User manual FOCUSRITE SAFFIRE

[. . . ] . 2 Step 2: Driver and Software Installation . . 2 Front panel facilities and controls . . 4 Recording and monitoring a source using Saffire . . 6 SaffireControl: Session Management & Advanced Settings Software . [. . . ] When the window is first launched, the Compressor will be switched off and set flat in template mode. To switch to advanced mode, simply press the mode button on the right of the Compressor window just to the left of the OUT fader (as shown in the diagram) that alternates between the two modes. The LED button on the left activates/bypasses the Compressor from within the plug-in window. Two faders at either end control the gain of the signal before and after compression. In advanced mode, the full range of standard compressor controls are available. The first dial to set is the threshold (THRESH), which 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 THRESH dial anticlockwise to lower the threshold and so increase the compression. Set the RATIO next, as this 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. The next dials to set are the ATTACK and RELEASE times of the compressor, fastest/shortest position being fully anticlockwise and slowest/longest being fully clockwise. The ATTACK time defines how quickly the compressor kicks in, e. g. how fast the signal is turned down when it exceeds the threshold. 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. The RELEASE time 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 how often the level exceeds the threshold and how fast the attack time is. Last but not least, the GAIN dial 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 it much more presence without fear of any overload or clipping occurring. The Gain Reduction (GR) vertical meter to the right of the plug-in window indicates the amount of compression taking place, which provides a visible means of determining the Compressor s effect. All dials have a surrounding blue line to show their value, with the exact numerical amount displayed whilst rotating and when the mouse cursor moves over the dial. For those new to compression and wanting to hear its effect in the most obvious way, turn the THRESH down low and the RATIO up high, then set the ATTACK dial fully anti-clockwise and the RELEASE to a fairly low value also. Now experiment with the parameters, adjusting the attack time and so on, to see how this affects the sound. 11 Two buttons in the bottom right of the Compressor window allow copying and pasting of Compressor settings to and from other Saffire Compressor locations, running in SaffireControl or on the host computer. Balancing tracks from the sequencer/recording platform The top right hand side of the Main Application window has five faders, which represent the levels of the first 10 tracks from the sequencer/recording platform. The faders from left to right signify tracks 1-10 in ascending stereo pairs (labelled S/W 1/2-9/10). The level of this fader signifies the level respective to the level set within the software/sequencer, whereby 0dB (maximum fader setting) is the exact level of the gain value set within the software/sequencer, and lowering the fader will reduce it. For example, when SaffireControl is first launched, the faders within the Main Application window will all be set to 0dB so that the level of all 10 tracks will be identical to that set within the software/ sequencer. The mix created with these faders will become the default output signal sent to each set of the stereo outputs, controlled by the lower section of the Main Application window. However, if an independent custom mix is required for any stereo output then one can be created using the custom mixes within SaffireControl (see PROCESSING/MIXING OF STEREO OUTPUTS section on the following page). To listen to the balance created in this section, if speakers are connected to the main monitor outputs (1/4 TRS jacks 1 and 2 on the rear panel), then set the input/ playback horizontal slider to the fully right (playback) position and make sure that the custom mix button below the slider (for S/W tracks) is not selected. [. . . ] ¥ Is the slider for the monitoring pair of outputs far enough to the right (towards the P/BACK MIX position)?If over to the left (in the INPUT MIX position), only the tracks being recorded will be heard. Cannot set a sample rate ¥ Is the Saffire being used to record audio?Whilst audio is being recorded, IN USE will show and the sample rate cannot be selected. [. . . ]