Setup for multiple interfaces. MOTU 828es

SETUP FOR MULTIPLE INTERFACES

It is possible to connect multiple MOTU interfaces directly to your host computer through multiple

USB (and Thunderbolt) ports. However, there are several disadvantages to using any of these direct connection schemes:

■

The audio interfaces will not be clocked to one another and may be susceptible to drift, unless you use external word clock connections (if available).

You are better off using the AVB network

connections shown on pages 34-36. In this setup,

the interfaces are very tightly synchronized with each other (measured in pico seconds) through their network connections.

■

You will not be able to route audio directly from one audio interface to another. You are better off using the AVB network connections shown on

pages 34-36, which allows you to route audio

streams (hundreds at a time) directly among interfaces with near-zero latency.

Connecting multiple interfaces using

Thunderbolt

If you have other MOTU interfaces with

Thunderbolt connectivity (1248, 8M, 16A, 112D,

624 or 8A) and your host computer has two or more Thunderbolt ports, you can connect one interface to each port, either directly or at the end of a Thunderbolt daisy chain (on either port or both ports).

Connecting multiple interfaces using

Thunderbolt and USB

Another way to operate multiple interfaces on the same host computer is to connect the first interface to a Thunderbolt port and the second to a USB 2.0 (or 3.0) port.

Multiple interfaces and USB

When connected through USB, the 828es operates as a USB 2.0 device, even when connected to a

USB 3.0 port. USB 2.0 provides enough bus speed for several USB 2.0 devices, but due to the highperformance requirements of the 828es for realtime operation and low latency timing, we recommend the following:

■

Do not connect more than two units to your computer’s USB 2.0 (or 3.0) ports.

■

When two units are connected with USB 2.0, don’t connect other USB 2.0 or 3. 0 devices, such as external hard drives.

■

For best results, establish clock synchronization with other interfaces connected to the same computer. You can use word clock, S/PDIF, optical or AVB to achieve clock synchronization.

Multiple AVB Ethernet audio interfaces

When operating 828es as an AVB Ethernet audio

interface (“AVB Ethernet audio interface setup” on page 34), multiple AVB audio interfaces can be

connected using a MOTU AVB Switch (or any

3rd-party AVB switch), and the Mac can see all of them through their AVB connection. For example, you could connect an Avid S3 console to the Mac, and then connect a MOTU 828es to the S3’s extra network port (which is a built-in switch). The Mac can see both 828es and S3 for audio I/O. For best results in this scenario, be sure to use OS X 10.11

(El Capitan) or later. See “Syncing multiple AVB audio interfaces connected to a Mac” on page 50.

Mixing and matching audio interfaces

You can mix and match MOTU audio interfaces.

For example, you could connect an 828es through

Thunderbolt and another MOTU audio interface, such as the Stage-B16, through USB 2.0.

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H A R D W A R E I N S T A L L A T I O N