Do you use a focusrite 6 usb With win7?

jerry99 · 08-26-2012, 05:49 PM

Hello. I recently bought a focusrite saffire USB 6 and I am using it with a Toshiba laptop and sure sm57.
I am having a problem with it. The volume on the mike pre-amps won’t shut off all the way and it also needs to be set at almost full volume to get any signal in. The quality is bad.
I’d like to ask someone who owns one this question:
When I open the device manager and go to the focusrite, it says that it is working but using a driver called: drmk.sys which is a Microsoft driver. The driver: ffusbaudio.sys (the focusrite driver) is in the list of possible drivers but when I choose it, Windows switches back to drmk.sys
The drmk driver is highlighted in blue when I open “Driver File Details”. C:\windows\system32\DRIVERS\ffusbaudio.sys is listed under it (unsigned and the word DRIVERS is in upper case) It will go blue but when I check again, it is still using drmk. Should it be like this? Is this the problem? Any ideas what is happening and how to fix it?
I’ve tried uninstalling and re-installing and it has the 1.10.128.0. driver installed. Driver is dated: 10/31/2011
All info will be appreciated.

m1ck300668UK · 08-27-2012, 03:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jerry99

Hello. I recently bought a focusrite saffire USB 6 and I am using it with a Toshiba laptop and sure sm57.
I am having a problem with it. The volume on the mike pre-amps won’t shut off all the way and it also needs to be set at almost full volume to get any signal in. The quality is bad.
I’d like to ask someone who owns one this question:
When I open the device manager and go to the focusrite, it says that it is working but using a driver called: drmk.sys which is a Microsoft driver. The driver: ffusbaudio.sys (the focusrite driver) is in the list of possible drivers but when I choose it, Windows switches back to drmk.sys
The drmk driver is highlighted in blue when I open “Driver File Details”. C:\windows\system32\DRIVERS\ffusbaudio.sys is listed under it (unsigned and the word DRIVERS is in upper case) It will go blue but when I check again, it is still using drmk. Should it be like this? Is this the problem? Any ideas what is happening and how to fix it?
I’ve tried uninstalling and re-installing and it has the 1.10.128.0. driver installed. Driver is dated: 10/31/2011
All info will be appreciated.

Hi Jerry99 i also own a focusrite saffire 6 usb external sound device *but* I don't use the pre amps mine does use exactly the same drivers your is using.
The best thing i can suggest is contacting focusrite their customer support is excellent (in my past experience).

Hope you get it sorted.

jerry99 · 08-27-2012, 01:21 PM

Hello m1ck300668UK. Thanks for responding.
When you go into device manager and choose the focusrite device and then driver details. Do you see the drmk driver highlighted or the ffusbaudio or something else?
I contacted focusrite before I posted here but so far no reply.

ivansc · 08-28-2012, 12:06 AM

It is a bank holiday weekend in the UK. Closed till today, so be patient.

And, courage! I have a Saffire6 happily working on a Dual core with 2 gb of ram, giving very decent performance. And using the Focusrite ASIO drivers OR WASAPI in Reaper. Stable as can be, too.

FnA · 08-28-2012, 03:51 PM

Mines OK. Yeah some signal will get thru even when down all the way. Not an issue for me personally.

Got mine in June. I think they were just starting to sell the USB 2.0 models. Before that it was 1.0 only. I read something on the focusrite site about problems with windows7 and i series processors and USB root hub problems. (fine print-easy to miss) But the 2.0 is working like a champ for me on a HP laptop with windows7 and i3. Never had to go back and look at the driver stuff anywhere other than Reapers preferences, where it shows (sorry not at home right now not 100% on this) 2 choices- focusrite something something 2.0 audio driver and focusrite something something ASIO driver. With the first I've had decent luck pushing the slider all the way to the left. I get an occasional pop on playback once every couple minutes but nothing in the recording.

The focusrite site also has PC optimization tips. I did most of that stuff that didnt carry some kind of warning. Setting the computer to high performance made a big difference for me. I've also shut off as much factory sound stuff as I could find. Maybe you have to dig around the windows control panel? I dont have that drmk thing. I'm using 64 everything.

ivansc · 08-29-2012, 01:01 AM

Interesting I didnt know there was a USB2 version of the 6.

May have to see if I can upgrade mine! (grin)

Sorry, but it is the Scarlett interfaces that are USB2.0 On focusrite's own site it is still showing that Saffire6 is only USB1.1
Not that it seems to make a lot of difference.
Quoted latency figures I have seen on the Scarletts mirror what I am getting.

FnA · 08-29-2012, 03:39 AM

I know what you are saying ivansc. I dont know why the website still says that. The box it comes in says 2.0. And yes it also says saffire 6. I knew you had one from other posts.

Look at the retailer sites if you want to see for yourself. When I bought mine there was only one or two that advertised the new one. There might be some inventory out there to get rid of.

jerry99 · 09-02-2012, 07:52 PM

If you have the Focusrite Saffire USB 6 running on Win 7x64 with Reaper, can I ask a minute of your time?
Can you go to Control Panel/Hardware and Sound/Devices and Printers/ Device Manager.
Open: “Sound, video and game controllers”.
Right click the “Saffire 6 USB” and click “Properties”, then “Driver”, then “Driver Details”.
What is the name of the driver highlighted in blue?

FnA · 09-04-2012, 06:25 AM

Will do later.

FnA · 09-04-2012, 03:00 PM

Sorry, jerry99, looks like you have the 1.1 model and I have the 2.0.

Also sorry I said I dont have the drmk thing because it IS in there, also highlighted in blue on top of the list. But... the list IS in alphabetical order so...I dont know what that means. Here's whats in there. 4 things. The first one and third and fourth ones have a little certificate looking thing in front. Then they all say-
C:\windows\system 32\drivers(the second one is also capitalized here)

drmk.sys
ffusb2audio.sys
ksthunk.sys
portcls.sys

I never see that drmk anywhere else. In preferences I have-
Audio System- ASIO
ASIO Driver: Focusrite USB 2.0 Audio Driver
(also available in dropdown list)Focusrite USB ASIO Driver.

I've got driver date 9/22/2011 and driver version 2.2.0.0.

Sorry. Better bump yourself back with a post of your own. Keep bugging Focusrite. Theres these two guys Tom and Eddie Focusrite that usually stop in on Focusrite related posts. I dont know where they are now. Maybe waiting to see if we can help out? ivansc and m1ck300668UK might be able to but I guess I cant.

Woops sorry eddie NOVATION.

pdk · 09-05-2012, 03:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ivansc

Interesting I didnt know there was a USB2 version of the 6.

May have to see if I can upgrade mine! (grin)

Sorry, but it is the Scarlett interfaces that are USB2.0 On focusrite's own site it is still showing that Saffire6 is only USB1.1
Not that it seems to make a lot of difference.
Quoted latency figures I have seen on the Scarletts mirror what I am getting.

Don't bother. USB 1 provides more than adequate bandwidth for it's maximum I/O capabilities.

ivansc · 09-06-2012, 01:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdk

Don't bother. USB 1 provides more than adequate bandwidth for it's maximum I/O capabilities.

(grin) Thats why I said it didnt seem to make enough difference to be worth bothering!

Get with the program, Fla!

Makes me feel less of an old duffer to post smartass stuff at young things....

ivansc · 09-06-2012, 04:47 AM

Just had a quick look version of driver is 1.10.128.0

Hope this helps. It is dated 30.Oct 2011 btw.

jerry99 · 09-07-2012, 02:39 PM

Hello FnA, Thanks for doing that – I appreciate it. At least I know what it’s supposed to look like now. It looks like the drmk driver is supposed to be there and the ffusb driver works with it. Thanks also to Ivansc. It all helps.

FnA · 09-07-2012, 04:43 PM

Not great with computers jerry99 but could this be relevent?

http://www.focusrite.com/answerbase/...le.php?id=1127

kwpv356 · 09-19-2012, 05:02 AM

i've had reaper for about 3 weeks. loaded x64 first. loved it!

then I got the saffire 6. no problems.

then I switched to reaper x32 because 64 wouldn't read my dx vst's. now when I bring the computer out of hibernate, I have to unplug/replug the saffire or I get garbled noise from any source on my computer.

i put a new thread on yesterday, but no replies yet.

solutions, anyone???

ivansc · 09-19-2012, 09:06 AM

Switch hibernate off?

Never understood why they still offer that as an option.

P.S. regarding your problem, it sounds like something set in the 64bit version in your .ini file is coming back to haunt you in 32 bit.

To be honest I havent actually switched between 32 and 64 on the fly, so I will try it and see what my results are.

Will be a few days as I m off to France again, where I will be ob the mobile rig that uses the Saffire6.