assembling a new system, few questions

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hi all

i'm preparing to assemble a new system using the following components

hd core
accel x 2

sync i/o

3x prism sound Dream ADA-8XR w/ HD interface cards

g5 2ghz dual

couple of questions.. most of the system has arrived, and barring some surprise package containing a few more cables, we need 2 interface cables. my question is.. can i hook up all 3 interfaces (24 channels) to the core card using the interface cable provdied and a couple of shorter cables to daisy chain them? or should i connect each to a card? does it matter?

the first solution would simplify the install considerably for me.

also, we still need to purchase storage for this system. i'm thinking of getting 2x wd raptor 10k SATA drives to put in the g5 and then handling backup and transfer via firewire.. anybody using these drives? what sort of real world performance do they offer? in my own mix systems we just use firewire drives and have no problems maxing out the voice count on a single drive during mixing, but this system needs to be stable for tracking and mixing at higher sample rates.

thanks for the input.

[Drew Mazurek]

not sure about 3rd party interfaces but each card can only handle 2 Digi interfaces at a time. your plans for the drives seem reasonable especially if you're talking 48k and/or 44.1.

[groovietuner]

I know this is probably outdated and you have probably answered your own questions, but I thought I'd speak up incase anyone else has the same questions.

I believe that the ADA-8XR is able to handle 16 channels of AD or DA per box (of course it costs extra to get the extra card, but it isn't as expensive as getting a third box, unless you are running more than a stereo mix and then might require more than 8 outs).

I know for sure, in regular configs, you can make two of the ADA's look like one 192 i/o. They are linked from unit to unit. As far as attaching more, I believe you simply link those as well.

As far as the drives are concerned, real world rates aren't that different with the Raptors than with some other high power drives (read seagate 7200.8). Also, for $275 a piece, you could get two of them and have a total of 800 GB. Optimally, though, external solutions are preferred (if you have the money, check out Studio Network Solutions A/V series).

Hope this helps someone,

Peace