MOTU - daisy chaining units?

So I contacted MOTU about this but they couldn't answer and said I needed to contact Apple. I have an 828 (the original) and a pre8 unit. I want to daisy chain them together to I have 16 ins w/10 preamps. According to the manual you can do this with the digital optical connection which I tried. I tried using each unit as the host but either way it would only recognized the host unit's ins and not the additional ones that had been connected via digital optical connection. I also tried just daisy chaining them via firewire but that way Logic recognizes both units separately instead of as one. The person I talked to at MOTU ran me through creating an aggregate device which I guess will combine the two units and create a new source option for the ins/outs. I tried that but it still only recognizes the main unit which connects to the computer via firewire. Can anyone help me with this? I know its possible to do and I have the digital optical cables hooked up right (in - out). I must be missing something. Thanks in advance.

Creating an aggregate device is really easy so I would imagine that you did it properly.
I use 2 896s and 2 ADA-8000s and have no problems with Logic 8. There are 2 different issues here at play. Let's address each:
1. Daisy Chaining. This is where they are attached firewire to each other and into the computer. This is where you use the aggregate device. This works for me as long as I hook them together with a word clock. Since you are using just two things, you can hook one to the other. Then, in the control panel, you can select which word clock as the clock source for the one being slaved off the other (also, in the aggregate, selected the master unit as where the clock is coming from). MOTU says that it can get the clock off of the firewire, I've never had success in it working. This of course will not cause no audio, it usually just means it removes any glitching. When connected as an aggregate device, it's like you are using them separately and CoreAudio is combining the results. The fact this is not working for you seems VERY strange.
2. ADAT connections. I think you are going to have to use CueMix on whatever device it is you want it to use ADAT and have it direct the signals out the ADAT port. By default, ADAT out has nothing to do with the inputs on the device. For this reason you can use all outputs and inputs at the same time. What you want is that your inputs get mapped to the ADAT outs on whatever device. This is why it is probably not working for you.
Other than that, I don't know what to say. I do know other people have responded that they are having trouble keeping their 8pre's recording all the time. So maybe it is a problem with the 8pre. These people were using it daisy chained firewire.

Similar Messages

Daisy chaining MOTU interfaces

To daisy chain 2 motu interfaces (or other 8 channel interfaces with lightpipe) you must attach a lightpipe (ADAT) cable to the master interface's INPUT from the second interface's lightpipe OUTPUT. Your master interface IS connected to the computer via firewire. Now DISCONNECT the firewire from the second interface!
This puts your second interface into CONVERTER mode and Logic recognizes its' inputs AFTER you re-set your core audio.
A second lightpipe cable INTO your aux interface FROM your master interface will clock it to the same clock used on the master (word clock, AES, etc..)
Please send me cash for this info.
Took me an hour of futsing to figure it out.
16 INS!!!!
___Tim Leitch

Tim, hope the money comes pouring in!
Normally in this type of setup the MOTU unit that (in your case) is acting as 8 converters is the Master Clock so the second lightpipe cable is unnecessary. I do have some experience with this having digitally wired two large commercial studios using a digital patchbay, wordclock master, s/pdif, lightpipe, AES/EBU...etc.
There's a reason for this although with the MOTU units your method probably works however, not all digital units sync well using the second unit as the master. Be sure and check your files for sync errors, noise, clicks, digital hash.

Daisy-chain 2x Motu 8pre

Hi All,
I'm trying to daisy-chain 2 Motu 8pre's using ADAT into LE9.
Logic happily recognises one 8pre when used alone. But when I chain the 2 together the only way I can get input is if I use Motu's 'CueMix FX' software.
My proplem with that is....basically, I don't want to use it. It seems if I want to mute an input in logic I have to cross over to CueMix etc.
Anyway. Can I get the two Motu's recognised by Logic as one device, bypass CueMix and do this using ADAT ??
Hoping someone out there is doing this exact thing.
Cheers. - John.

To daisy chain 2 motu interfaces (or other 8 channel interfaces with lightpipe) you must attach a lightpipe (ADAT) cable to the master interface's INPUT from the second interface's lightpipe OUTPUT. Your master interface IS connected to the computer via firewire. Now DISCONNECT the firewire from the second interface!
This puts your second interface into CONVERTER mode and Logic recognizes its' inputs AFTER you re-set your core audio.
A second lightpipe cable INTO your aux interface FROM your master interface will clock it to the same clock used on the master (word clock, AES, etc..)
Please send me cash for this info.
Took me an hour of futsing to figure it out.
16 INS!!!!
___Tim Leitch

Daisy Chain a Motu 896HD and a FirePod, can't get it to work??

I'm trying to Daisy Chain a Motu 896HD and a FirePod, but don't know how to get them to work together. Logic Pro can see them seperately, but I can't get it to recognize them at the same time to use 16 audio input channels. Can anyone tell me how this can be done?
I know I'm suppose to set one as the Master and the other as the Slave, but can't figure out how that's done.
I have read in the Motu Mannual how to daisy chain two Motu interfaces, but can't figure out a motu and a firepod. I emailed Motu for help, they said I would need to get help on the software side.
I've been going through post after post on here, but can't find a similar problem that's been helped.
Thanks,
Chad
iMac G5 Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Axiom,
I replied under the other thread for ya. AMS=Audio Midi Setup. It's in the Applications>Utilities folder. Create an Aggregate Device and select it in Logic's Core Audio driver pane.

Daisy Chaining 3 MOTU 828mkII

Hi, guys
I,m trying to Daisy Chain three 828mkII with logic pro
7.1.0 on OSX 10.3.9 with no joy. Logic reads the three
828s seperately. How can this be done in order to have
more recording channels? Thanks in advance.
G4 Powerbook 12" Mac OS X (10.3.9) Logic 7.1.0

I'm trying to Daisy Chain a Motu 896HD and a FirePod, but don't know how to get them to work together. Logic Pro can see them seperately, but I can't get it to recognize them at the same time to use 16 audio input channels. Can anyone tell me how this can be done? I know I'm suppose to set one as the Master and one as the Slave, but I can't figure out how?
EoS, I am more ignorant about this program then I thought, what is the AMS and where can I find it?
Thanks,
Chad

Daisy chaining motu interfaces together

I have a new Motu 896, and 8pre and I'm using Logic 8.
Today I tried daisy chaining the 2 together with firewire so that I could use 16 tracks.
The problem I'm having is, Logic won't recognize the extra tracks. I can choose either interface and the inputs will work separately, 8 inputs from the 896 or 8 inputs from the 8pre, but I haven't been able to get 8+8 together.
Is there some sort of input/output configuration menu I need to assign the tracks to in Logic? I've been skimming the manuals and forums but haven't had any luck so far...
Anybody able to help?

Hi
Have your tried to aggregate your devices?
I have the Duet and Metric Halo 2882 and 8pre
I did an aggregate of the 3 in the Audio Midi Setup and used the Duet as the Output (let's face it, MOTU converters ain't good at all, i keep it just for an extra 8 inputs) and the Aggregate device (Duet + 8pre + Metric Halo) as the input.
Make sure your master clock is set otherwise you'll hear glitches.
Hope that helps

Mac Mini 2009 - Can't daisy chain two FW800 drives

I have two FW800 enclosures with 3.5-inch drives and external power.
Each one mounts individually when connected to the Mini FW800 port but when I daisy-chain them the second one in the chain doesn't mount and is not seen by disk utility.
Those enclosures use an Oxford UF934DSB chipset.
What's ironic that I had a FW400 enclosure daisy chained to one FW800 enclosure until this afternoon and that daisy-chain worked fine.
Somewhere on the net there was an article that the daisy-chaining had to be done in a certain sequence, ie Mac FW to top FW port on first external, then from bottom of first FW enclosure to top of second and so forth.
I always though the FW ports were just wired in parallel.
Well, this is interesting - since these new FW800 enclosures also have one FW400 port as well, I just connected the second one using the FW400 ports and now they both mount.
But now the whole chain only runs at FW400 speeds.
Anyone else come across this problem or better yet, what is the solution to get both daisy-chained FW800 drives to mount.
The enclosures are Rosewell, the drive in each a 1.5 TB WD green.

I don't think it has anything to do with the power supply.
The two enclosures are identical and react (work or not) exactly the same when I interchange them or the FW cable.
They also work flawlessly if I connect the second one using FW400 instead of FW800. Would just trying to get the enclosure to mount with FW800 draw more current than when mounting with FW400 to put the power brick over the edge? I doubt it.
A few other things I'm going to try - I do this when I have a few extra minutes since I can't afford to spend my time on this continuously.
1. See if there is a F'W update for the enclosure and/or the Oxford chip.
2. Talk to the Oxford and enclosure support people
3. Update to 10.6.4, I'm on 10.6.2 right now
4. Do a bit more digging on the net to see how others got the FW800 daisy-chaining working.
The two enclosures react the same when I try each one separately and also when I switch them around. Whatever the problem is, it affects both equally so it's not some defect on one of them.
With the rest of the testing I have done, I'm now pretty sure it's a Mac software problem.
Although I would have thought someone else would have this problem as well but I can't even find any discussion on daisy-chaining with this chipset when running OS 10.6.
There is a 15-digit number in disk utility called connection ID.
I assume that is the Firewire ID number that some threads I read refer to.
That ID is the same for the two FW800 ports and the FW400 port on each enclosure but it's different for the two enclosures, so some conflict there is definitely not the issue.
So far I couldn't find what the latest issue of firmware is for the Oxford chip set, but I copied all the information that comes up with the firewire hardware listing so when I find the information I can check it against the firmware issue on my two units.
Now, another interesting tidbit - some people say they had to power up the enclosure a few times occasionally to get a single drive to mount.
I never had that problem, a single FW800 drive always mounted right away, but I decided to try that with the daisy-chained drive.
So I turned the power switch on that second drive off and then on again...and lo and behold - doesn't it mount now........
But that is not the interesting tidbit........the tidbit is when I check back in the Mini Firewire hardware listing.
Whereas before it showed all the expected detail with either drive when connected individually via FW800, now with both FW800 drives connected I get this:
*FireWire Bus:*
*Warning: Unable to list FireWire devices.*
*Maximum Speed: Up to 800 Mb/sec*
....and oooops - both FW800 drives just disconnected by themselves.
Sure seems to point to a Mac software issue.
And if you google for "Warning: Unable to list FireWire devices." you get pages of hits - many on Leopard but also a fair share on SL.
I updated the software to 10.6.4 - still the same problem.
Daisy-chain with FW400 is fine, with FW800 the second drive in the chain - doesn't matter which one it is, won't mount.

Daisy chain set up dual DVD writers and dual drives

Which comes first in a daisy chain? I have dual sets of DVD burner/external drives connected to a hub as two sets. With each set should I hub to the DVD burner or hub to the external drive first in the daisy chain or does it matter?

To restate and update now that I know a little more.
I have a C2D Intel Santa Rosa mini 2GHz/2GB with one Firewire 400 port and four USB2 ports.
I jumper from the mini FWa to the Apple 20in monitor which then gives me two FWa ports as a hub sharing bandwidth for four separate units - two LaCie d2 Quads, a Sony DVD burner, and a LG DVD burner in a Ratoc enclosure. Since I don't use everything at once, that's okay. My main use is one or the other of the DVD burners. The Sony is Region 1 and the LG is region free for some international DVDs.
Viewing DVDs with this setup using VLC and a Logicool speaker setup works fine.
I have a fifth unit which is a Maxtor FWa/USB2 drive connected to a USB port.
When I do DV capture I disconnect all devices from the single FWa on the mini and use it for the camcorder with capture into the internal drive. The files are moved to one of the external FW drives with the USB as the scratch disk.
I haven't tried to capture on the USB drive so that's still ahead of me. My Canon camcorder will not daisy chain using FW.
As I see it, the mini is okay. A MacBook would not gain me anything since it has a single FWa port. A MacBook Pro would not gain me anything, with one exception, since both FWa for the camcorder and FWb for the external drive are on the same bus. The iMacs are the same. I'd have to move to the Mac Pro to start getting an advantage.
The lone exception for the MBP is using an Express Card for eSATA. I could put the camcorder on the FWa port and a LaCie Quad on the eSATA port card. Since the LaCie Quad has FW it could also be used for an external boot if needed away from home. At home the MBP would still drive the 20in Apple monitor.
Mac mini, MBP or Mac Pro are my choices. The least expensive, yet still suitable, is the mini. It runs iMovie 08, iMovie HD for a little more editing oomph, and FCE 4 if I want still more editing stuff.
Thanks for pitching in an clarifying some things for me. 8-)

Trying to record multiple tracks (24) in Garageband with 3 presonus firestudio devices daisy-chained together.

Please help !! I can record multiple tracks (8) on a single presonus firestudio, but now I'm trying to expand the number of tracks to 24 by daisy-chaining three firestudio devices.
The three units will sync up properly, and Garageband detects all of the input channels, but the recording doesn't pick up the input signals for the 2nd or 3rd device. It only picks up the signals from the first device. I read the manual and daisy-chained the devices by serial number (lowest to highest).
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

avotrans wrote:
I'm trying to expand the number of tracks to 24 by daisy-chaining three firestudio devices.
you'll need to create an aggregate device:
http://www.bulletsandbones.com/GB/GBFAQ.html#multipleaudiointerfaces
This FAQ entry offers a Minute GarageBand video tutorial
(Let the page FULLY load. The link to your answer is at the top of your screen)

Daisy Chain 2 different interfaces

Hello fellow plug in lovers,
Is it possible to daisy chain 2 different interfaces together.
I.e 1 x RME Firface 800 and MOTU Ultralite.
To give me 16 outputs of analog output.
Your help, as always is much appreciated
Ta
P.s Hello Sie

Are these both Firewire devices? If so you can daisychain the firewire, but I think you will need to create an aggregate device in the AUDIO/MIDI setup in OSX. this means effectively telling Core Audio that the 2 devices are to be treated as one and that all ins and outs should be recognised.
On the other hand if one of your devices has 8 audio and 8 digital connections and the other device is an analogue to digital converter plugged into the first item's ADAT ports (if that's what it has) Then, as Blayzay says, you don't need to create an aggregate device for that.
For us to be more specific we need to know exactly what in and out ports both devices have and how you intend to connect them, either to each otheer, or both to the computer.

Daisy chain isp to MP then out ethernet 2 to wireless hub possible?

hello
I have a 2 x 2.66 GHz macPro and am running 10.5.7
I have 2 ethernet ports in the back of my unit.
and I would like to run the internet into port one.
then daisy chain port to to my wireless hub. (a D-link dl-524)
I know this is a little unorthodox
but there seems to be an odd transfer issue when I go the other way (from my d link to my mac first)
and I need a nice clean signal and thought this may be the best way to go.
so any advice on setting within my network prefs?
thanks

the way I have it now is I have the ethernet going directly into my MP
then what I want is to use my second ethernet port as an out to my d-link so I can
go wireless with the same connection.
I don't want to do it the other way as for some reason it "dirty's" up my signal when I go into
the D-link then into my MP
does that make sense?

Daisy chaining the WRE54G

I have daisy chained 4 WRE54G units onto a Linksys ADSL modem and this works (albeit slowly as one would expect but it's only for web broswing), but there is no evident way to statically specify the MAC address of neigbouring devices in the web interface. Is there any way to do this? I don't want to have to cable the wireless RE's together! Thanks in advance.

yes , it is posible...all you have to do is make the wireless settings identical on all the wireless devices ( i.e REs and adsl modem ).....also , assign different ip address to each of the RE ...

Wiebetech bus-powered FW800 external & daisy chaining...

Please, only people that ALREADY OWN & USE the Wiebetech drive reply. Thanks.
I just bought one - the 500GB. I have three questions:
1) From your experience in running this unit, can I use it on only bus power, in a daisy chain with another FW800 drive if the other drive has a power adapter?
2) What if I have a FW400 drive also plugged in, and the FW400 is connected to the FW400 port and has it's own power adapter?
3) Also, does including a FW400 drive in the loop AFTER the FW800 Wiebetech have any adverse affect on the FW800 speed or it's bus-power?
It sounds like the draw for the 500GB on us power will be running questionably close to the max output on the port. So I'm trying to do some homework ahead of time to see if I might run into any anomalies. Thanks.

tommmy wrote:
Most portable external drives are now bus powered, many don't even have a power input.
I wonder how many bus powered Firewire driives I can daisy-chain.
Use a powered Firewire/USB hub so there is enough power to power the port powered devices.
What happened is port powered devices are cheaper and many people opt for the lower price than the ones with their own power supplies, so it creates a problem and computer makers had to turn off ports drawing too much power from the comptuer, so people have to run out and get powered hubs.

Two WD MyBook Studios in Daisy Chain, Windows 7 not recognizing second HDD

I have two Western Digital MyBook Studio Edition II external drives in a daisy chain. These are the 2TB versions -- one functions as a Time Machine backup for both my MacBook Pro and iMac, and the other stores most of my media. The first drive in the chain, my Time Machine drive, is recognized and accessible through Windows 7, while the second drive is not.
What's odd, however, is that I've been able to access these drives together on a previous installation of Windows, in a similar hardware configuration.
What gives? Any suggestions? Has anyone run into this issue before?
I'm running Windows 7 on a 27" iMac (i5) with all available updates installed.

Hi,
I found your post whilst researching my options for connecting 2 x My Book Studio II (both are the 4TB version) to my MacMini 2010 running Snow Leopard.
Do you only run Windows 7 on your Mac, or have you had success running Mac Snow Leopard too with your daisy-chain configuration?
The reason behind my question, is that I had some problems in the early days (18 months ago) with daisy-chaining, there was some corruption of data and the lights on the front of one drive indicated an (undocumented) error mode that WD support could not advise what it meant, their only advice was to reformat the drive again, and again (it was tedious.)
I had a unit replaced in the end, however I never had the nerve to go back to a daisy-chain configuration after my initial problems.
WD support advised me to connect one drive with FW800, and the other with USB - something to do with unique ID's.
I now need an additional USB port free, so I am considering daisy chaining the FW800 drives.
I could just try it of course, however the second drive is used to backup the first drive (and is then disconnected) - and I don't want to risk corrupting both drives now that I have 3TB of data.
Thanks.

Airport daisy chain

Is it possible to connect one ethernet cable from one Airport Extreme to the wan port of another extreme and have each work together on a WDS network? I ask because I have encountered a situations as follows:
- Cable modem connected to an airport extreme. Laptop directly close to that extreme will receive 30 MB/s downloads
- Another airport extreme a distance away configured for WDS and working properly, but the same download test renders 1.5 MB/s
Same computer, same network, etc. Both extreme stations are the same model. So the question is what is the best way install a backbone between the two stations that will not result in performance degradation.
I also have several Airport Expresses on the WDS for Printer sharing. All collaboration is working, but want to resolve the performance issues for computers connecting wireless on the network.

You may be mixing your terminology a bit. Here's an excerpt from the Designing Airport Networks manual:
You can connect additional Apple wireless devices to extend the range of your wireless network. For example, you can connect an AirPort Extreme Base Station or a Time Capsule using Ethernet. A network with devices connected using Ethernet is known as a roaming network. You can also connect Apple wireless devices wirelessly. Connecting devices wirelessly creates what is known as a Wireless Distribution System (WDS).
From your description it sounds like you want to create a roaming network and not a WDS. In that case, you'll daisy chain one AEBS LAN port to another's LAN port - not the WAN port. Read page 40 of that manual to describe how to set up each base station.
Your Express units should be configured to "join" your existing network. That way they'll act as wireless clients for the printer sharing you want.
Since you'll be eliminating your present WDS, be prepared to completely reconfigure your network from scratch, including possibly deleting your existing printer queues and creating new ones.
I wouldn't have thought an all-"n" WDS network would experience the performance degradation you're seeing, but I don't have one so I can't say for sure. You might want to investigate whether everything is working properly before making this change.

MOTU - daisy chaining units?

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