Re: [LAU] Focusrite Saffire Pro 40 - reliable?

From: Len Ovens <len@email-addr-hidden>
Date: Sat Feb 28 2015 - 22:17:50 EET

On Sat, 28 Feb 2015, Ben Bell wrote:

> My dual Delta 1010 setup is on its last legs and I'm thinking (again) of
> retooling with a Saffire Pro 40. I've been bitten in the past by upgrades
>
> Is anyone out there actively using a Saffire Pro 40 in a serious setting?
> Is it reliable for low latency, with all channels working at once? Does it work
> with any recent ffado, or do you need specific versions, patches or anything
> else?

I can only answer some of these questions. The 1010s will have slightly
lower latency. Mine runs at 16/2, Looking at the 40's user guide the
lowest seems to be 64 samples of buffer (32/2). This agrees with the one
person I know who uses FW, but his is a presonus (he has been using it
long enough that it and it's replacement have been discontinued). This is
still better than I can do with USB. These buffers are not the whole
answer. The 1010 adds 1ms from analog to pci buss on top of the .66ms the
buffer adds. My USB at 64/2 (2.66ms) only adds .5ms and so the latency at
64/2 is only double the 1010 at 16/2. Focusrite does not give any latency
specs and in fact their GUI shows latency as "short, medium, long and very
long".

Latency will not be an issue for recording anyway so long as the talent
gets HW monitor (which the Focusrite provides on board if you don't have
an external mixer). If you use soft synths a lot, it is still fast enough.

The main thing with stable latency seems to be the computer more than the
IF. Shared interupts have given me more problems than anything else.

And someone else has given a better answer than I anyway :)

--
Len Ovens
www.ovenwerks.net
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Received on Sun Mar 1 00:15:02 2015

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