All user reviews for the Focusrite Saffire PRO 26 i/o

The Focusrite Saffire Pro 26 comes with a very good price tag on it for the features. The preamps are very good, there are 8 of them in total and it also comes with some very good plug ins. There are some small latency issues with it comes to using it with Mac computers because of Apples FireWire drivers which I have had many issues with in the past. This interface is very portable though and gets its power from the computer.

UTILIZATION

Setting up this interface does not take long, it comes with manual to walk you through the process and it comes with all of the proper drivers for both Mac and Windows systems. I used this with my MacBook and had it sitting underneath of my laptop on the desk so it didn’t take up much room. It is a “long” interface in width and it cannot be racked.

GETTING STARTED

I have used the original Saffire that came out years ago from Focusrite and it is almost the same to me as far as quality goes but this version looks a lot better. The EQ and compression that comes with it is very good but I am more impressed with the amp simulation. Using the phantom power is easy, but there is not an actual switch on the unit, you will need to control the phantom power from within the software. You can control the phantom power for the microphone channels from channel 1 to channel four easily.

OVERALL OPINION

Overall, I do like this interface but I am on the fence about it and if I could do it all over again I am not 100 percent sure if I would get it again. The latency issues on my MacBook gave me plenty of problems to deal with and that really is more Apples problem than it is a problem on Focusrite’s hands.

-What characteristics have motivated your choice?
characteristic cited below, and especially the reputation of preamps

-For what purpose? What is your config (Motherboard / CPU / RAM / Disk, ...)?
HP EliteBook 8530w

-With what instruments or systems (console, preamp, DtDs ...) use it and how you connect? ...
mainly for audio recording of my group, rehearsing or re-re (drums, bass, banjo, Gratt, trumpet, lead and hearts)

UTILIZATION

-The drivers are stable?
no problems found

-Are they updated frequently?
but not ever need, it works nickel

-What software do you use most often?
6 cubase, wavelab 5, windows seven

What You Get-latency?
5 ms recording, 7 ms read (to the mix, I increase the max latency (40 ms) for more flexibility

- How many tracks do you manage to record / play simultaneously?

8-track recording
21 track playback with effects (and I reach the limits of my Proco)

GETTING STARTED

-The installation is done it without problem? Have you encountered any incompatibilities? The general configuration is easy? The manual is clear and sufficient? ...
For me everything is clear except for MIDI (I use it)

OVERALL OPINION

-How long you use it?
5 months

-What is so special that you love the most, least?
most: running windows on nickel

the least: I had to buy the run on linux (ardor) ffoad with the driver.
the card is recognized by the driver, but jackd refuse to mount the inputs and outputs. BIG DISAPPOINTMENT!! (But I had not understood something, or miss a step ...)

-Did you tried many other models before buying it?
I did a lot of recording as in various professional studio musicians and less pro. I listened quite a sound card! this one really does not blush: beautiful sound, great quality pre-amps, very good dynamics. short, but happiness for an amateur like me!

-How would you rate the quality / price? With experience, you do again this choice?

Great Value, (400 neurons bought Cygnus) and I plan to buy one for 16 channels at once!

This is the sound card of my 2nd config. It allows me to connect the two stations in the noon, ADAT, and audio.

UTILIZATION

I never had to worry about drivers under XP or Vista. I use it mostly for virtual instruments.

GETTING STARTED

The installation does not pose a problem. For cons, I think "ergonomic" computer a little confused. For my part, even when it lacks a few physical controls on the facade of the interface. The grip is not obvious at all.

OVERALL OPINION

I use it now for 4 years. This interface is a high quality product that can integrate many dehome studios.

192kHz FireWire interface, 24 bit
26 inputs (8 analog + 16 ADAT at 48kHz or 8 to 96 kHz + 2 SPDIF)
Used on a dual processor PowerMac G5 and a PowerBook G4 17-inch.

UTILIZATION

No problem in installation tiger, insert the disk is installed, use.
The ergonomics of software for control is, say, specifically, a logic part, but hey you get used to it, and anyway we do not have much choice.
The manual is in French, pdf file, clear but not very "educational", but enough for a quick start.

GETTING STARTED

I've had two days, and I just recorded a classical training in a church, ada 16 tracks via a 8000, simplicity, efficiency, but happiness, except that the quality of the preamp makes those of ada bland. ... after some testing, I did not find latency audible, at most a certain inertia, to 192 more one feels that this latency does not hear, but I have not had time yet to push it in such a corner ... In any case, it is much more pleasant than a Hercules, Delta, Motu 828 .... I already possessed or used.
The quality of the preamp is truly remarkable, the sound is very pure with a very subtle colorations, fans of the brand will understand what I mean .... It is not good Focusrite

OVERALL OPINION

I was looking for an interface with as many entries as possible, capable of up to 192 kHz, and I tested the Motu 896HD (excellent), the Fireface 800 (very high quality too) and some others which did not really "stuck", and there, love at first sight is all .... Good preamps, converters that "crush" no signal, a sound that breathes, and a ridiculous price in terms of its performance: it was almost 2 Saffire for rm or motu, so as you can in chains three I think if business is good, the other two will suivrent very quickly .... A small problem, though, the headphones are a bit "low", but as I use a headphone amp, it does not bother me at all.
An interface to buy the closed eyes, a price-performance ratio unmatched in the market today .... Members of the Competition, place your bets, nothing goes .... good luck

I will adjust my opinion above because I reois lot of mail ... I did not clearly expressed:
So I use the Saffire in sync with an RME Fireface 800. I record mostly batteries with Saffire. I work on PC and Cubase.

UTILIZATION

So to install, no Souis. The problem is meeting the problem of sync. I reli Saffire by the RME RME ADAT and the computer. Saffire walk then in "standalone" is not through the computer. In this case, the 8 inputs are directly routed to the ADAT and analog outputs 1 to 8. So far, a will. on the other hand, you can not change the frquence Sampling of standalone, it is the computer and software. And even the trs is difficult, the Focusrite is trsrfractaire to change. It will hold and not move. It's a bit boring for me that often goes to 44,100 in the same session 48000Hz, finally, not really practice what ct l. I tried to make it work as a slave, by the clock driver of the EMR but no way, it works poorly trs. Oh yes! the manual is not a. .. trs trs, trs but brief. When will a DVD with explanations movies?

GETTING STARTED

Otherwise, once all this is done, the machine is flawless. Since I work in direct monitoring, I did not not particulire latency. In standalone mode, the drivers are not gure me useful, I can not say the above. I record the drum tracks by the 8 adat without any problem.

OVERALL OPINION

I use it for a year now prs, and my first opinion has not changed. Good sound (beautiful color), good converters, good pramp few small buttons on the front very useful, but sync shit.
For the price is good. It would perhaps be a switch on the facade to choose frquence of Sampling and would be really nice.

Hello all,

I do not understand some excellent reviews for this sound card.

Excellent preamps. converters excellent, very good clock ... everything gives an excellent sound.
That's what I asked, the drivers are stable, agree the graphics driver is a bit special but I do not care I do not look I'm working with the software like any good pro audio elsewhere: - )

I compared with the earlier stages digi 002r I .... see anything, a precision in the unimaginable. PT is great hd tdm mode, but not mix with the LE :-( The summation with Focusrite and its ASIO driver is really very very prcise.

I even used at a Rsidence for a rock band franais instead of a console ... Well, not latency sensitive for returns, and very good sound faade!

I use a pc with asus core duo and Nuendo 3 I tried it with other apps on pc buddy (Cubase SX, Samplitude Pro etc ...) all the same, the sound is really gr this card and ASIO driver.

Voil j'espre change course because it's a shame to spend cot tool.

UTILIZATION

- Installation is it without problem? no pb!
- Have you experienced any incompatibility? no no
- The configuration gnrale is easy? Yes! legraphisme driver is really special, but once configured a roll trs trs well. APRS and then it no longer uses.
- The manual is clear and sufficient? ... yes

GETTING STARTED

- The drivers are stable? yes

- Are they often put day? I know I have the latest version (3 months I think ...)
- How many tracks you get record / playback simultanment? .. l. ho ... I do not know, I opened the project with 50 or 60 tracks including a 30aine with plugs and greedy ... Save at least 24 at least I have two converters adat ass making 8 + 8 + 8 = 24 from 26 but never tried good I'm not worried about a. ..

OVERALL OPINION

- How long have you use it?
1 year approx.

- Have you tried many other models before acqurir? few and mostly javais a PT LE with a Digi 002r and are no photos, no bills to compare, a mix of 20aines tracks and the sound you get is simply a very precise compared the digi. (And I love the soft target PT, but the I have to see it day and night).

- How do you report qualitprix? excellent

- With the exprience, you do again this choice? ... yes

I chose this card for its evolutionary dimension, so the number of inputs and outputs, the uses are varied .. nomadic studio. I mainly use the laptop on a asus / xp SP2 core2duo / 2g of RAM with battery back taken ... headphones (without console) on cubase sx 3 ... impeccable

UTILIZATION

No problem to instal, no conflict, the driver is nevertheless quite sufficient, contrary to a previous opinion, I have no problem No change F but the use of sampling is different, the config is clear .. only thing is to know should always have the control panel open before starting its sequencer .. and then keep it open.
has at present, with the PC that you downgrade from Vista to XP, there may be some specificitees to master, but nothing that is related to the card itself!

GETTING STARTED

The drivers are impeccable, I have made a group with the 1st version and 0 .. problem since monitoring is widely and regularly provides.

OVERALL OPINION

I use the for almost a year, I like especially the sound)) value for money and scalable connectivity.

j would really apreciated a PCI card instead or in addition to interfacing firewire, but good .. n the price shall have not been the same))

c is my first mobile map and frankly yes, I do it again this election, for there is still no better for the price on the market!

I should add that the problems on mac is under control and understood and n are not much to do with this interface

What characteristics have motivated your choice?

- Multi-input, versatility, standalone basis, the reputation of the Focusrite preamp

For what purpose?
- Home-studio, multiple registrations, experimental

What is your config (Motherboard / CPU / Ram / Hard ,...)?

Athlon XP2200 + 1G ram

It has everything I wanted for this type of card and even more compared to my needs

UTILIZATION

The installation is done it without problems?
Have you experienced any incompatibilities?

not obvious in the sense that since tests with MOTU cards and perhaps more specifically to connectors for higher data rates USB2 and / or firewire, I met a lot of problems. However, the service support Focusrite proposed solutions most relevant and as swiftly as well, which gives a little more confidence. Still, I solved my own problem by replacing a HD doubtful.

The general configuration is easy?

not obvious at first glance, it is working ...

GETTING STARTED

The drivers are stable?

too many problems at the moment, there is often problems when changes in frequency while a soft audio works ... The trick to not recess, it is good to reboot, just be warned. It is factually a warning this time ...

They are often updated?
I think so

OVERALL OPINION

1 month, I am very happy with the recordings obtained and its use in monitoring function, headphone very well defined ... I love it.

I was motivated by the 8 tracks simultaneously and what I have read its features.
I'm using Cubase SX.
Demo recording / small albums.

UTILIZATION

I had a lot of installation problems, and concerns of stability.
All this being mainly due to a problem with firewire card and PC communication.

I added a Digimax D8 which allows me to add 8 tracks ADAT. No worry at this level.

I get about 2ms latency recording.
The drivers often have no updates, and I would say that the Saffire PRO 26 I / O has almost disappeared from circulation ...

GETTING STARTED

I am self-taught, this is my first sound card, so I learn by touch.
The fact is that I can almost do everything that I want to spend three without lead.
The manual is slightly but seems sufficient.

OVERALL OPINION

I use it for a couple of years.
I love his side stretch, its preamps.

The value for money seems satisfactory.
I would do this choice.

Selection criteria: FireWire, Number of inputs / outputs, sampling frequency, brand reputation (preamps).
Mac Pro, 3 DD 1.5 T, 8 GB ram
Composition studio, live and multimedia
Instrument (DX7, exMIR, Roland D110, Akai S950, Prophet 2000) and software instruments, + multi effects

UTILIZATION

The drivers are very unstable in Mac OS 10.6 / resulting in a lot of anxiety especially live ...
Very few updates alas ...
Software: Logic Studio, Live 8, Final Cut Pro
For my use, no problems with number of tracks (a lot of computer memory)
No latency issues with appropriate settings

GETTING STARTED

Very complicated installation instructions for particularly obscure ...
Saffire Control the driver is stupid enough in its design and unintuitive especially when we used to manipulate console hardware or software ... Why do it simple when you can make it complicated?!
No real compatibility issues.
Incomprehensible manual

OVERALL OPINION

I use it for 1 year
I was previously a small M-Audio and have not tried other models ... I regret this purchase ... Another option would have cost more expensive (eg RME) but I had less anxiety visibly ...
The sound is rather good when there is no noise associated with the instability of the driver ... (I know still make them disappear quickly but hey ...)
What I criticize the most is the build quality truly shameful inability to fix the power supply (no screws do not work ...)
All sockets in rear jacks, plastic bad break when you touches the ...
Obviously this model has disappeared from the catalog shortly after my purchase ...
In short a scandal! Let us speak no more of Focusrite ...

I wanted the 192, 24 bit adat ... is everything. quality converters.

used for pre-production of a musical she fulfills all the same role.
6400 quad core 8 gig ram tera 3 SD win7 pro motherboard 7890

UTILIZATION

Cubase 5.5 ... ca lack of stability under win7 64. from time to time it loses sync and it's very very painful ...
Maj. of drivers?? uh what is an update from Focus ... not enough work at that level .... the product is top but I am sworn never ahceter focus because of that ... because at this level, when you offer a product-oriented pro even if the price is awesome, we can not but follow the driver .... and yet so ...

GETTING STARTED

yes apart from having to pass a legacy driver for 1394 card ... but hey it's true for other brands too so ...

Manual ca va ... Enquiries about a lot of compatibility with different brands of card fire wire 400 / 800 ....

OVERALL OPINION

just over two years ... yes I had a motu and MAUDIO.

I do not have a feature that I like least, and value for money is top

192KHz at 24 bits. 2 outputs phones substantial, very good preamps, no latency. Perfect. Too bad there is no Neutrik combo, at least two.

UTILIZATION

Using Windows XP and Cubase Essential 5 ... NO problems ... everything works perfectly and has been for his connection. No updates but there is no need.

GETTING STARTED

It should still throw a little coup d'OIELE on manual for learning but it's coming soon. Very easy to manage.

OVERALL OPINION

Not the slightest problem in 1 year. I do not regret my old sound card and breath rhythm. Really pleased with this purchase. FOCUSRITE, always a mark equal to itself. To buy ilex closed.

(Originally written by Ambassadeur/translated from Audiofanzine FR)

- I was looking for an audio interface with 8 quality preamps, 192MHz/24bit resolution and a Firewire connection for laptop or desktop. My main concern was the audio quality.
- Chamber music or jazz recording
- Laptop (Medion Akoya S5610 MD96715) or desktop (Athlon 3GHz CPU)
- Used with 4 Oktava MK-102 mics and 2 Rode NT2 mics

UTILIZATION

- No installation problems
- But I did had setting problems regarding drop outs and noise due to latency.
I rapidly solved the problem with the Asio control panel,
which is different from the input/output panel.
- The user's manual could be clearer and mention the Asio control panel which is very important.

GETTING STARTED

- The drivers are stable but there hasn't been an update in one year. The inputs/outputs panel has no VU-meter
- Works seamlessly with Sonar 7 and Wavelab 5
- Up to 2 ms latency
- Simultaneous recording of 6 tracks is not a problem if you choose the proper latency.

OVERALL OPINION

- I've been using it for 1 year
- I especially like the sound quality: warm, accurate, no noise, no saturation but slightly colored
- I also have a M-audio 1010 card
- excellent value for money. I would buy it again considering my priorities and goals.