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Focusrite Clarett 8Pre and 8PreX

Focusrite Clarett 8Pre and 8PreX Shipping

Focusrite have addressed the demand for the next generation of Thunderbolt Audio Interfaces for the professional studio and home recordist alike with the new Clarett range. Thunderbolt audio offers extremely low round-trip latency and gives recording engineers the ability to monitor through software plugins and get the most out of a performance. Each of the new interfaces features a newly designed microphone pre amp that builds on the already ubiquitous model as found in the Sapphire range, and features a new ‘AIR’ mode that adds an upper mid boost to the signal, perfect for vocals.

The Clarett range also features Focusrite’s new Control Software, this allows you to create custom monitor mixes as well as control all the routings between the physical and digital inputs and outputs. The focus here is its simplicity of operation, offering a traditional mixer workflow and intuitive layout of features.

The Clarett models that are currently on offer are the Clarett 8Pre, which is an 18 in, 20 out Thunderbolt interface with up to 24/192 digital conversion quality, with a pretty impressive 119dB of dynamic range. This model looks and feels similar to the Sapphire Pro 40, and we’re guessing is the next generation, thunderbolt version of one of the bestselling interfaces of all time. The 8Pre has 8 mic/line inputs with two of them being conveniently located on the front panel for faster setup times for simpler stereo recordings when the unit is rack-mounted. It also includes front panel metering that allows you to see all your analogue input levels at a glance and two front mounted headphone outputs.

The next model is the Clarett 8PreX and has been designed for studio installation use. It’s a 26/28 IO Thunderbolt interface that gives you a lot more hands-on control over the operation of the pre amps. The front panel hosts knob-per-function control over the mic gain, phase reversal, high-pass filter and 48v phantom power in the traditional channel strip style. Each channel also features indication LEDs for mic, line, instrument and AIR giving you instant at-a-glance feedback. There are two front mounted instrument jack inputs for connecting guitar and bass and the same 6-segment input monitor for the analogue inputs and dual headphone outs that you find on the 8Pre. There is also a large monitor knob for controlling the levels of your main studio monitors.

To celebrate the release of the Clarett Thunderbolt Interface range, we decided to put the newly designed preamps into action, and create a couple of videos that demonstrate just how easy it is to record a simple performance through the interface. We utilise the new AIR mode on the preamps for the main vocal take, which really brings it to the front and centre of the mix with no further post processing. Take a listen below:


The Clarett 8Pre and 8PreX are now shipping, and you can order yours from our online web store or for more information:

Focusrite Clarett 8PreX Rackmount Thunderbolt Audio Interface with 8 Mic Preamps

Focusrite Clarett 8Pre Rackmount Thunderbolt Audio Interface

For more information on your audio and video production needs, please call ESV now on 020 3137 2901 or email us at: [email protected].