User manual FOCUSRITE SAFFIRE PRO 24 DSP

[. . . ] Saffire Pro 24 DSP User Guide FA0273-01 1 Important Safety Instructions 1. Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other apparatus (including amplifiers) that produce heat. Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized or grounding-type plug. If the provided plug does not fit into your outlet, consult an electrician for replacement of the obsolete outlet. 10. [. . . ] Select an output in this menu in order to choose the output destination for the selected mix. 16 Input FX Section The Saffire PRO 24 DSP can apply digital signal processing to both analogue inputs 1 and 2. The DSP consists of a Compressor and EQ effect for each channel. Compressor The Focusrite Compressor is modelled on the legendary Focusrite hardware devices, with individually tuned optos to help create the sound of vintage 1960s compression. The plug-in can be used to squash the dynamics of a sound in varying degrees, e. g. remove the sudden loud bursts, so that the overall level can then be turned up to make the signal as loud as possible. A compressor essentially acts like an automatic volume control, turning down the volume of a signal if it gets too loud. This reduces variation between loud and quiet passages, as it automatically reduces the gain when the signal exceeds a given volume, defined as the threshold. Using the Compressor helps to even out a performance, stopping a signal from clipping and/or disappearing in the mix, and can also give it a whole new sonic character. The controls are: COMPRESSOR ACTIVE Button - Click to turn the compressor on or off. THRESHOLD Knob ­ Sets the level at which compression begins. The lower this value is set, the more of the signal will be compressed as the audio will compress when the threshold is reached. Rotate the TRSHLD dial anticlockwise to lower the threshold and so increase the compression. RATIO Knob ­ Determines how much the signal is reduced by when it exceeds the threshold. For example, a ratio of 10:1 means that when the level of the uncompressed signal exceeds the threshold by 10dB, the compressed signal will only increase by 1dB. The higher the ratio therefore (the further the dial is rotated in a clockwise direction) the more heavily the signal is compressed. GAIN REDUCTION Meter ­ Indicates when compression is occurring by showing the gain reduction applied to the signal. ATTACK Knob ­ Defines how quickly the compressor kicks in, e. g. In other words, setting a slower/longer attack time by rotating the dial clockwise will mean more of the loud part of the signal gets through uncompressed, which makes the signal much more punchy but also more likely to clip. RELEASE Knob ­ Defines how quickly the compressor stops acting on the signal after it has begun to compress. Setting a quicker/shorter release time by rotating the dial anticlockwise will normally make the signal louder overall, however this is dependant on the attack time and amount of time the signal is above the threshold. OUTPUT Knob ­ Defines how much the level of the compressed signal is increased after compression. This means that a heavily compressed signal can be turned up loud to give greater perceived loudness without the risk of clipping. 17 EQ Equalisation of sound is an essential part of the recording process, necessary to remove or boost specific sections of the audible frequency spectrum. The Focusrite EQ is 4-band, with 2 fully parametric mid bands and the option of shelving or high-pass / lowpass on bands 1 and 4, and exhibits the same curves as the classic Focusrite EQ. The two central bands have the same 3 knobs for modifying parameters: Frequency, Gain and Q. When high and lows bands are in high-pass or low-pass mode (switch in lower position), the Gain knob changes into Q. [. . . ] Mac Windows Use Optical ADATs as S/PDIF Here you can set the format of the optical digital input socket. (Useful for those who have S/PDIF equipment that only has an optical connector. ) S/PDIF AC3 Allows the user to stream AC3 directly via the S/PDIF outputs. from a DVD player, that will be sent via S/PDIF cable (RCA or Optical) to your 5. 1 decoder. ) Firewire Driver Latency The Saffire PRO 24 DSPs latency performance will be dictated by the Core Audio buffer size specified in your DAW (Mac, ) or as set in the ASIO buffer size (Windows. ) The Firewire Driver Latency affects the performance of the Core Audio or ASIO buffer settings. If you are experiencing clicks and pops or audio dropouts, this may be due to certain hardware in your computer that is affecting the performance of audio devices connected via FireWire. your graphics card or wireless internet card) trying a longer Firewire Driver Latency setting may solve the problem. Disable WDM Audio in Windows (Windows Only) Tick this option to ensure that only audio from your DAW is played through the Saffire PRO 24 DSP. [. . . ]