Designing the Ultimate Interface

05/06/2017

Designing The Ultimate Interface 05 Jun 2017 Combining the trinity of sound, speed and connectivity in Focusrite's Red interface range.

In 1993, Focusrite debuted the original Red Range, a line of mic preamps and audio processors that feature the analogue circuitry of the Focusrite Studio Console in rack-mountable format. They were beautiful, shining, over-engineered hulks of audio mastery which, to this day, are still considered some of the finest recording products ever built. But as technology changed, the studio landscape shifted and recording budgets shrunk, the line was eventually discontinued. Nevertheless, the legacy of the original Red family will forever be tied to Focusrite's best-ever audio products. So when it came to naming the new line of flagship interfaces worthy of a place in the greatest recording studios in the world, Focusrite looked no further than its own archives: to revive the Red brand.

The Focusrite Red interfaces represent the culmination of over 15 years of audio interface design and manufacture, which grew out of the company's preceding 13 years of expertise in analogue and digital audio fields. Not only are the Red 4 Pre and Red 8 Pre the newest and most advanced of Focusrite's interfaces, they have been designed and built with the highest specification of any Focusrite interfaces ever. This article uncovers the technical methods implemented by the R&D team to make the Reds the best ever', and perform to the standards demanded of the ultimate interface.

With any interface, there are several key things to get right in the design phase. The mic pres, of course, are critical for capturing a clean and dynamic sound. Then there are the converters, which encode the analogue audio inputs into digital information (A-D), and decode the digital information from the computer back into an electrical, analogue signal (D-A). These have to be implemented properly in the electrical circuit then programmed efficiently to minimise digital artefacts and maximise dynamic range. The communication with the host machine - whether this is over USB, Firewire, Thunderbolt, a proprietary interface, or something else - will have a big impact on latency, and without an efficient and stable driver, even the best-sounding interface will flounder. Lastly, like any electrical device, the interface has to be physically reliable and assembled well. This means using quality components that play well with each other, PSUs that provide smooth, steady power, and physical fixtures that don't break off in your hand.

The Dante Brooklyn' card is walled in by a metal sheath, to protect the sensitive digital components from stray noise emanating from elsewhere inside the Red 4 Pre

Focusrite has always striven to engineer the highest quality at all levels of interface design, whether sub-$100 iOS devices, or multi-thousand-dollar audio-over-IP devices. Of course, there have to be compromises with products that offer lots of features at affordable prices. We can't put super-expensive components in a hundred-dollar interface, because they quickly eat away at the margin that makes a product commercially viable. But we can make sure that the affordable components are implemented and programmed properly, to optimise performance. At Focusrite, we do this using our technical smartness, which we have gained from nearly three decades of audio engineering. We've built our reputation on this, and for making great-sounding, reliable products, despite the hurdles of consumer budgets. But what happens when the design hurdles are removed? How does one design the ultimate interface?

Making A Marvel

We started from the ground up with the Red range, so we had the opportunity to begin from scratch, recalls Will Hoult, Focusrite's Product Manager for Commercial and Professional Audio. The first step in the product development process was to identify who the product would be for. We researched the problems that audio professionals face in their everyday workflow, and set out to solve them, while keeping the commercial competitiveness in view at all times. [Despite taking a no-holds-barred approach, we acknowledged that there is a practical limit to what people will spend on a best-in-class interface.] We spent a lot of time looking at what really falls down for professional users, and what we quickly identified was that large numbers of Pro Tools | HD users were not satisfied with the existing offerings on the market. We focused in on the customer who wants a simple-to-implement, all-in-one solution, which integrates seamlessly with their existing workflow, whether that involves a Pro Tools system or Core Audio-reliant software such as Ableton Live or Logic. Of course, this user also wants unbeatable sound quality that compliments the high-end mics, monitors and outboard equipment in their system, as well as the acoustic environments they work in.

One of the most significant emerging technologies in the interface space is audio-over-IP. - Will Hoult, Focusrite As with every design project, we looked at emerging trends, and what technology we have directly available to us from our other product lines. One of the most significant emerging technologies in the interface space is audio-over-IP, which is something Focusrite has several years of experience in. (Our RedNet range of networked audio interfaces was one of the first to market.) Its main benefit is being able to leverage standard IP networking equipment and infrastructure - which is affordable and easy to obtain - to very quickly add additional equipment to an audio I/O system, and work with very high channel counts at low latency. With older, less advanced tech, adding I/O involves considerable configuration and synchronisation headaches, along with several hurdles in terms of channel count, cable length an

LINK:	https://uk.focusrite.com/news/designing-the-ultimate-interface...
	See more stories from focusrite

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026

January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026 Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...

02/05/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Search, Faster Editing, and an AI-Ready Foundation for Modern Media

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

01/04/2026

DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION

January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...

18/03/2026

Net Insight Names Larissa GrnerMeeus CPO

Newly named chief product officer (CPO), Larissa G rner Meeus will return to Net Insight on May 4. Larissa G rner Meeus will become CPO of Net Insight on May 4...

18/03/2026

SVG Europe's The Football Summit 2026: Select Sessions Now Available to Watch on SVG PLAY

SVG Europe's The Football Summit 2026 explored how the sports broadcasting i...

18/03/2026

SVG's SportsTech@NABShow Blog Goes Live as Countdown to Vegas Heats Up

The 2026 NAB Show kicks off one month from today and SVG is once again set to cover the show from every angle. SVG's SportsTech@NAB Show Blog is now live - ...

18/03/2026

The Premiere of Dead Lover Showcases Grave Robbing and Sex With a Giant Finger

(L-R) The cast and crew of Dead Lover at The Ray Theater for its premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. (Photo by Robin Marshall/Shutterstock for Sundan...

18/03/2026

Music Row Piano from Wiltone Productions

Yamaha C7 captured in Nashville Wiltone Productions have announced the release of Music Row Piano, a deeply sampled Yamaha C7 piano library that's been ...

18/03/2026

Techivation introduce T-Warmer Mk2

Bass-enhancement plug-in upgraded Along with a steady stream of new releases, Techivation have recently been revisiting some of the older plug-ins in their ...

18/03/2026

Tonal Balance Control 3 from iZotope

Mix-reference plug-in overhauled iZotope's powerful mix-referencing plug-in has just reached its third major version, and now boasts a new capture proce...

18/03/2026

Toontrack Transistor Organ EKX

Latest EZKeys 2 expansion arrives Toontrack's staggering collection of EZKeys 2 expansions has grown once again, and the latest instalment delivers a on...

18/03/2026

Jess Ho explores the politics of food in new SBS Audio podcast For The Culture

Jess Ho explores the politics of food in new SBS Audio podcast For The Culture 18 March, 2026 Media releases New SBS Audio podcast For The Culture, hosted ...

18/03/2026

Future-ready broadcasts with ATSC 3.0 and enhanced services from Rohde & Schwarz at NAB 2026

Future-ready broadcasts with ATSC 3.0 and enhanced services from Rohde & Schwarz...

18/03/2026

LCTWS 2026

London Calling - When The Industry Convened to Help Streaming Find its MoJo In this blog, Laura Rognoni reflects on key discussions from the Connected TV World...

18/03/2026

SMPTE Unveils 2026 NAB Show Educational Presentations

SMPTE Unveils 2026 NAB Show Educational Presentations Brie Clayton March 18, 2026 0 Comments SMPTE , the home of media professionals, technologists, a...

18/03/2026

Auditel Ad Campaign Shot on Blackmagic PYXIS 12K

Auditel Ad Campaign Shot on Blackmagic PYXIS 12K Brie Clayton March 18, 2026 0 Comments LED wall virtual production blends 12K open gate acquisition w...

18/03/2026