Advertisement
Excessive sound pressure levels from earphones and headphones can cause hearing loss.
This equipment must only be connected to Thunderbolt™ ports.
Thank you for purchasing this Clarett 8Pre, one of the family of Focusrite professional Thunderbolt™ audio interfaces incorporating newly-designed, high quality Clarett analogue pre-amplifiers with the unique AIR function. In conjunction with the Focusrite Control application, you now have a highly versatile and professional solution for routing high quality audio to and from your computer recording system, with extremely low latency.
You can also use the Clarett 8Pre as a "stand-alone" interface to any other type of recording device, once you have configured it using Focusrite Control software.
This User Guide provides a detailed explanation of the hardware to help you achieve a thorough understanding of the product's operational features. We recommend you take the time to read through the Guide, whether you're new to computer recording or a more experienced user, so you are fully aware of all the possibilities the Clarett 8Pre has to offer.
As well as this User Guide, you will need the Focusrite Control Software Guide which can be downloaded from focusrite.com/downloads.
This contains full details of Focusrite Control, the software application designed specifically for use with the Focusrite Clarett range of interfaces.
If either User Guide does not have the information you need, please go to support.focusrite.com, where you can find articles and tutorials beyond the scope of this user guide.
The Clarett 8Pre hardware interface provides the means for connecting microphones, musical instruments, line level audio signals and digital audio signals to a computer through the computer's Thunderbolt™ port. The signals at the physical inputs can be routed to your audio recording software / digital audio workstation (referred to throughout this user guide as the "DAW"); similarly, the outputs from the DAW can be configured to appear at the unit's physical outputs.
Audio sources – mics, instruments, etc., can be recorded into your DAW and then played back from there through amplifiers and speakers, powered monitors, headphones, a mixer or any other analogue or digital audio equipment you wish to use. Although all inputs and outputs on the Clarett 8Pre are, by default, routed directly to and from your DAW for recording and playback, you can configure the routing any way you like within the Focusrite Control application in order to meet your precise needs. Please see the Focusrite Control user guide for more info on routing.
The Clarett 8Pre also has connectors for sending and receiving MIDI data, and for transmitting word clock to external devices, to ensure synchronisation with other items of digital audio equipment.
An important feature of the Clarett 8Pre is the new design of analogue preamplifier. In addition to their class-leading dynamic range and ability to provide all the gain you're ever likely to need, the circuitry now includes an exciting new AIR function. Individually selectable on each channel, AIR subtly modifies the pre-amp's frequency response to model the impedance and resonance characteristics of Focusrite's classic transformer-based ISA mic preamps. When recording with good quality microphones, you will notice an enhanced clarity and definition in the important mid frequency range, just where it is most needed for vocals and many acoustic instruments.
The accompanying software application, Focusrite Control, is designed to require a minimal amount of user interaction, letting you easily configure the Clarett 8Pre with signal routings appropriate for the most common recording tasks. For more complex situations, it provides extensive routing and monitoring options, as well as the ability to control global hardware settings such as sample rate and synchronisation.
All inputs on the Clarett 8Pre are routed directly to your DAW software for recording, but Focusrite Control also allows you to route these signals internally within the device to the outputs so you can monitor the audio signals with ultra-low latency - before they arrive at your DAW, should you need to do so.
Along with your Clarett 8Pre you should have:
Please visit the following link for up-to-date information on computer and operating system compatibility for all Clarett products: support.focusrite.com
Please ensure you install the Focusrite Control before connecting the interface to your computer.
All software required by the Clarett 8Pre, including several powerful and useful extras, is available for download from the Focusrite website (focusrite.com/downloads). The Important Information provided with your Clarett 8Pre contains validation codes if you wish to register your Clarett and access the optional bundled software.
The front panel includes all the input gain and monitoring controls as well as two of the input connectors for Mic, Line and Instrument signals.
Before you connect the Clarett 8Pre to your computer, please complete the software installation according to the instructions. This will ensure the hardware uses the correct drivers, and will prevent unexpected behaviour.
The Clarett 8Pre should be connected to AC mains with the supplied AC power cable. Plug the IEC connector into the rear panel IEC port and turn the unit on with the front panel power switch.
The Clarett 8Pre has a Thunderbolt™ port (on the rear panel). Once the software installation is complete, connect the Clarett 8Pre to your computer using a Thunderbolt™ cable.
Your OS should automatically select the Clarett 8Pre as the default audio device. You can check this selection has been made correctly, if you wish. Details of how to do this on various operating systems can be found at focusrite.com/clarett8Pre-getstarted.
After installing the drivers and connecting the hardware, you can start using the Clarett 8Pre with the DAW of your choice.
Please note - your DAW may not automatically select the Clarett 8Pre as its default I/O device. In this case, you must manually select the driver on your DAW's Audio Setup* page, and select the Focusrite Thunderbolt driver. Please refer to your DAW's documentation (or Help files) if you are unsure where to select the Clarett 8Pre as your audio device.
* Typical name – page names may vary with DAW
The 1/4" jack MONITOR outputs on the rear panel (Line Outputs 1 and 2) will normally be used to drive monitoring speakers. Self-powered monitors (e.g., typical computer speakers) incorporate internal amplifiers, and may be connected directly. Passive loudspeakers will require a separate stereo amplifier; in this case, the rear panel outputs should be connected to the amplifier's inputs.
Connecting active speakers
Connecting passive speakers
All the line output connectors are 3-pole (TRS) ¼" jack sockets, and are electronically balanced. Typical consumer (hi-fi) amplifiers and small powered monitors will have unbalanced inputs, either on phono (RCA) sockets, or via a 3.5 mm 3-pole jack plug intended for direct connection to a computer. In either case, use a suitable connecting cable with jack plugs at one end.
Professional power amplifiers will generally have balanced inputs.
When mixing, you can connect several pairs of additional speakers (mid-field. near-field, etc.) to pairs of outputs and use Focusrite Control to route your mix to the different outputs as desired, to check your mix on the different types of speaker.
The Clarett 8Pre is an excellent choice for numerous recording and monitoring applications. Some typical configurations are shown below.
This setup illustrates a typical configuration for multitrack recording with DAW software on your computer.
A selection of sources – microphones, two guitars and a keyboard – are shown connected to the Clarett 8Pre's inputs. Note that only Inputs 1 and 2 can be configured to accept instruments directly, so we have chosen to plug the guitars into Inputs 1 and 2. Ensure INST mode is selected for Inputs 1 and 2 from Focusrite Control, and the INST LEDs are illuminated.
The connection to the computer running DAW software is via a Thunderbolt™ cable. This will carry all the input and output signals between the DAW and the Clarett 8Pre. Once the audio setup is correctly configured in the DAW, each input source will be automatically routed to its own DAW track for recording.
A note about latency
You will probably have heard the term "latency" used in connection with digital audio systems. In the case of the DAW recording application described above, latency is the time it takes for your input signals to pass through your computer and audio software, and back to you. Latency is rapidly becoming a problem of the past; the Thunderbolt™ interface used by your Clarett 8Pre is much faster than the USB or FireWire interfaces you may have used previously. As a result, you will nearly always be able to monitor your recordings through your DAW without noticing latency.
There are two possible exceptions to this: one is when you need to set the recording buffer size to a high value – this may be necessary when you are recording overdubs on a particularly large session with many audio channels, software instruments and effects, for example. To overcome this, Focusrite Control gives you the option of sourcing your monitor feed directly from the Clarett 8Pre's inputs. Another situation where "Input Monitoring" may need to be selected is when you are recording several live musicians simultaneously, and they each require their own custom foldback mix. Focusrite Control lets you define up to eight separate stereo mixes (or sixteen mono mixes), and these mixes may include the current input signals as well as previously recorded DAW tracks.
When sourcing monitor mixes from input signals in this way, ensure the DAW channels you are recording are muted, otherwise the musicians will hear themselves "twice", with one signal audibly delayed as an echo.
Please refer to the Focusrite Control User Guide for more details on setting up monitor mixes.
In addition to the eight analogue inputs, the Clarett 8Pre has an ADAT input port (OPTICAL IN) which can provide an additional 8 audio inputs at 44.1/48 kHz sample rate, four at 88.2/96 kHz or two at 176.4/192 kHz. Using a separate 8-channel microphone preamplifier equipped with an ADAT output – such as the Focusrite OctoPre – provides a method of expanding the Clarett 8Pre's input count.
The OctoPre's OPTICAL OUT port is connected to the Clarett 8Pre's OPTICAL IN port with a single TOSLINK optical cable. Stable word clock synchronisation may be achieved by connecting the Clarett 8Pre's WORD CLOCK output to the OctoPre's WORD CLOCK IN and setting the OctoPre to use this as its sync source; alternatively, the Clarett 8Pre may be set (in Focusrite Control) to synchronise via the ADAT format signal at the OPTICAL IN port.
Note: when interconnecting two digital devices by any method, always ensure both are set to use the same sample rate.
The additional inputs from the optical port may be routed using Focusrite Control in exactly the same way as the other inputs. The additional inputs can form part of any musician's headphone mix, as required.
If a suitable D-to-A converter with an ADAT input is available, the OPTICAL OUT port may be used in the opposite way; for example, additional outputs from the DAW may be converted into the analogue domain to allow the use of an external hardware mixing console to mix down a large number of DAW tracks.
The Clarett 8Pre has the ability to store a mix configuration defined in Focusrite Control within the hardware. This feature lets you configure it – for example, as an on-stage keyboard mixer – using your computer, and then upload the configuration to the device itself. Then you can use the Clarett 8Pre as a rack-mounting mixer as part of your keyboard rig to control the overall mix of multiple keyboards.
In the example above, three stereo keyboards are connected to the rear panel inputs of the Clarett 8Pre; Outputs 3 and 4 go to the main PA system. The performer can adjust the volume of the individual keyboards from the front panel; he/she can also independently adjust the level they hear the mixed keyboards at through the speakers.
Focusrite Control's Loopback feature lets you record other audio sources from within your computer (e.g., the audio output from a web browser). Loopback uses the Clarett's "virtual" inputs, which have no physical connectors on the hardware interface itself, but may be selected in the DAW as signal sources for recording.
By routing DAW 1 and 2 to your Loopback mix in Focusrite Control, when you select the Loopback output as the recording source on a mono or stereo DAW track, you can record from another software application into your DAW. Note that your computer will assign DAW 1 and DAW 2 as the default sound output channels.
For instructions on how to use the Loopback recording function, please see the Focusrite Control Clarett User Guide available from: focusrite.com/downloads
Focusrite Control is the software application used with the Clarett 8Pre. It allows you to create a custom monitor mix for each musician, and also to specify the routing of all audio signals to the physical audio outputs. All sample rate selection, digital syncing and buffer size settings (Windows only) are available from Focusrite Control.
Note: Focusrite Control is also used with other hardware interfaces in the Focusrite range. When you connect an interface to your computer and launch Focusrite Control, the model of interface is automatically detected, and the software configured to suit the number of inputs and outputs, and other features, available on the hardware.
Focusrite Control has its own, dedicated User Guide, which contains detailed operating instructions for all aspects of the software. This may be downloaded from: focusrite/downloads.
Configuration | |
Inputs | 18: analogue (8), S/PDIF (2), ADAT (8) |
Outputs | 20: analogue (10), S/PDIF (2), ADAT (8) |
Mixer | Fully assignable 30-in/16-out mixer |
Digital Performance | |
Supported sample rates 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 88.2 kHz, 96 kHz, 176.4 kHz & 192 kHz | |
Microphone Inputs | |
Frequency Response | 20 Hz - 20 kHz +/-0.1 dB |
Dynamic Range | 118 dB (A-weighted) |
THD+N | 0.001% |
Noise EIN | –128 dBu (A-weighted) |
Maximum input level | +18 dBu |
Gain Range | 57 dB |
Impedance | AIR Off: 6.2k Ω - AIR On: 2.2k Ω |
Line Inputs | |
Frequency Response | 20 Hz - 20 kHz +/-0.1 dB |
Dynamic Range | 118 dB |
THD+N | 0.005% |
Maximum input level | +26 dBu |
Gain Range | +57 dB |
Impedance | >50k Ω |
Instrument Inputs | |
Frequency Response | 20 Hz - 20 kHz +/-0.1 dB |
Dynamic Range | 111 dB (A-weighted) |
THD+N | 0.001% |
Maximum input level | +14 dBu |
Gain Range | +57 dB |
Impedance | >2M Ω |
Line & Monitor Outputs | |
Dynamic Range (line outputs) | 119 dB |
Dynamic Range (monitor outputs) | 117 dB |
THD+N | 0.0007% |
Maximum Output Level (0 dBFS) | +18 dBu, balanced |
Headphone Outputs | |
Dynamic Range | 112 dB |
THD+N | 0.0008% |
Maximum Output Level | +16 dBu |
Analogue Inputs 1 & 2 | |
Connectors | "Combo XLR" sockets: Mic/Line/Inst, on front panel |
Mic/Line switching | Automatic |
Line/Instrument switching | via Focusrite Control |
Phantom power | +48 V switches for inputs 1 to 4, 5 to 8 |
Analogue Inputs 3 to 8 | |
Connectors | "Combo XLR" sockets: Mic/Line, on rear panel |
Mic/Line switching | Automatic |
Phantom power | +48 V switches for inputs 1 to 4, 5 to 8 |
Analogue Outputs | |
Main outputs | 10 x balanced ¼" TRS jacks (on rear panel) |
Stereo headphone outputs | 2 x ¼" TRS jack on front panel |
Main monitor output level control | On front panel |
Headphones level controls | |
Other I/O | |
ADAT I/O | 2 x TOSLINK optical connectors: 8 channels at 44.1/48 kHz 4 channels at 88.2/96 kHz 2 channels at 176.2/192 kHz |
S/PDIF I/O | 2 x phono (RCA); can be re-assigned to ADAT ports in software. Supported at 44.1/48/88.2/96 kHz sample rates. |
Word clock output | BNC connector |
Data connector (to Mac) | 1 x Thunderbolt connector |
MIDI I/O | 2 x 5-pin DIN sockets |
Weight and Dimensions | |
W x D x H | 482.5 mm x 43.9 mm x 291 mm 19" x 1.73" x 11.46" |
Weight | 4.35 kg 9.59 lbs |
For all troubleshooting queries, please visit the Focusrite Help Centre at support.focusrite.com.
Focusrite is a registered trade mark and Clarett 8Pre is a trade mark of Focusrite Audio Engineering Limited.
All other trade marks and trade names are the property of their respective owners.
2015 © Focusrite Audio Engineering Limited. All rights reserved.
Here you can download full pdf version of manual, it may contain additional safety instructions, warranty information, FCC rules, etc.
Advertisement
Thank you! Your question has been received!
Need Assistance?
Do you have a question about the Clarett 8Pre that isn't answered in the manual? Leave your question here.