Applies to: Current and Legacy Saffire Interfaces
This article will be useful for you if you're experiencing one of the following issues:
- Saffire product does not connect to the computer.
- Firmware updater fails.
- You are having problems with installation.
- You are getting pops/clicks/fluttering distortions/audio drop-outs/sudden silence.
Use this article as a starting point to troubleshooting your issues. Follow through it one step at a time until your issue is resolved, as it may not be necessary to carry out all the pointers.
Check software/hardware setup.
- Check that you have the latest software/firmware drivers from our website.
- Check that the FireWire cable is connected properly.
- Try using the supplied power cable.
- Try using the other FireWire port found on the back of your Saffire product, and also try different ports (if you have more than one) on your computer.
- If you have any other FireWire devices connected, try disconnecting them, as they may be restricting the FireWire bandwidth too much if connected on the same bus.
- NB: You may have more than one FireWire port on your computer. Note that they may be connected to the same bus, even though they appear to be physically separate. This is the case if you have a FireWire card with multiple FireWire ports on (all ports on the card will be on the same bus). It is also often the case if you have multiple ports inbuilt on your system.
- Check the chipset and type of FireWire card: FireWire compatibility article.
Windows-specific points.
- Follow the tuning tips given in the article relevant to your system to set it up optimally for audio use:
- Saffire, Saffire LE, Saffire Pro 10/26 users: Increase the FireWire buffer size on your FireWire card, found at C:\Program Files\Focusrite [Saffire product]\Driver\ASIOControlPanel.exe (where [Saffire product] is the name of your Saffire product). Its default setting is 2ms, but you may find that increasing it helps connectivity and will improve audio performance, at the cost of increasing latency.
- Saffire Pro 40 and Liquid Saffire 56 users: Increase the ASIO buffer size in the Settings menu of the Saffire MixControl software. Also, try increasing the Device Mode to a higher Safe Mode type.
- Download and run the DPC latency checker.
- If after running this it flags up that your system is not suitable for audio use (you may also see high yellow and red bars which may indicate a conflict between devices), then contact Technical Support
Mac-specific points.
- Ensure you have installed the correct version of the AppleFWAudio driver. Instructions on how to check and if applicable.