for you
to connect to an amp and speakers, powered monitors, headphones, analogue/digital mixer, and any other studio equipment that you
wish to use. There are also connectors for sending and receiving MIDI.
The accompanying software application, Safre MixControl provides further recording, routing and monitoring options, as well as
the ability to control global hardware settings such as sample rate and synchronisation.
Safre MixControl software provides mixing and routing to and from the DAW, allowing control over which signals are sent from
the sequencer to each output. All inputs on the Liquid Safre 56 are routed directly to your DAW software for recording, but Safre
MixControl also allows you to route these signals to your monitors so that you can listen to the audio signals with zero latency before they arrive at your DAW.
Box Contents
Along with your Liquid Safre 56 you should have:
1 - 6 pin Firewire cable (also known as a IEEE1394 cable)
1 - IEC Power Cable
1 - CD containing software installer software for Mac and Windows
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Getting Started
The Liquid Safre 56 has 2 x 6 pin Firewire ports on the back. You can connect your computer to either Firewire port, and this
will work with any of the current Firewire standards and connections; Firewire 400 (6 pin or 4 pin connection); and Firewire 800.
BEFORE YOU CONNNECT THE LIQUID SAFFIRE 56 TO YOUR COMPUTER, PLEASE RUN THE INSTALLER. This will ensure that the
correct drivers are used, thus preventing any unexpected behaviour
The Liquid Safre 56 requires power, supplied via the included power cable.
The Liquid Safre 56 ships with a 6 pin Firewire cable. However on Windows laptops, the Firewire connection may be 4 pin Firewire.
If this is the case with your computer, you will need to purchase a 6 pin to 4 pin cable.
You may have a Firewire 800 connector on your computer. In this case you will need to purchase a 6 pin Firewire 400 to 800 cable.
Note:
Firewire considerations - Most computers will generally be equipped with 1 Firewire bus. You may have multiple Firewire ports
(connectors) on your computer, but these are all connected to 1 physical chip which controls the bus.
The Firewire bus is limited in the amount of data bandwidth it can handle. Each additional Firewire device connected to the Firewire
bus demands additional bandwidth resources, thus increasing the chances of exceeded the total available bandwidth. Consequently,
it is recommended that Liquid Safre 56 run on its own Firewire bus for best performance.
The Liquid Safre 56 should be able to work along side other devices connected to the same Firewire bus. However, problems may
arise depending on which Firewire devices are connected. For example, a Firewire disk used for back-up or a digital camera should
not cause any problems, but when streaming audio from a Firewire hard disk or a Firewire DSP box such as Focusrite Liquid Mix,
the totoal Firewire bandwidth may be reached. This will result in audio drop outs, or reduced performance on either the Liquid
Safre 56 or the other connected Firewire device.
For this reason, we would recommend that you use a separate Firewire bus for each Firewire device. This may be a PCI / PCIe card
in your desktop, or a PCMCIA or Express card in your Laptop.
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Hardware
Back Panel
The Back Panel provides the majority of input and output connections on the Liquid Safre 56.
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2 x XLR input sockets for the Liquid Mic Pre-amps (Analogue Mic Inputs 1 & 2).1.
2 x Jack input sockets for Line level signals (Analogue Line Inputs 1 & 2). *2.
6 x XLR input sockets for Mic level signals (Analogue Mic Inputs 3 - 8).3.
6 x Jack input sockets for Line level signals (Analogue Line Inputs 3 - 8). *4.
2 x TRS jack sockets for balanced outputs for the main monitor mix. *5.
8 x TRS jack sockets for balanced outputs 3-10. *6.
Word Clock input and output BNC connectors.7.
2 x Pairs of Optical ADAT input and output sockets. ** 8.
2 x IEEE 1394 6 pin Firewire sockets.9.
2 x Din5 MIDI input and output sockets. 10.
2 x RCA S/PDIF input and output sockets.11.
1 x IEC Power inlet socket. 12.
1, 2
* Either 1/4 inch TRS (balanced) or TS (unbalanced) Jack connectors can be used.
** ADAT 2 can also be used as an additional S/PDIF optical i/o.
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Front Panel
The Front Panel includes the input connectors for instrument jacks, as well as all the input gain controls and monitoring controls.
Liquid Pre-amps Mic / Line input indication LEDS.1.
Liquid Pre-amps Gain control knobs – use these to set the level of your input signal 2.
Liquid Pre-amps +48V phantom power buttons with LEDs. 3.
Liquid Pre-amps HPF (High Pass Filter) buttons with LEDs. 4.
Instrument Input TS Jacks for channels 3 and 4.5.
Channels 3 and 4 Mic / Line / Instrument input indicator LEDs.6.
Channels 5 to 8 Mic / Line input indicator LEDs. 7.
Channels 3 to 8 Preamp Gain control knobs - Use these to set the level of your input signal. 8.
Channels 3 and 4 Pad buttons with LEDs. Maximum input level without pads is +7dBu, with pads is +16dBu 9.
Channels 3 to 8 +48V phantom power buttons with LEDs10.
Channels 3 to 8 HPF (High Pass Filter) buttons with LEDs.11.
Channels 3, 5 and 7 Phase reverse buttons with LEDs. 12.
Input signal level meters: 5 LEDs indicate -42, -18, -6, -3, 0dBFS 13.
Indicator LEDs for Signal level meters – LED for ADAT 1, ADAT 2, SPDIF. When no LEDs are lit, the meters indicate analogue 14.
input levels.
Firewire active LED - Lit when the Liquid Safre 56 is successfully connected to the computer. 15.
Synchronisation Lock LED – Lit when Liquid Safre 56 is either syncronised to its internal clock, or to an external digital input. 16.
MIDI In indicator – Lights and ashes when the Safre recives MIDI data at the MIDI In port. 17.
Monitor Level control pot – Can be congured to control any number of the analogue outputs. 18.
Monitor Dim and Mute switches with associated LEDs. 19.
Headphones 1 & 2 level control and output 1/4 inch jacks. 20.
Power switch and LED indicator - Lit when the unit is receiving power and is turned on 21.
Removable rack ear covers – remove when tting to a 19 inch rack. 22.
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Installation (Windows and Mac)
We aim to ensure that the latest installation software will be on the disk included with your Liquid Safre 56. However we strongly
recommend that you check for the latest version of software on our website; www.focusrite.com before starting to work with your
Liquid Safre 56 unit.
Insert your installer disk into your computer’s CD-ROM drive. 1.
You should see a window pop up showing the Liquid Safre 56 installer icon. 2.
Double click on the installer icon to begin the installation process.3.
Follow onscreen instructions to complete the installation process. 4.
Once the installation has been completed, your Computer OS should automatically switch its default audio outputs to be the
Liquid Safre 56.
To make sure this is the case:
On Windows, go to Start > Control Panel > Sounds and Audio Devices > Set the input and output to ‘Safre’.
On Mac, go to System Preferences > Sound > Set the input and output to ‘Safre’.
For more detailed setup options on a Mac, go to Applications > Utilities > Audio Midi Set-up.
Audio Set-up in your DAW
The Liquid Safre 56 is compatible with any DAW that uses ASIO drivers on Windows, and any DAW that uses Core Audio on Mac.
Your DAW software will not automatically switch the device it used to input and output audio.
You must ensure that you select ‘Safre’ as the ASIO driver (Windows) or Core Audio driver (Mac) in your DAW’s audio set-up page.
Please refer to your DAW’s documentation if you are unsure where to select the ASIO / Core Audio driver.
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Liquid Safre 56 Architecture
12345678910 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
DAW OUT
Liquid Saffire 56
HARDWARE IN
12345678
Analog
ADAT 1ADAT 2
12345678
12345678
S/PDIF
1 2
HARDWARE OUT
12345678910
Analog
ADAT 1ADAT 2
12345678
12345678
S/PDIF
1 2
28 IN
Loop back
28 OUT
12345678910 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
Saffire Mix Control Music Software
ROUTER
DAW IN
MIXER
12345678910 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
DAW OUT
Liquid Saffire 56
HARDWARE IN
12345678
Analog
ADAT 1
12345678
S/PDIF
1 2
S/PDIF 2
3 4
HARDWARE OUT
12345678910
Analog
ADAT 1
12345678
S/PDIF
1 2
S/PDIF 2
1 2
22 IN
Loop back
22 OUT
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Saffire Mix Control Music Software
ROUTER
DAW IN
MIXER
Liquid Safre 56 offers more than just simple input and output routing to and from your computer. Safre MixControl software
also allows you to re-route audio signals to any output, and to create custom mixes to be sent to your recording artists, outboard
processing equipment, or mixing console.
The following diagrams give an overview of the Liquid Safre 56 audio paths when set at different sample rates and
S/PDIF congurations.
The Hardware Inputs are routed directly to the DAW Inputs. The table below each diagram shows the routing conguration.
44.1kHz / 48kHz Optical as ADAT
HARDWARE IN DAW IN
Analogue 1-8 1-8
S/PDIF 1-2 9-10
ADAT 1 1-8 11-18
ADAT 2 1-8 19-26
Loop back 1-2 27-28
44.1kHz / 48kHz Optical as S/PDIF
HARDWARE IN DAW IN
Analogue 1-8 1-8
S/PDIF 1-2 9-10
ADAT 1 11-18
S/PDIF 1-2 19-20 *DAW IN 21-26 are redundant
Loop back 1-2 27-28
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