Easy question-MPTAV parallel..And a little mystery challenge

[Airstorm]

So a while back, I had one of those Ebay binge things... Do you know what I mean?

Simple question: Is it possible to use modifiers in the latest windows/clockworks driver for the parallel unit? I'm wondering if maybe I'm supposed to install the older console driver first, THEN install clockworks? I would be really surprised if this entire option was just "locked out" because of the software. In reading the original manual (copyright 1996), it seems like there was a lot of functionality in the old console that isn't in the new Clockworks. I'm starting to pull my hair out on this one.
If it's not possible to use this feature because of half-assed driver support, Everything MOTU is going up for sale! If one is willing to pay the prices that MOTU charges, then the door is open to almost every competitor on the market, & chances are good that it will cost less! (The 2408/424 not mentioned were bought new at full price).

And now for the mystery: While stumbling around in my Ebay binge induced stuper... I found not one, but two digital interface units that I got for $40. Not $40 each.... $40 for both!! I know you're thinking: Wow! That Storm guy is one shrewd business dude... Yeah, I thought so too, until I tried to hook them up. So here's the challenge: NAME THOSE BOXES!

They are single rack space audio interfaces made by Digidesign that supposedly were retired from a ESPN studio that was dismantled in New York. The OEM sticker on the bottom says: "Quad audio interface" in the Model field. FCC ID is MH031. Other than serial#, that's about all. It has 4 XLR anolog ins, & 4 outs. Word clock in & out, plus S/pdif, & AES/EBU. Last, there is D-sub connector that says "Audio Card", and looks very much like a SCSI port. I'm suspicious that this last one might have something to do with the lack of sound output. All the lights light Etc. but it's very quiet. Anybody care to venture a guess on how this has to be connected to make it go? Has anyone used one in the past? Oh, almost forgot, it say Pro-tools on the front. Could it be that this is proprietary, & can thus never be brought to life without a specific interface card?

Well, that's my story.... I'm Storm, & I'm an Ebaholic. One day at a time

[Jidis]

Airstorm,

We've got a bunch of the same "crap".

I have a MicroExpress, which is supposed to run that unified driver (2.51). IIRC, it installed the whole bundle with Clockworks and all. I think that bundle may be intended to cover all the older boxes, but it is sort of a crapshoot to say the least. Mine was bought for basic multi-port MIDI i/o, so I never really had much experience with the extra features or CW. I've actually had to run that stupid CW app in the background as a workaround for a "disappearing thing" that the interface tends to do in Nuendo (maybe elsewhere as well). Got a "bought new" 424/mk3 too, despite the RME recommendations from the Berg community (teach me to listen to myself next time ).

Think I've got your Digi too. Also bought new at around six grand with Nubus card (at 2 for 40, I guess they've come down a bit ). Sounds like the original ProTools interface, which later became known as the 442. It requires their "Audio Card" and a 50 pin high density cable (SCSI II style) to run, and the age of machine it runs in sort of makes it not much worth messing with. I think the 8100 is the fastest of the Nubus's, but you can put CPU upgrades in them, some of which are supposed to cooperate with the Nubus PT junk. It may be compatible with one of their later PCI cards, but I'm not sure. I'm also guessing the card won't be too common without one of the boxes. They also tended to limit you to the 4x4 config or whatever number of ins and outs you had, no matter what your host could do. I ended up having to move to Deck with the Digi interface to squeeze more tracks out of it.

I think you need an additional "Audio Card" for each 442, and maybe even the "System Accelerator" card for a multi card rig (not sure).

Hopefully someone here with the MTPAV can let you know what you can still do on it under current OS's, but they'll probably need a few more details on what stuff you want it to do. Just double check it thoroughly before you trust it with no backup. The bugs with mine were pretty weird and didn't always come jumping out on command. There's some good but "older" reading here if you haven't seen it:

http://caps.pcrecruiter.com/MOTU/

Take Care,

George

PS- On the bright side- The Digi name is unfortunately still worth something, and with the proper host and a good clean classic OS install (I like 7.6.1), it was solid as a tank. You also get really tight smooth scrubs and the ability to run SDII as an editor. Old PT software would also probably be really well suited for a musician or someone who just wanted a clean simple multitrack audio recorder.