MOTUnation.com

I'd like to use a MOTU Ultralite with a Steinberg MR816CSX interface. The Motu drivers and Steinberg drivers apparently are not compatible as the Motu is not recognized when daisy chained to the MR816 or when plugged directly into the firewire card. The Motu does not have ADAT. Will the 8 inputs to the Motu be recognized if it is connected to the MR816 by SPDIF? I don't have SPDIF cables and can't find anyone who does, and would rather not buy the cables if it is highly unlikely the Ultralite or its inputs will be recognized.

NO. What you're referring to is AGGREGATE DEVICES, the ability to use multiple interfaces and drivers simultaneously. This doesn't work due to driver stability, different latencies, and well---the computers just don't like it. As to using S/PDIF, that is a 2-channel protocol whether it is Optical S/PDIF or Coaxial S/PDIF.