New Audio Interface for Monterrey?

[billgers]

I'm about to do a major upgrade of my OS and various software and it has come to my attention that my ancient 828 mk.3 Firewire unit (replete with at least 3 adaptors to get it to work with my Mac Mini) can no longer be expected to work with the latest OS. My questions are as follows:

1) Is my understanding above correct?
2) If so, is there any advantage to continuing to use a MOTU interface for use with DP or can I use an interface from a different company without any major issues?
3) I probably have more connectivity than I currently need. Any thoughts on M4 vs the UltraLite-mk5 Mk. 5? Other than inputs/outputs, are there any other major differences between these?
4) If using an interface from another company presents no issues with using DP is there a non-MOTU interface that might be better suited? I prioritize ease-of-use and quality. I can go up to $1,000. Don't need a ton of inputs/outputs.

Thanks!

[stubbsonic]

1) I have an "ancient" RME interface that uses Firewire (and adapters). It works fine, but drops its MIDI connection/driver when waking from sleep. My workaround is to not let my new computer sleep (I just shut it down). You could do your OS upgrade and see how it goes? But it does make sense to plan for a new interface.

2) MOTU used to talk about the feature of sample-accurate locking of MIDI and audio with their interfaces. I don't know if that is still the case with MOTU interfaces, or whether that feature is also possible with 3rd party interfaces. There might be some elegances with using DP and a MOTU interface, but I've had no issues with non-MOTU interfaces. (Well, years ago, I had trouble with a cheap presonus i/o, had crackles).

3) I didn't have very good luck with the M4. Lots of hoop-jumping to get it to work on an iPad, and various wake-from-sleep issues. YMMV. I expect the UltraLite Mk5 looks fantastic. I like that it has a dedicated power input (unlike the M4).

4) I'll let others chime in on this one.

[bayswater]

On Q2, if the audio interface is compatible with the macOS version you want to use, it will be compatible with DP.

[mikehalloran]

Monterey is not an issue—anything you’ve read to the contrary is wrong. Find and download the driver for the 828mk3 Hybrid and you’ll be fine. You’ll have to grant some permissions but you’ll have to do that with ay drivers. MOTU has a bulletin on that. My 828mkII FW runs just fine over Monterey on my iMac Pro and M1 MacBook Air.

That said, FW does not have the near-zero latency of the latest Fast USB 2 interfaces made with the latest (since October 2019) Cirrus and similar chip sets including the M4. These are fast enough that CueMix is not required if your buffer is low enough. The MOTU drivers add Loopback and lower the round trip latency a few microseconds below CoreAudio. Many other interfaces using the same chip sets do not offer Mac drivers including the ones that I use most. If using CueMix only to compensate for latency, you may find it’s no longer necessary—the M4 doesn’t have it; the mk5 does.

So, you’ve got time. Shop features. Ignore RTL numbers screamed by marketing departments—the difference between the highest and lowest (a Presonus TB3 interface) is the same as moving your ears 14” closer to or further from your monitor speakers. If the spec does not say 192/24k Fast USB 2 or better, you do not want it.

My favorite feature that many have is an In/Out blend/mix knob like the MOTU M4. It’s not really necessary since you can set the blend in DP but I love the convenience of adjusting that mix for the talent when overdubbing “can I have the backing tracks a little louder/softer, please?” Done! Besides my M4, I have others with this same feature from Mackie and M•Audio.

There are plenty of threads on the UltraLite-mk5 and some driver issues that may or may not affect you. Use the Search feature to find them.

[billgers]

Thank you for the responses, that was very helpful. Based on this info, I will go ahead and do my updates and see if it still works and if not, I'll switch to something more current. I barely use 90% of the functionality of that 828 and so much of what I bought it for was related to the way I used to work years ago (connectivity to DA-88, DAT machine, audio snake from external mixer etc.). I could probably get away with something much smaller these days. Thanks to all of you!

[mikehalloran]

Thank you for the responses, that was very helpful. Based on this info, I will go ahead and do my updates and see if it still works and if not, I'll switch to something more current. I barely use 90% of the functionality of that 828 and so much of what I bought it for was related to the way I used to work years ago (connectivity to DA-88, DAT machine, audio snake from external mixer etc.). I could probably get away with something much smaller these days. Thanks to all of you!

If it’s working now, it will after the MacOS update. If not, there will be a couple places to look and we know where they are.

[Calaverasgrande]

I've been on Monterey since last year when I got this new 14" MBP.
After updating to the most recent version, 12.5.1 I started getting
"this driver will no longer be supported in a future release of the Operating System" messages every time I restarted.
This was for my Microbook II which I have never been happy with aside from the small size.
So I decided to just go ahead and take care of this now instead of waiting until the last minute to upgrade and being stuck while I waited for Fedex to deliver.
I wanted to get the Ultralite MK5, it does everything. But it isn't buss powered.
So I got an M4.
So far it's been golden for mobile use.
Sounds much better than the Microbook, similar to my UAD converters.
Mic gain is a little noisy cranked up, but I rarely need to crank it up that high.
I do wish the display showed more info like Sample rate etc.

[Gabriel Sacristan]

Monterey is not an issue—anything you’ve read to the contrary is wrong. Find and download the driver for the 828mk3 Hybrid and you’ll be fine. You’ll have to grant some permissions but you’ll have to do that with ay drivers. MOTU has a bulletin on that. My 828mkII FW runs just fine over Monterey on my iMac Pro and M1 MacBook Air.

That said, FW does not have the near-zero latency of the latest Fast USB 2 interfaces made with the latest (since October 2019) Cirrus and similar chip sets including the M4. These are fast enough that CueMix is not required if your buffer is low enough. The MOTU drivers add Loopback and lower the round trip latency a few microseconds below CoreAudio. Many other interfaces using the same chip sets do not offer Mac drivers including the ones that I use most. If using CueMix only to compensate for latency, you may find it’s no longer necessary—the M4 doesn’t have it; the mk5 does.

So, you’ve got time. Shop features. Ignore RTL numbers screamed by marketing departments—the difference between the highest and lowest (a Presonus TB3 interface) is the same as moving your ears 14” closer to or further from your monitor speakers. If the spec does not say 192/24k Fast USB 2 or better, you do not want it.

My favorite feature that many have is an In/Out blend/mix knob like the MOTU M4. It’s not really necessary since you can set the blend in DP but I love the convenience of adjusting that mix for the talent when overdubbing “can I have the backing tracks a little louder/softer, please?” Done! Besides my M4, I have others with this same feature from Mackie and M•Audio.

There are plenty of threads on the UltraLite-mk5 and some driver issues that may or may not affect you. Use the Search feature to find them.

I've been using My MK2 firewire with Big Sur 11.7.10 for 6. months without any problem, but now it runs for something about 40 minutes and then it stops working and get locked in the MIX BUS display, Does anyone no how to solve these ?

[mikehalloran]

...
I've been using My MK2 firewire with Big Sur 11.7.10 for 6. months without any problem, but now it runs for something about 40 minutes and then it stops working and get locked in the MIX BUS display, Does anyone no how to solve these ?

Heat is the enemy and anything that takes 40 minutes to show symptoms is likely to be an overheating component. IC? Power supply capacitors(look for bulging caps)? Bad solder joint or burnt traces on the motherboard (FW sockets were known for this)? Connector that needs to be burnished? Anything else? Open it up; look for any clues. Plenty of threads here and on Gearspace on what components may be used in the 828.

The 828 & 896mk2 were made between 2001–2007. The newest unit is now 18 years old while the oldest ones have turned 24.

It can also be another component in the chain including a cable or FW-TB adapter. If a MacPro with a FW port, check the components in the FW Bus using Apple's built-in Hardware tests. Apple has support docs on this.

if an Intel Mac, resetting the NVRAM also resets your ports to default.

[Gabriel Sacristan]

Thnak you !

That's wwhat I was thinking, I will open it and searhc for any burning signals.

I really appreciatte your help.

[mikehalloran]

Thnak you !

That's wwhat I was thinking, I will open it and searhc for any burning signals.

I really appreciatte your help.

Sure.

If you find that it’s time for a replacement, post exactly how you use it and what your needs are. For example, the new 828 is great but if you were using SMTPE in your mk2, the current version doesn’t support that.

My 828mkII works perfectly but I don’t use most of the features including Cuemix—it’s a test unit only for me. I have other interfaces from MOTU, Zoom, M•Audio and Neumann depending on the exact needs of my project.

I’ll be starting a new project soon to determine if the Zoom UAC-232 at 32bit float or the extreme headroom of my Neumann MT48 give me better results recording the voices of old people, myself included. I need a signal chain that absolutely will not clip on input and both promise this. We’ll see…