BigRedX Posted March 29, 2018 Share Posted March 29, 2018 My Focusrite Saffire Pro 24 interface is now a permanent part of one of my band's gigging set ups and I would like to get it rack mounted with all the other stuff that goes with it. However there doesn't seem to be an "official" Focusrite rack mounting kit for it. At the moment I have it "clamped" between two rack mounting shelves, with a bit of effects pedal velcro attaching to the side of one of the shelves. This is not a particularly good solution as the shelves don't clamp it firmly enough in place and the velcro at the side isn't enough to hold it effectively. After each journey the rack case has done so far the Saffire has become dislodged to certain extent. So I am looking for a solution to fix it permanently in place, but without unduly damaging the casing of the Saffire. Ideally I would use effects pedal velcro over the base but as the Saffire is exactly 1U high, there isn't enough room the fit both the Saffire and velcro in-between the two rack shelves. I had a look at the base of the Saffire, but there don't seem to be any screws that I can repurpose to screw through the lower shelf. @Sibob What do Focusrite recommend in this situation? At the moment the only thing I can think of is to cover both the base and the top of the Saffire in strong double-side tape which will attach it to both the top and bottom shelves, but that seems a bit extreme and either still won't be strong enough to hold the interface in place while the case is being bumped around when it is carried, or it will permanently mark the casing of the Saffire which I don't really want to do. Does anyone have any other ideas. There isn't any room for some of the more obvious solutions as it all needs to fit into a 3U case with a removable top which is full as follows (from the bottom up): 1. Patch bay for all the external connections 2. Focusrite Saffire Pro 24 on a 1U rack shelf 3. Rack shelf holding a MacBook Pro surrounded by flight case foam. All these also need to be on the same face so I can't be creative a move some to the back of the case (which is full of rack-mounted mains distribution unit anyway). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted March 29, 2018 Share Posted March 29, 2018 (edited) 37 minutes ago, BigRedX said: ...Does anyone have any other ideas.... This stuff will do the job ... 3M Dual Lock ... Not to be confused with Velcro; this really does lock up solidly, but allows removal (it takes quite some force, though, 'cos it's got a very strong grip in itself...). Hope this helps. Edited March 29, 2018 by Dad3353 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoonBassAlpha Posted March 29, 2018 Share Posted March 29, 2018 I think if there isn't enough room for Velcro, that would rule out Dual Lock too, unfortunately. I'm sure you could fashion something using Sugru It's like a moldable silicone rubber Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted March 29, 2018 Author Share Posted March 29, 2018 Thanks. However MoonBassAlpha is right and looking at the Dual Lock there won't be enough room for it plus the Saffire in a space that is strictly 1U high. The Sugru looks interesting. How easy is it to remove when I no longer need the Saffire in the rack? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sibob Posted March 29, 2018 Share Posted March 29, 2018 (edited) There isn’t really any official recommendations here. Fundamentally it’s not rack-mountable and we wouldn’t recommend tampering with any fixings. As such, the ‘best’ solution would be to purchase a rack-mountable interface (Saffire Pro40, Scarlett 18i20, Clarett 8Pre etc). Other than that, it’s finding a solution such as you’re already discussing. Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful. Si // Focusrite Media Relations Edited March 29, 2018 by Sibob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted March 30, 2018 Author Share Posted March 30, 2018 @Sibob It seems weird that the Saffire Pro 24 is exactly 1U high but there is no way of properly rack mounting it. Normally with devices like this if the manufacturers didn't want you to rack mount it they would make the casing slightly larger so that they occupy more than 1U. I had a look at the alternatives that you suggested. The Saffire Pro 40 appears to be discontinued, but there is a "refurbished" version hidden away on the Focusrite web store (I had to use Google to find it as there weren't any links for this model anywhere on the Focusrite site). What does refurbished in this case mean? And how long will Focusrite continue to support the Saffire range? Apple have depreciated the FW protocol so I am assuming that very soon it won't be possible to run these devices if I want to stay up to date with my Mac OS for the other applications I need to run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sibob Posted March 30, 2018 Share Posted March 30, 2018 Yes the Saffire range is now discontinued (on account of Apple depreciating FW as you mention). Typically we’ll support any discontinued product with driver/software updates for two years past discontinuation, however this of course depends on Apples support of that protocol. As such, whilst there is certainly refurbished Saffires to be had on the estore (possibly a minor repair, more likely a demo unit), I’d probably recommend either a Scarlett 18i20 (USB, same preamps as Saffire), or Clarett 8Pre (Thunderbolt or USB, better preamps/audio spec). Cheers Si // Focusrite Media Relations Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.