How to Make Any Build Into a Audio Editing Build

[DaveyG]

I can not say that they are working on Hector as I use my Thunderball system for my recording. Hector doesn't have the capability to have a Firewire interface as I would have to remove my GTX 750 Ti card to install a FW card. So, I can't answer your question WRT my PreSonus components working on a 9-series motherboard/processor system.

Ahhh, of course- many thanks for your reply Stork, although I should have realized that myself as I followed your small form factor build closely !!!

I think I am just going a bit crazy with this issue ATM.... Logic works sooo well without an audio device connected- but its no good to me if I can't plug in my mic's and hit record

I am tempted to just return the Saffire and get a Scarlet 2i4 as this should work OTB.... At least I will be able to record 2 mic inputs- although my plans for a little analog summing and connecting my Lexicon FX via spdif are dissolving fast here..... Probably just going to go for a little walk, have a little cry, hit myself over the head, (with something soft ) then try again later !

Thanks.

 

[crashputer]

Hi Stork, can you confirm these interfaces are working as they should on your Hector build ? I am having some terrible FW issues with my new system even though everything else is working great.

link - http://www.tonymacx86.com/buying-ad...und-my-dual-purpose-machine-2.html#post984791

I haven't had a chance to do any high-pressure recording, but my Presonus FP10, although no longer supported in OS 10.8 and above, seems to be working well in Yosimite on my X99 system using the StarTech PCI-X firewire card.


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000WCT5HK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[DaveyG]

Thanks crashputer, good to know you are running in Yosemite without problems I have managed to get the Focusrite running 100% stable in Yosemite now, after a bit of trial and error I have discovered this process;

1) Boot Customac with nothing connected to Firewire
1a) Wait approx 1 or 2 min's after signing in with password... if you open Console you will see a few little errors that occur after logging in, eg NSsomething and DirtyJetsam memeory etc... you need to wait until the os has experienced these errors once)
2) Launch Mix control software manually, after boot is completed (ie, DO NOT set it as an auto login item)
3) Power up Focusrite without firewire connected- it makes a small whirring HDD noise and boots into "Stand-alone mode"
4) Connect firewire cable (ie , Hotplug FW device- Carefully!!!! - see below)

Thats it, for some reason this works fine, I have not been able to crash it or even experience a single audio glitch booting/connecting like this I have had multiple tracks recording for hours on end with multiple applications running, eg Safari open, Unigine Heaven benchmark running etc all at the same time. I consider this tested and stable

WARNING- Hot plugging requires a compatible firewire card (I have Syba PCIe Firewire card with Ti chipset - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Syba-1394B-PCI-Express-Profile-Bracket/dp/B002S53IG8 )

From Focusrites website.... "The IEEE 1394 specification for FireWire states that the FireWire interface is ‘hot-pluggable’ (FireWire device can be plugged in and out while the computer is on). Despite this, unplugging and plugging in devices when your computer is on can lead to FireWire chip failures which will prevent your unit being able to connect to your computer.

FireWire chip failures can happen for a number of reasons. All of Focusrite’s FireWire units adhere to the IEEE 1394 standard however it may be the case that the FireWire port on your computer motherboard or FireWire card does not. This can lead to damage from hot-plugging.

Other FireWire chip failure causes include putting the connector in the wrong way round, putting it in at an angle or using a low quality or damaged FireWire cable. These can all apply even if your FireWire adapter and device adhere to the IEEE 1394 standard."

http://uk.focusrite.com/answerbase/...plugging-and-unplugging-your-firewire-devices

 

[Trips]

Please add the following Mac compatible software DAWs to your list;

Cockos Reaper
http://www.reaper.fm/index.php

Bitwig Studio (the only commercial DAW/Live hybrid that also works with Ubuntu, Windows and Mac)
http://www.bitwig.com/en/home/recent-news.html

Ableton Live
https://www.ableton.com/en/

Steinberg Cubase
http://www.steinberg.net/en/products/cubase/start.html



iLok Users:- anybody using an iLok on their Hackintosh, BoomR recommended in a previous reply to a post from way back to install the iLok software firstly after a fresh install of OSX BEFORE installing any other software in OSX.

After iLok is installed and activated for the software that you wish to use then you can install your software DAW(s)

Its a little odd seeing much talk about the Presonus interfaces, but Presonus Studio One 2 is not listed as a DAW in the OP.

And yes, I am also wondering if there are any known issues with iLok on Hackintosh as well.

 

[BoomR]

Its a little odd seeing much talk about the Presonus interfaces, but Presonus Studio One 2 is not listed as a DAW in the OP.

And yes, I am also wondering if there are any known issues with iLok on Hackintosh as well.

I have iLok 2nd gen and 1st gen working on my Studio 2.0 build... no issues...

 

[SoundForSoul117]

I have Synfire Pro on Ilok 1 and it's running fine. Also available with Nexus 2 on E-licenser

 

[crashputer]

Thanks crashputer, good to know you are running in Yosemite without problems I have managed to get the Focusrite running 100% stable in Yosemite now, after a bit of trial and error I have discovered this process;

1) Boot Customac with nothing connected to Firewire
1a) Wait approx 1 or 2 min's after signing in with password... if you open Console you will see a few little errors that occur after logging in, eg NSsomething and DirtyJetsam memeory etc... you need to wait until the os has experienced these errors once)
2) Launch Mix control software manually, after boot is completed (ie, DO NOT set it as an auto login item)
3) Power up Focusrite without firewire connected- it makes a small whirring HDD noise and boots into "Stand-alone mode"
4) Connect firewire cable (ie , Hotplug FW device- Carefully!!!! - see below)

Thats it, for some reason this works fine, I have not been able to crash it or even experience a single audio glitch booting/connecting like this I have had multiple tracks recording for hours on end with multiple applications running, eg Safari open, Unigine Heaven benchmark running etc all at the same time. I consider this tested and stable

Yes, I have the same issue. If I have the box connected when I boot, the system will hang as it switches to GUI until I disconnect the firewire cable. Also, I have to connect to port #2 on my box. This is not an issue when I connect to a Windows machine.

 

[ATB]

as far as audio interfaces go, "bang for your buck" you cant beat this one:

http://www.amazon.com/TASCAM-US-16x08-USB-Audio-Interface/dp/B00MIXF200/ref=dp_ob_title_ce

• Eight Ultra-HDDA microphone preamps with 57dB of gain
• 16-in/8-out interface with up to 96kHz/24-bit resolution
• USB Audio Compliance 2.0 drivers for iOS compatibility
• Independent line out and headphone level controls

8 of those inputs are XLR btw. $293 from Amazon. Also has at least one digital in as well (at least the US-1800 did)... I own the older version US-1800. Still alot of inputs for $300. Works great with Pro Tools 11!

http://tascam.com/product/us-16x08/overview/

on second thought maybe the US-1800 might be the better way to go if you can still find one

http://tascam.com/product/us-1800/specifications/

Digital audio Inputs
COAXIAL	RCA pin-jack
Format	IEC60958-3(S/PDIF)
Input impedance	75ohms
Level	0.5Vp-p / 75ohms
Digital audio Outputs
COAXIAL	RCA pin-jack
Format	IEC60958 Concumer(S/PDIF) and IEC958 Professional(AES/EBU) *Selectable in the Control Panel betwiin
Output impedance	75ohms
Level	0.5Vp-p / 75ohms

but then again if you have a bigger budget there are alot of other options as well! I love my US-1800 though!

 

[mastermix]

Hi all,

First post on the board and just finished my first Hackintosh, based on a Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Ultra Gaming MB with a 4GHz i7 6700K running Sierra. Testing with MOTU's free AudioDesk DAW and a PCIe-424 with a 2408mk2. Still some tweaking to do but it's running a 43-track session right now with barely any reading on the Processing meter. Going to load Pro Tools 12 and the other DAW's I run (on my main system, a 5,1 Mac Pro, 3.33 12-Core). I am also going to load my plugins to get a real idea of what it can do.

I was inspired to build this system after the new MacBook Pro's came out and was taken aback at not only the price, but the lack of expandability. I'm an audio engineer by trade and it pains me to say the most recent offerings from Apple have been underwhelming from a pro perspective.

This site is a fantastic resource for people who like to get their hands dirty... matter of fact I've just ordered parts for my second build, a gift for my girlfriend who is lagging along on my 2008 MacBook Pro.

 

[dysanfel]

I have been using a Presonus Firestudio Project without a hitch since 2009. It still works with 10.12.2. They must do something right if a 15 year old Firewire400 interface still works with both Win10 & Sierra.