Did you ever find out what went wrong with your other interface? I'm curious.

No, I was never able to make any headway on the MOTU. There isn't much in there that can be replaced; aside from power supplies it's all LSI. All I could do was verify that all the power supplies were working (there are 5 of them!) and replaced the three largest filter capacitors. Never could get it to boot.
 
Aside from the current problem, the Saffire so far looks to be a decent replacement. I especially appreciate the speaker-protection circuit (eliminates the pop when you turn it on), which the MOTU inexplicably lacked.
 
 

hey bitffliper , I sure hope you can get things sorted out ….
 
O T , 
on a lot of topics you share about such as synths with useless sounds for the gene of music you do , restrictive licensing , and a few other topics  …I give you a +1 …I feel that way myself a lot of the time .
 
all the best,  
 
Kenny
 
 

Thanks for the license info on the Focusrite plugs, Kenny!
 
Bit, I was wanting another Profire 2626 for that machine, why learn a second DSP mixer, right? Paid bout a thou for the first one, almost immediately saw it on sale for less than half that, now it's discontinued and I'd have to go grey market to make it happen.
 
I also wanted 2 ADAT ports, to widen the pipe between tracking and control rooms, but all told, the Sapphire Pro 40 fit the bill best in terms of budget, preamp diversity, and capability, and really, outside extra of extra I/O for full time repatching avoidance, 8 ins can't justify more than 8 ADAT out channels, so all in all, the Pro 40 looks like a whole lot of interface at the price point.
 
Its replacing an M-Audio FTU, so I gain the ADAT port, 4 ins and two outs, sorta, since the FTU has 2 inserts insteada straight I/O.
 
I'm very much hoping for your kind of luck in swapping the units, there's about ten 8 channel snakes bundled behind that rack, with a nasty looking but highly effective climbing carabiner rig to allow slack for rear access involved, to the point I'll probably give up the last two I/O (ten versus 8) just to avoid taking apart that cable bundle.
 
One guaranteed plus! I know the Focusrite DSP mixer is going to look WAY kewler than the DOS era M-Audio white box from the FTU. Think the Pro 40 has more gain too, got a couple wireless mics into the PC and I've been having to push several downstream gain envelopes to get a decent signal out of them. I know, I know...wireless mics in the studio, right?
 
But for jamming, which has led to a lot of good riff ideas, they're a lot less restrictive, and...I can work out vocal inflection regimes, WHILE WEARING A HEADSET MIC AND DOING DISHES, reclaiming inordinate quantities of otherwise WASTED studio time!
 
Speaking of which...daughter is due in at 7:30 pm tonight, I'm using quantum mechanic close packing and construction cantilevering techniques to keep the current to-be-washed pile in the sink, and I has to motor...time for a little dishsuds and vocal work!
 
Hope that Saffire is filling your airwaves with long awaited ear candy!

Yes, the Pro 40 is quite full-featured for the money. For me there were very few compromises. I'll miss the effects loop the 828 had, and I would have liked to have had the built-in effects in the 828Mk3. I lost 2 line inputs (but gained mic inputs). I'm just a little worried about not being able to switch phantom power off for each channel individually. Beyond that - and the weird volume problem I'm having - I'm pretty sure it'll fill the bill just fine.
 
Even though the most-often heard complaint is that the MixControl software isn't intuitive, I actually like it better than MOTU's CueMix. I like that there is no separate ASIO applet and that I can set all parameters from within the mixer. I like that the main volume knob reflects the position of the hardware knob.
 
Other likes:
- the front-panel Dim and Mute buttons
- mic inputs on both front and rear
- two headphone outs with plenty of drive
- all outputs are balanced (not the case with many inexpensive interfaces)
- knob spacing is not as cramped as the MOTU, which my fat fingers appreciate
 
All that said, if I'd had a grand in my pocket instead of pocket lint, it'd be an RME in the rack.
 
 
 
 

So far, I'm still partial to the 2626 DSP. Click the drop down button to pick any of 8 analog, 16 ADAT, 2 SPDIF, or 26 software returns for that channel's input, times 18 ins, then route it to any of 7 stereo sends or the master fader, all on one page. I do have to use one other page to set outputs fir the master and sends, but only once, as it lets you save and load setups from the main mix page.
 
To accomplish that w MOTU requires 8 pages of mixers, but one tradeoff is a LOT more than 18 inputs total per mix. I don't have near the outboard in control as tracking, so probably won't use as many sends. One significant concern is that each MOTU mixer (send) is limited to one software return from the DAW, and I have zero control over it from CueMix, only from Sonar.
 
The Saffire goes on an ancilliary PC, used for less frequent hardware inputs and software outs, like Youtube, esoteric synth modules and Media Player, so once its set up to unity, I won't have to  tweak it unless I use the front  XLRs for extra mics.
 
I like having two front XLRs, but not 8 like the Behr ADA-8000s, or 4 like the FTU. The cables block sightlines, interfere with pad knob  control, and are a pain to get out front of the racks from the rear loomed cable harness.
 
Last Focusrite interface I had,  the 8i6, I picked up on short notice. Met my bro n sis in Fla for Christmas, got him him a Traveller Speedster, (and one for me, LOVE THAT GUITAR!), and hoped to record onto my laptop. It kept dropping off the USB buss, and BSODing the lappy, but even so I sussed the DSP mixer out in a day or two, and was able to focus on music, not knobs, most of the trip. Swapped it for an MAudio C600 on return, support couldn't resolve the USB issue either. 
 
The FTU will replace the C600 on the lappy, for the SPDIF pipe across to tracking, and I hope the Pro40 proves as easy to divine as the 8i6 was. I know for a fact I won't have any USB probs with it!!
 
Quick Q...things been crazy here this week...I have the sticker for the Pro-40 that tells how to DL the software, but I'm not seeing a manual. Is that onlinetoo, or did your Saffire come w one in the box?

No printed manual, but a pdf came on the same CD as the driver/MixControl. I'd already downloaded it from focusrite.com so I could read it in advance of the unit's arrival.

bitflipper
 
 
All that said, if I'd had a grand in my pocket instead of pocket lint, it'd be an RME in the rack.
 
 

What RME unit can you put in your rack for a grand?  The Babyface is $750 and I think rack ears bolted on would make it look like the Flying Nun... remember her?

I've got to replace my Layla 3G (PCI) in my new build and trying to decide if I just want a low cost Steinberg...or give blood and get an RME myself.  What you've got looks nice as well for that price bracket.

I've had an RME - an RME Fireface 800 to be exact - actually the reliability was SO BAD I had quite a few!  And RME after sales was truly shocking - This was about 5 years ago.
Anyone interested in an RME product may want to check if they have improved any of late. Personally I would never risk buying another one of their products.

I spent all day Saturday listening to the hiss and hum coming out of my right speaker and it was driving me nuts. It's definitely coming out of the interface (stops when I unplug the speaker cable) and is independent of the master volume setting. The right side is also lower in volume than the left, forcing me to turn the speaker up and further exacerbating the noise.
 
I just don't know if it's worth battling the vendor for a replacement, perhaps only to get one with a different problem. Or worse, to find out that these noise levels are normal for Focusrite interfaces.