Applies to: Scarlett (6i6, 18i8, 18i20), Saffire (Pro 14, Pro 24, Pro 24 DSP, Pro 40, Liquid Saffire 56)

Our higher I/O-capacity interfaces come with an added feature called Standalone Mode.  This enables the user to set these units up to work as an ADAT-connected unit, similar to one of our OctoPre MkIIs or any other ADAT-connected set of Mic Pres.

The following units can be set up to send their Analogue Inputs over their ADAT Outputs:

• Liquid Saffire 56
• Saffire Pro 40
• Scarlett 18i20

The following units do not have ADAT Outputs, but can be set up to send their Analogue Inputs to their Analogue Outputs (i.e. Direct Monitoring) or to send either two channels or a Mix of channels over an S/PDIF Output (if the interface has S/PDIF):

• Saffire Pro 24 DSP
• Saffire Pro 24
• Saffire Pro 14
• Scarlett 18i8
• Scarlett 6i6

In the case of units with ADAT or S/PDIF Inputs, you can use these to return individual channels or a Mix of Channels to this interface for further D/A conversion for uses such as Monitoring or additional outputs to a Mixer.

To set up any A/D Conversion for Standalone Mode, you will be using the Routing Section of Saffire or Scarlett MixControl to route the channels to the ADAT Outputs (or your choice.)

Here is an example of Pro 40 A/D Standalone Mode Routing:

• Analogue Input 1 > ADAT Output 1
• Analogue Input 2 > ADAT Output 2
• Analogue Input 3 > ADAT Output 3
• Analogue Input 4 > ADAT Output 4
• Analogue Input 5 > ADAT Output 5
• Analogue Input 6 > ADAT Output 6
• Analogue Input 7 > ADAT Output 7
• Analogue Input 8 > ADAT Output 8

To set up D/A Conversion for Standalone Mode, you will use the Routing Section of Saffire or Scarlett MixControl to route individual channels to the Analogue Outputs of the device.

Here is an example of Pro 40 D/A Standalone Mode Routing:

• ADAT In 1 > Line Output 1
• ADAT In 2 > Line Output 2
• ADAT In 3 > Line Output 3
• ADAT In 4 > Line Output 4
• ADAT In 5 > Line Output 5
• ADAT In 6 > Line Output 6
• ADAT In 7 > Line Output 7
• ADAT In 8 > Line Output 8

For D/A make sure you Shift+Click the Monitor Enable Buttons so that your Line Outputs will send a full Line Level Signal.

Note:  On interfaces where the Monitor Knob is an analogue pot rather than a digital encoder, you will need to make sure the Monitor Knob is turned up all the way for a full Line Level Signal.  On interfaces where the Monitor Knob is a digital encoder (Pro 40, LS56) shift-clicking the Monitor Enable buttons grey will disengage those Line Outputs from the Monitor Knob, sending a full Line Level Signal regardless of the Monitor Knob set.

After setting up your Routing, make sure to check that you are using the intended Sample Rate of your Session and the appropriate Sync Source!

Then click File > Save To Hardware to save these settings in the device's memory.

You can now turn off and disconnect the device, and then turn it on without the FireWire or USB cable connected to enter Standalone Mode.

The screenshot below details a setup of a Saffire Pro 40 for A/D Conversion (8 Analogue Inputs > ADAT Output) and D/A Conversion (ADAT Input to 8 Line Outputs), Setup 1. To use this setup, you would need 2 optical cables - one connected to the optical input of the Standalone unit and one connected to the optical output of the Standalone unit. These would be connected to the optical output and optical input of your other interface, respectively.

The screenshot below details a simpler setup of a Saffire Pro 40 for A/D Conversion (8 Analogue Inputs > ADAT Output), Setup 2. To use this setup, you would need 1 optical cable - connected to the optical output of the Standalone unit. This would be connected to the input of your other interface. Note, the unit needs to be set to internal sync for this setup. Your interface would need to be set to sync over ADAT.

There are two .zip files linked below available for download - these .zip files contain the Pro40 MixControl setups from Setup 1 and Setup 2. These can be loaded to your Pro40 by accessing MixControl > File > Load. Be sure to unzip the files before attempting to load them.