Focusrite Saffire PRO 24 DSP User Manual
Safre Pro 24 DSP
User Guide
FA0273-02
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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 8.
produce heat.
Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized or grounding-type plug. A polarized plug has two blades with one wider than 9.
the other. A grounding type 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 10.
they exit from the apparatus.
Only use attachments/accessories specied by the manufacturer.11.
Use only with the cart, stand, tripod, bracket, or table specied by the manufacturer, or sold with the apparatus. When a cart is 12.
used, use caution when moving the cart/apparatus combination to avoid injury from tip-over.
Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or when unused for long periods of time.13.
Refer all ser vicing to qualied service personnel. Servicing is required when the apparatus has been damaged in any way, such 14.
as power-supply cord or 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.
WARNING: To reduce the risk of re or electric shock, do not expose this apparatus to rain or moisture.
It is important that 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.
Do not expose this apparatus to drips or splashes.•
Do not place any objects lled with liquids, such as vases, on the apparatus.•
Do not install this apparatus in a conned space such as a bookcase or similar unit.•
Slots and openings in the cabinet are provided for ventilation and to ensure reliable operation of the product and to protect it •
from overheating. Please ensure adequate space around the apparatus for sufcient ventilation. Ventilation should not be impeded by covering the ventilation openings with items such as newspapers, tablecloths curtains etc.
The apparatus draws nominal non-operating power from the AC outlet with its POWER switch in the off position.•
The apparatus should be located close enough to the AC outlet so that you can easily grasp the power cord plug at any time.•
An apparatus with Class 1 construction shall be connected to an AC outlet with a protective grounding connection.•
The MAINS plug or the appliance coupler is used as the disconnect device. Either device shall remain readily operable when the •
apparatus is installed for use.
No naked ames, such as lighted candles, should be placed on the apparatus.•
WARNING: excessive sound pressure levels from earphones and headphones can cause hearing loss.
GB This equipment must be earthed by the power cord
GB
FIN Laite on liitettävä suojamaadoituskoskettimilla varustettuun pistorasiaan
FIN
NOR Apparatet må kun tilkoples jordet stikkontakt
NOR
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Important Safety Precautions
CAUTION: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE
COVER (OR BACK). NO USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE.
REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL.
The lightning ash with arrowhead symbol, within equilateral triangle,
is intended to alert the user to the presence of uninsulated “dangerous voltage” within the product’s enclosure that may be of sufcient
magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock to persons.
The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is intended to
alert the user to the presence of important operating and maintenance
(servicing) instructions in the literature accompanying the appliance.
WARNING: TO PREVENT FIRE OR SHOCK HAZARD, DO NOT EXPOSE THIS APPLICANCE
TO RAIN OR MOISTURE
Environmental Declaration
Compliance Information Statement: Declaration of Compliance procedure
Product Identication: Focusrite Saf re PRO 24 DSP
Responsible par ty: American Music and Sound
Address: 5304 Derry Avenue #C
Agoura Hills,
CA 91301
Telephone: 800-994-4984
This device complies with part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful
interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.
For USA To the User:
Do not modify this unit! This product, when installed as indicated in the instructions contained in this manual, meets FCC requirements. Modi-1.
cations not expressly approved by Focusrite may void your authorit y, granted by the FCC, to use this product.
Important: This product satises FCC regulations when high quality shielded cables are used to connect with other equipment. Failure to use 2.
high quality shielded cables or to follow the installation instructions within this manual may cause magnetic interference with appliances such
as radios and televisions and void your FCC authorization to use this product in the USA.
Note: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. 3.
These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment gener-
ates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful inter-
ference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment
does cause harmful inter ference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is
encouraged to tr y to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:
Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.•
Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.•
Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that •
to which the receiver is connected.•
Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/ TV technician for help.•
For Canada To the User:
This Class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003
Cet appareil numérique de la classe B est conforme à la norme NMB-003 du Canada.
RoHS Notice
Focusrite Audio Engineering Limited has conformed
and this product conforms, where applicable, to the
European Union’s Directive 2002/95/EC on Restric-
tions of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) as well as
the following sections of California law which refer
to RoHS, namely sections 25214.10, 25214.10.2, and
58012, Health and Safety Code; Section 42475.2,
Public Resources Code.
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Contents
Introduction .................................................................................................................. 5
Basics ........................................................................................................................... 5
Box Contents ................................................................................................................ 5
Getting Started ............................................................................................................. 6
Hardware ...................................................................................................................... 7
Back Panel ........................................................................................................... 7
Front Panel ........................................................................................................... 8
System Requirements .................................................................................................. 9
Installation ................................................................................................................... 9
Audio Set-up in your DAW ............................................................................................10
Safre PRO 24 DSP Architecture .................................................................................11
Safre MixControl ......................................................................................................13
Preamp Section ...................................................................................................14
Mixer Section ......................................................................................................14
Input FX Section ..................................................................................................18
Reverb Section ....................................................................................................21
Routing Section .................................................................................................. 22
VRM Section - Virtual Reference Monitoring ...................................................... 24
Monitor Section .................................................................................................. 28
Device Setup Section ...........................................................................................31
Settings Menu .................................................................................................... 32
File Menu ............................................................................................................ 33
Safre PRO 24 DSP Specications .............................................................................. 34
Troubleshooting.......................................................................................................... 35
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Introduction
Thank you for purchasing Safre PRO 24 DSP, one in a family of Focusrite professional multi-channel Firewire interfaces featuring
high quality Focusrite Pre-amps. 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 Safre PRO 24 DSP 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 Safre PRO 24 DSP 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”).
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 Safre PRO 24 DSP 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.
Safre MixControl also provides control of the on-board DSP (digital signal processing). During the recording process, the DSP
provides Compression and Equalisation on analogue inputs 1 and 2, as well as monitoring Reverb. During the mixing process, the
DSP provides ‘VRM’ - Virtual Reference Monitoring, Focusrite’s own loudspeaker and room simulator designed for headphone
listening.
Box Contents
Along with your Safre PRO 24 DSP you should have:
1 - 6 pin FireWire cable (also known as an IEEE1394 cable)
1 - Universal DC power supply unit (PSU).
1 - Installer CD: Contains combined installer for drivers and Safre MixControl software for Mac and Windows.
Focusrite VST and AU Plug-in Suite for Mac and Windows - Includes:
Compressor
EQ
Gate
Reverb
4 - Self adhesive rubber feet - to be tted to base of the Safre PRO 24 DSP
1 - Registration Card
1- Excite Bundle - Includes:
Ableton Live LE version 7
Bass Station AU and VST synthesiser plug-in with Serial number card
Over a Gigabyte of “Loopmasters” and “Mike the Drummer” royalty free Samples
1 - Focusrite Product Brochure
1 - Novation Product Brochure
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Getting Started
The Safre PRO 24 DSP has a single 6 pin FireWire port on the back. This FireWire connection will work with any of the current
FireWire standards and connectors; FireWire 400 (6 pin or 4 pin connection); and FireWire 800.
BEFORE YOU CONNECT THE Safre PRO 24 DSP TO YOUR COMPUTER, PLEASE RUN THE INSTALLER. This will ensure that the
correct drivers are used, thus preventing any unexpected behaviour
The Safre PRO 24 DSP ships with a 6 pin FireWire cable. However on Windows laptops, the FireWire connection may be 4 pin
FireWire. In this case 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 or
adapter.
The Safre PRO 24 DSP can be powered via the FireWire connection when using 6 pin FireWire 400 or FireWire 800. When
connected to a 4 pin FireWire you will need to use the supplied PSU.
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 exceeding the total available bandwidth. Consequently,
it is recommended that Safre PRO 24 DSP DSP run on its own FireWire bus for best performance.
The Safre PRO 24 DSP should be able to work alongside 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 box such as Focusrite Liquid Mix,
the total FireWire bandwidth may be reached. This will result in audio drop outs, or reduced performance on either the Safre PRO
24 DSP 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.
In order to maximise the life of your FireWire ports, we recommend that you do not connect or disconnect your Safre PRO 24 DSP
whilst bus powered.
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Hardware
Back Panel
The Back Panel provides the majority of input and output connections on the Safre PRO 24 DSP.
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1 2 x TRS jack sockets Line Inputs 3 and 4 *
2 6 x TRS jack sockets for Line Outputs 1-6 *
3 1 x Optical input socket **
4 1 x IEEE1394 6 pin FireWire socket
5 2 x Din5 MIDI Input and Output sockets
6 1 x Power switch
7 1 x 2.0mm DC Power inlet socket - Use supplied power supply only
8 2 x RCA SPDIF input and output sockets
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4
2
3
1
* Either 1/4 inch TRS (balanced) or TS (unbalanced) Jack connectors can be used.
** Optical input can be used as either ADAT or S/PDIF optical input.
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Front Panel
The Front Panel includes the input connectors for Mic, Line and Instrument signals, as well as the input gain controls and
monitoring controls.
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1 Channels 1 and 2 with Combo XLR input sockets for Mic / Line / Instrument
2 Channels 1 and 2 Gain control
3 Channels 1 and 2 Instrument LEDs
4 Phantom power switch with LED for Mic inputs 1-2
5 Power LED - Lit when the unit receives power from FireWire or external power supply unit
6 FW (Active) LED - Lit when the unit connects to the FireWire driver
7 LKD (Locked) LED - Lit when the unit locks to its internal clock, or to an external clock source
8 Separate 5 LED meter for each input channel -42, -18, -6, -3, 0
9 Monitor Level control
10 Monitor Dim and Mute switches with associated LED’s
11 Headphones 1 and 2 level control
12 Headphones 1 and 2 output ¼” jacks
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3
4
3
5
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System Requirements
Macintosh
• OS: Mac OS X 10.4.11 or later
• Computer: Apple Macintosh with FireWire port
• CPU/Clock: PowerPC G4/1 GHz or higher (Intel/Dual 1 GHz or better recommended)
• Memory (RAM): 512 MB (1 GB or more recommended)
• Screen Resolution: 1024x768 (1280x1024 or more recommended)
Windows
• OS: Windows Vista (All Versions) or Windows XP SP2 or higher (All Versions)
• Computer: Windows compatible computer with FireWire port.
• CPU/Clock: Pentium or AMD with 1 GHz or higher (Dual 1 GHz or better recommended)
• Memory (RAM): 512 MB (1 GB or more recommended)
• Screen Resolution: 1024x768 (1280x1024 or more recommended)
Installation
We aim to ensure that the latest installation software will be on the disk included with your Safre PRO 24 DSP. 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
Safre PRO 24 DSP unit.
PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOU RUN THE INSTALLER BEFORE CONNECTING THE Safre PRO 24 DSP TO YOUR COMPUTER
Windows
Insert your installer disk into your computer’s CD-ROM drive. 1.
You should see a window pop up showing the following installer icon: 2.
‘Safre MixControl-1.5.exe’
Double click on the installer icon to begin the installation process.3.
Follow on screen instructions to complete the installation process.4.
Note that the included VST plug-in suite installer will run after driver installation. 5.
Restart your computer.6.
Connect the Safre PRO 24 DSP to your computer.7.
Once the installation has been completed, your Computer OS should automatically switch its default audio outputs to be the
Safre PRO 24 DSP. To make sure this is the case:
On Windows Vista, go to Start > Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Sound > Manage Audio Devices > Set Default
‘Playback’ and ‘Recording’ to ‘Safre Audio’.
On Windows XP, go to Start > Control Panel > Sounds, Speech and Audio Devices > Sounds and Audio Devices > Audio tab > Set
Sound playback and recording to Safre Pro Audio’.
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Mac OS
Insert your installer disk into your computer’s CD-ROM drive. 1.
You should see a window pop up showing the following installer icons: 2.
‘Install Safre MixControl.pkg’
Double click on the installer icon to begin the installation process.3.
Follow on screen instructions to complete the installation process. 4.
Restart your computer.5.
6. Connect the Safre PRO 24 DSP to your computer.
Once the installation has been completed, your Computer OS should automatically switch its default audio outputs to be the
Safre PRO 24 DSP. To make sure this is the case:
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.
Note that the included VST and AU plug-in suite can be installed by running ‘Focusrite Plug-in Suite.pkg’ from the same installer
disk.
Audio Set-up in your DAW
The Safre PRO 24 DSP is compatible with any DAW that uses ASIO drivers on Windows, and any DAW that uses Core Audio on Mac.
Your DAW software may not automatically switch the device it uses 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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Safre PRO 24 DSP Architecture
12345678
DAW OUT
Saffire PRO 24 DSP
HARDWARE IN
1234
Analog
ADAT
12345678
S/PDIF
1 2
HARDWARE OUT
123456
Analog
S/PDIF
1 2
16 IN
Loop back
8 OUT
12345678910 11 12 13 14 15 16
Saffire Mix Control Music Software
ROUTER
DAW IN
MIXER
12345678
DAW OUT
Saffire PRO 24 DSP
HARDWARE IN
1234
Analog
1 2 1 2
HARDWARE OUT
123456
Analog
S/PDIF
1 2
10 IN
Loop back
8 OUT
12345678 15 16
Saffire Mix Control Music Software
ROUTER
DAW IN
MIXER
S/PDIF (RCA) S/PDIF (Opt)
Safre PRO 24 DSP 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 Safre PRO 24 DSP audio paths when set at different sample rates and
Optical input 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 1-4 1-4
S/PDIF 1-2 (RCA) 5-6
ADAT 1-8 (Opt) 7-14
Loop back 1-2 15-16
44.1kHz / 48kHz Optical as S/PDIF
HARDWARE IN DAW IN
Analogue 1-4 1-4
S/PDIF 1-2 (RCA) 5-6
S/PDIF 3-4 (Opt) 7-8
Loop back 1-2 15-16 *DAW IN 9-14 are redundant
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