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Average Price: $251
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$150
$501+
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Description
Immerse yourself in the fusion of tradition and innovation with the Focusrite Liquid Saffire 56, a cornerstone in home and professional studios alike. This audio interface bridges the gap between vintage warmth and modern clarity, offering unparalleled flexibility and sound quality. Whether you're recording a solo project or a full band, the Liquid Saffire 56 adapts to every scenario, ensuring your recordings capture the true essence of your music. Its standout feature, two Liquid preamps, allows you to emulate ten classic preamps, adding layers of sonic character to your tracks. Compact yet mighty, this interface is your gateway to producing music that stands out in today's digital age.
Key Features:
- Two Liquid Preamps with emulation of ten classic preamps for versatile tonal shaping.
- Firewire connectivity ensures high-speed data transfer and reliability.
- Saffire DSP mixing for low-latency, highly flexible routing and monitoring.
- Two combination mic/instrument inputs and four additional mic/line inputs, all with switchable phantom power and high-pass filters, cater to a wide range of recording needs.
- Ten line outputs, alongside ADAT and S/PDIF I/O, offer extensive connectivity for summing, monitoring, and system expansion.
- Front-facing LED meters and two independent headphone outputs provide a comprehensive overview and personal monitoring solutions.
- Ideal for both independent songwriters and engineers looking to capture the essence of live performances.
Product specs
| Brand | Focusrite |
| Model | Liquid Saffire 56 Firewire Audio Interface |
| Finish | Black |
| Year | 2010s |
| Categories | Audio Interfaces |
| Bit Depth | 24-bit |
| Bus-Powered | No |
| Compatibility | Windows, macOS |
| Computer Connectivity | Firewire |
| Digital Input Format | ADAT/Optical, S/PIDF |
| Digital Output Format | ADAT/Optical, S/PIDF |
| Electronics | Analog, Digital, Solid State |
| Format | 19-inch Rackmount |
| Number of Analog Inputs | 8 |
| Number of Analog Outputs | 10 |
| Number of Channels | 54 |
| Number of Digital Inputs | 18 |
| Number of Digital Outputs | 18 |
| Number of Headphone Outputs | 2 |
| Number of MIDI Inputs | 1 |
| Number of MIDI Outputs | 1 |
| Number of Mic Preamps | 8 |
| Sample Rate | 192 khz |
FAQs
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What are the main connectivity options for the Focusrite Liquid Saffire 56?
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The Focusrite Liquid Saffire 56 connects to your computer via Firewire and includes ADAT/Optical and S/PDIF digital input and output formats. It also features 8 analog inputs, 10 analog outputs, and MIDI I/O for versatile connectivity.
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Is the Focusrite Liquid Saffire 56 compatible with my DAW software?
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The Liquid Saffire 56 is compatible with both Windows and macOS systems and works well with major DAWs like Ableton Live, Pro Tools, and Logic Pro, provided your system supports Firewire connectivity.
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How many mic preamps does the Focusrite Liquid Saffire 56 have?
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The Focusrite Liquid Saffire 56 features 8 high-quality mic preamps, allowing you to connect multiple microphones for recording sessions.
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Can the Focusrite Liquid Saffire 56 be bus-powered?
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No, the Focusrite Liquid Saffire 56 is not bus-powered; it requires an external power supply to operate.
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What sample rate does the Focusrite Liquid Saffire 56 support?
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The Focusrite Liquid Saffire 56 supports a high sample rate of up to 192 kHz, ensuring high-resolution audio recording and playback.
Videos
recordingrevolution
Focusrite Liquid Saffire 56 Review - TheRecordingRevolution.com
Focusrite Liquid Saffire 56 Review - TheRecordingRevolution.com
recordingrevolution
Sweetwater - Focusrite Liquid Saffire 56 Audio Interface
Sweetwater
Focusrite Liquid Saffire 56 Has Got It Going On, Coming AND Going
gearwire
Focusrite Liquid Saffire 56 Firewire Audio Interface Overview | Full Compass
Full Compass
Focusrite Liquid Saffire 56 - NAMM 2009
Sound On Sound magazine
Focusrite Liquid Saffire 56 Firewire Audio Interface - Focusrite Liquid Saffire 56
American Musical Supply
Focusrite Liquid Saffire 56 unboxing and dual unit mode
Shiunbird
Reviews
PROS
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Great value for users with Firewire or Thunderbolt 2 connectivity
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Clean sound quality; software competes closely with RME's TotalMix
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Flexible routing with up to 26 outputs and 24 inputs via MixControl
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Compatible with various external hardware for expanded setup
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Zero latency performance enhances recording and mixing
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Preamps provide quality emulations of renowned brands
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Versatile connectivity options for recording real instruments and external synths
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Offers substantial I/O capabilities in a compact 2U rack space
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Durable hardware built for long-term use
CONS
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Requires Firewire or compatible setup, limiting some users
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Plugin bundle considered small and underwhelming
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Liquid preamp emulations good but not a replacement for high-end analog preamps
Owner Insights
We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Focusrite Liquid Saffire 56.
Software and compatibility
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Saffire Firewire devices work up to macOS Catalina or Windows 10 build 1809; check compatibility before purchase.
Source -
Users find it cumbersome to keep an older Mac available solely for adjusting input settings due to the FireWire dependency.
Source -
VIA FireWire cards may offer more stable performance for audio interfaces on Windows 11 compared to the usual TI cards, specifically with Saffire interfaces.
Source -
Transitioning from Windows 10 to 11 can destabilize previously solid configurations; adjustments to sample rate, buffer, or latency may be necessary.
Source -
Using firmware version 3.7 files with driver version 3.81b is a suggested configuration for improved stability on Windows 11.
Source
Features and functionality
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Saffire 56 requires connection to a computer to route inputs to ADAT out, needing standalone mode configuration.
Source -
Saffire 56 offers two optical ADAT inputs, allowing connection of two separate 8-channel preamps for expansion.
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Channels 1 and 2 of the Saffire 56 can emulate different mic preamp tonalities, offering a "color" or flat profile option for varied input sound.
Source
User experience
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Users report needing to save routing settings to hardware for standalone operation, indicating additional setup steps.
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The Saffire 56 is reliable when used as a clock source in standalone mode, but initial setup and tweaks need an older FireWire-capable Mac.
Source -
Some users report that power cycling the interface on Windows 11 can cause BSODs, indicating potential system instability.
Source
Setup and maintenance
Critic Reviews
4.5 out of 5
Based on 3 Reviews and 17 Ratings
204
Better than a Digidesign 002 Rack with solid sound quality and reasonable price
If you are dying to have the UA Apollo plugin suite, then go get the Apollo. If you are more oriented toward recording real instruments or external synths, and have rack effects, and don't rely on hardly any plugins, this is a great box.
plugin bundle is very small and underwhelming. The inputs and outputs and their quality is surprising for the price point. It's easy to go headless when you have 8-line, 8-XLR Mic, and 8 ADAT inputs, with 10 TRS and 8 ADAT outputs because it's like having a 24 channel, 8 buss 24x8x2 mixing desk in 2U of rack space. Slap an Octopre or other ADAT input/output device on it to maximize the i/o. The virtual mixer is both good and bad. It's how you mess with the Liquid inputs. The emulations are OK but not great. They're still useful especially the Neve and Avalon emulations. Don't expect them to replace real Class-A analog preamps with discreet circuits, but to get some air, or sparkle they definitely achieve that.
The One And Only
0 latency, pres like butter, hardware that make my hard wear, use it with dat gb to make you eyes sweat
156
Very Helpful ! Great quiality !
Those 10 preamps helps me a lot, because I have just a studio microphone, and its like I have 10 studio mic, which is nice !
Artist usage
Add artist
In this blog about the recording of the Eno/Karl Hyde album Someday World, Eno's then-recent studio upgrades are described as follows:
"To make all this possible, Peter installed two Focusrite Octopre preamps, and a Liquid Saffire 56 multichannel Firewire interface. The Liquid Saffire acted as the computer interface for the audio, but also passed the raw signals on to a Mackie CR-1604..."
Clearly zoomed-on in the second Juggernaut:Alpha/Omega studio update uploaded to Mansoor's YouTube channel. Can be clearly seen in use in all of the studio updates and the Juggerdoc.
In the article "In the Studio: Andy Stott" by Glenn Jackson, published on XLR8R, Andy Stott is confirmed to use the Focusrite Liquid Saffire 56 audio interface.
In a recent photo from an interview, Hunterwolf can be seen using the Focusrite Liquid Saffire 56 audio interface.
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Filip, from Flying Ships, utilized the Focusrite Liquid Saffire 56 audio interface while recording their first EP. This essential piece of studio equipment is featured prominently in their hardware rack, as shown in a post by astroknot_acoustics on Instagram.
Album Usage
The Focusrite Liquid Saffire 56 has been featured on the following albums:
Genre Usage
Based on how artists on Equipboard use this gear, it is most commonly found in the following genres.
Used With
Based on how musicians on Equipboard use Focusrite Liquid Saffire 56, it is most commonly used with the following gear.
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