Focusrite Announces OctoPre MkII Pre & Saffire 6 USB Audio Interface
Focusrite has announced the OctoPre MkII, an eight channel pre-amp, and the Saffire 6 USB, a new USB audio interface.
The OctoPre MkII features eight channels of Focusrite pre-amplification and a built-in 24-bit/96kHz ADAT output, providing an affordable input upgrade for your Pro Tools system, or any digital audio workstation.
Combining award-winning Saffire PRO pre-amps with high quality digital conversion and JetPLL jitter elimination technology, OctoPre MkII is the best sounding multi-channel mic-pre in its class. The digital output allows users to make the most of often-neglected ADAT inputs; ideal for expanding the number of mic-pres for interfaces such as the Saffire PRO 24. Connect OctoPre MkII to your audio interface’s ADAT input to create a high quality, multi-channel studio recording solution.
OctoPre MkII is equally suited to the live environment as a quality mic-pre expansion for any analogue or digital console or hard disk recorder. With line outputs on every channel, each mic-pre can be routed to a separate channel on an analogue mixer with the ADAT output left free to send a copy to a digital recorder.
OctoPre MkII has been optimised for drum recording. Designed not to clip, 10dB pads are provided across each channel, while the gain range of the pre-amps has been tailored to handle extreme levels from sound sources like the kick drum. Equally, Focusrite pre-amps are renowned for the way they handle the dynamic range of vocalists, and these pre-amps are no exception. Finally, OctoPre MkII’s first two channels also feature DI’s, so it can also turn its hand to recording Guitar and Bass.
OctoPre MkII features everything else you’d expect from a multi-channel mic-pre solution; 5-LED input metering on every channel, switchable phantom power and a variety of internal and external clocking solutions.
The Focusrite Saffire 6 USB is the latest in Focusrite’s new generation of audio interfaces, its most affordable to date, and the best-sounding interface in its class…
Twenty-five years of mic-pre excellence form the foundation of this new interface, with two award-winning Focusrite pre-amps. These combine with professional digital conversion to ensure pristine audio quality as your music flows between the analogue and digital domains.
Alongside the two Focusrite pre-amps are two balanced TRS outputs and four RCA phono outputs. Four phono outputs, high-quality digital conversion, a high-level headphone output and flexible monitoring solutions make Saffire 6 USB ideal for digital DJs. The converter performance ensures that the quality of the audio streamed from the computer is sonically superb. An A/B source switch for monitoring either of two stereo output pairs and the high-level headphone output provide all that’s required for Laptop DJ-style cueing in a club environment.
Saffire 6 USB also comes with all the tools needed to start making music straight away. The latest version of the Focusrite Plug-in Suite provides a significant upgrade from your standard sequencer effects, including Compression, Reverb, Gating and EQ VST/AU plug-ins. Focusrite’s established Xcite+ bundle is also included. The bundle features Ableton Live 7 Lite (for all your production, performance and compositional needs), Novation’s Bass Station soft synth and over 1GB of royalty-free samples from Loopmasters and ‘Mike the Drummer’.
Focusrite’s Saffire 6 USB is designed to just work in the background and sound great. It captures and streams every detail of your sound, flowing seamlessly and effortlessly in and out of the digital domain, leaving you free to enjoy a carefree modern music making experience.
Focusrite’s OctoPre MkII and Saffire 6 USB will be available sometime in September 2009. No official pricing has been announced. More information on the Focusrite OctoPre MkII and Saffire 6 USB.
