Focusrite has introduced the Red 4Pre, a 58-in/64-out Thunderbolt interface combining four of the company’s digitally-controlled mic preamps, plus high-headroom instrument inputs, with dual Pro Tools | HD DigiLink and Dante network audio connectivity.
Four of the company’s new, specially-developed Red Evolution preamps are at the heart of the Red 4Pre, providing clear audio performance with -129 dB EIN and 63 dB of gain. Software control allows recall of settings and stereo linking, plus configuration of high-pass filter, polarity invert and individual phantom power.
The preamps include Focusrite’s proprietary “Air” effect, intended to recreate in the analogue domain the sound of the transformer-based mic preamps in the classic ISA range. Red 4Pre also includes high-headroom instrument inputs, instantly accessible from the front panel.
A new high-performance conversion system provides “parallel path summing,” where two matched converters are run in parallel to increase signal-to-noise ratio. They operate at up to 24-bit, 192 kHz sampling with a dynamic range of 118 dB(A-D)/121 dB (D-A). THD+Noise is stated as ≤0.0009 percentand frequency response is flat from 20 Hz to 35 kHz (±0.25 dB or better).
The Red 4Pre is outfitted with dual Thunderbolt 2 ports to connect to any DAW while allowing daisy-chaining of drives and displays. Low round-trip latency permits recording with preferred plug-ins in real-time while simplifying workflow, while dual DigiLink ports connect the Red 4Pre directly to any Pro Tools | HD system.
In addition, there is Dante network audio connectivity: use the dual Ethernet ports to connect any Dante-compatible product such as units from Focusrite’s own RedNet range, adding up to 64 channels via Ethernet where they’re needed.
The new Red 4Pre will be available mid-April with the following pricing (including VAT): £2099.99 / $2499.99 / €2699.99.
