FOCUSRITE Pro Red 8Line Thunderbolt 3, Pro Red 8Pre Thunderbolt 2 Red Range - User Manual (English).pdf

Red Range

Red 4Pre / Red 8Pre / Red 8Line / Red 16Line

A range of up to 64 in / 64 out Thunderbolt™ audio interfaces with
Pro Tools | HD and Dante® network audio connectivity

User Guide

FFFA002051-02

www.focusrite.com

CONTENTS

About This User Guide

Unit Variances

Box Contents

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System Requirements

Introduction

Key Features

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Controls and Connections

Front Panel – Red 4Pre / Red 8Pre
Front Panel – Red 8Line
Front Panel – Red 16Line
Rear Panel – Red 8Line / Red 16Line

Physical Characteristics
Power Requirements

Operation

INPUTS

Analogue Inputs
Input Controls

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Preamp Overview Screen
Preamp Focus Screen

Input Configuration

Input Functions
Encoder Toggle Function

Line Inputs

DIGITAL INPUTS

ADAT
S/PDIF
Loopback Input

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Operating Level Selection

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DANTE CONNECTION

MONITORING

Monitors

Monitor Display
Mute and Dim

Headphones

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5

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15
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2

Contents

LCD METER DISPLAYS

Red 4Pre, Red 8Pre and Red 8Line

Meter Source Selection – Red 4Pre and Red 8Pre
Meter Source Selection – Red 8Line

Red 16Line

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Level Meters 1–8 and 9–16
Output Meter
Meter Source Selection

ANALOGUE OUTPUTS

Operating Level Selection

THUNDERBOLT CONNECTION

Logic Pro X Setup

PRO TOOLS CONNECTION

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Using Red Range Units with other Pro Tools | HD interfaces

Loop Sync

Pro Tools Setup

Global Settings

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Host

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Sync
Retain
I/O level (Red 16Line only)

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17
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19
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20
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21
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22

23

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23

Other Red System Components

REDNET CONTROL 2

Tools Menu

Appendices

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Appendix 1 – Connector Pinouts
Appendix 2 – System Diagrams
Appendix 3 – I/O Channel Allocation
Appendix 4 – Air Information

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Performance and Specifications

Focusrite Pro Warranty and Service
Registering Your Product

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Customer Support and Unit Servicing
Troubleshooting

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24

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27

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29
32
44

45

48
48
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48

3

About This User Guide

This user guide is applicable to all units in the Red range of Thunderbolt Interfaces: Red 4Pre, Red
8Pre, Red 8Line and Red 16Line. It provides information about installation, operation and how each
unit can be connected into your home or studio system.

Unit Variances

• Where channel quantities differ between each device, the channel counts are shown in squared
brackets in the order: [Red 4Pre / Red 8Pre / Red 8Line / Red 16Line].

Eg., “Connectors for the [4/8/2/2] microphone inputs are located on the rear panel.”

• Individual specification differences will be indicated by notes eg., “(Not available on Red 16Line)”

• Where there are significant specification variations, a separate page is used for each version.

Audinate® and Dante® are registered trademark of Audinate Pty Ltd.

Thunderbolt™ is a trademark of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and/or other countries.

Box Contents

• Red range unit

• IEC AC mains cable

• 2m Thunderbolt 2 cable (Red 4Pre and Red 8Pre only)

• 2m Thunderbolt 3 cable – 20Gbps, 60W (Red 8Line and Red 16Line only)

• Product registration card, which provides the following important information:

Unit serial number
Bundle code – for registering your product and for accessing your free software

System Requirements

• An Apple Mac with at least one Thunderbolt, Thunderbolt 2 or Thunderbolt 3 port, or a Pro

Tools | HD system for mini DigiLink connection

An Apple Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter and a Thunderbolt 2 cable will be required to connect any
Thunderbolt or Thunderbolt 2 ports to a Thunderbolt 3 port

• See https://focusrite.com/downloads/os for information on OS compatibility

• Internet connection for downloading and installing software and driver

4

INTRODUCTION

Thank you for purchasing your Focusrite Red range unit.

Red range interface units combine dual Thunderbolt and Pro Tools | HD audio interfaces with
preamplifiers, suitable for a wide range of audio integration applications.

All units feature Mic, Line and Instrument analogue inputs with either 14 or 22 analogue output
channels including independent loudspeaker and headphone monitoring, ADAT and S/PDIF digital
I/O plus LCD meter displays. Red units provide an interface for Pro Tools | HD equipped workstations
and, with their built-in Dante card, are ready for networked audio expansion via dual Ethernet ports.

Key Features

• Two Thunderbolt Interface ports for direct or chained connection (Thunderbolt 2 on Red 4Pre and
Red 8Pre; Thunderbolt 3 on Red 8Line and Red 16Line).

• [8/16/8/16] line-level input and output signals via DB25 connectors on the rear panel.

• [4/8/2/2] remote controlled microphone preamps providing up to 63dB of gain, each with phantom
power, high-pass filter, phase-reverse and ‘Air’ mode. See Appendix 3 on p.28 for further information.

• Two instrument inputs accessed via front-mounted 1/4” jacks.

• Analogue monitoring via dedicated balanced 1/4” jack outputs on the rear panel, plus two
independent headphone outputs on the front panel.

• Digital devices can be accommodated via the S/PDIF and dual optical ADAT I/O connections.

• Two Primary Mini DigiLink connectors provide [58/64/58/64] input and 64 output channels of I/O
to Pro Tools | HD.

• Dual Ethernet ports provide up to 32 x 32 channels of networked audio expansion over Dante.

• BNC connectors allow syncing or slaving to external devices via Word Clock or Loop Sync.

• Permanent 8-channel LCD meter display (Red 4Pre, Red 8Pre and Red 8Line), selectable to show all
input or output types.

• Two 8-channel LCD meter displays (Red 16Line) show 16 Inputs, 16 Outputs or a combined I/O
view.

• Line Input & Output operating levels selectable to +18 dBu or +24 dBu, globally or independently
for each channel (Red 8Line and Red 16Line only).

• Simple host and sync selection setup.

• RedNet Control 2 application allows full remote hardware operation and setup, plus control of
mixing and routing.

5

Controls and Connections

Front Panel – Red 4Pre / Red 8Pre

Instrument

Inputs

Input Select

Buttons

Input

Encoder

Input

Display

Menu & O/P

Display

Level Meter

Display

Menu & O/P

Encoder

Menu, Meter &

Monitor Buttons

H/phone

Select

H/phone

Outputs

Power Switch

• Instrument Inputs. Two high-impedance inputs on 1/4” jack sockets.

• Input Select buttons provide direct access to the control and menu settings for analogue input
channels [1-4/1–8].

• The Input Encoder and its associated Input Display is used to select and adjust the configuration
menu settings for the input channels; it also functions as the input gain control for the active
channel.

• The Level Meter Display is an eight channel, switchable LCD meter which is able to display
groups of input and output signals.

• The Output Encoder functions as the volume control for the monitor and headphone outputs. It
is also used to configure the global system settings, control the meter selection and select the
monitor dim and mute features. Its function is determined by the adjacent Monitor, Meter and
Headphone Select buttons.

• The Meter button calls up the selection menu for the level meters onto the Output Display.

• The Monitor button assigns the Output Encoder to the monitor loudspeaker functions.

Pressing the Meter and Monitor buttons simultaneously enters the Global conguration menu, where host,
clock and power-up settings are assigned.

• The Headphone 1 and 2 buttons assign the Output Encoder to the selected headphone control
functions.

• Headphone Outputs are standard 1/4” TRS jacks.

6

Controls and Connections . . .

Front Panel – Red 8Line

Instrument

Inputs

Input Select

Buttons

Meter A/D

Select Buttons

Input

Encoder

Input

Display

Level Meter

Display

Menu &

O/P Display

Menu & O/P

Encoder

Menu, Meter &

Monitor Buttons

H/phone

Select

Power
Switch

H/phone

Outputs

• Instrument Inputs. Two high-impedance unbalanced inputs on 1/4” jack sockets.

• Input Select buttons provide direct access to the menu settings for analogue input channels 1&2.

• The Input Encoder and its associated Input Display is used to select and adjust the configuration
menu settings for the input channels; it also functions as the input gain control for inputs 1&2.

• The Level Meter Display is an eight channel, switchable LCD meter which is able to display
groups of input or output signals.

• The Analogue button shows the analogue signals on the level meter display; pressing Analogue
again toggles between inputs and outputs.

• The Digital button shows the digital signals on the level meter display; the group of signals
to show is selected by the pressing the Meter button and then rotating the Output Encoder.
Pressing the Digital button again toggles between inputs and outputs.

• The Output Encoder functions as the volume control for the monitor and headphone outputs. It is
also used to configure the global system settings, control the digital meter selection and select
the monitor dim and mute features. Its function is determined by the adjacent Monitor, Meter
and Headphone Select buttons.

• The Monitor button assigns the Output Encoder to the monitor loudspeaker functions.

Pressing the Meter and Monitor buttons simultaneously enters the Global conguration menu, where host,
clock and power-up settings are assigned.

• The Headphone 1 and 2 buttons assign the Output Encoder to the selected headphone control
functions.

• Headphone Outputs are standard 1/4” TRS jacks.

7

Controls and Connections . . .

Front Panel – Red 16Line

Instrument

Inputs

Input Select

Buttons

Meter I/O

Select Buttons

Input

Encoder

Meter Display 1-8

Input & Level

Level Meter
Display 9-16

Menu &

O/P Display

Menu & O/P

Encoder

Menu, Meter &

Monitor Buttons

H/phone

Select

Power
Switch

H/phone

Outputs

• Instrument Inputs. Two high-impedance unbalanced inputs on 1/4” jack sockets.

• Input Select buttons provide direct access to the menu settings for analogue input channels 1&2.

• The Input Encoder and its associated Input Display is used to select and adjust the configuration
menu settings for the input channels; it also functions as the input gain control for inputs 1&2.

• The Level Meter Displays 1-8 and 9-16 are switchable LCD meters able to show inputs, outputs
or a combined I/O display. Display selection is made using the Input and Output buttons –
pressing both buttons simultaneously selects combined I/O.

• The Output Encoder functions as the volume control for the monitor and headphone outputs. It
is also used to configure the global system settings, control the meter selection and select the
monitor dim and mute features. Its function is determined by the adjacent Monitor, Meter and
Headphone Select buttons.

• The Meter button switches the left and centre LCD screens between: preamp info/meters 1&2,
and, meters 1-8/meters 9-16; pressing a second time calls up the meter source list onto the
Output Display.

• The Monitor button assigns the Output Encoder to the monitor loudspeaker functions.

Pressing the Meter and Monitor buttons simultaneously enters the Global conguration menu where host,
clock, power-up and I/O linking settings are assigned.

• The Headphone 1 and 2 buttons assign the Output Encoder to the selected headphone control
functions.

• Headphone Outputs are standard 1/4” TRS jacks.

8

Controls and Connections . . .

Rear Panel – Red 4Pre / Red 8Pre

Red 8Pre shown:

AC Inlet

Dante

Network

Word
Clock

Loop

Sync

Thunderbolt 2

Interface

2 x ADAT

Optical I/O

Pro Tools | HD

S/PDIF

I/O

Interface

L/R Monitor

Outputs

Line Outputs

Line Inputs

*Microphone

Inputs

• AC Mains Inlet. Standard IEC receptacle for connection of AC mains. The units feature ‘Universal’
PSUs, enabling them to operate on any supply voltage between 100 V and 240 V AC.

• Word Clock – Input allows synchronisation to word clock.

• Word Clock – Output provides an output of the chosen system clock reference.

• Loop Sync I/O sockets allows integration with a standard Pro Tools system I/O chain.

• Dual Thunderbolt 2 Connection. Two ports allow either direct or chained connection to your
workstation/external monitors – the chaining/linking of other Red devices is not permitted.

• Pro Tools | HD Interface. Two Mini DigiLink Primary connectors; use Mini DigiLink cables to
connect to a Pro Tools | HDX PCIe card or Pro Tools | HD Native system.

• Line Outputs on [one/two] DB25 female connector(s).

• Line Inputs on [one/two] DB25 female connector(s).

Note that Line input circuits [1-4/1-8] can be re-assigned to the Instrument (circuits 1&2) and/or Microphone

connectors so may not always be available on the DB25 connector. See page 14 for further information.

• *Microphone Inputs (Red 4Pre) on four latching XLR-3 female connectors.

• *Microphone Inputs (Red 8Pre) on DB25 female connector.

Note that a DB25 male to XLR-3 female 8-way adapter loom will be required for mic leads with individual XLRs.

• Network. Two RJ45 Ethernet connectors for the Dante network. The ports can be configured
as either primary and secondary on redundant systems – where two independent networks are
available, or as a two-port switch to allow the daisy-chaining of additional units.

• ADAT I/O 1 and 2. Two independent 8-channel ADAT optical inputs and outputs using standard
TOSLINK connectors. Optical I/O 1 can also be used in ‘Optical S/PDIF’ mode.

• S/PDIF I/O. 2-channel digital interface on RCA (phono) connectors.

• Monitor Outputs. Balanced 1/4” TRS jacks for connection of Left and Right monitor loudspeakers.
Outputs are at line level so unpowered speakers will require external amplification.

9

Controls and Connections . . . Continued

Rear Panel – Red 8Line / Red 16Line

Red 16Line shown:

AC Inlet

Dante

Network

Word
Clock

Loop

Sync

Thunderbolt 3

Interface

2 x ADAT

Optical I/O

Pro Tools | HD

Interface

S/PDIF

I/O

L/R Monitor

Outputs

Line Outputs

Line Inputs

Microphone

Inputs

• AC Mains Inlet. Standard IEC receptacle for connection of AC mains. Red 16Line features a
‘Universal’ PSU, enabling it to operate on any supply voltage between 100 V and 240 V AC.

• Word Clock – Input allows synchronisation to word clock.

• Word Clock – Output provides an output of the chosen system clock reference.

• Loop Sync I/O sockets allow Red 16Line to integrate with a standard Pro Tools system I/O chain.

• Dual Thunderbolt 3 Connection. Two ports allow either direct or chained connection to your
workstation/external monitors – the chaining/linking of other Red devices is not permitted.

• Pro Tools | HD Interface. Two Mini DigiLink Primary connectors; use Mini DigiLink cables to
connect to a Pro Tools | HDX PCIe card or Pro Tools | HD Native system.

• Line Outputs on [one/two] DB25 female connector(s).

DB25 connectors are wired according to the AES59 Standard (also known as the TASCAM Analogue standard).

• Line Inputs on [one/two] DB25 female connector(s).

Note that Line input circuits 1 & 2 can be re-assigned to the Microphone and/or Instrument connectors so may

not always be available on the input connector. See page 14 for further information.

• Microphone Inputs on two XLR-3 female connectors.

• Network. Two RJ45 Ethernet connectors for the Dante network. The ports can be configured
as either primary and secondary on redundant systems – where two independent networks are
available, or as a two-port switch to allow the daisy-chaining of additional units.

• ADAT I/O 1 and 2. Two independent 8-channel ADAT optical inputs and outputs using standard
TOSLINK connectors. Optical I/O 1 can also be used in ‘Optical S/PDIF’ mode.

• S/PDIF I/O. 2-channel digital interface on RCA (phono) connectors.

• Monitor Outputs. Balanced 1/4” TRS jacks for connection of Left and Right monitor loudspeakers.
Outputs are at line level so unpowered speakers will require external amplification.

See Appendix 1, page 27 for the connector pinouts.

10

Physical Characteristics

340.0mm / 13.4”

465.0mm / 18.3”

31.8mm / 1.25”

Case dimensions are illustrated in the diagram above.

Red range units require 1U of vertical rack space. Allow an additional 75mm of rack depth behind
each unit to allow for cables. For installations in a fixed environment (eg., a studio), the front-panel
rack mountings* will provide adequate support. However, if the units are to be used in a mobile
situation (eg., flight-cased for touring, etc.), it is recommended that side support rails or shelves are
used within the rack. The weight of each unit is shown in the table below.

*Always use M6 bolts and cage nuts specically designed for 19” equipment racks. An Internet search using the

phrase “M6 cage nuts“ will reveal suitable components.

Cooling is by fan assistance from side to side; the fans used are low-speed and low-noise. Do not
mount the unit immediately above any other equipment which generates significant heat, for example,
a power amplifier. Also, ensure that when mounted in a rack the side vents are not obstructed.

Note. The maximum operating environmental temperature is 40°C / 104°F.

Power Requirements

Red range units are mains powered and incorporate
a ‘Universal’ power supply which can operate on
any AC mains voltage from 100 V to 240 V. The AC
connection is via a standard 3-pin IEC connector on
the rear panel. Power consumption is shown in the
table.

A mating IEC cable is supplied with each unit – this should be terminated with a mains plug of the
correct type for your country.

Please note that there are no fuses or other user-replaceable components of any type in any unit.
Please refer all servicing issues to the Customer Support Team (see “Customer Support and Unit Servicing”

on page 48).

Unit Weight Power Consumption

Red 4Pre 4.59 kg 35 W
Red 8Pre 5.14 kg 65 W

Red 8Line 4.84 kg 120 W

Red 16Line 5.04 kg 120 W

11

OPERATION

Inputs

Each Red range device has the capacity to accommodate [8/16/8/16] analogue inputs, two independent
8-channel ADAT inputs, a 2-channel S/PDIF input plus 32 Dante input channels. Additionally, an
internal 2-channel loopback signal can be added as an extra stereo input – see page 15 for details.

Analogue Inputs

Analogue inputs can be assigned to the Line,
Instrument or Mic input connectors. The table
shows which channels can be assigned for each Red
range unit:

Input Controls

Input selection and configuration for the assignable channels is
carried out using the Preamp Select buttons and the Input Encoder.

The illuminated Select button identifies the channel being controlled.

Unit Instrument Microphone Line

Red 4Pre Ch. 1-2 Ch. 1-4 Ch. 1-8
Red 8Pre Ch. 1-2 Ch. 1-8 Ch. 1-16

Red 8Line Ch. 1-2 Ch. 1-2 Ch. 1-8

Red 16Line Ch. 1-2 Ch. 1-2 Ch. 1-16

• Pressing a Select button makes that channel the active channel

Power-up always selects channel 1

• Pushing (’clicking’) the Input Encoder selects menu options or
operates the Toggle function (see page 14)

Preamp Overview Screen

Press any Select button to recall the Overview screen on the Left
LCD display. It shows the input assignment, the gain value and
phantom power status for the device’s input channels.

The highlighted number indicates the currently active channel.

A clipping channel will be indicated by its gain level bar changing to
red – clear by pressing that channel’s Select button.

Preamp Focus Screen

Pressing an input’s Select button brings up the Focus screen which
provides additional detail about that channel’s settings.

If no changes are made within approximately 3 seconds, the display
will revert to the Overview screen.

Select Buttons / Input Encoder

Red 4Pre shown

Preamp Overview Screen

Red 4Pre shown

12

Preamp Focus Screen

Red 4Pre and Red 8Pre

Inputs. . .

Input Configuration

Settings for the configurable input channels – input Type and
function options – are selected via the Config Menu screen.

• To enter the Config Menu press-and-hold a channel’s Select
button

To exit this screen press any of the channel Select buttons – or rotate

the Input Encoder to the ‘Back’ option and then click.

Channel Config Menu Screen

Red 16Line shown

Input Functions

The following channel functions can be set, or toggled On/Off, from the Config Menu screen:

• Type selects the signal input type to be used for a channel: Instrument › Mic › Line

• Level (Red 8 Line and 16Line) sets the operating level for the selected channel. Note that all other

function settings will be greyed-out when input Type is set to ‘Line’

• +48V enables phantom power for the microphone input

• Phase applies phase inversion to the selected channel

• HPF switches in the 80Hz high-pass filter

• Air changes the microphone and instrument input characteristics to ‘Air’ mode. See Appendix 4,

page 44 for further information

• Link combines adjacent odd/even channels so they operate as a stereo pair. When linked, Gain
and Input Type changes to either of the paired channels will be applied to both

When linked, any difference in gain settings between the two channels will be maintained.

• Back exits the Config Menu screen and returns to the Overview display

Pressing any of the channel Select buttons will also exit the Cong menu screen

To change an input function:

1 Rotate the Input Encoder until the required function is

highlighted

2 Push the Input Encoder to step through the input types or to

toggle the selection

13

Channel Function Selection

Red 16Line shown

Inputs. . .

+48V

Phase

HPF

Air

Link

Mic

Type

OffOn

On Off

On

On

Off

Off

+24dBu +18dBu

Level

On Off

Encoder Toggle Function

The Input Encoder can be programmed to toggle any one of the input
functions with a single push (ie., without having to enter the Config
Menu screen). This can be very useful when, for example, experimenting with

microphone phasing.

To select a function for the Input Encoder toggle feature:

1 Enter the Config Menu screen
2 Scroll to the function required for the toggle feature
3 Press-and-hold the Input Encoder until the confirmation

message appears in the input display

The selected function will now toggle on/off each time the Input
Encoder is clicked*. If ‘Type’ (default) is selected, clicking the Input
Encoder will step through the available inputs.

*Selecting a function that is not available for the current input type will have no
effect, but the function will be stored and become active when an appropriate
input type is selected.

Input Encoder Toggle Confirmation

Line Inputs

Although some analogue input channels can be assigned to the Mic
and Instrument connectors, the remaining Line inputs are always
available on the DB25 connector(s) on the rear panel.

Operating Level Selection

(Red 16Line only – also see: ‘Input/Output Line Level Setup’ on page 26.)

The operating level for each Line input can be switched between +18
dBu and +24 dBu to correctly match additional studio equipment.

To set the level:

1 Press and hold the Input button until the Level Selection menu

appears on the Input Display

2 Scroll to the required channel number for individual selection

or to All for global selection

3 Click the Input Encoder to toggle between +18 dBu and +24 dBu
4 Press the Input button again to exit

Input and output operating level selection can be linked or unlinked. Refer to:
Global Settings – I/O Level on page 23 for additional information.

14

Digital Inputs

ADAT

ADAT inputs 1 and 2 are accessed via the rear panel connectors. Signals
will be available if the source is connected and the system is synced to a
common clock.

Each In/Out connection provides:

• 8ch at 44.1 / 48 kHz

• 4ch at 88.2 / 96 kHz (SMUX)

• 2ch at 176.4 / 192 kHz (SMUXII)

S/PDIF

A two-channel S/PDIF I/O connection is accessed via the RCA/Phono connectors
on the rear panel, or via the optical TOSLINK connector (Port 1).

Loopback Input

Virtual Loopback inputs allow you to record any mix
back into your DAW. This could be the audio output
of another software application, or an entire monitor mix including analogue or digital inputs mixed
with any playback signals that you wish to capture in your DAW.

Loopback uses virtual inputs, which have no physical connectors on the hardware interface itself, but
may be selected in the DAW as signal sources for recording in the same way as any other.

For RedNet Control information, see page 23.

Dante Connection

Two RJ45 connectors for the Dante network are located on the rear panel. Use
standard Cat 5e or newer network cables to connect to the Dante audio network.
Incorporated into each socket are LEDs which illuminate to indicate a valid
network connection and network activity.

The ports can be configured as either:

• Switched Mode – a two-port switch, to allow the daisy-chaining of additional units, or

• Redundant Mode (default) – the primary and secondary paths of a redundant system, where two
independent networks are available

The configuration of the ports is set from the Dante Controller application.

For more information on Dante networks, see Audinate’s website: http://www.audinate.com/

15

Monitoring

Internal

L R

-65

Thunderbolt

Mute

Dim

Monitor

Mute

Dim

On Off

On Off

Back

Mute

Press Function

Stored

Monitors

Monitor outputs, at line level, are provided via the 1/4” balanced jack
outputs on the rear panel.

• The Output Encoder will adjust the monitor output level
whenever the Monitor button is illuminated

Monitor Display

The monitor display shows the current volume level and whether
either Dim or Mute is active. ‘Dim’ attenuates the signal by 18dB.

The L/R meter display shows a pre-fade level (the signal level
present before the Output Encoder).

The display also shows the Global Host and Sync settings and their
lock status flags (see ‘Global Settings’ on page 23).

Mute and Dim

Mute and Dim functions are individually enabled via the Monitor
Setup menu. Additionally, the Output Encoder can be programmed
to toggle either the Dim or Mute (default) function when clicked.

Monitor Display

Menu activation:

1 Press-and-hold the Monitor button to enter the Setup menu
2 Rotate the Output Encoder to highlight either Dim or Mute
3 Click to select On or Off
4 To exit, press Monitor again (or select the ‘Back’ option)

Toggle Function programming:

1 Enter the Monitor Setup menu as above
2 Rotate to highlight the function to be programmed
3 Press-and-hold the Output Encoder until the confirmation

message appears

The selected function will now toggle on/off each time the Output
Encoder is clicked.

Headphones

Two independent stereo headphone outputs are available on the
front panel.

• To adjust a headphone’s volume level, or to activate Dim or Mute
for that output, press one of the Headphone Select buttons

Monitor Setup Menu

Encoder Toggle Confirmation

For Dim and Mute activation and programming, refer to the ‘Mute and Dim’
section above but substitute ‘Monitor button’ with the appropriate Headphone
Select button.

16

Headphone Select Buttons

LCD Meter Displays

S/PDIF Outputs 1-2

Analogue Inputs [9-16]

Analogue Outputs 1-8

Analogue Outputs 9-16

S/PDIF Inputs 1-2

ADAT Inputs 1-8

Analogue Inputs 1-8

Analogue Inputs 9-16

Analogue In

I 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

-6

0

-60

Red 4Pre, Red 8Pre and Red 8Line

The centre LCD screen displays eight level meters. These indicate
the internal signal level after A-D conversion (or pre D-A conversion
when monitoring outputs), with 0 dBFS being at full scale.

A red clip indicator is displayed on channels that reach clipping
point.

The method of signal selection differs between each unit type:

Meter Source Selection – Red 4Pre and Red 8Pre

To select the source for the LCD display:

1 Press the Meter button on the front panel to access the Meter

Source-List

2 Use the Output Encoder to scroll to the required input or output
3 Click the Output Encoder to make the selection
4 Press Monitor or one of the Headphone Select buttons to exit

Meter Source Selection – Red 8Line

Analogue inputs:

Red 4Pre / Red 8Pre

Meter Source List

Digital inputs:

• Press Analogue to display analogue signals 1-8 on the centre
screen

• Press Analogue again to toggle the display between inputs and
outputs

• Press Digital to display digital signals on the centre screen; the
meter source is selected using the Meter switch and the Output
Encoder – see Meter Source Selection - Red 4Pre and Red 8Pre, above

• Press the Digital button again to toggle the display between
inputs and outputs

17

Red 8Line

LCD Meter Displays . . .

Analogue In

I 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

-6

0

-60

In

I 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Out

Internal

L R

-60

Thunderbolt

Mute

Dim

Headphone 1

S/PDIF Outputs 1-2

Analogue Inputs [9-16]

Analogue Outputs 1-8

Analogue Outputs 9-16

S/PDIF Inputs 1-2

ADAT Inputs 1-8

Analogue Inputs 1-8

Analogue Inputs 9-16

Red 16Line

Level Meters 1–8 and 9–16

The left and centre LCD screens can both display level meters.
These indicate the internal signal level of channels 1–16, after A-D
conversion (or pre D-A conversion when monitoring outputs), with
0 dBFS being at full scale.

A red clip indicator is displayed on channels that reach clipping
point.

Pressing the METER button toggles the displays between preamp-info and
meter-level displays.

The meter source is selected as follows:

• Press the Input button to display input channels 1–8 and 9–16.

• Press the Output button to display output channels 1–8 and
9–16.

• Press both Input and Output buttons simultaneously to select
the combined I/O view.

Output Meter

The Output screen normally shows the Monitor or Headphone 1 or 2
level meters (as well as the interface status flags).

This screen is also used to select the meter source for displays 1
and 2.

Meter Source Selection

To select the signal source for the Left and Centre LCD displays:

1 Press the Meter button on the front panel twice to access the

Meter Source-List

2 Use the Output Encoder to scroll to the required input
3 Click the Output Encoder to make the selection
4 Press Monitor or one of the Headphone buttons to exit

Combined I/O Display

Meter Source List

18

Analogue Outputs

Analogue outputs are provided on DB25 female connector(s) on the
rear panel.

The Line outputs for Red 4Pre and Red 8Pre are at fixed gain, where
0 dBFS corresponds to a signal level of +18 dBu.

Operating Level Selection

(Red 16Line only – also see: ‘Input/Output Line Level Setup’ on page 26.)

The operating level for each Line output can be switched between
+18 dBu and +24 dBu to correctly match additional studio equipment.

1 Press and hold the Output button until the level selection menu

appears on the Input Display

2 Scroll to the required channel number for individual selection

or to All for global selection

3 Click the Input Encoder to toggle between +18 dBu and +24 dBu
4 Press the Output button again to exit

Input and output operating level selection can be linked or unlinked. Refer to:
Global Settings – I/O Level on page 23 for additional information.

19

Thunderbolt Connection

Confirm that your unit’s Host setting is set to ‘Thunderbolt’, see Global Host
Settings on page 23.

Two Thunderbolt 2 or Thunderbolt 3 connectors are located on the rear
panel. Connect to the host, or into a chain, using standard Thunderbolt 2
or Thunderbolt 3 cables (one supplied).

See appendix 3, pages 32–43 for the channel I/O allocation tables.

Thunderbolt 2

Thunderbolt 3

Logic Pro X Setup

• From the menu bar, go to: Logic Pro X > Preferences > Audio...

• Under the Devices tab, set: Input Devices and Output Devices to ‘Focusrite Thunderbolt’

20

Pro Tools Connection

Confirm that your Red unit’s Host setting is set to ‘Pro Tools’, see Global Host Settings on page 23.

Connect both rear panel PRIMARY ports to a Pro Tools | HDX card or HD Native system using Mini
DigiLink cables.

Each Pro Tools | HDX PCIe card provides two Mini DigiLink ports (giving the card a capacity of 64
inputs and 64 outputs), thus one Red unit may be connected to each card.

A Red unit will appear as four devices in Pro Tools:

A: 1-16 (Port 1)
B: 1-16 (Port 1)
C: 1-16 (Port 2)
D: 1-16 (Port 2)

A maximum of three* Red range units can be connected,
giving a total I/O capability of 174 inputs and 192 outputs.

*Or one if using an HD Native system.

Note that both ports are Primar y connectors; this means that an additional Pro Tools interface cannot be added in
series – the ports do not operate in Expansion mode.

Mini DigiLink Cables

Using Red Range Units with other Pro Tools | HD interfaces

Pro Tools | HD I/O audio interfaces may be used on the
same Pro Tools system as your Red unit. Pro Tools interface
units can be added by using additional Pro Tools | HDX PCIe
interface cards.

Connection to a Pro Tools | HD system would require the use of DigiLink

-to- Mini DigiLink adapter cables.

Each unit will appear as four devices using HDX or HD Native, which is
the maximum per card.

Loop Sync

It is important when using additional I/O devices that the
Loop Sync connection is complete between all units:

• Using 75Ω BNC cables, connect each LOOP SYNC OUT
connector to the LOOP SYNC IN connector on the next
I/O unit

• Complete the chain by connecting LOOP SYNC OUT on
the final I/O unit back to LOOP SYNC IN on the first unit

21

Pro Tools Connection . . .

Pro Tools Setup

• From the Pro Tools menu bar, go to:
Setup > Playback Engine...

• In the Playback Engine menu pop­up, select: ‘HDX’ or ‘HD Native’, as
appropriate for your system

The following steps are optional but will simplify signal routing:

• From the menu bar, go to: Setup > I/O Setup...

• Ensure your input and output routing tables are routed as follows by selecting the Default tab at
the bottom left of the page.

Notes

1. The number of input and output channels available is dependent on the sample frequency (see channel allocation
tables in Appendix 3, pages 32–43

22

GLOBAL SETTINGS

Press the Meter and Monitor buttons simultaneously to enter the
Global settings menu.

• Rotate the Output Encoder to select a menu item

• Click the Output Encoder to step through the available options

To exit the Global settings screen press the Monitor button (or select

the ‘Back’ option).

Host

Selects the connection used for the DAW host: Thunderbolt or
Pro Tools. In Thunderbolt mode the Lock flag will show as locked
whenever there is a connection to a Thunderbolt machine – whether
or not a DAW is open; Pro Tools mode will require DAW connectivity
to show lock.

Note: changing Host type will cause the device to perform a power reset.

Sync

Selects the unit’s sync source:

• Internal – Internally generated. This is the default selection

• Word Clock – Received via the BNC Word Clock In connector

• ADAT 1 – Received via the rear Optical In 1-8 connector

Global Settings Menu

Thunderbolt

L R

Internal

Mute

Dim

Monitor

-65

• ADAT 2 – Received via the rear Optical In 9-16 connector

• S/PDIF – Received via either the rear RCA In connector, or
Optical port 1 when set to ‘Optical-S/PDIF’

Host and Sync Settings and

Lock Status

• Dante – Provided by the Dante network connection

• Loop Sync – Only applicable when in ‘Pro Tools Host’ mode

When sync is established, the Lock status will change to green. A red flag indicates no sync.

Retain

Choose whether the previous phantom power settings for Mic inputs are restored on power-up:

• Preamp – All previous settings are returned except the 48V settings, which will be set to Off. This

is the default selection

• Preamp +48V – All previous settings are returned

I/O level (Red 16Line only)

• Linked (default) – Changes to a channel’s I/O Reference level settings will be applied to the Input
and Output values simultaneously

• Unlinked – Channel Input and Output Reference settings can be assigned independently

Selecting the “Linked” option when Input and Output levels are set to different values will not force a change in
either value. The settings must be matched manually before subsequent changes will track.

23

OTHER RED SYSTEM COMPONENTS

RedNet Control 2

RedNet Control 2 is Focusrite’s customisable software application for controlling and configuring
the Red and RedNet range of interfaces. Graphical representation for each device shows: controls,
function settings, signal meters, signal routing and mixing.

Graphical control for the Red 4Pre, Red 8Pre and Red 16Line units is separated into five pages:

• I/O Control & Metering • Monitor Control

• Input Routing • Output Routing

• Custom Mixes

“I/O Control and Metering” Page “Output Routing” Page

The images above indicate how access to all controls and settings is available using the application.
Please refer to the section ‘Device Control’ in the RedNet Control Operator’s Manual for full details
of operation and setup using the software.

Tools Menu

Clicking on the Tools icon will bring up the System Settings window. The settings options are
separated into three pages: Device, Setup and iOS.

24

Tools Menu . . .

Device Page:

Host Mode

• Thunderbolt • Pro Tools

Front Panel Meter Source

• Analogue I/O • Dante 1-8 I/O

• S/PDIF I/O • Dante 9-16 I/O

• ADAT 1 I/O • Dante 17-24 I/O

• ADAT 2 I/O • Dante 25-32 I/O

Output Routing Presets – Select a saved preset from the list and click “Apply Preset” to activate.

Retain +48V – On/Off state. When enabled, power settings will be restored to their previous state on

power-up.

Dante Delay Compensation (Red 8Line and Red 16Line only)

• Enable – On/Off state.

• Latency – Delays the Analogue Input and S/PDIF Input by 1 to 253 samples in order to align

with the Dante Input. Can also be entered in milliseconds.

Restore Factory Defaults – Returns the unit to its factory settings.

Setup Page:

S/PDIF Source

• RCA

• Optical

When optical is selected, it will set optical input 1
and optical output 1 to the S/PDIF format

MIDI Channel – Set the MIDI channel (1 –

16) to which the unit will respond:

• Off

• MIDI Channel 1

• MIDI Channel 2

• MIDI Channel 16

Notes:

- The default is “Off”

- 16 channels are available allowing a maximum of 16 independent Red unit control paths

- Two devices should not be set to the same MIDI channel

- MIDI channel selection is saved with the computer, not the device. Therefore, when controlling the same unit

from a different computer the MIDI channel allocation may no longer be the same

For more information, please download the MIDI Control User Guide at: http://www.focusrite.com/downloads

25

Tools Menu . . .

Clock Source

• Internal • Word Clock

• S/PDIF • Dante

• ADAT 1 • Loop Sync

• ADAT 2

Preferred Master – On/Off state.

Post-Fader Metering (Software)– On/Off state. When enabled, the Red device will change all of its

metering from Pre-Fader Metering to Post-Fader Metering in the software only.

Metering Refresh Rate

• High

• Standard

Standard is recommended to lower CPU usage.

Input/Output Line Level Setup (Red 8Line and Red 16Line only)

• All: +18dBu / +24dBu

• Ch.1: +18dBu / +24dBu

• Ch.2: +18dBu / +24dBu

• Ch. 16: +18dBu / +24dBu

iOS Page:

Shows the list of iOS devices able to access
the unit.

Each device can have its control access
approved or be removed from the list.

The Red devices are controlled from the
Focusrite Control iOS app.

26

APPENDICES

Appendix 1 – Connector Pinouts

DB25 (AES59) Connector

Connectors are wired according to the AES59 Standard (also known
as the TASCAM Analogue standard).

Connector type: DB25 female

Applies to: Analogue Line Input / Line Output
Mic Inputs (Red 8Pre only)

113

25 14

Pin Signal

1 Channel 8 +
14 Channel 8 –
2 Ground
15 Channel 7 +
3 Channel 7 –
16 Ground
4 Channel 6 +
17 Channel 6 –
5 Ground
18 Channel 5 +
6 Channel 5
19 Ground
7 Channel 4 +
20 Channel 4 –
8 Ground
21 Channel 3 +
9 Channel 3 –
22 Ground
10 Channel 2 +
23 Channel 2 –
11 Ground
24 Channel 1 +
12 Channel 1 –
25 Ground
13 n/c

XLR Connectors

Connectors are wired according to the AES59 Standard (also known
as the TASCAM Analogue standard).

Connector type: XLR-3 female

Applies to: Mic Inputs

27

Pin Signal

1 Screen
2 Hot (+ve)
3 Cold (–ve)

Appendix 1 – Connector Pinouts. . .

1/4” Jack Connectors

Connector type: Balanced socket

Applies to: Monitor Outputs

Connector type: Unbalanced socket

Applies to: Instrument Inputs

Tip Ring Sleeve

Balanced Jack

Tip Sleeve

Unbalanced Jack

Pro Tools Interface

Connector type: Mini DigiLink receptacle

Pin Signal

Tip Hot (+ve)

Ring Cold (–ve)

Sleeve Ground

Applies to: PRIMARY 1 & 2

BNC Connectors

Connector type: 75Ω BNC socket

Applies to: WORD CLOCK IN/OUT
LOOP SYNC IN/OUT

Ethernet Connector

Connector type: RJ-45 receptacle

Applies to: Ethernet (Dante)

Pin Cat 6 Core

1 White + Orange
2 Orange
3 White + Green
4 Blue

1

8

5 White + Blue
6 Green
7 White + Brown
8 Brown

28

Appendix 2 – System Diagrams

System Diagram: Red 4Pre

Analogue

Inputs

Digital
Inputs

Instrument

1-2

Mic
1-4

Line

1-8

ADAT 1

1-8

ADAT 2

9-16

S/PDIF In

S/PDIF Out

Loopback In

Input Function

and Gain

1-4

5-8

Input Select

A-D

Meters

ROUTER

D-A

Host

Select

Output Control

Monitor

1-2

Headphones

1&2

Line
3-10

Thunderbolt

Pro Tools

Dante

Network

Word Clock I/O

Loop Sync I/O

Analogue

Outputs

DAW

Network

Clock

Numbers indicating channel capacities relate to a 44.1/48 kHz sample rate. Refer to the Channel I/O tables
on pages 32–43 for the channel counts at higher sample rates.

29

Appendix 2 – System Diagrams . . .

System Diagram: Red 8Pre

Analogue

Inputs

Digital

Inputs

Instrument

1-2

Mic/Line

1-8

Line
9-16

ADAT 1

1-8

ADAT 2

9-16

S/PDIF In

S/PDIF Out

Loopback In

Input Function

and Gain

Input Select

A-D

Meters

ROUTER

D-A

Host

Select

Output Control

Monitor

1-2

Headphones

1&2

Line
3-10

Line

11-18

Thunderbolt

Pro Tools

Dante

Network

Word Clock I/O

Loop Sync I/O

Analogue

Outputs

DAW

Network

Clock

Numbers indicating channel capacities relate to a 44.1/48 kHz sample rate. Refer to the Channel I/O tables
on pages 32–43 for the channel counts at higher sample rates.

30

Appendix 2 – System Diagrams . . .

System Diagram: Red 8Line and Red 16Line

Analogue

Inputs

Digital
Inputs

Instrument

1-2

Mic/Line

1-2

Line

1-8

*Line

9-16

ADAT 1

1-8

ADAT 2

9-16

S/PDIF In

S/PDIF Out

Loopback In

Input Function

Gain and Reference

Input Select

A-D

Meters*Meters

ROUTER

D-A

Host

Select

Output Control

Monitor

1-2

Headphones

1&2

Line

1-8

*Line

9-16

Thunderbolt

Pro Tools

Dante

Network

Word Clock I/O

Loop Sync I/O

Analogue

Outputs

DAW

Network

Clock

Numbers indicating channel capacities relate to a 44.1/48 kHz sample rate. Refer to the Channel I/O tables
on pages 32–43 for the channel counts at higher sample rates.

*Red 16Line only

31

Appendix 3 – I/O Channel Allocation

Red 4Pre – 44.1 / 48 kHz

This is the input/output default routing
allocation. The input and output ordering

can be congured using RedNet Control

when the unit is connected to a computer
over Thunderbolt.

Note that the maximum physical I/O that
can be connected is 58 in by 64 out.

Red 4Pre – Inputs Red 4Pre – Outputs

1 Mic/Line/Inst
2 2
3
4
5 Line In
6 6
7 7
8

9 S/PDIF
10
11 Loopback
12
13 ADAT 1
14 2
15 3
16 4
17 5
18 6 18 2
19 7 19 3
20
21 ADAT 2
22 10 22 6
23 11 23 7
24 12
25 13
26 14 26 10
27 15 27 11
28
29 Dante
30 2 30 14
31 3 31 15
32 4
33 5
34 6 34 2
35 7 35 3
36 8 36 4
37 9 37 5
38 10 38 6
39 11 39 7
40 12 40 8
41 13 41 9
42 14 42 10
43 15 43 11
44 16 44 12
45 17 45 13
46 18 46 14
47 19 47 15
48 20 48 16
49 21 49 17
50 22 50 18
51 23 51 19
52 24 52 20
53 25 53 21
54 26 54 22
55 27 55 23
56 28 56 24
57 29 57 25
58 30 58 26
59 31 59 27
60

Mic/Line

Not available

1

3
4
5

8 8 4
L 9 5
R 10 6
L 11 7
R 12 8
1 13 9

8 20 4
9 21 5

16 28 12

1 29 13

32 60 28

1 Monitor
2
3 Headphone 1
4
5 Headphone 2
6
7 Line Out

14
15 S/PDIF
16
17 ADAT 1

24
25 ADAT 2

32
33 Dante

61 29
62 30
63 31
64

10

16

32

L
R
L
R
L
R
3

L
R
1

8
9

1

32

Appendix 3 – I/O Channel Allocation . . .

Red 4Pre – 88.2 / 96 kHz

This is the input/output default routing
allocation. The input and output ordering

can be congured using RedNet Control

when the unit is connected to a computer
over Thunderbolt.

Red 4Pre – Inputs Red 4Pre – Outputs

1 Mic/Line/Inst

2 2

3

4

5 Line In

6 6

7 7

8

9 S/PDIF
10
11 Loopback
12
13 ADAT 1
14 2
15 3
16
17 ADAT 2
18 10 18 2
19 11 19 3
20
21 Dante
22 2 22 10
23 3 23 11
24 4
25 5
26 6 26 2
27 7 27 3
28 8 28 4
29 9 29 5
30 10 30 6
31 11 31 7
32 12 32 8
33 13 33 9
34 14 34 10
35 15 35 11
36 16 36 12
37 17 37 13
38 18 38 14
39 19 39 15
40 20 40 16
41 21 41 17
42 22 42 18
43 23 43 19
44 24 44 20
45 25 45 21
46 26 46 22
47 27 47 23
48 28 48 24
49 29 49 25
50 30 50 26
51 31 51 27
52

Mic/Line

Not available

1

3
4
5

8 8 4
L 9 5
R 10 6
L 11 7
R 12 8
1 13 9

4
9

12

1

32 52 28

1 Monitor
2
3 Headphone 1
4
5 Headphone 2
6
7 Line Out

14
15 S/PDIF
16
17 ADAT 1

20
21 ADAT 2

24
25 Dante

53 29
54 30
55 31
56

Not available

10

12

32

L
R
L
R
L
R
3

L
R
1

4
9

1

33

Appendix 3 – I/O Channel Allocation . . .

Red 4Pre – 176.4 / 192 kHz

This is the input/output default routing
allocation. The input and output ordering

can be congured using RedNet

Control when the unit is connected to
a computer over Thunderbolt.

Red 4Pre – Inputs Red 4Pre – Outputs

1 Mic/Line/Inst

2 2

3

4

5 Line In

6 6

7 7

8

9 S/PDIF
10
11 Loopback
12
13 ADAT 1
14
15 ADAT 2
16
17 Dante
18 2
19 3
20 4
21 5
22 6 22 2
23 7 23 3
24 8 24 4
25 9 25 5
26 10 26 6
27 11 27 7
28 12 28 8
29 13 29 9
30 14 30 10
31 15 31 11
32

Mic/Line

Not available

1

3
4
5

8 8 4
L 9 5
R 10 6
L 11 7
R 12 8
1 13 9
2
9

10

1

16 32 12

1 Monitor
2
3 Headphone 1
4
5 Headphone 2
6
7 Line Out

14
15 S/PDIF
16
17 ADAT 1
18
19 ADAT 2
20
21 Dante

33 13
34 14
35 15
36

Not available

10

10

16

L
R
L
R
L
R
3

L
R
1
2
9

1

34

Appendix 3 – I/O Channel Allocation . . .

Red 8Pre – 44.1 / 48 kHz

This is the input/output default routing
allocation. The input and output ordering

can be congured using RedNet Control

when the unit is connected to a computer
over Thunderbolt.

Red 8Pre – Inputs Red 8Pre – Outputs

1 Mic/Line/Inst

2 2

3

4 4

5 5

6 6

7 7

8

9 Line In
10 10 10 6
11 11 11 7
12 12 12 8
13 13 13 9
14 14
15 15
16
17 S/PDIF
18
19 Loopback
20
21 ADAT 1
22 2
23 3
24 4
25 5
26 6 26 2
27 7 27 3
28
29 ADAT 2
30 10 30 6
31 11 31 7
32 12
33 13
34 14 34 10
35 15 35 11
36
37 Dante
38 2 38 14
39 3 39 15
40 4 40 16
41 5 41
42 6 42 2
43 7 43 3
44
45
46 10 46 6
47 11 47 7
48 12
49 13
50 14 50 10
51 15 51 11
52
53
54 18 54 14
55 19 55 15
56 20
57 21
58 22 58 18
59 23 59 19
60
61
62 26 62 22
63 27 63 23
64 28
65 29
66 30 66 26
67 31 67 27
68
69 Not available
70 70 30
71 71 31
72 72

Mic/Line

1

3

8 8 4
9 9 5

16 16 12

L 17 13
R 18 14
L 19 15
R 20 16
1 21 17

8 28 4
9 29 5

16 36 12

1 37 13

8 44 4
9 45 5

16 52 12
17 53 13

24 60 20
25 61 21

32 68 28

1 Monitor
2
3 Headphone 1
4
5 Headphone 2
6
7 Line Out

14
15

22
23 S/PDIF
24
25 ADAT 1

32
33 ADAT 2

Dante

48
49

56
57

64
65

69 29

10
11

18

16
17

24
25

32

L
R
L
R
L
R
3

L
R
1

8
9

1

8
9

35

Appendix 3 – I/O Channel Allocation . . .

Red 8Pre – 88.2 / 96 kHz

This is the input/output default routing
allocation. The input and output ordering

can be congured using RedNet Control

when the unit is connected to a computer
over Thunderbolt.

Red 8Pre – Inputs Red 8Pre – Outputs

1 Mic/Line/Inst

2 2

3

4 4

5 5

6 6

7 7

8

9 Line In
10 10 10 6
11 11 11 7
12 12 12 8
13 13 13 9
14 14
15 15
16
17 S/PDIF
18
19 Loopback
20
21 ADAT 1
22 2
23 3
24
25 ADAT 2
26 10 26 2
27 11 27 3
28
29 Dante
30 2 30 10
31 3 31 11
32 4
33 5
34 6 34 2
35 7 35 3
36
37
38 10 38 6
39 11 39 7
40 12
41 13
42 14 42 10
43 15 43 11
44
45
46 18 46 14
47 19 47 15
48 20
49 21
50 22 50 18
51 23 51 19
52
53
54 26 54 22
55 27 55 23
56 28
57 29
58 30 58 26
59 31 59 27
60

Mic/Line

Not available

1

3

8 8 4
9 9 5

16 16 12

L 17 13
R 18 14
L 19 15
R 20 16
1 21 17

4
9

12

1

8 36 4
9 37 5

16 44 12
17 45 13

24 52 20
25 53 21

32 60 28

1 Monitor
2
3 Headphone 1
4
5 Headphone 2
6
7 Line Out

14
15

22
23 S/PDIF
24
25 ADAT 1

28
29 ADAT 2

32
33 Dante

40
41

48
49

56

57

61 29
62 30
63 31
64

10
11

18

12

16
17

24
25

32

L
R
L
R
L
R
3

L
R
1

4
9

1

8
9

36

Appendix 3 – I/O Channel Allocation . . .

Red 8Pre – 176.4 / 192 kHz

This is the input/output default routing
allocation. The input and output ordering

can be congured using RedNet

Control when the unit is connected to
a computer over Thunderbolt.

Red 8Pre – Inputs Red 8Pre – Outputs

1 Mic/Line/Inst

2 2

3

4 4

5 5

6 6

7 7

8

9 Line In
10 10 10 6
11 11 11 7
12 12 12 8
13 13 13 9
14 14
15 15
16
17 S/PDIF
18
19 Loopback
20
21 ADAT 1
22
23 ADAT 2
24
25 Dante
26 2
27 3
28 4
29 5
30 6 30 2
31 7 31 3
32
33
34 10 34 6
35 11 35 7
36 12
37 13
38 14 38 10
39 15 39 11
40

Mic/Line

Not available

1

3

8 8 4
9 9 5

16 16 12

L 17 13
R 18 14
L 19 15
R 20 16
1 21 17
2
9

10

1

8 32 4
9 33 5

16 40 12

1 Monitor
2
3 Headphone 1
4
5 Headphone 2
6
7 Line Out

14
15

22
23 S/PDIF
24
25 ADAT 1
26
27 ADAT 2
28
29 Dante

36

37

41 13
42 14
43 15
44

Not available

10
11

18

10

16

L
R
L
R
L
R
3

L
R
1
2
9

1

8
9

37

Appendix 3 – I/O Channel Allocation . . .

Red 8Line – 44.1 / 48 kHz

This is the input/output default routing
allocation. The input and output ordering

can be congured using RedNet Control

when the unit is connected to a computer
over Thunderbolt.

Note that the maximum physical I/O that
can be connected is 58 in by 64 out.

Red 8Line – Inputs Red 8Line – Outputs

1 Mic/Line/Inst

2

3 Line

4 4 4 4

5 5 5 5

6 6 6 6

7 7 7 7

8 8 8 8

9
10 R 10 R
11
12 R 12 R
13
14 2 14 2
15 3 15 3
16
17
18
19
20
21 ADAT 2
22 10 22 10
23 11 23 11
24 12 24 12
25 13 25 13
26 14 26 14
27 15 27 15
28
29 Dante
30 2 30 2
31 3 31 3
32 4 32 4
33 5 33 5
34 6 34 6
35 7 35 7
36
37
38 10 38 10
39 11 39 11
40 12 40 12
41 13 41 13
42 14 42 14
43 15 43 15
44
45
46 18 46 18
47 19 47 19
48 20 48 20
49 21 49 21
50 22 50 22
51 23 51 23
52
53
54 26 54 26
55 27 55 27
56 28 56 28
57 29 57 29
58 30 58 30
59 31 59 31
60
61 Not available 61 Not available
62 62
63 63
64 64
65 65
66 66
67 67
68 68

Loopback

S/PDIF

ADAT 1

1
2
3

L 9

L 11

1 13

4
5
6
7
8
9

16

1

8
9

16
17

24
25

32

1 Line (Monitor/HP1)
2
3 Line

Headphone 2

S/PDIF

ADAT 1

16
17
18
19
20
21 ADAT 2

28
29 Dante

36
37

44
45

52
53

60

1 (L)
2 (R)

16

16
17

24
25

32

3

L

L

1

4
5
6
7
8
9

1

8
9

38

Appendix 3 – I/O Channel Allocation . . .

Red 8Line – 88.2 / 96 kHz

This is the input/output default routing
allocation. The input and output ordering

can be congured using RedNet

Control when the unit is connected to
a computer over Thunderbolt.

Red 8Line – Inputs Red 8Line – Outputs

1 Mic/Line/Inst

2

3 Line

4 4 4 4

5 5 5 5

6 6 6 6

7 7 7 7

8 8 8 8

9
10 R 10 R
11
12 R 12 R
13
14 2 14 2
15 3 15 3
16
17 ADAT 2
18
19
20
21 Dante
22 2 22 2
23 3 23 3
24
25
26 6 26 6
27 7 27 7
28
29
30 10 30 10
31 11 31 11
32 12 32 12
33 13 33 13
34 14 34 14
35 15 35 15
36
37
38 18 38 18
39 19 39 19
40 20 40 20
41 21 41 21
42 22 42 22
43 23 43 23
44
45
46 26 46 26
47 27 47 27
48 28 48 28
49 29 49 29
50 30 50 30
51 31 51 31
52

Loopback

S/PDIF

ADAT 1

Not available Not available

1
2
3

L 9

L 11

1 13

4

9
10
11
12

1

4

5

8

9

16
17

24
25

32

1 Line (Monitor/HP1)
2
3 Line

Headphone 2

S/PDIF

ADAT 1

16
17 ADAT 2
18
19
20
21 Dante

24
25

28
29

36
37

44
45

52

1 (L)
2 (R)

10
11
12

16
17

24
25

32

3

L

L

1

4
9

1

4
5

8
9

39

Appendix 3 – I/O Channel Allocation . . .

Red 8Line – 176.4 / 192 kHz

This is the input/output default routing
allocation. The input and output ordering

can be congured using RedNet

Control when the unit is connected to
a computer over Thunderbolt.

Red 8Line – Inputs Red 8Line – Outputs

1 Mic/Line/Inst
2
3 Line
4 4 4 4
5 5 5 5
6 6 6 6
7 7 7 7
8 8 8 8

9
10 R 10 R
11
12 R 12 R
13
14 2 14 2
15
16
17 Dante
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26 10 26 10
27 11 27 11
28 12 28 12
29 13 29 13
30 14 30 14
31 15 31 15
32

Loopback

S/PDIF

ADAT 1

ADAT 2

Not available Not available

1
2
3

L 9

L 11

1 13

9 15

10

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

16

1 Line (Monitor/HP1)
2
3 Line

Headphone 2

S/PDIF

ADAT 1

ADAT 2
16
17 Dante
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25

32

1 (L)
2 (R)

10

16

3

L

L

1

9

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

40

Appendix 3 – I/O Channel Allocation . . .

Red 16Line – 44.1 / 48 kHz

This is the input/output default routing
allocation. The input and output ordering

can be congured using RedNet Control

when the unit is connected to a computer
over Thunderbolt.

Red 16Line – Inputs Red 16Line – Outputs

16

16

16
17

24
25

32

1
2
3

L
R
L
R
1

8
9

1

8
9

1 Line (Monitor/HP1)
2
3 Line

16
17 Headphone 2
18
19 S/PDIF
20
21 ADAT 1

28
29 ADAT 2

36
37 Dante

44
45

52
53

60
61

68

1 Mic/Line/Inst
2
3 Line
4 4 4 4
5 5 5 5
6 6 6 6
7 7 7 7
8 8 8 8

9 9 9 9
10 10 10 10
11 11 11 11
12 12 12 12
13 13 13 13
14 14 14 14
15 15 15 15
16
17 Loopback
18
19 S/PDIF
20
21 ADAT 1
22 2 22 2
23 3 23 3
24 4 24 4
25 5 25 5
26 6 26 6
27 7 27 7
28
29 ADAT 2
30 10 30 10
31 11 31 11
32 12 32 12
33 13 33 13
34 14 34 14
35 15 35 15
36
37 Dante
38 2 38 2
39 3 39 3
40 4 40 4
41 5 41 5
42 6 42 6
43 7 43 7
44
45
46 10 46 10
47 11 47 11
48 12 48 12
49 13 49 13
50 14 50 14
51 15 51 15
52
53
54 18 54 18
55 19 55 19
56 20 56 20
57 21 57 21
58 22 58 22
59 23 59 23
60
61
62 26 62 26
63 27 63 27
64 28 64 28
65 29 65 29
66 30 66 30
67 31 67 31
68

1 (L)
2 (R)

16

16

16
17

24
25

32

3

L
R
L
R
1

8
9

1

8
9

41

Appendix 3 – I/O Channel Allocation . . .

Red 16Line – 88.2 / 96 kHz

This is the input/output default routing
allocation. The input and output ordering

can be congured using RedNet Control

when the unit is connected to a computer
over Thunderbolt.

Red 16Line – Inputs Red 16Line – Outputs

16

12

16
17

24
25

32

1
2
3

L
R
L
R
1

4
9

1

8
9

1 Line (Monitor/HP1)
2
3 Line

16
17 Headphone 2
18
19 S/PDIF
20
21 ADAT 1

24
25 ADAT 2

28
29 Dante

36
37

44
45

52
53

60

1 Mic/Line/Inst

2

3 Line

4 4 4 4

5 5 5 5

6 6 6 6

7 7 7 7

8 8 8 8

9 9 9 9
10 10 10 10
11 11 11 11
12 12 12 12
13 13 13 13
14 14 14 14
15 15 15 15
16
17 Loopback
18
19 S/PDIF
20
21 ADAT 1
22 2 22 2
23 3 23 3
24
25 ADAT 2
26 10 26 10
27 11 27 11
28
29 Dante
30 2 30 2
31 3 31 3
32 4 32 4
33 5 33 5
34 6 34 6
35 7 35 7
36
37
38 10 38 10
39 11 39 11
40 12 40 12
41 13 41 13
42 14 42 14
43 15 43 15
44
45
46 18 46 18
47 19 47 19
48 20 48 20
49 21 49 21
50 22 50 22
51 23 51 23
52
53
54 26 54 26
55 27 55 27
56 28 56 28
57 29 57 29
58 30 58 30
59 31 59 31
60

Not available Not available

1 (L)
2 (R)

16

12

16
17

24
25

32

3

L
R
L
R
1

4
9

1

8
9

42

Appendix 3 – I/O Channel Allocation . . .

Red 16Line – 176.4 / 192 kHz

This is the input/output default routing
allocation. The input and output ordering

can be congured using RedNet

Control when the unit is connected to
a computer over Thunderbolt.

Red 16Line – Inputs Red 16Line – Outputs

16

10

16

1
2
3

L
R
L
R
1
2
9

1

8
9

1 Line (Monitor/HP1)
2
3 Line

16
17 Headphone 2
18
19 S/PDIF
20
21 ADAT 1
22
23 ADAT 2
24
25 Dante

32
33

40

1 Mic/Line/Inst

2

3 Line

4 4 4 4

5 5 5 5

6 6 6 6

7 7 7 7

8 8 8 8

9 9 9 9
10 10 10 10
11 11 11 11
12 12 12 12
13 13 13 13
14 14 14 14
15 15 15 15
16
17 Loopback
18
19 S/PDIF
20
21 ADAT 1
22
23 ADAT 2
24
25 Dante
26 2 26 2
27 3 27 3
28 4 28 4
29 5 29 5
30 6 30 6
31 7 31 7
32
33
34 10 34 10
35 11 35 11
36 12 36 12
37 13 37 13
38 14 38 14
39 15 39 15
40

Not available Not available

1 (L)
2 (R)

16

10

16

3

L
R
L
R
1
2
9

1

8
9

43

Appendix 4 – Air Information

Air is the name we give to the sonic signature of the classic transformer ISA Preamp. Our customers
first coined this name as a simple description of the effect the ISA preamp added to their sound
recordings. The three most significant attributes of the transformer design that create the “Air”
effect are:

• Microphone interaction, created by the unique input impedance of the transformer coupling with
the microphone output impedance.

• Clarity, created by the low distortion and high linearity of the transformer and preamp design.

• Frequency response tilt created by the transformer resonance resulting in an emphasis in the
higher frequency content of the sound.

Engaging the Air switches the impedance of the preamp, and enables the “transformer resonance
effect”, giving your microphone recordings the air and clarity of an ISA transformer-based mic pre
recording.

44

PERFORMANCE AND SPECIFICATIONS

Microphone Inputs

Gain Range 0-8 to 63 dB in 1dB steps

Maximum Input Level +19 dBu

Input Impedance 6.2 kΩ, electronically balanced | Air Mode: 2.2 kΩ

Dynamic Range 119 dB ‘A’-Weighted (typical), minimum gain

Frequency Response 20 Hz – 35 kHz ±0.2dB | Air Mode: 2dB boost at 10 kHz and -2 dB at 20 kHz (ref. 1 kHz)

THD + N 0.0009% @ -1 dBFS

HPF -3 dB @ 80 Hz, 12 dB/octave

EIN -131 dBu ‘A’-Weighted (typical)

Line Inputs

Maximum Input Level +27 dBu ±0.5, minimum gain (Red 4Pre and Red 8Pre)

+18 or +24 dBu 0 dBFS switchable per channel (Red 16Line)

Dynamic Range 119 dB ‘A’-Weighted

Frequency Response 20 Hz – 35 kHz ±0.2 dB | Air Mode: 2dB boost at 10 kHz and -2 dB at 20 kHz (ref. 1 kHz)

THD + N 0.0009% (Channels with variable gain)

0.0006% (Channels with xed gain)

HPF -3 dB @ 80 Hz, 12 dB/octave

CMRR -77 dB 50/60 Hz

Instrument Inputs

Gain Range 0-8 to 63 dB in 1dB steps

Maximum Input Level +15 dBu

Input Impedance 2.3 MΩ

Dynamic Range 117 dB ‘A’-Weighted

Frequency Response 20 Hz – 35 kHz ±0.2 dB | Air Mode: 2dB boost at 10 kHz and -2 dB at 20 kHz (ref. 1 kHz)

THD + N 0.0009% @ -1 dBFS

HPF -3 dB @ 80 Hz, 12 dB/octave

Line Outputs

Maximum Output Level +18 dBu 0 dBFS (Red 4Pre and Red 8Pre)

+18 or +24 dBu 0 dBFS switchable per channel (Red 16Line)

Dynamic Range 121 dB ‘A’-Weighted

Frequency Response 20 Hz – 35 kHz ±0.3 dB

THD + N 0.0006%

45

Monitor Outputs

Maximum Output Level +18 dBu 0 dBFS

Dynamic Range 120 dB ‘A’-Weighted

Frequency Response 20 Hz – 35 kHz ±0.2 dB

THD + N 0.012%

Headphone Outputs

Maximum Output Level +16 dBu

Dynamic Range 114 dB ‘A’-Weighted

Frequency Response 20 Hz – 20 kHz ±0.2 dB

THD + N 0.018%

Output Impedance 10 Ω

Headphone Impedance 32 – 600 Ω

Digital Performance

Supported Sample Rates 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 88.2 kHz, 96 kHz, 176.4 kHz, 192 kHz 24 bit

Clock Sources Internal, ADAT, S/PDIF, Word Clock, Loop Sync or from Dante Network Master

Connectivity

Front Panel

Instrument Input 2 x 1/4” TS stereo Jack

Headphone Output 2 x 1/4” TRS stereo Jack

Rear Panel

Thunderbolt

Pro Tools | HD

Dante

Mic Input

Line Input

Line Output

ADAT

S/PDIF

Monitor Output

2 x Thunderbolt 2 or 3 connections

2 x Mini DigiLink

2 x Ethernet standard RJ45 (Cat 5e and above)

[4/2] x XLR-3F (Red 4Pre & Red 16Line)
1 x DB25-F (Red 8Pre)

2 x DB25-F

2 x DB25-F

2 x TOSLINK input, 2 x TOSLINK output

RCA Phono (TOSLINK up to 96 kHz) input, RCA Phono (TOSLINK up to 96 kHz) output

2 x 1/4” TRS stereo Jack

Loop Sync

Word Clock

PSU

BNC 75Ω input, BNC 75Ω output,

BNC 75Ω input, BNC 75Ω output,

IEC

46

Dimensions

Height 44 mm / 1.73” [1RU]

Width 483 mm / 19”

Depth 340 mm / 13.4”

Weight

Weight

[4.59 / 5.14 / 4.84 / 5.04] kg [10.12 / 11.33 / 16.67 / 11.11] lbs

Power

PSU

Internal, 100-240 V, 50/60 Hz, consumption [35 / 65 / 120 / 120] W

47

Focusrite Pro Warranty and Service

All Focusrite products are built to the highest standards and should provide reliable performance for
many years, subject to reasonable care, use, transportation and storage.

Very many of the products returned under warranty are found not to exhibit any fault at all. To avoid
unnecessary inconvenience to you in terms of returning the product please contact Focusrite support.

In the event of a Manufacturing Defect becoming evident in a product within 24 months from the date
of the original purchase Focusrite will ensure that the product is repaired or replaced free of charge.

A Manufacturing Defect is defined as a defect in the performance of the product as described and
published by Focusrite. A Manufacturing Defect does not include damage caused by post-purchase
transportation, storage or careless handling, nor damage caused by misuse.

Whilst this warranty is provided by Focusrite the warranty obligations are fulfilled by the distributor
responsible for the country in which you purchased the product.

In the event that you need to contact the distributor regarding a warranty issue, or an out-of-warranty
chargeable repair, please visit: www.focusrite.com/distributors

The distributor will then advise you of the appropriate procedure for resolving the warranty issue.
In every case it will be necessary to provide a copy of the original invoice or store receipt to the
distributor. In the event that you are unable to provide proof of purchase directly then you should
contact the reseller from whom you purchased the product and attempt to obtain proof of purchase
from them.

Please do note that if you purchase a Focusrite product outside your country of residence or business
you will not be entitled to ask your local Focusrite distributor to honour this limited warranty, although
you may request an out-of-warranty chargeable repair.

This limited warranty is offered solely to products purchased from an Authorised Focusrite Reseller
(defined as a reseller which has purchased the product directly from Focusrite Audio Engineering
Limited in the UK, or one of its Authorised Distributors outside the UK). This Warranty is in addition

to your statutory rights in the country of purchase.

Registering Your Product

Please register your product at: www.focusrite.com/register

Customer Support and Unit Servicing

You can contact our Customer Support team:

Email: [e-mail]

Phone (UK): [phone]

Phone (USA): [phone]

Troubleshooting

If you are experiencing problems with your Red range unit, we recommend that in the first instance,
you visit our Support Answerbase at: https://pro.focusrite.com/technical-support

48