Saffire Pro 24 problem

[IggyStooge]

Hello all

Can anyone out there give me some advice regarding setting up a Saffire Pro 24? To put it simply I wanted to record my guitars with the aim of making some songs. I was under the impression that I'd just plug the Saffire into my pc via firewire. Plug my guitar in and record using Live Lite 7 (which I'm just getting into). Oh how wrong I was. I recently bought a USB MIDI keyboard controller which works fine. So the problem is I can't get a peep out of the Saffire. I've read the guide, Ive installed the MixControl 1.7. I've selected the Saffire in the Live Lite Preferences/Audio. Guitar is plugged into channel 1. Intrument 1 light is lit along with PWR, FW, LKD. There is no activity on the input LED's.

I'm really stuck as to what to try next.

Any assistance would be much appreciated, Thankyou.

[IggyStooge]

Just to update, I get guitar sound through headphones connected to the saffire but only when I've switched the saffire on and then rebooted the pc. As soon as I go into Live and select ASIO Saffire I lose the sound. When I've shut Live down the sound doesnt come back in the headphones until I've rebooted again. Any ideas please?

[EdRyan]

This sounds like an issue with MixControl's internal routing. If it's anything like the factory preset on my smaller white Saffire, then it's probably a nightmare.

Focusrite basically set the software up in 3 sections. "Pure" inputs, then how much of the input is sent to the software/daw recording from the input and finally...a section of outputs (which can be configured to take different amounts of level from your software or direct input to create submixes if you need that sort of thing. Typical applications include direct monitoring whilst recording, or setting up separate ques for dj-ing with live).

You need to do a few things.

1) Check that the balance between your inputs is not set so that channel 1 is ignored. It should be somewhere around the middle.

2) Check the levels being sent from the input to your software. These are labelled as being playback mix. Make sure s/w 1/2 is turned up properly.
Also check that your outputs are turned up as well. Live will typically route to the first set of outputs, so that would be out 1/2 in your case. Make sure your monitor system is connected to these outputs.

3) Your post suggests that you are not getting past the stage of configuring your i/o driver in Live. What I'm saying is...you're not actually selecting an input to record. Let me show you with some attached images.

First screen should look very familiar. It's the setup area of live. You should select your Saffire as the in and out here. You can do more customised configurations, but worry about that another time.

Once that's done, then create or use the existing audio channel, and make sure you have the right input(s) selected.
Here is where you probably have fallen down the most. To monitor thru software (not just live, any daw) you have to have that channel in a record enabled/armed state. In live, this is shown by the red button on the channel. This arms the channels for recording, to record you then have to push record in the transport bar.

It is straightforward. I've just fired up my Korg and recorded it into live to check my own advice.

[IggyStooge]

Thanks for your detailed reply Ed.

I'm pretty sure I've done what youve advised and unfortunately I'm no further on. I'm starting to think its a compatability problem of some sort [Running Win7 64 RC] because I can't see why it wouldnt work.

Is it normal for the saffire to only pick up the guitar signal if its been switched on before I boot up? If I boot up then turn the saffire on its like the guitar isnt plugged in even though I get the Windows bleep that the saffire has been recognised.

[IggyStooge]

Seem to have sorted the problem. It was driver related due to being on Windows7. Have to use the Legacy driver for firewire.