Focusrite has launched the Clarett OctoPre, a new eight–channel mic pre with A–D and D–A conversion, at the IBC Show currently taking place at the RAI Amsterdam.

Designed to allow the rapid addition of eight mic/line inputs and line outputs, Clarett Octopre integrates with the company’s successful Clarett range of audio interfaces, and other interfaces that include ADAT optical I/O.

The Clarett OctoPre includes eight of the Clarett range’s ‘Air’–enabled mic pres: the ‘Air’ effect emulates the transformer–based sound of Focusrite’s ISA range of heritage mic pres. The preamps include extensive headroom, making them ideal for drums or other high–level signals.

Each channel features a balanced path from input to output plus a front–panel switchable electronically–balanced relay–bypassed insert point allowing EQ, compression or other analogue processing to be left connected and brought into play with the push of a button.

In addition to being fed to the A–D converter, the input channels are also available at the analogue outputs, from where they can, for example, be routed to a live mixing console while at the same time capturing the inputs digitally. The analogue outputs, which appear on a rear–panel DB25 wired to the AES59 standard, can alternatively be switched to pick up the ADAT inputs via the D–A converters.

The Clarett OctoPre has two ADAT input and two outport ports, allowing it to carry eight channels of I/O at sample rates of up to 96kHz and four channels at 176.4/192kHz. Both A–D and D–A converters measure a dynamic range of 118dB. The unit syncs either to external ADAT or Word Clock, or may be clocked internally, and features JetPLL jitter elimination. Word Clock out is also provided.

Metering is via a group of six–segment LED bar meters plus per–channel clip indicators next to the channel level controls. Function buttons select ‘Insert’ and ‘Air’ and are used in conjunction with assign buttons under the channel level controls, plus two buttons selecting the front panel instrument inputs on channels 1 and 2.

The Clarett OctoPre will begin shipping in November and will carry a recommended retail price of £649.99 (inc VAT)/$699.99 (ex Tax).

https://uk.focusrite.com/

http://www.ibc.org/