Focusrite Saffire PRO 26 - System requirements; Mac OS; Windows; Getting Started

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System requirements
Mac OS
Apple Macintosh with a high-speed FireWire or Thunderbolt™ port. (Macs using a Thunderbolt™ port will require a FireWire to
Thunderbolt adaptor.)
OS: Mac OSX 10.8 (Mountain Lion), OSX10.9 (Mavericks), or later.
Windows
Windows compatible computer with a high-speed FireWire or Thunderbolt™ port.
OS: Windows 7 (all versions) or Windows 8 (excluding Windows 8 RT).
Getting Started
Before you connect the Saffire PRO 26 to your computer, please download the latest version of Saffire MixControl from our website.
The Saffire PRO 26 has a 6-pin FireWire port on the rear panel, and will work with any of the current FireWire speed and connectivity
standards: FireWire 400 (6 pin or 4 pin connector), or FireWire 800 (9-pin connector). It is also compatible with the older 4-pin
FireWire 400 standard, but see below re DC power.
Power to the Saffire PRO 26 will generally be supplied via the FireWire connection, but in some circumstances (see below) the
supplied external AC adaptor may be required.
The Saffire PRO 26 is supplied with a 6-pin to 9-pin FireWire cable (FireWire 400-800). If your computer has a 6-pin FireWire 400
connector, you will need to purchase a 6-pin to 6-pin FireWire 400 cable. On some PC laptops the FireWire port may be a 4-pin
connector; if this is the case, you will need to purchase a 6-pin to 4-pin cable. If your computer has a 4-pin FireWire 400 connector,
note that these do not supply DC power to external devices, and the AC adaptor must be used to power the Saffire PRO 26.
Recent Apple® Mac computers will be fitted with a Thunderbolt port. In this case, you will need to obtain an Apple FireWire-to-
Thunderbolt adaptor. This can be used with the cable supplied.
FireWire considerations
Most computers will generally have a single internal FireWire bus. You may have multiple FireWire ports (connectors) on your
computer, but these will all be connected to the same physical chip which controls the bus.
The FireWire chip has a data bandwidth limitation, so the more FireWire devices there are connected, the more data the bus
needs to handle, and there is a greater chance of data overload. The Saffire PRO 26 should be able to work alongside other devices
connected to the same FireWire bus. However, this can depend on what other FireWire devices are connected, and what they are
doing. For example, a FireWire disk used for backup, or a digital camera should not cause any problems; but a FireWire hard disk
continuously streaming audio may generate more data than the FireWire chip can handle. This can result in audio drop-outs, or
reduced performance in either the Saffire PRO 26 or the other connected FireWire devices.
We therefore recommend that you use a separate FireWire bus for each FireWire device. This can be provided by a PCI/PCIe card (in
a desktop computer), or a PCMCIA or Express card (in a Laptop).
Note on FireWire Connection and Disconnection
All Saffire units adhere to the IEEE1394 (FireWire) standard, however it may be the case that the FireWire port on your computer
motherboard or FireWire card does not. Device connection and disconnection from a FireWire port that is not compliant to the
IEEE1394 standard may result in permanent damage to both the Saffire and your computer.