Saffire Pro 24 DSP
User Guide
FA0273-02 |
1 |
Important Safety Instructions
1.Read these instructions.
2.Keep these instructions.
3.Heed all warnings.
4.Follow all instructions.
5.Do not use this apparatus near water.
6.Clean only with dry cloth.
7.Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
8.Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other apparatus (including amplifiers) that produce heat.
9.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 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 fit into your outlet, consult an electrician for replacement of the obsolete outlet.
10.Protect the power cord from being walked on or pinched particularly at plugs, convenience receptacles, and the point where they exit from the apparatus.
11.Only use attachments/accessories specified by the manufacturer.
12.Use only with the cart, stand, tripod, bracket, or table specified by the manufacturer, or sold with the apparatus. When a cart is used, use caution when moving the cart/apparatus combination to avoid injury from tip-over.
13.Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or when unused for long periods of time.
14.Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel. Servicing is required when the apparatus has been damaged in any way, such 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 fire 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 filled 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 filled with liquids, such as vases, on the apparatus.
•Do not install this apparatus in a confined 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 sufficient 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 flames, such as lighted candles, should be placed on the apparatus.
WARNING: excessive sound pressure levels from earphones and headphones can cause hearing loss.
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This equipment must be earthed by the power cord |
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Laite on liitettävä suojamaadoituskoskettimilla varustettuun pistorasiaan |
FININ |
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Apparatet må kun tilkoples jordet stikkontakt |
NOROR |
2
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 flash 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 sufficient 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 Identification: |
Focusrite Saffire PRO 24 DSP |
Responsible party: |
American Music and Sound |
Address: |
5304 Derry Avenue #C |
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Agoura Hills, |
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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:
1. Do not modify this unit! This product, when installed as indicated in the instructions contained in this manual, meets FCC requirements. Modifications not expressly approved by Focusrite may void your authority, granted by the FCC, to use this product.
2. Important: This product satisfies FCC regulations when high quality shielded cables are used to connect with other equipment. Failure to use 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.
3. 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. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try 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.
3
Contents |
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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 |
Saffire PRO 24 DSP Architecture.................................................................................. |
11 |
Saffire MixControl ....................................................................................................... |
13 |
Preamp Section.................................................................................................... |
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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 |
Saffire PRO 24 DSP Specifications............................................................................... |
34 |
Troubleshooting.......................................................................................................... |
35 |
4
Introduction
Thank you for purchasing Saffire 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 “Saffire 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 Saffire 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 Saffire 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, Saffire MixControl provides further recording, routing and monitoring options, as well as the ability to control global hardware settings such as sample rate and synchronisation.
Saffire 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 Saffire PRO 24 DSP are routed directly to your DAW software for recording, but Saffire 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.
Saffire 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 Saffire 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 Saffire 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 fitted to base of the Saffire 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
5
Getting Started
The Saffire 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 Saffire 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 Saffire 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 Saffire 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 Saffire PRO 24 DSP DSP run on its own FireWire bus for best performance.
The Saffire 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 Saffire 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 Saffire PRO 24 DSP whilst bus powered.
6
Hardware
Back Panel
The Back Panel provides the majority of input and output connections on the Saffire PRO 24 DSP.
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12 x TRS jack sockets Line Inputs 3 and 4 *
26 x TRS jack sockets for Line Outputs 1-6 *
31 x Optical input socket **
41 x IEEE1394 6 pin FireWire socket
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2 x Din5 MIDI Input and Output sockets |
61 x Power switch
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1 x 2.0mm DC Power inlet socket - Use supplied power supply only |
82 x RCA SPDIF input and output sockets
* 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.
7
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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1Channels 1 and 2 with Combo XLR input sockets for Mic / Line / Instrument
2Channels 1 and 2 Gain control
3Channels 1 and 2 Instrument LEDs
4Phantom power switch with LED for Mic inputs 1-2
5Power LED - Lit when the unit receives power from FireWire or external power supply unit
6FW (Active) LED - Lit when the unit connects to the FireWire driver
7LKD (Locked) LED - Lit when the unit locks to its internal clock, or to an external clock source
8Separate 5 LED meter for each input channel -42, -18, -6, -3, 0
9Monitor Level control
10Monitor Dim and Mute switches with associated LED’s
11Headphones 1 and 2 level control
12Headphones 1 and 2 output ¼” jacks
8
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 Saffire 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 Saffire PRO 24 DSP unit.
PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOU RUN THE INSTALLER BEFORE CONNECTING THE Saffire PRO 24 DSP TO YOUR COMPUTER
Windows
1.Insert your installer disk into your computer’s CD-ROM drive.
2.You should see a window pop up showing the following installer icon: ‘Saffire MixControl-1.5.exe’
3.Double click on the installer icon to begin the installation process.
4.Follow on screen instructions to complete the installation process.
5.Note that the included VST plug-in suite installer will run after driver installation.
6.Restart your computer.
7.Connect the Saffire 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 Saffire 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 ‘Saffire 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 Saffire Pro Audio’.
9
Mac OS
1.Insert your installer disk into your computer’s CD-ROM drive.
2.You should see a window pop up showing the following installer icons: ‘Install Saffire MixControl.pkg’
3.Double click on the installer icon to begin the installation process.
4.Follow on screen instructions to complete the installation process.
5.Restart your computer.
6.Connect the Saffire 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 Saffire PRO 24 DSP. To make sure this is the case:
Go to System Preferences > Sound > Set the input and output to ‘Saffire’.
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 Saffire 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 ‘Saffire’ 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.
10
Saffire PRO 24 DSP Architecture
Saffire PRO 24 DSP offers more than just simple input and output routing to and from your computer. Saffire 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 Saffire PRO 24 DSP audio paths when set at different sample rates and Optical input configurations.
The Hardware Inputs are routed directly to the DAW Inputs. The table below each diagram shows the routing configuration.
44.1kHz / 48kHz Optical as ADAT |
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Saffire PRO 24 DSP |
Saffire Mix Control |
Music Software |
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HARDWARE IN |
MIXER |
DAW IN |
16 IN |
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Analog |
S/PDIF |
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ADAT |
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1 2 3 4 |
1 |
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 |
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 |
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HARDWARE OUT |
ROUTER |
DAW OUT |
8 OUT |
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Analog |
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S/PDIF |
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1 2 3 4 5 6 |
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 |
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Loop back |
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HARDWARE IN |
DAW IN |
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Analogue 1-4 |
1-4 |
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S/PDIF 1-2 (RCA) |
5-6 |
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ADAT 1-8 (Opt) |
7-14 |
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Loop back 1-2 |
15-16 |
44.1kHz / 48kHz Optical as S/PDIF |
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Saffire PRO 24 DSP |
Saffire Mix Control |
Music Software |
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HARDWARE IN |
MIXER |
DAW IN |
10 IN |
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Analog |
S/PDIF (RCA) |
S/PDIF (Opt) |
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1 2 3 4 |
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1 |
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 |
15 16 |
HARDWARE OUT |
ROUTER |
DAW OUT |
8 OUT |
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Analog |
S/PDIF |
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1 2 |
3 4 5 6 |
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 |
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Loop back |
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HARDWARE IN |
DAW IN |
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Analogue 1-4 |
1-4 |
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S/PDIF 1-2 (RCA) |
5-6 |
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S/PDIF 3-4 (Opt) |
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*DAW IN 9-14 are redundant |
Loop back 1-2 |
15-16 |
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