alesis makes

[[url=http://[/URL]="http://www.alesis.c…"]FirePort 1394 Music where you want it, when you want it.[/]="http://www.alesis.c…"]FirePort 1394 Music where you want it, when you want it.[/]

you can also transfer files via Ethernet cable.

Your quest is simple. Even an older desktop computer with a 2408 would be all that was necessary. I've been utilizing my 2408 for over 10 years, from back in the days of Pentium III's. You need a PCI slot for their PCI-324/424 card and then voilà. That's what I used to transfer in real time from the optical out of my HD 24. But what's the sense in utilizing your HD 24 simply as converters? You have dedicated recorder. And then you don't even need the dedicated recorder to get those tracks into the computer. It then can only go from optical out in real time, which is time-consuming unless you need that real-time backup while tracking? I mean, you don't need 24 simultaneous inputs for overdubs do you? No. And if your HD 24 is not the "xr" version, the original release version has no sonic advantage over anyone else's standard computer audio XLR input interface, for overdub purposes of just a couple of channels at a time.

You see, I can now utilize my "xr", through the 2408 I I, direct into the computer while I'm recording on the internal hard disk of the HD 24, directly into ProTools 10, which is streaming to a NTFS external USB drive, to be handed directly to the client. Then the disk in the HD 24 is back up, safety. I actually haven't utilized ProTools 10 (since I have not received it yet). But I've used Sony Vegas and Adobe Audition, up to this point. The HD 24 disc is transferred externally through Alesis' own device or other third-party devices and even third-party transfer software. If you're not running from the real-time optical outputs.

What's the real problem?
Mx. Remy Ann David

For external boxes, if you can find either an M-Audio Profire Lightbridge or a Presonus FireStudio Lightpipe, either of these will give you 4 ADAT I/Os (32 channels at the standard rates) through a FireWire interface.

For plug-in PCI cards, besides the one Remy mentioned, you could look at the RME HDSP9652, which has 3 ADAT I/Os.

It's more for being able to record multiple ways in this studio. This studio for the past few years has only tracked to either 16 track 1" tape, or 8 track 1" tape. Anything digital would be and still is recorded to the hd24. The person that runs this place has the hd24 hooked up in a way that it's directly connected with his 16 track tape machine, allowing for him to both use the meters on the hd24 for quick signal gain to his 16 track, also for very quick and easy digital transfers of both dumping the individual track from his 16 track sessions and also can run a bounce of the stereo mix from the board, or from his 1/2" tape, or both. So he has it setup to all run through the patch bay to work very seamlessly. Now when I use this place for select sessions, I record with my computer and my own interfaces, it's just much faster to use my own digital gear. I enjoy this place because of the assortment of analog outboard, some custom made, some just super old gear used before they were intended for use in a recording studio. plus the tracking area is huge, perfect for live setups, etc.

We've talked about the theory of just using the optical in/out on the hd24, did research, saw the forum post, and how Remy set up her hd24 system. Well I started eying the 2408 mkII on ebay for super cheap, saw one sell for $64 and one for $84, and I was just thinking, man, I could spend less than $100 and get a plug and play 24 in/out access to this studio, where I could literally ride my bike to the studio with my laptop and external harddrive and then do a quick session, or run tracks through the sweet gear here.

I took my 828 there to do a test, to see how easy it would be to just plug and play and be able to track, patch, analog sum, etc. Come to find out, this routing set up would be beyond perfect for this place. We could track to computer, analog monitor, analog sum for mix down, track through any outboard, all as if he were working through his tape machine or hd24.

Now, the 828 was only 8in/out, I used for the test. I then was ready to get the 2408, which has the 24in/out optical, perfect with what we're doing. That's when I tried to get the manual for the interface, which they for some reason do not include the mkii model on motu's website, and from other forum posts, they charge $16 to purchase the manual. From there I also found out that the "firewire" looking output on the back of the 2408, wasn't a firewire port at all, and required a pci card to be installed in a computer for the interface to work.

We takes us to when I made the post, looking for the options out there. Options that don't involve spending a ton of money that is. Now I was really hoping for a straight fire connection to connect me to all of those ins/outs, so I could literally just bring my macbook, and do my work there, and take it back to my smaller place with all of my gear to mix, etc. But I have yet to find anything that has more than 16in/out that is firewire (my old ff800 and new rme ufx both have 16in/out optical, but would be way too expensive of an investment for this other place, and it's only 16, not full 24).

But after posting this and telling the guy about the needing a pci card, he actually came up with the same idea Remy had about making a cheap computer to use with the pci card. Which I actually liked that idea better, because all I'd need to do in that case is bring my portable harddrive. So I guess that's probably the cheapest option at this point, is to get the 2408 and build a small computer to use it with.

Thanks all.
Bobby

bobbo, post: 393574 wrote: ...Now I was really hoping for a straight fire connection to connect me to all of those ins/outs, so I could literally just bring my macbook, and do my work there, and take it back to my smaller place with all of my gear to mix, etc. But I have yet to find anything that has more than 16in/out that is firewire...

Well, you could start by looking at the devices mentioned in the post before your last one.

MOTU does not make their manuals public because it is their form of copyright protection. If you want to rip off their stuff, it's up to you to figure it out how to use it. better than a dongle if you ask me. i use a mac g5/+2 2408's(mk1/2) down at the tracking studio and it works fine for tracking. heavy editing/mix stuff makes the cpu sweat real bad. But for tracking, just fine. you can get one for like $500.

Geez remy didn't you pull the PT 10 trigger like a month ago? WTF

I'm still working on some projects that are taking up much of my time. Then I wanna put a new desktop together to accommodate the 2408 with ProTools 10. A new laptop is also in the works. Too much stuff on my plate right now to contend with those things. So maybe I'll have a really happy Christmas?

Ho ho ho merry, audio!
Mx. Remy Ann David

Hopefully tech support is on during holiday, lol. (like you'd need it) Best wishes. Looks like alot, alot of work. :) glad your keeping busy!

-kyle

Yeah really busy making no money. This has got to stop! I feel like a blind mole burying through dirt. I probably look like one too these days? As of this month, I have been camping out for an entire year. If you can call a nice 30 foot long mobile home, camping? Sitting right next to my truck. I'm saving lots of money on gas now since I'm 6 feet from my truck, LOL. And now in the rural suburbs of Northern Virginia. Not too far from the mountains. So nice. But methinks my remote truck days are over? I'm coming up on 57 in October, and I'm getting a little ragged. It's only fun when it's fun. Today it just seems like one big alien question mark hovering overhead.

Look! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's the ISS! Should be visible before sunrise over NYC.
Mx. Remy Ann David

i played for three beers, and 35 bucks tonight. Our drummer quit 4 hrs before a show last week, and i,.. as a dis-placed bassist, played shaker and djembe. i got an extra beer tonight, cuz i ordered a 24oz. one. and the bartender let it go. I borrowed 2 bucks from the only person who showed up to see us, so i could tip the bartender.
REMY, your knowledge deserves a better position, someone needs to give you some work,even if you have to fish for it, you deserve $. I'm not even a real bassist, an 'evolved' guitarist (15yrs) if you ask me.

Thanks K! The DC area has a huge saturation of late, of too many engineers who have been displaced by all of the TV stations and TV networks, recording studios closing, in the DC area. While there probably are some TV news gigs, I might be able to pick up, I really can't tolerate doing news, as a full-time gig, anymore. It's too damned depressing, aggravating, hostility provoking. And I don't need that crap, anymore. Nearly 20 years was enough. I loved doing midnight shift, radio. But there is no midnight shift, radio anymore. It's all automated, syndicated, regurgitated, and not even local. I considered becoming a crash test dummy? I've got a great resume for that since I've been a dummy head at numerous venues like the Kennedy Center, Metropolitan Opera, Chicago Lyric Opera, Miami Opera and a few nice rock 'n roll shows like Moody Blues, CCR with John Fogerty, Bruce Hornsby,

It takes practice to be a good dummy.
Mx. Remy Ann David

radio is pathetic. just awful. except for college radio, and the 'listener supported' radio station over at martha vinyard. well the dude i work w/ sometimes managed to blow probably a couple million bucks, and piss off basically everyone who he got work from in his heyday, if it were'nt for my boss he wouldn't even be making the 20 or so an hour he gets. We've lost numerous clients due to his diss-missive attitude, and lack of consideration for bar-bands low budgets. they can't afford to spend 2k and have a half finished project. doesn't work anymore.

Why i desire to pursue this knowing all this is just me being stubborn,stupid, or determined. I think the latter two.

W/ such a resurgence in like 'old style' sound, and live recording methods, i'm hoping the best for your mobile truck, it seems to be coming back around although, more as a combination (hybrid) than a strict re-surge.

all the best.
-kyle

The one good thing that we can all look towards has been going on for a long time and called " what's old is new again ". The amount of professional audio products being advertised as a few digital consoles and a whole lot of resurrected old vintage new analog stuff for lunchboxes. New and modular Neve 1073's, Harrison, 32 series EQ, in fact MIX magazine had a special individual section spotlighting the multitude of new 500 series lunchbox items. While it might actually be lowering the value of my actual vintage equipment, I see it is a very good thing. These are boutique products handmade, mostly all here in the United States & that United Kingdom. Just like the legendary folks before them that built the originals. Most of those boutique items are all handmade. And I just love how ribbon microphones have come back like gangbusters! They are one of the most fascinating and fabulous sounding microphone technologies ever developed. And to think it goes back almost 90 years. I remember when NBC DC, threw out a large box of 77 DX's, when I was off for my weekend. I got sick thinking I wasn't there to rescue them from the dumpster. I almost made a living back then, from what they were throwing out. I actually rescued enough API 312 & 325 modules to have built an entire API console without the 550 equalizers. Most of that I sold to Brent Averill. Still have four of those 312 cards and a 1 U, rackmount chassis that can hold all four. I also have the first API 3124 that anybody got from Paul Wolff, along with serial number 11. And a Neil Muncey,, Suburban Sound Inc. 8 channel microphone preamp with 1731's & 2520's. And that's after I sold off the 16 312 cards and I forget how many 325's? I would've kept all that stuff, but... it would have been nearly $20,000 for 550's, to get about 24 of them at the time. I had already blown my wad of cash on the Sphere Eclipse C, for $17,000. I mean, I don't mind using inexpensive equipment, like most everybody else uses. But when you cut your teeth on an API at 17, and you had Sphere and now Neve, what else is there that anybody could possibly want? OK, my dual Auditronics 501's and the 110-8 I forgot to mention. I mean, this was all rock 'n roll heaven. Equally great for my operatic recordings. Great on gospel. I'm just bummed I haven't had the opportunity to record much modern country. Even more bummed that I'm not in Nashville right now. I'm one of those people can really do without computer-generated music. Computer-generated music is sort of like having imitation children. I never had the real thing and don't want any imitations.

I know I'm a thing but am I real?
Mx. Remy Ann David

To the OP. Get the 2408 and the pci card and three sets of lightpipes. and be done with it. It doesnt get any easier than that and for some reason I dont understand, the HD24 sounds great as a converter. The specs arent anything to write home about but theres something musical in the sound. I use mine for tracking the digital inputs into my 003 and PT9. I have a cheap-ass patchbay between the inzas and outzas on the HD24 so I can go in from any source and come out through the analog inputs on the back from any source to the 003 or through the opticals. It allows me 16 at a time from any device in the room. So I can use the console or any of the outboard pres as well as anything special I might bring in for a session. PLUS if you want to make a safety copy as you track, the HD24 is ready to go as you have to arm the tracks to use it like this. But dont push go unless you want it to record also. If you are in PT then you'll have to use the optical clock in the settings and make the HD24 the master clock. Also be sure and have your settings match. Digital errors when one machine is at 44.1 and the other is at 48 isnt pretty.

when is tie-dye coming back.? lol. Aqua net anyone? +1 on the 2408.

Aquanet is awesome in a spud gun. Or a flame thrower. If you combine them you get french fries.