Motu 828 mkII / 8 Pre macOS 11 Big Sur compatibility

[mikehalloran]

Hello, I am new to the forum and would have a question. I run BigSur on a mid-2010 Mac Pro with a 3.46 GHZ quad core Xenon. Using the MOTU Audio Driver v1.6.83634, I could make my FireWire-only 828mkII work as described. However, I am getting audio dropouts every couple of seconds. No clear pattern to it but it happens too often to be usable. It would be great to have the old Mac Pro with all the connectivity for my old hardware runnig a modern sequencer programme (Bitwig) while using my trusted old 828mk2s.
Any advcice welcome. Thank you, Martin

Because the 828mkII is no longer supported, MOTU does not list drivers for Big Sur and Monterey. Many threads on this.

You need to look under 828mk3 Hybrid, go to Older Drivers and download this from the drop down menu.

MOTU Audio Installer

Version: 88494
Release Date: June 8, 2021

Shut down and reboot.

Unless you have a hardware problem, this will fix you up.

[cmfrick]

Mike,

Thank you for your kind reply, much appreciated! I am rather certain this is the version i am using but will double-check tonight. I notice (much) fewer audio dropouts now but it is still an issue. In the meantime, I also managed to get my old Emagic Unitor (USB) interface to work in my setup. So, other than the audio dropouts, this is a dream setup, where all my vintage gear is connected to the 2011 (not 2010) MacPro with its firewire and USB connections whilce being seamlessly integrated in the brilliant 2022 version of bitwig.

Thank you again and I keep you posted.

Martin

[cmfrick]

Dear Mike,

you were, of course, right. I had the wrong versoion of the driver. After I installed the one you recommended, everything works just flawlessly. This is fantastic, As said before,this just creates the perfect work environment for me.
Thank you very much indeed for your kind advice!

Martin

[Less02]

I'm on Monterey 12.3.1 and everything still working fine. But I got warned by my Mac that some motu developed software were to be no longer supported by the next update. Now, I turned off automatic update, but version 12.4 is ready to be installed. I would like to have other user's advice as if this is indeed going to stop the motu 828 MKII FW to work properly.

I'm currently running it on the 1.6.89555 version of the MKIII hybrid.

[mikehalloran]

I'm on Monterey 12.3.1 and everything still working fine. But I got warned by my Mac that some motu developed software were to be no longer supported by the next update. Now, I turned off automatic update, but version 12.4 is ready to be installed. I would like to have other user's advice as if this is indeed going to stop the motu 828 MKII FW to work properly.

I'm currently running it on the 1.6.89555 version of the MKIII hybrid.

I get that same message just yesterday with Digital Performer 11.11 on my M1 Mac over Monterey 12.4.

You're good for now and running the latest driver. When this changes, you can be certain that we will be discussing it.

[dfiorucci]

So I just upgraded to Big Sur on my 2009 Mac Pro vi Opencore Legacy Patcher.
I had all of my 2 828mk3 firewire only working perfectly until last week.
I'd start up the mac turn on the 2 828mk3
Motu Audio Setup would see the 2 828mk3 Audio MIDI would see them System Report showed them and Cue Mix saw them
but my soft synths and DP11 refused to connect to them.
Rerun the Motu Audio Installer V89555 Restart after install and everything worked perfect.
Shut down or restart the mac and I'm back to the soft synths and DP11 refusing to connect.
Has anyone seen this behavior and know the remedy?
Thanks,
Dana

[mikehalloran]

No idea but there are a couple of things I would try:

How long since you replaced the NV RAM battery? Apple spec'd the heat resistant BR2032 but, if you are running SSDs inside, the common CR2032 medical battery is fine. I replace them every 5 years to be safe but I've seen them fail after 8 years,

After you have everything working, shut down and boot in Safe Mode by holding the Shift Key. Log in when asked and wait till all your desktop icons rebuild. Reboot normally. This rebuilds your desktop, resets paths to default and resets system caches.

[dfiorucci]

Hi Mike,
Great suggestions
Tech support said there was a known bug in Big Sur related to audio extensions and it was fixed with the release of Monterey.
I'll check the items you suggested first it's probably been 5 years on the battery now.
I see from your tag line you are running Monterey I wonder if anyone else is running a 5,1 with Monterey and firewire devices reliably.

[donluca]

I always see the Firewire 828 MKII mentioned, but has anyone tried their luck with the USB2.0 version?

I have a MOTU 828 MKII USB2.0 and I was wondering if I can update to apple silicon macs and keep it working.

Otherwise I'd have to sell my USB2.0 and get a Firewire 828 + 2 adapters which cost an unreasonable amount of money.

[mikehalloran]

I always see the Firewire 828 MKII mentioned, but has anyone tried their luck with the USB2.0 version?

I have a MOTU 828 MKII USB2.0 and I was wondering if I can update to apple silicon macs and keep it working.

Otherwise I'd have to sell my USB2.0 and get a Firewire 828 + 2 adapters which cost an unreasonable amount of money.

Again, you will need the following driver from motu.com/downloads. You will find it under Audio Interfaces 828mk3 Hybrid since that interface is still supported. It will not appear for the mkII.

MOTU Audio Installer
Mac v89555 | Oct. 13, 2021
macOS 13, macOS 12, macOS 11

No guarantees it will work, of course — which is why MOTu won't list it. For best results use a USB 2 cable, not USB 3 (long story). If you need a USB-B to USB-C that supports only USB 2, Amazon has these.
https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-Pr ... ref=sr_1_9

[donluca]

Thank you so much Mike, your input is greatly appreciated!

Hopefully when the time comes I'll have a nice surprise and my USB2.0 will still work just like the Firewire ones!

My Mac Pro is unfortunately slowly dying, so I'm afraid it's only a matter of time before I'll be forced to do the switch.

[bakkumd]

Another thank you to Mike Halloran and others for guidance on reviving legacy MOTU gear.

I found this thread an hour ago - downloaded the MOTU driver recommended by Mike and installed it into my 2019 16" Intel MBPro running Montery 12.6.2. I ran the installer as is - no issues and no warnings, other than confirming the app in the Security pane and restarting. The MOTU 828 appeared in the Sound preferences pane. Yes... an original 828 (Firewire 400). The 64 bit Audio Setup.app opened and had the same controls as the 32 bit app on my 32 bit Mojave system (iMac Pro). I couldn't believe it!

I initially couldn't get Logic Pro to hear the 828 directly (Logic did see it and select it though), so I tried an app called Loopback by Rogue Amoeba. A virtual routing app. After creating a simple patch in Loopback - I am now able to control the audio from the 828 and send it multiple places simultaneously. I sent it back out to the 828 (different outputs), my studio monitors, headphones, and Logic Pro X at the same time. Absolutely no issues (so far). The percent of CPU usage for the Loopback app rarely reaches 5% (2 channel stereo audio).

Cables used:
1. 400-800 Firewire cable
2. Apple Firewire 800 to Thunderbolt 2 dongle
3. Apple Thunderbolt 2 to Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) dongle

I have been reluctantly shopping for a new A/D converter for a while, something I will obviously need at some point, BUT NOT TODAY!! Thanks again Mike and everyone else who contributes to this site and especially this thread.

[12tweak]

Does anyone have any info regarding the compatibility of MOTU 828 mkII with Monterey v12.5 on mac M1 using the most up to date driver? Deciding whether or not to invest the multitudinous adapters.

[donluca]

I forgot to post an update: my 828 mk2 USB works fully in macOS Ventura 13.4!

I'm on a Mac Mini M1.

Another huge thank you to Mike for his guidance!

[mikehalloran]

Does anyone have any info regarding the compatibility of MOTU 828 mkII with Monterey v12.5 on mac M1 using the most up to date driver? Deciding whether or not to invest the multitudinous adapters.

If your unit is in good shape’ it will work. Mine does. Do remember that the newest 828mkII is over 16 years old.

The FW version requires the Apple adapters while the USB version requires a cable that supports USB 2 (480KB/s). Read the specs—not all do.