Boasting Thunderbolt, Pro Tools HD and Dante connectivity, ultra-low round trip latency and impressive dynamic range, Focusrite’s high-end, high-spec Red series is firmly established as the brand’s flagship audio interface range. The latest addition —the Red 16Line — sits between the existing Red 8Pre and Red 4Pre, offering all the same strengths but addressing a different set of needs.
Essentially, the Red 16Line is made for those who want the 8Pre’s 16 line inputs and 16 line outputs, but don’t need all eight mic preamps. Instead, the Red 16Line provides two digitally controlled Red Evolution mic preamps that can be stereo-linked, each offering 63dB of gain plus phantom power, phase reverse and Air mode. On top of this analogue connectivity, the Red 16Line features an S/PDIF in and out and 16 channels of optical ADAT I/O. Dual Thunderbolt 3 and Digilink ports provide 64-in/64-out interfacing with native DAWs and Pro Tools HD systems, while dual Dante Ethernet ports allow 32x32 audio-over-IP networking. Host mode can simply be switched either from the front panel or via the control software, making it incredibly easy to go between different DAWs. The Red’s high-performance converters, which boast an impressive dynamic range of 118dB A-D and 121dB D-A, and extremely low latency also make it possible to track with plug-ins in place, removing the need to set up separate mixes for recording and playback. The Red 16Line will be available soon, priced £2869$2999.
Also new from Focusrite, the RedNet X2P is a compact 2-in/2-out Dante audio interface featuring two Red Evolution mic preamps, stereo line outputs and a stereo headphone amp. There’s a high-resolution display, line out level and headphone level knobs, plus a handy input mix blender knob that lets you adjust the relative levels of the analogue inputs and the audio coming back from the network for monitoring purposes. This convenient device is intended as a neat way to add additional I/O to a Dante network (or one of Focusrite’s Red interfaces) wherever it might be needed, providing each artist in the studio with a remote-controlled input and personal monitor controller, for example. But it could also function as a desktop audio interface, with power, audio and remote control data all carried over a single Ethernet cable. The RedNet X2P will cost £859$899.
In addition, Focusrite have announced a new division within the company called Focusrite Pro. Tim Carroll, CEO, Focusrite Audio Engineering, said: "The sole focus of Focusrite Pro is to enable audio professionals with best-in-class audio solutions for modern-day workflows. Audio professionals now have a dedicated team of professional audio product designers and sales and support staff. This new team will help them build and deploy solutions that address the needs of modern-day audio production in broadcast, post-production, music production, live and installed sound.”
Will Hoult, Product Manager, Focusrite Pro, said: "Having this tighter integration between our sales, marketing and product management functions will enable us to greatly improve the client focus of our organisation – continuing to develop innovative products and ensure that we address the needs of our clients."
