welcome

err ... :(
use it with protools ?

Yes if you had a 001 or 002
you could use any of the Lightpipe 8 way units to extend the number of inputs and outputs

the external soundblaster unit is not going to get you there with ProTools
ProTools runs only with the Digidesign hardware
.... perhaps there are a couple of secret tricks but I don't think that's going to help you here

I think we need to sort a few issues before talking more about the B ADA8000

Thanks for replying so quickly.
so your saying there is no way to use the ada800 with pro tools?
and so if i dont use the soundblaster external unit then how could i connect the ada800 to a laptop that doesnt have a optical i/o?

u cud be using pro tools free. Will give u 8 tracks of audio and 16 of midi. Will run only on 98se/ME/OS9. and i dont know anyone whu has managed to get it working half decent on a PC. Mac's, yes.

Anything other than that, in the PT world, u need PT hardware.

sidhu

manual_combat wrote: ... so your saying there is no way to use the ada800 with pro tools?

:(

Kev wrote: Yes if you had a 001 or 002
you could use any of the Lightpipe 8 way units to extend the number of inputs and outputs

manual_combat wrote: ... how could i connect the ada800 to a laptop that doesnt have a optical i/o?

for Protools
Laptop - firwire - Digi002 - ada8000
this will run Protools

for non-protools you will some another Lightpipe equiped unit
it is all possible

When using PTfree, are extra inputs. other than the basic stereo available for use ??
... and as far as midi goes I think it may extend further than the first 16

I know a few people have been calling it an ada800 but the Preco ADA800 Balanced Audio Distribution Amplifier
Audio Distribution Amplifier

sorry about not replying. ive been on a lot of long flights.

so what exactly would i need then to connect the behringer ada800 to my laptop. and i dont understand are you saying that the ada800 is not an interface?

Do you currently run Pro-Tools? If you do (and you are not talking about Pro-Tools FREE version), you MUST already have a Pro-Tools Audio Interface to go with it, right? The Behringer ADA8000 should be able to plug into the Pro-Tools interface via the ADAT Lightpipe connection (ulness you have the Pro-Tools M-Box interface which lacks ADAT Optical).

Now, if you Don't already have pro-tools hardware, you are obvioulsy not running Pro-Tools Software to begin with, correct? (Pro-Tools software won't run without the specific Pro-Tools Hardware connected to the PC).

So, what are you currently using for your hardware audio interface to the Laptop (how do you currently get sounds INTO the laptop), and what recording software are you currently using? Also, what kind of Laptop (how fast, RAM, USB or Firewire, etc). This will help us understand where you are, and where you want to go.

:cool:

manual_combat wrote:
so what exactly would i need then to connect the behringer ada800 to my laptop. and i dont understand are you saying that the ada800 is not an interface?

(Please, it is called 8000. ADA800 is from another company and does a different thing).

The ada8000 could of course be called an interface. Only that it takes more than that to connect it to a computer. The way it is used, I would perhaps more like to call it an extension box. You know, you already have some channels of input and output, and now neeed 8 more.

The output from the ADA8000 has to be connected to an optic fiber port. And that port should follow a specification known as ADAT. Through that fiber comes 8 channels of coded information, 8 sound channels. In the same way you have to connect the input of the ADA8000 to another optic port, going the other way.

It is only that no laptop I have ever seen has those connectors directly on the laptop. So you need something with these two optic ports on them. (One fiber for signals in to the laptop, one for signals out of it).

What you need is a "sound card" (note the quotes, as it is really a box). Some examples of boxes are:

-- Digidesign 002R. (This comes with ProTools LE software).
-- Motu 828mkII. (ProTools will not be able to use this, sorry, that is how Digidesign wants it to be. But there is plenty other programs to choose from, doing the same job).

There probably are at least 20 different models of suitable "soundcards" on the market. Only thing to know is that, to my knowledge, they all cost more than an ADA8000.

Personally I know of no "card" you can place inside the computer that does this. USB-connected cards are "too slow" to handle the 8 channels. This leaves mostly firewire cards, although I know far from all about what is available. So then the laptop has to have a firewire connection.

My suggestion for you is to find a friendly music shop, take along your laptop and go there and explain what you want to use the sound system for. They will probably be able to help you out much faster than this way on a forum.

Good luck

Gunnar.

If i didnt use a laptop, i could just plug the ada8000 into my sound card (that has optical i/o) into my desktop and use something like cubase right?

manual_combat wrote: If i didnt use a laptop, i could just plug the ada8000 into my sound card (that has optical i/o) into my desktop and use something like cubase right?

Yes and no as far as the sound card goes. There are actually two different types of optical IO used on soundcards. One type is ADAT, the one the ADA8000 uses.

The other type is SPDIF. That type is strictly limited to 2 channels and will not work with the ADA8000. Generally that is what you find on CD-players.

Sometimes sound cards can be switched between the two types. Sometimes they are only one type. You have to check the actual sound card.

To make things more complicated, the contact looks exactly the same.

Gunnar.

ADAT & optical

SB Extigy is optical I/O, but will not take an ADAT signal as far as I know. You'll need a device that will accept ADAT lightpipe format (translation: more $$$).

Sort of along the same lines, does anyone here know if optical will carry the first two channels of an ADAT stream? Meaning, could you use the first 2 channels of an 8 channel A/D with lightpipe out to transfer data via optical?

Just curious...
Dirk

doubt it

re ada8000

I have an ada8000 and it sounded pretty good with just an sm58 plugged right into it, but I REALLY wish it had inserts instead of the analog outputs, I figure the inserts would be more handy. I just had to have the singers control themselfs as best they could and then adjust levels on mixdown. Plus the soundblaster extigy, yuk, I have been using that this for about 3 years and It sounds like crap. By the way it is only SPDIF input not adat. I want you to plug headphones into it and then listen to how much it distorts the audio and changes the sound, it getts all muddy and the bass frequencies get all jumbled around and raised to give you nothing but crap. and that card wasn't cheap (for what it does) when I bought it. It was like $200 or so. I would, if you still can, return that and get a better input, and make sure it does adat in. I don't think there are too many out there and I don't think they are cheap either. Good Luck

Bobbo

thanks a lot everyone for the input. hopefully ill lfind something for a laptop. and if that doesnt work out, ill just get a nice sound card and plug it into that.

M_C