Regarding Dual 896HD's ... Did someone ever manage to do it?

[PoXe]

Hi MOTU users. I'm also one of those that almost got insane during the last two weeks while trying to use dual 896HD's at 96kHz. I actually got them to work at 48kHz with two units hooked up to my Acer laptop running Windows XP sp1 and a TI firewire chipset... My workstation did work with the 896's at 96000 but only for one single powercycle of the computer, for some weird reason.
Anyway, my real question is:
Is there anyone who actually got two 896HD's to work perfectly at 96kHz in a PC based system? If yes, then what chipset, firewire adapter, graphic card and other relevant system components were in use.

[edwardb]

I am running in to problems with the same type setup that you have mentioned (PC Based)....I have two 896 hd units connected via firewire as the motu manual says...I use sonar 5 with the asus pc-dl deluxe motherboard intel chipset and the texas instruments 1394 chipset installed on the motherboard. Dual 3.2 ghz xeon intel processors with 4 gb ram. I cannot get the both of them to operate as they should (896hd's)...I see all of the inputs and outputs no problems there but i find that the second 896hd in the chain is always losing clock sync when switching from different audio applications and also in sonar itself from time to time and following start/stop of the audio engine. The result is a high pitched click through the audio path and the sampling rate indicator blinks about two or three times on the second unit but never on the unit that is using it's own internal clock......I have installed the firewire fix sp1 drivers for windows xp pro and still have the same problem....I am thinking about connecting only one of the units at this point, my original plan for 16 channels at once via 88.2/96k sampling seems to be fading quickly....Can someone suggest something to help fix this problem ??

[TechSupport]

What are your settings for:
- Clock source
- Samples per Buffer
- any buffer size/latency settings in the host app

Also, are there any other FireWire devices in the setup? Have you tried other FW cables? I'd recommend contacting me offlist (we can always post relevant findings later on, but it's easiest to approach multiple setups individually).

[edwardb]

Just an update....I have never gotten dual 896 hd's to work correctly under windows xp pro sp1....Both units are installed correctly and function but every time i start an audio application the second 896 hd loses sync and results in a click in the audio path....Is there a problem with the motu drivers ??.....Did anyone ever get it to work "correctly" without the ticks & clicks....Also is there another way to sync dual 896 hd's together besides the firewire hub....??

[qo]

Edward, did you get in touch with Josh?

[edwardb]

I sent him an email at tech support.......he suggested trying different buffer sizes etc....still getting the clicks...I re-installed windows xp pro sp1 right from scratch on a blank hard drive and it's still the same. Following that i disabled the second 896hd in the motu fw audio console and no clicks. (I wonder) Does the length of the second firewire cable make a difference to sync ? I have a 6 ft cable connected from my pc to the first 896hd and then another 6 ft cable connected from the first 896hd to the second in the chain.....What is the shortest length firewire cable available...I would like to try a 3 ft cable from my pc to 896hd #1 and a 1 ft cable to connect 896hd #2. My ultimate goal is to get both these units running correctly and start using them @ 96K.....

[timpreager]

edwardb,

I've tried the short cable solution without any luck. This problem seems to be very common with many people trying to use 2 896 or 2 896HD's unit together on a PC based system. Not sure how it is on MAC, would like to try on my MAC laptop, but I'll need to install Tiger in order for Nuendo to support more than 1 external interface.

Either way, this is a major problem over many users, and often these users spend way too much time and money to try and get it working. I'm unsuccessful so far. Still working on it though

Maybe TechSupport has some answers for us.

Thanks,
Tim

[qo]

Rather than chaining them, perhaps you could buy a FW card ($20 and up) and run one of them from the card (or get a multi port card and run both from the card). I understand chaining them should work, but sounds to me like it's time to try other options. The cost of a FW card is minimal compared to what you paid for both 896s.

When shopping for cards, try to find one with a different chip set than that used on your MB. Or, ask MOTU if they have any recommendations for FW chipsets.

[timpreager]

qo,

Yes, tried this as well on 4 different firewire conenctions.

1) onbarod VIA chipset FW
2) PCI NEC chipset FW
3) Creative FW (Audigy Platiunum)
4) PCI Texas Instruments FW (recommended by MOTU)

All tried with daisy chaining and running both units to the cards.

Hmm.. not sure what else it could be.

Tim

[edwardb]

Tim...I am also going to try the pci firewire card option as opposed to the onboard.....Funny though..my onboard is TI.....I'm going to try the Belkin F5U503-APL which also has a TI chipset.....

What model TI firewire card did you try ?

"John Jeffers" a unicornation member has a dual setup working with this firewire card........It maybe worth a try.......

Take a look at this thread under Motu Hardware....

Dual 896HD Windows XP Pro Sp1 (Anyone Working Correctly ?)

http://www.unicornation.com/phpBB2/view ... 5402#55402

[lmoe]

I am running 2 HD's into Sonar5 Pro with no problem, BUT when you change apps the second one will change after the first one which leads to the pops you are experiencing. This is normal in my experience. Turn your monitoring down in Cuemix. I AES/EBU #2 out into #1 in and turn it down there. (#1 main out goes to my monitor amp)