Recording Using A Microphone (Mono Or Stereo) - Focusrite Saffire LE User Manual

Recording using a microphone (mono or stereo)

To record a mono source like a vocalist or guitar player, simply plug a microphone into the left (Input 1)
or right (Input 2) hand XLR socket on the front of the Saffire hardware and press the +48V (phantom power)
button if required. Phantom power is only necessary if using a condenser microphone; almost all dynamic
microphones will be unaffected, but ribbon microphones (much less common and more expensive
microphones) may be damaged.
Make sure that nothing is connected to the corresponding Line Input on the front of the Saffire LE
hardware as this will mean that the XLR input below is bypassed.
Now get the artist to play or sing and set the level of the input using the gain adjustment knob on the front
panel. Rotate the dial clockwise to increase the level, making sure that the O/L LED on the hardware never
illuminates as this indicates that the level is exceeding the maximum level of the digital converter (clipping
point). For an even easier indication of level, observe the level of the meter below Input 1 or 2 on the left of
the SaffireControl LE software GUI, as shown:
Level of Input 1
(Recorded level)
Level of Input 2
(Recorded level)
This signal will now appear as Saffire LE Input 1 or Input 2 (depending on which socket the microphone
is connected to) within your sequencer/recording application.
To record using a stereo pair, simply connect microphones to both Inputs 1 and 2 and set the Gain dials for
both Inputs on the front of the hardware to the same level, observing the Input meters in the SaffireControl
LE software, shown above.