Focusrite Red 8Pre

Focusrite’s Red Evolution mic pres draw on many decades of design prowess as well as many of the elements behind the incredibly popular RedNet mic pre used in many studios, broadcast facilities and live performances around the world. The digitally-controlled mic pres deliver a clear and honest sound with very low noise and plenty of gain available for the most-quiet of sources. They can be controlled from the front panel or remotely over Thunderbolt using Focusrite Control. Additionally the mic pre settings can be saved and recalled allowing you to quickly re-setup for your next session. They also include our unique ‘Air’ effect, recreating the sound of the transformer-based mic preamps in the ISA and original Red ranges. When ‘Air’ is enabled, the microphone impedance is lowered and the sound is given a subtle mid-high boost – all in the analogue domain. Focusrite has been designing digital converters for over 20 years. From the original Blue 245 and 260 mastering-grade A-D and D-A, through the Liquid Channel and more recently RedNet, digital conversion is a key part of our design heritage and philosophy. Every converter we design starts with the same objectives: low latency, high dynamic range and a flat, wide frequency response. Red 8Pre’s conversion achieves just that, lightning fast performance, a dynamic range of 118dB A-D and 121dB D-A and a flat response to 35kHz. By using “parallel path summing” we have achieved even greater noise-performance than ever. Monitoring latency is the enemy of any performer and if the performance isn’t excellent, the final mix won’t be either. By utilising the lowest-latency conversion available, coupled with a high-performance Core Audio driver, Red 8Pre’s analogue round trip latency is kept to an exceptionally low minimum of 1.67ms.

Specs
Simultaneous Inputs & Outputs
Channel Count Up to 64 In and 64 Out
Thunderbolt Ports 2 x Thunderbolt Ports (Primary Port 1 and Primary Port 2)
Pro Tools|HD
Channel Count Up to 64 In and 64 Out (32 In and 32 Out per connection)
Primary Port 2 x Mini DigiLink
Dante Channel Count Up to 32 In and 32 Out
Input and Output 2 x ethernet standard RJ45 connectors (Compatible with Cat 5e and above).
Mic Inputs Channel Count 8 In
Input 1 x DB-25 connectors (AES59)
Line Level Channel Count 16 In and 16 Out
Input 2 x DB-25 connectors (AES59)
Output 2 x DB-25 connectors (AES59)
ADAT Channel Count Up to 16 In and 16 Out
Input 2 x TOSLINK connector
Output 2 x TOSLINK connector
Channel Assignments @ 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz
Port 1 = Channels 1 - 8 , Port 2 = Channels 9 - 16
Channel Assignments @ 88.2 kHz, 96 kHz
SMUXI: Port 1 = Channels 1 - 4, Port 2 = Channels 5 - 8
Channel Assignments @ 176.4 kHz, 192 kHz
SMUXII: Port 1 = Channels 1 - 2 , Port 2 = Channels 3 - 4
S/PDIF Channel Count 2 In and 2 Out (Optical up to 96kHz)
Input 1 x RCA phono socket (1 x TOSLINK up to 96kHz)
Output 1 x RCA phono socket (1 x TOSLINK up to 96kHz)
Monitor Outputs Channel Count 2 Out
Montor Outputs 2 x 1/4" TRS stereo jack
Loop Sync Input 1 x BNC 75Ω port
Loop Sync Output 1 x BNC 75Ω port
Word Clock Input 1 x BNC 75Ω port
Word Clock Output 1 x BNC 75Ω port
Control Functions 2 x Encoders (menu navigation, channel functions (Gain, +48V, Phase, HPF, Air and Mic/Line/Inst) monitor and headphone outputs (Level, Mute and Dim)). 12 x Switches (control over OLED menus & metering)
Dimensions
Height 44mm/ 1.73"
Width 483mm/ 19.02"
Depth (Chassis Only) 340mm/ 13.39"
Weight 5.14kg