Dual Firewire

[MiximusMaximus]

I am running an old Mackie dxb digital console with my 2018.1 Pro Tools rig. If I run a single Firewire connection for 24 channel of I/O, it all goes to plan. If I try and run a second card with the playback engine configured to see both cards as an aggregate, as to get more I/O, Pro Tools immediately goes sideways and gives me the dreaded 6101 CPU error. It doesn't matter the size of the project, plug ins, track count, etc.

I am running a MAC Pro 5,1 with 48 gigs of RAM, SSD drives. The console is clocked to an Apogee AD-8000, though I get the same behavior even if the MAC is master clock. I am stumped and not super versed in all things Pro Tools as of yet. Just looking to see if what I am attempting to do with more I/O is possible with dual Firewire. I am guessing I will get a limit of 36 channels since I am not using AVID hardware but 36 channels would be great if I could get it to work.

Any ideas?

[Darryl Ramm]

Aggregate IO is a crap shoot, you should expect it not to work reliably. And AFAIK Avid only ever officially supported it for aggregating Built-In Output with an interface. A key issue is the quality of the interface drivers and how much work/testing those vendors did with aggregate IO. E.g. Motu seems to do well.

For anything important you should plan around not using aggregate IO.

I was not aware you can add a second Firewire card to those mixers. Are you sure that is supported?

[MiximusMaximus]

Originally Posted by Darryl Ramm

Aggregate IO is a crap shoot, you should expect it not to work reliably. And AFAIK Avid only ever officially supported it for aggregating Built-In Output with an interface. A key issue is the quality of the interface drivers and how much work/testing those vendors did with aggregate IO. E.g. Motu seems to do well.

For anything important you should plan around not using aggregate IO.

Thanks for the reply. I have tried to see if any other dxbr's have had any success trying to do what I am trying to attempt but am still in the dark from the console side of the equation.

I have heard about the aggregate dance being a crap shoot but it is my only option that I know of with this setup. Put it all on a computer they said...ugh.

[Darryl Ramm]

Do you have any documentation that says these boxes actually support a second FireWire card? Google does not seem to find anything.... not a good sign. Can you get the second card to work by itself?

Otherwise what can you do with ADAT? Can these mixers take multiple ADAT cards? If running with expanded I/O > 24 channels (sounds like you are?) you may hit the 32 IO CoreAudio limit of Pro Tools and would need to use Pro Tools Ultimate with a Digilink interface. And so I would be looking at something like some used 192 IO or HD IO digital boxes strung together... or by then maybe just put the Mackie out to pasture...

[MiximusMaximus]

Originally Posted by Darryl Ramm

Do you have any documentation that says these boxes actually support a second FireWire card? Google does not seem to find anything.... not a good sign. Can you get the second card to work by itself?

Otherwise what can you do with ADAT? Can these mixers take multiple ADAT cards? If running with expanded I/O > 24 channels (sounds like you are?) you may hit the 32 IO CoreAudio limit of Pro Tools and would need to use Pro Tools Ultimate with a Digilink interface. And so I would be looking at something like some used 192 IO or HD IO digital boxes strung together... or by then maybe just put the Mackie out to pasture...

I have a multitude of I/O cards for the console, not so much for the MAC. I am looking at something like a Lynx AES16e or a RME Raydat for that side. I just want to research this firewire issue before I start throwing money at the MAC. But to answer your question, yea, I can do 48 channels of ADAT I/O, actually more, on the console depending on what I am recording at. The console will do 192k but then you start halving the inputs as you would expect.

[Darryl Ramm]

Just remember if looking at those PC cards for ADAT etc. you are limited to 32 IO.

[MiximusMaximus]

Yes, I am aware. Thanks for your info on all of this.