Long line runs between 002R and computer?

[John J.]

Wondering if any 002R users are running long firewire or other connection lines between their computer and their Digi box? I'm interested specifically to know how well the 002R might run if the host computer were placed let's say 20-30 feet away in a machine room?

Would such a long run make recording/mixing far more difficult in terms of latencies? I'm looking to purchase a dual 1.8 Mac as well as considering placing it in another room away from the control area. I would appreciate hearing from existing users regarding any drawbacks in this type of instance (longer connections to control room screen monitor, firewire, ethernet...). Thanks guys.

[tele_player]

Firewire spec has a limit of 4.5m for distance between Firewire devices, there are some who are going to twice that distance, using 'special' cables. Length of the cable doesn't have a direct effect on latency.

[sndgeek]

There are firewire repeaters available on the market for runs longer than 4.5m (for instance). The same sort of things exist for computer monitors, although the range on standard VGA cables daisy-chained together is pretty good. Ethernet wouldn't be a problem since you can place your machine closer to the ports...or go wireless. Latency is miniscule in terms of cable length. Also don't forget your USB for keyboard and mouse, but those will run 50 feet easily.

You might consider putting in a firewire hub, since you won't have easy access to the machine without getting up.

Good luck.

[John J.]

Thanks for the specs and product suggestions guys - I'm headed in the right direction now. Cheers.

-John

[Rail Jon Rogut]

Also check out the Gefen products.

Rail

[Willangus]

Incidentally, sndgeek's recommendation for the Sewell Direct firewire extension cable is a good one. I just got mine in the mail, hooked it up, and it seems to work flawlessly. I played a 32-track final mix through my 002, and all the audio sounded perfect and the faders moved as expected (going from and to the 002). Haven't had the chance to try audio into the 002, but I wouldn't expect a problem.

Assuming this continues to work out, this would be a great way to go for people looking for longer cable runs--$20 gets you an additional 14.5' of cable length, with no power supply needed. You're also supposed to be able to daisy chain them up to 60', but I can't speak to how that would work out...yet.

(I'd post my setup here, but I'm at work and can't remember clearly enough to go into too much detail. It's an A7V8X-X mobo with Athlon XP3000, SP2, and an Oxford 911 FW card, but don't remember which card.)

Cheers,
W