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Nonstopbeats « Review of the Focusrite Saffire PRO 14 »
Published on 12/10/14 at 08:25
Best value:
Correct
Audience:
Anyone
The Focusrite Saffire PRO 14 is an audio interface which has been designed to work with a modern home studio so that the engineer can record sounds into a computer effectively and of a high quality. One of the reasons why this audio interface has gotten so much attention is because of the preamps that it has built inside of it. These are award-winning preamps which give a high level of sonic performance. The Focusrite Saffire PRO 14 audio interface also features analogue and digital combination of I/O inputs and this can communicate with the mix control software that comes with the sound card which can be installed within the computer with which you can choose to use. This software promises good performance and stability. I wanted to see if the award winning pre amps would be helpful when listen to mixes.
Utilization
The audio device connects with the computer via a high speed FireWire connection via the latest interface technology. This means that the device can easily be connected to computers that have this connection and will begin communicating with software quickly and effectively. The Focusrite Saffire PRO 14 audio interface has also been designed to be incredibly stable and will not let you down during those important recording sessions. If you have a Mac that uses a thunderbolt port you can use this on the latest version of the Focusrite Saffire PRO 14 interface. You simply need a FireWire 800 adapter and a thunderbolt to FireWire adapter and you can make the connection. Luckily I had this connector for my Mac and was able to easily connect the devices together.
Key features
The interface contains 2 analogue inputs, 4 outputs that are also analogue, 2 mic preamps that are of a high quality, as well as MIDI and S/PDIF which offers a selection of abilities when carrying out multi track recording tasks.
In addition to this the audio interface has two instrument inputs which allow you the ability to plug-in instruments so that they can be recorded and played back on digital devices. There are also inputs which have loopback capabilities and allow you to root audio that is digital between different software applications. The sound quality is of a high level and has little to noise when recording intruments. The qulaity is also perfect for mixing donw and gives the user a great sense of clarity within the mix. I instantly noticed problems witihin some of my mixes when I started using the device.
Comparison
The Focusrite Saffire PRO 14 interface is fairly similar to the Focusrite Scarlett 18i20. However, this device features eight preamps that have won awards because of their high-quality 24 bit/96 kHz sound ability. This device runs USB instead of Firewire and is compatible with a number of different operating systems, including Mac, Windows as well as the iOS platforms and mobile devices such as the iPad.
The key features of the Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 is that it comes with very low noise mic preamps which create the minimal amount of distortion and offer a dynamic range which is extremely wide. However, because of the exclusive USB interface, this may only suit those who are happy to use this means of communication between devices.
Pros and Cons
This is a solid sound card that will work well in the studio, just as much as it will work well when taken to gigs, and used whilst recording on the road. The mic preamps really do offer a sense of clarity to the sound and one is able to hear the low end and the higher end of the track clearly and effectively. This is incredibly useful for when an individual is mixing down the track and needs to hear these frequencies, as they are the most important frequencies within the track and sometimes the most complex. Many sound cards find these frequencies difficult to process. However, the Saffire does the job incredibly well.
The only real problem with this unit is that it can be slightly confusing to set up at first. However, there are some helpful tutorials on YouTube which can get you on your way. I was able to set up the sound card relatively quickly with out the need for instructions. Once you have set up the device you will begin to notice the clarity of sound straight away.
Summary
If you're happy with a simple audio interface that comes with two high-quality preamps that are designed with the famous focusrite name on them, then you can do well to go with this device. This device uses the high-quality preamps that focusrite have developed and allow the individual to create sound which has no noise and low distortion qualities. The ability to connect via FireWire insures that the individual will be able to communicate with digital devices and software quickly and effectively so the recording sessions can be completed smoothly and without any problems.Focusrite Saffire PRO 14
Utilization
The audio device connects with the computer via a high speed FireWire connection via the latest interface technology. This means that the device can easily be connected to computers that have this connection and will begin communicating with software quickly and effectively. The Focusrite Saffire PRO 14 audio interface has also been designed to be incredibly stable and will not let you down during those important recording sessions. If you have a Mac that uses a thunderbolt port you can use this on the latest version of the Focusrite Saffire PRO 14 interface. You simply need a FireWire 800 adapter and a thunderbolt to FireWire adapter and you can make the connection. Luckily I had this connector for my Mac and was able to easily connect the devices together.
Key features
The interface contains 2 analogue inputs, 4 outputs that are also analogue, 2 mic preamps that are of a high quality, as well as MIDI and S/PDIF which offers a selection of abilities when carrying out multi track recording tasks.
In addition to this the audio interface has two instrument inputs which allow you the ability to plug-in instruments so that they can be recorded and played back on digital devices. There are also inputs which have loopback capabilities and allow you to root audio that is digital between different software applications. The sound quality is of a high level and has little to noise when recording intruments. The qulaity is also perfect for mixing donw and gives the user a great sense of clarity within the mix. I instantly noticed problems witihin some of my mixes when I started using the device.
Comparison
The Focusrite Saffire PRO 14 interface is fairly similar to the Focusrite Scarlett 18i20. However, this device features eight preamps that have won awards because of their high-quality 24 bit/96 kHz sound ability. This device runs USB instead of Firewire and is compatible with a number of different operating systems, including Mac, Windows as well as the iOS platforms and mobile devices such as the iPad.
The key features of the Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 is that it comes with very low noise mic preamps which create the minimal amount of distortion and offer a dynamic range which is extremely wide. However, because of the exclusive USB interface, this may only suit those who are happy to use this means of communication between devices.
Pros and Cons
This is a solid sound card that will work well in the studio, just as much as it will work well when taken to gigs, and used whilst recording on the road. The mic preamps really do offer a sense of clarity to the sound and one is able to hear the low end and the higher end of the track clearly and effectively. This is incredibly useful for when an individual is mixing down the track and needs to hear these frequencies, as they are the most important frequencies within the track and sometimes the most complex. Many sound cards find these frequencies difficult to process. However, the Saffire does the job incredibly well.
The only real problem with this unit is that it can be slightly confusing to set up at first. However, there are some helpful tutorials on YouTube which can get you on your way. I was able to set up the sound card relatively quickly with out the need for instructions. Once you have set up the device you will begin to notice the clarity of sound straight away.
Summary
If you're happy with a simple audio interface that comes with two high-quality preamps that are designed with the famous focusrite name on them, then you can do well to go with this device. This device uses the high-quality preamps that focusrite have developed and allow the individual to create sound which has no noise and low distortion qualities. The ability to connect via FireWire insures that the individual will be able to communicate with digital devices and software quickly and effectively so the recording sessions can be completed smoothly and without any problems.Focusrite Saffire PRO 14