Comments about Focusrite Saffire Pro 40 FireWire Interface:

It will probably be replaced by a newer model soon. But she is still the best choice for the money NOW.
I wish it had EQ, compression and reverb built into mix control using the onboard DSP (You still need to open the plug ins in th DAW). I like the bundled EQ and reverb plugins; they sound pretty good. THe Compressor and gate are kinda meh (logic has some awesome plugins built in, im spoiled). They will probably try to try to copy the new appollo by UA with their next model. I will have to sell this and buy that.

Comments about Focusrite Saffire Pro 40 FireWire Interface:

I just used this for the first time to record a livr band. It was so easy to set up and doesn't take up much room in my rack. It sounded great, and I was able to run two monitor mixes and it played nice with my iMac with Mountain Lion - no issues! If you're looking for a compact and easy solution for multitrack recording that sounds great, you just found it. I've owned several other great interfaces, but this one has been the best yet. Get it!

Comments about Focusrite Saffire Pro 40 FireWire Interface:

This is just a great interface. It has tons if i/o options and everything sounds awesome. The preamps are super clean and the front panel pres handle direct signals from guitars and basses very well. The mix control software is a little hard to get a grasp on but once you do it's a very useful tool for monitoring. I live tracked a three piece band with the pro40 and they loved that I could make each of them an individual headphone mix so easily. They also love the sound quality of the recordings haha.

The only real issue I had was with firewire drivers. When I first installed the unit it was causing pretty frequent crashes and the audio would drop out. However, after some quick research I found online that if you switch from the default windows firewire driver to the "legacy" driver it fixed these issues. No problems after that.

Overall I'm really happy with the Pro40 and it was a great and much needed upgrade to my setup.

Comments about Focusrite Saffire Pro 40 FireWire Interface:

This unit is simply amazing! Install was perfect- (downloaded the latest driver and Mix Control software from the web site) I am running Windows 7 64 bit with the built in Firewire port.. Just make sure to download the tool from Focusrite to check for your compatibility with your firewire port. The output routing is the best feature ever!! I am able to use my outboard Midiverb for monitor only by simply mirroring the number 1 mic output to channel 3 output...cable from number 3 out in back of unit to input on Midiverb.. then run outputs from Midiverb back into channels 7 and 8...link channels and...voila!! Reverb I can blend to the vocal headphone mix only - it records dry! The preamps are amazingly clean sounding and this unit is built like a tank.. I don't believe you can possibly find anything even comparable in this price range.. Prior to the Pro 40 I was using an M-Audio Fasttrack Pro which was ok.. then had a brief experience (and not a good one)with the Presonus VSL product....I still couldn't get it to work right after a week.. Presonus customer service = "0" Musician's friend was nice enough to let me exchange my Presonus VSL for the Saffire Pro 40.. 20 minutes and I was recording... Thank you Focusrite for a great product...and Thank you Musicians Friend (Tammy) for such oustanding customer service... I would never shop anywhere else!!

Comments about Focusrite Saffire Pro 40 FireWire Interface:

Many reviews complained about the Mix Control software, and it is difficult to master, but there are some great YouTube videos made by Focusrite people that were very helpful. Also, when I sent an email to their Customer Service, they promptly responded with screen shots of the settings I needed to route signals where I wanted, and detailed instructions. Just make certain you give them detailed explanations of what you're trying to accomplish. They will ask for info about you computer, settings, software versions, etc., so be prepared.
Good sound, great pres, good features, study metal case, tight pots. Many reviews complained about the lack of headroom, but don't be put off by this. The volume pots are linear, not audio curve, so 5 is not half the volume of 10. Linear pots give you most of your apparent gain toward the end of its arc. Every interface I've owned before this one had lots of noise at the top end of the gain control, but this baby is quiet at the top so don't be affraid to work up there. No gain problems IMHO.
Don't yet have years of experience with this product, but its outward appearance indicates quality, as does the quality of the audio and the thought behind the features - two front mic inputs, two front headphone outputs, quality input meters, analog & digital ins & outs, routing software with infinite possibilities. My first Focusrite device was the ISA One preamp, my primary vocal pre, and its quality is at the top of anyone's scale, so I'm hoping the Saffire Pro 40 is too.
Get your best price online, then call Musician's Friend. They will beat any legitimate price on the web. I got a great deal, so my rating for value is high, and my satisfaction level is high. Would expect to pay more for this kind of sound & build quality. I suppose this device introduces Focusrite to a large audience of home studio jocks & musicians that will opt for more expensive products in the future. As such it is what the retail world calls a "loss leader." That's my guess.

Comments about Focusrite Saffire Pro 40 FireWire Interface:

Overall, I am very happy. I look forward to getting more savvy at the software interface. One point off for the headroom issue, but all in all, the pre's sound solid and for the money it's hard to argue this is a great buy.
If you'll be running this unit through a mixing board or the like in a permanent set-up, having 6 of the 8 inputs on the back works just fine. Otherwise, it's kind of a pain to have those inputs in the back. The only other complaint I have resonates with other reviewers in that the software interface has a fairly steep learning curve. I haven't played with it enough to give a great opinion, but the online help and tuturial resources for this are really thin. The learning process would go quicker with more video tutorials and the like. That said, it does seem to be a stable and usable software package.
Very solid unit. The buttons and knobs are very solid and the unit itself sits within a solid metal casing. The headroom isn't great. Other reviewers have noted the same thing. I have to crank up the level almost all the way to get a hot enough signal with mic's even with phantom power on. Other inputs like line inputs aren't quite as bad though. At the end of the day, there is still enough level to get a decent signal so no biggie. One point off for the headroom issue, otherwise a very solid unit.
Good bang for the buck, but hey, one point off because I am always looking for a good deal.

Comments about Focusrite Saffire Pro 40 FireWire Interface:

The hardware aspect of the Saffire Pro 40 is great. Easy to set up and go. As far as the DSP software (Saffire MixControl) I am still wrapping my head around the routing options, but for the most part it does the job without too much of a headache. After researching interfaces for quite some time before purchasing, I believe I made an excellent choice as far as quality and price, as well as giving myself some room to grow in the future with the ADAT ins and outs.
For the price you can't beat the features on the Saffire Pro 40. Until you use this interface you don't realize how awesome and convenient it is to have two Independent headphone inputs! The Dim and Mute buttons are also great as you can either completely mute the sound or cut it by 20db so you can talk to someone else in the room, or the artist you are working with, without changing your monitor settings!
Rock Solid build; no cheap or flimsy parts. The Pre-amps are quiet and clean, and really show their colors when paired with a good quality condenser mic.
the I/O options paired with great pre-amps, 2 headphone busses, dim, mute monitoring in a rack mounted interface is a steal!

Comments about Focusrite Saffire Pro 40 FireWire Interface:

I own two of the Pro 40's and they work great together. I have them hooked up to record 16 channels at once. I started with one and had it hooked up to an old HP laptop with intel P4 proc, 2 gigs of ram, Windows XP 32 bit and 60 gig hard drive. I didn't have any problems doing so but thought I would make a nicer DAW so I used my desktop computer with a dual core proc Athlon 64 X2 2.4 Ghz in it. Still use Windows XP 32 bit. The computer is actually about 4 years old (Pavillion a1630n). It has firewire input but I bought the card with the TI chip in it so I wouldn't have any problems so many people say they had without it. Now I have both units hooked up and record the band using 12 tracks every week with no problems. Mixed down a number of sessions using Reaper software with about 20 plug-ins. Once you get the hang of the mixer for the Pro 40, it's really nice. I've had email conversations with the techs at Saffire and they were very nice and helpful. I asked them a lot of questions before I purchaced and that helped me a lot.
So many inputs and outputs.
Build is great.
When you wait for the specials, very good price.

Comments about Focusrite Saffire Pro 40 FireWire Interface:

The preamps ARE as quiet as rumored to be, but fall just a little short on gain, especially for dynamic mic's, normally have to run the input gain control all the way to the right. Still, the preamps are almost noise-free. The software Mixer was a nightmare to learn, but this also results in a lot of flexibility .

This is my first serious digital recording interface, and have much experience with tape and a console. There is no Send/Return system on this interface as is true with most interfaces. It's possible to work around this, by creating Buses, etc., and learning to switch the software mixer, but it isn't too intuitive to start with.

Overall, I can't really see an alternative to Focusrite at this price. They have always made pretty good stuff, and this is no exception.
The housing is metal, the l.e.d. vue meters seem accurate, the preamps and headphone signals are very quiet.
In my own opinion, the is as good as it gets for the money.

Comments about Focusrite Saffire Pro 40 FireWire Interface:

I've had this unit for about 3 months now and have been using it daily in a project studio environment. In a nutshell, it has exceeded all of my expectations. It is well built and sturdy. The knobs are solid and move smoothly.The front inputs and headphone jacks make life easy. Preamps are clean and transparent with little to no coloration. Practically zero noise. Could use a bit more headroom, but with 8 pre's on 1 unit they are still impressive. The Saffire Mix Control software can seem a little confusing at first, but with a little time put into it, has very useful signal routing options.Hint for future owners: When tracking, use the Zero Latency Tracking routing preset. It really is "Zero Latency". Took me a while to figure that out, but once I did, life was golden. Where this Device really shines, though, is in the ease of use category. Once the drivers and mix Control Software were loaded, I was recording some of the best sounding tracks I have heard from a home studio within minutes. This truly is one stop shopping for the project studio. This unit with a good channel strip and some decent mics and you are in business. I am using Sonar 8.5 with Win 7 64 bit in a machine with 8gb DDR3 and an AMD Phenom Black Edition. I have yet to run into any major issues, but keep in mind, I am only 3 months in and barely scraping the surface of what this unit is capable of. I gave it a 4.0 on fetures because of the lack of line inserts and the phantom power being bundled together in groups of 4 and not separate for each individual channel. For this price, however, I think the unit is a steal. All in all, I am extremely glad I pulled the trigger on this little box. I would make the same decision 7 days a week and twice on Sunday. Definately worth every penny!! Great job Focusrite!!!