Focusrite Saffire PRO 24 DSP Mac PC Audio Interface

The Focusrite Saffire PRO 24 DSP is a 16 in / 8 out FireWire audio interface, featuring real-time DSP-powered tracking and mixing solutions tailor-made for the modern home studio environment.

Alongside DSP-powered compression and EQ for ultra-low-latency tracking and ‘comfort’ reverb, is VRM; a Virtual Reference Monitoring technology that lets you hear your mix in different environments, through different speakers and from different positions, all just using headphones.

VRM makes Saffire PRO 24 DSP the only interface capable of simulating over one hundred different monitoring scenarios through your headphones. VRM overcomes the major obstacle for mixing with headphones by giving you multiple perspectives on your mix, as if you were listening through speakers. Indeed, noise levels from mixing through speakers can make it impossible for most to mix at home, especially late at night; with VRM, you can mix anytime, anywhere. Using any pair of monitoring headphones, VRM let’s you choose your mixing environment from a living room, a bedroom studio, or a professional studio. You then simply choose where you are positioned in that room and what speakers you listen through.

Saffire PRO 24 DSP draws on twenty-five years of mic pre excellence. The two Focusrite preamps capture every subtle nuance of your sound whilst ensuring low noise and distortion. Meanwhile, high-quality digital conversion and JetPLL™ jitter reduction technology ensure pristine audio quality as your audio flows between the analogue and digital domains.

Saffire PRO 24 DSP’s other real-time DSP-powered effects also exhibit Focusrite’s uncompromised approach to audio quality. EQ, compression and ‘Comfort’ reverb sonically derived from the ‘Focusrite Plug-in Suite’ (also included as VST/AU plug-ins) are all integrated within the Saffire MixControl software, providing professional ultra-low-latency tools for tracking and monitoring.

Alongside the two Focusrite preamps are a host of I/O options; two additional analogue inputs, six analogue outputs, ADAT inputs (for expanding the interface with, for example, Focusrite’s OctoPre), stereo SPDIF I/O and two virtual 'loopback' inputs for routing digital audio between software applications — ideal for capturing online audio. Front panel five-step LED metering for each analogue input offers accurate viewing of levels.

Saffire MixControl, the ultra-low-latency 16 x 8 DSP mixer/router software provided with Saffire PRO 24 DSP, sets a new standard at this price point for audio interface control. It features flexible output routing and monitoring, as well as intuitive one-click set-up solutions designed to help you track, monitor and mix as easily as possible.

Saffire PRO 24 DSP combines two award-winning Focusrite preamps and a host of other I/O with VRM Virtual Reference Monitoring, integrated real-time tracking and monitoring effects, and easy-to-use mix control software. Together, they deliver the most comprehensive professional compact music-recording interface to date.

Specs:

Focusrite always quotes 'real world' performance figures (measured to the AES17 standard). Some companies choose to quote chipset performance, which is misleading.

Microphone Inputs

• Dynamic Range (A-Weighted): 106dB
• SNR (A-weighted): -105.3dB
• Frequency Response: 20Hz - 20kHz +/- 0.1 dB
• THD+N: 0.001% (measured at 1kHz with a 20Hz/22kHz bandpass filter)
• Noise: EIN > 125dB (128dB analogue to digital) (measured at 60dB of gain with 150 Ohm termination (20Hz/22kHz bandpass filter)
• Maximum level (A-weighted): 8.6dBu at 1%

Line Inputs

• Dynamic Range (A-Weighted): 106.5dB
• SNR (A-weighted): -106dB
• Frequency Response: 20Hz - 20kHz +/- 0.1dB
• THD+N (A-Weighted): < 0.001% (measured with 0dBFS input and 22Hz/22kHz bandpass filter)
• Noise: -90dBu (22Hz/22kHz bandpass filter)
• Maximum level (A-weighted): 16.3dBu at 1%

Instrument Inputs

• Frequency Response: 20Hz - 20kHz +/- 0.1dB
• THD+N: 0.004% (measured with 0dBu input and 20Hz/22kHz bandpass filter)
• Noise: -87dBu (20Hz/22kHz bandpass filter)

Line level Outputs

• Dynamic Range (A-Weighted): 105dB
• SNR (A-weighted): -104.5dB
• THD+N: < 0.001% (measured with 0dBFS input and 22Hz/22kHz bandpass filter)
• Maximum level (A-weighted): 16.13dBu at 0.885%

Additional Conversion Performance

• Clock jitter < 250 picoseconds
• THD+N AMPL (A-weighted)= -107dBFS

CONNECTIVITY

Analogue Channel Inputs (Inputs 1-4)

• 2 x XLR Mic/Line high quality Combi-Jacks (Inputs 1-2)
• 2 x XLR Instrument high quality Combi-Jacks (Instrument on inputs 1 and 2 only) Automatic switch of Mic / Line (inserting a jack switches from Mic to either Line or Instrument (instrument selected via the software control panel)Line inputs 3-4 have low and high gain settings can be controlled from the Saffire MixControl software (low gain being the default)

Digital Channel Inputs (Inputs 5-14) 44.1-96kHz

• Stereo S/PDIF input on RCA
• 1 x 8 channel ADAT input on Optical Connector (SDPIF 3&4 set in preferences menu)

Analogue Audio Outputs (Outputs 1-6)

• 6 x TRS analogue outputs (Outputs 1-6)
• 2 x TRS stereo headphone output (headphone mix 1 same as outputs 3 & 4, headphone mix 2 same as outputs 5 & 6)

Digital Channel Outputs (Outputs 7-8) 44.1-96kHz

• Stereo S/PDIF output on RCA

Other I/O

• 1x 6 pin FireWire 400 socket - also compatible with FireWire 800 and Thunderbolt
• 2 Standard 5-pin DIN MIDI connectors: In and Out
• 12V DC power input connector for use with external PSU

System Requirements

PC

• Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP and Windows Vista. 64-bit compatible, Windows 7, Windows 8
• CPU/Clock: 900MHz AMD or Pentium. (1.5 GHz or higher recommended)
• Memory (RAM): 512 MB (more recommended)

Mac

• Operating System: Mac OS X 10.4.x or later
• CPU/Clock: PowerPC G4/Dual 1 GHZ or faster or any Intel-based Mac
• Memory (RAM): 512 MB (more recommended)