So I have a Windows setup, with Win7 Ultimate 64 bit system, homemade computer w-Pentium i5 CPU, 8 gigs RAM, 1 terabyte HD. Suddenly Cubase and the unit are not talking. I have the latest Saffire drivers (2010 apparently :-/), and Cubase 6.5.1 build 117.
Weird behavior is that it’s just the inputs. From Windows Control Panel > Device Manager, the unit reports working properly, and it shows up in the Steinberg ASIO setup application. When I boot Cubase without opening a project, I can hit Devices > Device Setup and see the ins and outs from the Saffire, and all are labeled ‘Active’. When I open a project however, I get the dreaded “Missing Ports” popup for the Saffire inputs, and in the Device Setup window the Saffire inputs are now labeled ‘Inactive’. I’m noting that I get the generic ASIO low latency driver controls, not the DirectX Full Duplex ones, when I open the Control Panel within Cubase.
I guess I’m fearing some kind of hardware malfunction. Any other ideas? The computer does have USB 3.0, which I read in some post here can be finicky w-audio devices. Maybe it’s that.
Any help or troubleshooting suggestions would be appreciated. I did reinstall the drivers, using both the USB 1.0 and USB 2.0 options.
Make sure you have the correct 64bit ASIO driver installed, Make sure you have the interface plugged into a USB2 port not a USB3 one. After booting Cubase make sure you select the Saffires ASIO driver in device setup not the generic or direct X one.
I am running the Saffire 6 on Win 7 Home Premium with Cubase 6.5.
I did have a lot of problems getting things started when I first bought the interface a couple of years back, but it works a dream now.
The first thing I did was follow Focusrite’s tutorial on turning off the onboard PC audio and other steps, then I downloaded the lastest driver ‘Focusrite_USB_Driver-1.8’ (which I guess you have).
Still it wasn’t showing in Cubase…so the only way I got it working was literally to choose a USB port, install the drivers, try it, nope - not working, unistall, choose another USB port (I had 10 of them ) install drivers, try it …etc. Evenually, the Saffire ‘liked’ a USB port and I was off!! The inputs and outputs were showing and the Focusrite ASIO drivers and control panel were there and usable.
I’m sorry if that was no help, but I thought I’d share my experience in case it did.
So the thing that’s killing me is that it’s been working fine for over a year, same system, no significant changes. Maybe one would say SOMETHING has to have changed.
The motherboard is USB3, so I tried turning off the 3 in the bios to make it 2. Installing the Saffire drivers, it asks “is the port called USB 2.0 or USB 1 or 1.1?” or words to that effect. I chose 2.0. Then the eLicenser freaked out and told me there’s no license on it. Went back to 3.0. Same issue. No Saffire drivers are choosable in the Cubase Control Panel - it just comes up as Generic Low-Latency ASIO driver ver 1.0.0.1 x64. In the Cubase Device Setup window it shows the Saffire 6 inputs and outputs as active. Yet when I load a project, I get the “unmapped input” message over and over. “Nothing I do don’t seem to work, it only seems to make matters worse” as the Stones said.
I just had the program crash in the middle of running. That has happened a few times lately. I think I should probably try doing a reinstall. Will I be able to do that? From Cubase 6 upgrade disks? As long as I have my elicenser? Then upgrade to 6.5 via the electronic upgrade files I have? I will look for a licensing forum here, or maybe a Cubase rep can respond.
I’d reverse this step if I were you, and stick the Saffire and the e-Licenser in a physical USB2 port, as others suggested. I’m sure your MB doesn’t only have USB3 ports, surely?
Try the beta drivers. I bought the 18i6 used and I got lots of problems with the saffire mixer and configs. Downloaded the lastest beta drivers and it fixed the problem on win7 64bit.
) install drivers, try it …etc. Evenually, the Saffire ‘liked’ a USB port and I was off!! The inputs and outputs were showing and the Focusrite ASIO drivers and control panel were there and usable.