MOTU 24 I/O connectivity in post PCI age

[seamadron]

For a number of years I have been using a MOTU 24 I/O connected to a Mac G4 via a 424 PCI card. I have now upgraded to a 2012 iMac. My question is, can I connect the 24 I/O interface directly to the iMac's Firewire 800 port? Or do I need to buy an external PCI chassis?

[HCMarkus]

Sorry, but neither. SOL.

Search the posts or ask MOTU and you'll find confirmation... MOTU PCIe will not work in an expansion chassis; you need a PCIe slot to make it go.

[mikehalloran]

Lots of old threads on this subject but as HCM posted already, this cannot be done.

Some of us keep our G4s for certain legacy tasks, including myself. If you use yours for tracking, that will still work and you can import your files to your iMac for sweetening and editing. I don't like the way mine performs with DP 7.01 but 5.13 runs great.

If you still need 24 i/o, the combination of the MOTU 24ai and 24ao will give it to you. There are other, newer interfaces that may be more suited to your current needs. As a 2012 iMac has Thunderbolt, that might be something to consider as well.

http://motu.com/products

The other thing to consider is that a 2009–2012 Mac Pro can still make a great machine for DP. You will need a 424e PCIe card—those are still available from MOTU and easy to find on eBay. Your 424 or 424x card is incompatible with a PCIe slot.