If you’re reading a 16+ track mix from the HD, playing back 2 tracks to the interface for the artists to overdub to, sending maybe 4 track back through the interface for the overdubs, then writing those 4 tracks to the HD, you’re pushing a lot of bandwidth through the bus-26x44.1kx24bit.
Just wondering if anyone’s tried this and how many tracks they record/playback. I tried playing back a project with around 20 tracks and kept getting drops. I’m testing this setup with an old IDE HD and enclosure I had lying around, and I’m suspicious of the drive’s integrity, so I can’t tell if it’s a faulty hardware issue or bandwidth.
I’m on a GA x58a-ud3r which has 3 firewire ports, but as I understand it, most if not all mobo’s really only have one bus shared by all the ports unless you install a card. Can anyone confirm this?
So assuming one bus, how much real world bandwidth can you expect?
I have that board but I don’t have an answer for you. It only has one firewire chip in it where it seems to steer the 3 ports from it. There are 2 rear and one header on the MB.
Anyway, I have read posts around the net saying to use windows legacy driver for DAW firewire. If you tried that and you still get dropouts, it maybe a steering issue between the devices causing an interruption in the data streams?
You could get a second firewire card and plug it in.
or
You could also get a removable drive bay. (IMO a better option)
Hopefully that is some help. I would expect issues doing what you are doing over thinking there wouldn’t be an issue without having tried it because you are dealing with streams of data in realtime need.
I suppose you could also raise your sample buffer to see if you can eliminate dropouts, but that may affect monitoring latency
You could also try putting your external drive on a usb port instead if your enclosure supports it.
I would definitely be trying a different HD. What you are trying to do should be possible.
I’ve recorded 24 tracks onto an internal laptop drive, with monitoring (though handled by the metric halos) - on very very old hardware (I’m talking a 2004 G4 mac powerbook).
The bandwidth for Firewire 400 is 400mbps or 50 MB/s. Not enough to stream multiple tracks of audio and read/write to disk. I’d try a USB HDD or better yet a second internal SATA HDD.
Hm - sorry - I only used the example of the internal HD of my laptop as it is slower in r/w than my external FW drives.
I had no doubt what he was asking for is no problems at all - at least for my system, so I set up a test.
Running off Lacie Rugged 7200RPM 500GB (2.5") FW400 hard drive.
13 x stereo stems from a recent project in nuendo. So, 26 mono equiv tracks, at 48/24.
Route them to 5 seperate stereo outputs in nuendo (all summed - so identical stereo mix on each buss, but at different levels) - so, 10 tracks going out through FW400 to the MH2882.
I then pick up 8 of those 10 tracks, and route them back through my inputs from the halo, into nuendo. So, another 8 tracks down F/W.
All 8 tracks recorded to the same FW drive.
So, coming off the disk = 26 x 48k24bit tracks
recorded to disk = 8 x 48k24bit tracks
Going to MH2882 = 10 tracks. (2 being monitored through my speakers)
Coming back, 8 mono tracks, PLUS another 6 tracks that happen to be routed back in for the monitoring setup I use in the nuendo control room. So, 14.
This was not a problem at all. If I get a chance, I might stress test it some more sometime. But, this exceeds what the OP was asking for - and it is not a problem. I would be looking at (a) the drive to start with, or (b) the FW implementation on his MB.
If you see any probs with my testing method, let me know.
