 Best Sellers Best Sellers | | Featured Categories Home Focusrite Scarlett 8i6 8 IN / 6 OUT USB 2.0 AUDIO INTERFACE FEATURING TWO FOCUSRITE MIC PREAMPS | |
|  | |  | | | Focusrite Scarlett 8i6 8 IN / 6 OUT USB 2.0 AUDIO INTERFACE FEATURING TWO FOCUSRITE MIC PREAMPS | | | | | | | |
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| | Features | Two high-quality award-winning Focusrite preampsTotal I/O count of 8 inputs and 6 outputsHigh-quality 24-bit/96kHz USB interfaceScarlett MixControl ultra-low-latency DSP mixer/routerXcite+ Software Bundle, Scarlett VST/AU/RTAS Plug-in Suite, for use in the mix
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| | Description | The Scarlett 8i6 is an 8 in / 6 out audio interface with outstanding sonic performance and flexibility at a truly affordable price. Part of Focusrite's new range of USB audio interfaces, the Scarlett 8i6 is designed to make home studio recording and mixing easy without sacrificing audio quality. Twenty-five years of mic pre excellence form the foundation of this new interface, with two award-winning Focusrite preamps. Combined with a host of additional I/O options, the Scarlett 8i6 helps you get the tracks you want without having to constantly re-patch your studio. Alongside the two high-quality mic preamps, two additional analogue inputs, four analogue outputs, S/PDIF and MIDI open the door to true multi-track recording. Two Hi-Z instrument inputs let you plug straight in without the need to buy additional DI boxes, and two virtual Loopback inputs are also available for routing digital audio between software applications - ideal for capturing online audio. | |
| | Product Details | | Product Length: | 13.2 inches | | Product Width: | 10.8 inches | | Product Height: | 4.9 inches | | Product Weight: | 5.3 pounds | | Package Length: | 13.0 inches | | Package Width: | 10.5 inches | | Package Height: | 5.0 inches | | Package Weight: | 5.1 pounds | | Average Customer Rating: |  based on 7 reviews |
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| | Customer Reviews | Average Customer Review: ( 7 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 18 found the following review helpful:
 Solid Interface Dec 18, 2010
By T. Cox
This works fantastically on my Mac Mini.
Mic Preamps: clear and transparent, both with condensers and dynamics. Max gain is around 60dB. With input volume knob turned 90%, you can do noise-free whispers on an SM57, just to give you an idea of the gain range.
Hi-Z Instrument Input: gain starts at +13dB, causing clipping when direct-recording an electric guitar with passive high-output pickups. This is a design limitation on many audio interfaces. The solution is an active or passive DI box, or turning down the volume pot on your guitar.
Also, at first I thought the instrument input sounded dark and muffled on guitar and bass compared to my previous interface, but turned out the previous was really hyping the signal through treble boost and compression. So the Saffire is actually more honest and even in representing the input signal, meaning it works better with software-based guitar amp simulators, whereas the hyped interfaces result in a scratchier and thin sound. Post-EQ can take care of any perceived darkness both for direct guitar and direct bass, without degradation or artifacts.
Headphone Output: also relatively flat frequency response. My previous interface was hyping the trebles on the headphone out, making it sound harsh on certain headphones. Not the case with the Saffire. I tried both 32 ohm and 200 ohm headphones, and it drives both well. Not loud enough for DJ's in clubs, however. But more than loud enough for mixing and tracking purposes... any louder and you risk hearing damage.
Stability: on my Mac running Snow Leopard, haven't had a single glitch.
Software: I only installed the Mix Control panel. It lets you route audio in various ways, switches between line and instrument inputs, etc... It's very lightweight and loads fast. You'll have to read the manual to learn it fully, but once you do, you'll realize how powerful and useful it is.
Construction: similar to any rack console. It's a half-rack chassis, body is made of steel, front panel of plastic. Knobs are plastic, pots are smooth. Doesn't feel cheap or anything. LED lights are green, not blue (thankfully).
Sound: As I said, the mic pre's are clear and transparent. No muffled, sterile, hissy, cold, grainy, etc... traits that afflict poorer interfaces. Vocals sound honest and direct. I recorded an acoustic guitar and likewise, it sounds recorded as it does in person. Tip: even if you record at 44.1 kHz, use 24 bit instead of 16 bit because it helps with dynamics and headroom and lowers the noise floor.
In conclusion, overall this interface does everything I need, and does it well. As I said, the only potential downside is clipping with electric guitar, which requires a DI box unless you roll down the volume pot. I'm running my guitar through a tube preamp though, and there's no clipping with that since the preamp output is more regulated than the wild fluctuations of a straight pickup.
What else... firewire beats USB, due to greater bus power available. The Saffire comes with its own optional power supply, but I'm not using it, relying on firewire bus power instead. The Saffire is FW400 by the way, so you'll need a 400 to 800 adapter if your computer only has an 800 port. One gotcha is that, although it's not absolutely necessary, Focusrite advises against hotplugging or hot-unplugging. In other words, to be 100% safe you have to plug or unplug the box only when the computer is turned off. I've done it anyway without ill effect, but wince every time I do.
Anyway, this box is pretty affordable for what you get, and is worth the step up from cheaper interfaces that cut more corners. I won't be upgrading my interface for a very long time.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Works great (Mac Pro, Firewire) May 05, 2011
By Michael D
The Focusrite Saffire Pro 14 works great on my Mac Pro. At the time of writing, using Mac OS 10.6.7. Directly accessible from apps, or the Mac's standard I/O. You can also use the Saffire Pro's headphone jack for audio out.
I got poor quality input using the default settings in Bias Peak Pro. But perfect audio with the Adobe SoundBooth.
You can power with the included power adapter, or it will also power via firewire.
Input from from a dynamic mic worked fine, though I needed to set the gain near the max.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 Hardware is great. Software & support could use work. Sep 14, 2011
By J. Morris
"photo_jeff"
I bought this breakout box to replace an aging M-Audio interface (1010 LT, I think it was). I wanted the external box so I could have easier access to inputs & outputs, and because I needed a shiny new toy. After comparing reviews and prices, this box seemed like the perfect option. High build quality, nice specs, separate monitor / headphone outputs, and a software mixer for different routing options.
Aside from some initial technical difficulty -- buying a new firewire card, routing/recording issues, latency issues -- I managed to get the product working just fine. However, I don't understand why I had such issues to begin with. Even my ancient M-Audio card worked perfectly without any modification on my part. Was it the firewire? Was it the useless mixer software that doesn't exactly route audio the way it's supposed to?
I had to contact Focusrite's tech support on a couple issues, and they were all but useless as well. The first issue I had with latency resulted in a canned message suggesting I check out a couple of videos. Thanks guys, I didn't know I had to plug the unit into the computer! My second issue was that my recording software (P-head Record) allowed me to do zero-latency monitoring, but outside the program I had a delayed signal in my left speaker. Their response? "I'm not sure what you mean by zero latency tracking." WHAT? The term "zero latency tracking" is supposed to be one of your features! It's in all the literature! And, big surprise, they attached a link to a tutorial video. Worthless.
BOTTOM LINE
If you are adept at self-troubleshooting and don't mind working out a few bugs, you will find a sweet spot and really enjoy this hardware. Frequency response is beautiful, the hardware is made with high quality materials, and Record works flawlessly with it. I did have some issues trying to record internally (ie, from one program to another), but that's not my primary use. Minus one star for lack of tech support and a frustrating mixer program (just set your latency and ignore all the other settings), but overall still a great buy.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
best firewire interface i got so far May 30, 2011
By Jing Garcia
the only problem i encountered with the saffire 14 is that my msi motherboard built-in firewire (with an extension bracket at the back) was not putting out the proper i/o. windows 7 identified it and loaded the drivers yet the saffire won't lock in with the software. however, as soon as i added an independent firewire pci card (with NEC chipset), the saffire locked in immediately and from then on, no other problems were encountered. so, the real problem was with my mobo and not with the saffire. in addition, the latest control mix software v2.2 worked nicely with windows 7 as some people had problems i think with the earlier software version; while latency is good enough for me at 5ms - it's just used in a personal home recording studio; not too many audio tracks to work on. i have read good reviews about focusrite's saffire line of firewire audio interfaces and believe me they are not wrong. since i'm already a novation fan (with my xio synth), i'm now a focusrite fan as well.
So far so good. Mar 14, 2012
By Mike G
Pros:
Preamps. Sounds great, clear and loud.
Solid feeling input jacks and build quality.
Latency. Very low. (7ms for me)
Saffire Mixcontrol. Nice for setting buffer, sample rate, etc.
Cons:
Level Pots. Volume knobs seem kind of cheap compared to the rest.
Other included software. Vsts sound ok, cubase's basic plugins sound better.
Conclusion:
For only $200 this interface has great sounding preamps, low latency, and on screen control for routing and settings. So far I'm very happy with my purchase.
See all 7 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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