Its eight premium preamps are all connected via ‘combi’ XLRs for mic/line inputs, with six on the rear panel and two more on the front panel (which also have high‑impedance JFET instrument input modes). The 8PreX occupies two rack spaces to the 8Pre’s one, despite providing exactly the same complement of analogue I/O. This corresponds to Focusrite’s published specification of 124dB and is nearly 6dB better than the previous model’s 118dB (A‑weighted).

The headphone outputs have also gained 3dB more dynamic range and 3dB lower THD, too — all of which means lower noise and more pristine low‑level details in reverb tails and room atmospheres. The smart brushed aluminium front panel and all-metal case is complemented by a series of really sturdy controls, apart from a couple of slightly wobbly switches in the monitor section. Three years later, updated models were shown at NAMM 2018, re‑engineered with the ubiquitous USB interface format, and the resulting 2Pre, 4Pre and 8Pre models quickly became enormously popular.ADAT I/O allows you to expand your setup with up to eight extra inputs and outputs when combined with multi-channel mic preamps like Clarett OctoPre.

On the other hand, I would also like to know your opinion about the change and the idea I have for what I need. Comprehensive software bundle - Get studio-grade results with the included bundle of recording software, mixing plug-ins and virtual instruments. Andertons Music Company is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, firm registration number 716155. A black rectangular cutout area to the right of the panel hosts the main volume control, plus Mute and Dim buttons and a very clear six–segment LED array that shows levels for the main output and each of the eight analogue ins.And those hi-Z inputs have copious headroom to handle your guitars and basses with hot passive or active pickups.

I happened to do a firmware update and factory reset on mine just to be sure mine was up to date and I hadn't accidentally set something funny before I knew what I was doing, before I read Focusrite's link in this thread.Focusrite have also retained the “all‑analogue Air EQ” feature, which can be applied to individual preamp channels. Aside from this, pre-amp controls are very basic – just a gain control for each, with no high-pass filter or polarity switch. To my eyes, the 8Pre’s 1U metal front panel is more crimson than claret, but its layout is significantly cleaner and smarter than that of its Saffire or Scarlett predecessors.