"Upgrading" interfaces.

[NoFi Audio]

Currently I have 4 MOTU devices: 2 828MKIIs and 2 2408 MKIs. The 2 828s are connected by Firewire to my PC, and each one has a 2408 connected with ADAT/optical. I run everything at 48KHz. This all works fine for my home studio needs. I have more I/O than I ever imagined, all connected to a Mackie 24 /8, so I get the whole 24x 24 experience and then some.

I came across a local sale of a 2408MK3 and the 424 PCIe card. I don't really need either...however... the price was right. I haven't read much about the Audiowire connectivity, except its MOTU proprietary. It's always a bit unnerving when you start messing with something that is working already. Given what I've listed as my exiting equipment, what benefit would i see to use the PCIe card and connect the 2408s to that? One of the things I came across with the 2408s I picked up is that the ADAT/optical only works in 1 direction at a time. I use 2408#1 strictly for intake and the other 2408 for playback. Even though they both have ADAT A B and C, in standalone mode I can only use 1 bank in 1 direction. Does that change at all with the Audiowire card?

I'm just trying to figure out how to best set up all this stuff to work efficiently.
Thanks for the read

S~

[HCMarkus]

I came across a local sale of a 2408MK3 and the 424 PCIe card.... what benefit would i see to use the PCIe card and connect the 2408s to that?

Going from memory here. Check the MOTO manual if you sent to explore in depth. IIRC: More I/O, balanced analog I/O, and better conversion with the mk3. One CueMix can control 24 channels of I/O instead of two (like your current setup)

One of the things I came across with the 2408s I picked up is that the ADAT/optical only works in 1 direction at a time. I use 2408#1 strictly for intake and the other 2408 for playback. Even though they both have ADAT A B and C, in standalone mode I can only use 1 bank in 1 direction. Does that change at all with the Audiowire card?

With the 424, each 2408mk3 provides up to 24 channels of audio I/O.

The big question for me is whether the 424 will work with your computer.

[mikehalloran]

You don't say how the 2408 is connected — stand-alone or via a 324 or 424 card?

CueMix is found in the 424 card, not the 2408. The 324 card did not have it. There were three 424 cards—each required a different PCI slot with the 424e requiring a PCIe slot in your PC. All of these were discontinued in 2013.

https://motu.com/techsupport/technotes/ ... patibility

You can connect up to four AudioWire units to that 424e card (three to a 324 card).

MOTU strongly recommends using an external clock if trying to sync three or more units to prevent drift. I no longer remember if that applies to the three connected to the 424e card. You'll have to consult the manual near the bottom of this page.

https://motu.com/en-us/techsupport/manuals/

[NoFi Audio]

Thanks for the replies.

My currrent 2408s (the old MK1s) are configured in standalone mode; one of them connects to each 828 MKII via optical cable @ 48Khz. I have set one 2408 for ingest of 8 channels and the other 2408 is set for playback.

I have yet to pick up the 2408 MK3 and card... this weekend coming up. I hadn't expected at the time I bought the old 2408s that a the newer one, and the card, would both become available, locally even.

From information provided by the seller and confirmed by pictures of the card, it is a PCIe version, and I have a free slot for that. I realize that this kind of gear is unsupported officially; I'm not concerned about that. If the 424 card consolidates my I/O the way I'm thinking, I could end up removing one of the 828s and put it to use elsewhere... I have a need for that on another PC, and that would save me the hassle of locating something for it.

I have picked up an ART word clock, and will be hooking that up when the rest goes in on the weekend. Currently I'm using 828#1 as clock master and feeding the other 828 and the "playback" 2408 from that master. I'd have done both 2408s. but just ran out of cabling at the time. And... then realized that I needed something external, so I'm just using at as is for the time being.

With regard to the 2408 MK3.. are the optical banks still one-way when used with the 424 PCIe card (as is the case with my MK1s) or can I send and receive simultaneously on ADAT Bank A ( B and C at the same time too?) I tried getting that from the manual, but I wasn't picking up that info.

Thanks
- Steve

[mikehalloran]

…
With regard to the 2408 MK3.. are the optical banks still one-way when used with the 424 PCIe card (as is the case with my MK1s) or can I send and receive simultaneously on ADAT Bank A ( B and C at the same time too?) I tried getting that from the manual, but I wasn't picking up that info.

Thanks
- Steve

To my knowledge, this is not possible. I may be wrong.

[NoFi Audio]

To my knowledge, this is not possible. I may be wrong.

I didn't think so, but thought I'd ask anyways.

The Audiowire port is exclusive to MOTU, but it is a firewire cable that connects the two?
Can "regular" firewire devices (Like the 828MKII) connect to an Audio wire port (on the PCIe 424), possible defaulting to FW only? I would think the Audio wire protocol would need to be in the firmware of the 828 for it to function that way.

S~

[James Steele]

Can "regular" firewire devices (Like the 828MKII) connect to an Audio wire port (on the PCIe 424)…

Nope.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[mikehalloran]

To my knowledge, this is not possible. I may be wrong.

I didn't think so, but thought I'd ask anyways.

The Audiowire port is exclusive to MOTU, but it is a firewire cable that connects the two?
Can "regular" firewire devices (Like the 828MKII) connect to an Audio wire port (on the PCIe 424), possible defaulting to FW only? I would think the Audio wire protocol would need to be in the firmware of the 828 for it to function that way.

S~

Audio Wire is a protocol that predates FireWire and MOTU was not the only company that used it. Technically, FW400 uses an AW cable. Interestingly, FW400 cables were not always built to the true AW spec causing many of us to get out X-acto blades to trim excess insulation from FW plugs to gain the extra 1/8” we needed to make a firm connection.

Can "regular" firewire devices (Like the 828MKII) connect to an Audio wire port (on the PCIe 424)…

Nope.

[NoFi Audio]

OK. I think I get the picture now, between these replies and skimming through the manuals. It may be more practical to use the new-to-me stuff in the 2nd computer, since I already have a decent working 24*24 setup in the main recording PC.

S~