The win10 machine is a HP DAW. I did check in the settings to make sure that
it was up to date. I don’t remember the Safire crashing on that particular
machine I bought from you. However, I can fire it up to run some test. Actuly,
I did have one issue in regards to the Safire crashing, but it wasn’t related
to the problems I’m having now. It came down to a issue on the program I was
running. Sonar was seeing it just fine. It was Samplitude, and Samplitude 3.
Best: James
From: ddots-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ddots-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On ;
Behalf Of DJ X
Sent: Tuesday, January 7, 2020 6:32 AM
To: ddots-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [ddots-l] Re: Focusrite Saffire line info
Hi James, which machine is your Windows 10 machine?
Do check in Settings>System>About to see what version of Windows 10 you are on.
Does the Saffire crash if used on the Windows 7 DAW you purchased from me some
years back?
Regards, DJX
From: ddots-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:ddots-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
<ddots-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:ddots-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> > On Behalf
Of James Malone
Sent: Tuesday, January 7, 2020 9:15 AM
To: ddots-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:ddots-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [ddots-l] Re: Focusrite Saffire line info
Hey DJX, Saffire and Scarlet are both products I have on win10. Sorry for not
clarifying that.
In Samplitude, I’m finding that the Saffire pro forty will crash under
playback, but will come to life after several tries. I connected the Scarlet,
and it crashed once. BTW, I still have that win 7 machine I bought from you as
a backup, and it’s still running with no problems.
Concerning firewire, this is my main source on my Win10 machine, and I use the
USB on the laptop. Sweetwater suggested that I run it on the main system to see
if it would crash or not. Because I record a real Hammond B3, I like to mike
the upper and lower end of the Lesley. My Scarlet only has two inputs, so
this is where the Saffire pro forty comes in to the picture.
The scarlet goes on location when I record out at another location.
Best: James
From: ddots-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:ddots-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
[mailto:ddots-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of DJ X
Sent: Tuesday, January 7, 2020 5:53 AM
To: ddots-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:ddots-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [ddots-l] Re: Focusrite Saffire line info
Hi James, when you say you have both products, what exactly are you referring
to? Both products as in Windows 7 and 10? Mac and PC? Saffire and Scarlet? BTW,
the scarlet is (as far as I remember) a USB interface. Why would you need
firewire?
I have a firewire card in my system and use it under Windows 10 with no
problem, and I’ve built a few DAWs for clients who require Firewire, and I’ve
put in firewire cards on Windows 10 and they all work fine, no issues. Even the
thunderbolt to Firewire adapter by Apple works great under Windows 10, so not
sure what Sweet Water meant by it doesn’t work?
Reverting the update to 1809 depends on where you are now. If you are at 1903,
Windows may or may not allow you to revert, all depends on how long it’s been
since you performed the update. In any case you could always reinstall Windows
10 to version 1809 by downloading the appropriate image.
So what interface are you using now, and under what system?
Regards, DJX
From: ddots-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:ddots-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
<ddots-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:ddots-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> > On Behalf
Of James Malone
Sent: Monday, January 6, 2020 11:47 PM
To: ddots-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:ddots-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [ddots-l] Re: Focusrite Saffire line info
Well DJX, don’t mean to ask a dumb question, but what is the chances of rolling
back the windows update?
I’m sure a lot of people will ask the same question if there uncertain. I have
both products, and was running in to the same problem. In regards of the
device that uses FireWire, Win10 no longer supports the FireWire card when you
upgrade according to Sweetwater. In the case of the Scarlet 6 Jen interface, it
crashed on me once.
Best: James
From: ddots-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:ddots-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
[mailto:ddots-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of DJ X
Sent: Monday, January 6, 2020 6:51 PM
To: ddots-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:ddots-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [ddots-l] Focusrite Saffire line info
OK guys (especially Focusrite/saffire users amongst us), thought I’d share some
valuable info with you guys.
If you own a Saffire pro40, or any other unit in the Saffire line:
1. If you are on Windows 10, *DO NOT** upgrade past Windows 10 1809. I was
working with one of their techs last week on a problem and the MixControl,
while it will install on Windows 10 1903 and higher, there are quite a few
issues with the MixControl, it is very unstable. So if you are experiencing
issues with your Saffire/MixControl and you are using Windows 10 1903 (spring
2019 update) or higher, this may be the cause of your problems.
2. If you use a Saffire with both MacOS and Windows, if you are moving, or
have moved to Catalina, you need to use MixControl 3.9. This is an updated
native 64bit app which is compatible with macOS Catalina. However, this version
of MixControl will update your Saffire’s firmware. When you try to run the
Saffire on Windows, MixControl, which is still at 3.7 for Windows, will
complain because the firmware on the Saffire will be newer than the current
firmware that MixControl 3.7 ships with. So this will effectively prevent you
from using your Saffire on Windows after it was updated on the mac. If you need
to use both operating systems, you’ll need to stick with macOS Mojave and
MixControl 3.7 on the mac, so you can use the same MixControl3.7 on Windows. If
you have managed to place yourself in this predicament, where your Saffire has
been updated and can no longer be used in Windows MixControl, contact
Focusrite; they’ll give you a file to downgrade your firmware, which then can
be upgrade to the firmware version that ships with MixContro3.7.
3. I asked Focusrite if they could update MixControl for Windows to
include the new firmware, but that update for the mac was the last of it;
MixControl is now out of support, so no more updates are coming. ☹ Yes this
also means that Windows 10 issues will not be fixed either…
So there you have it, sad news in deed, as these are great units! Luckily for
me, I’m on an LTSC version of Windows 10, so I have a few years before I have
to move on and part with my Saffires… If you are using the Saffire with Windows
7 and plan to still do so for some time, then you are OK for now, as
MixControl3.7 still works great with Windows 7.
That being said, I figured we should probably have some kind of discussion
about what other interfaces are out there with similar specs and quality to the
Saffire line, since we often get the post asking about a good audio interface.
As far as I know, the new MixControl editions are not usable as of yet,
correct? So that would mean that the Clarret line and Scarlet gen 2 and up from
Focusrite are not real options for those who need to be able to create custom
mixes, tweak settings etc. So to that extent, those of you who are using units
with similar specs to the Saffire line, what are you using, and how accessible
is the control panel? Does anyone have any updates on using the new Focusrite
MixControl apps?
Now, and I don’t mean to be rude, and most of you that have been on this list
for years and know me know that this is not my style or how I would usually do
things, but for various reasons, I must politely ask, if you don’t have
anything meaningful to contribute, or something which will further this
discussion to the intended purposes, please refrain from posting. Furthermore,
don’t reply to this thread to complain about your current audio interface or
talk about anything other than units that are *comparable* to the
aforementioned Saffire line from FocusRite. If you don’t know about these units
or what they even are, or you don’t know what we are talking about, then odds
are that you probably shouldn’t be posting to the thread. 😊
Sorry if this sounds harsh or rude, but I’m sure most of you DDots list
veterans know why such measures are necessary!
Regards, DJX
