Thinking of buying Cubase Pro 9 & was wondering if my MOTU 828 Original can still be used as a front end? Many thanks.
Absolutely, just use the most recent drivers. Windows seems to have fallen out of love with Firewire, but there are ways … even if you can’t get working Firewire drivers and have to buy another interface, you can still continue to use the 828 via it’s ADAT ports.
Thanks for your quick reply, MrSoundman.“Absolutely, …via it’s ADAT ports.”-- Are you speaking of ADAT “ports” found within the software?,–because the rear panel of my 828 has only the 9-pin ADAT Sync IN connection. The 828 I have is the very first version they made–what MOTU now refers to as the “Original”, & yes I do have the latest drivers. Win 10 likes it well enough to allow the install, IEEE 1394 and all. I never used this Sync IN connection with my old Sony Vaio Pent IV because I had no use for an ADAT machine. Yes, I realize that Thunderbolt, USB 3.0, & USB-C have all sped past FireWire. Nevertheless, I went ahead and bought/installed a Texas Instruments 1394 OHCI Compliant Host Controller for the Intel Core i7-6700 CPU @ 3.40GHz machine I purchased a couple of yrs ago, and it works fine with Win 10. I did this hoping to use Cubase SX again. I was always quite happy with my simple 1.3GHz Pentium IV/MOTU 828 (FireWire) setup. I remember some very nice latency values of 13ms, 26ms, etc. Of course, it had slipped my mind that SX was designed around the Pentium IV, and how was I to know exactly how “exclusive” and “rigid” this design apparently is? I keep my system updated, but apparently MS isn’t going to create/release a new Microsoft C + + 2018 Redistributable (x64) xxxxxxxxxxx that will enable compatibility with the new Intel Core machines, assuming that’s even possible. Generally, Cubase SX leaned more toward the “high-end” of software, which makes me wonder exactly why it was so readily abandoned. I realize it’s “old” software, but I liked it, and it perfromed well. It’s a shame (rip-off) the powers that be felt no obligation to create and offer up “some” form of a fix to “grand-father” it into the next generation of hardware, especially seeing as how Win 10 doesn’t seem to have a problem with. When I donated my old Pent IV machine to a young student I didn’t realize I’d lose access to SX. Oh well, I guess I should find a decent old Sony Vaio Pent IV machine for cheap.
I use Cubase SX3 quite often (to convert older .ALL Cubase files) on a Windows 7 machine using an emulator to run the SX3 on Windows XP…I have also managed to get it to run on my Win 10 machine a couple of times but it doesn’t seem to be reliable there (may well be that I need an emulator there too).
I’ve got an original 828 here and it’s got adat light pipe ports on it.
I’m using a newer 828x and I’ve got a MOTU 896HD hooked up via adat lightpipe and it works great allowing me to utilise the 896HD preamps.
I’m not sure it would work with the original 828 though. Using the 896HD in this way means I have to use it in standalone mode where it remembers the settings I last used when it was plugged in. Dont think the original 828 has that.
Though you should be able to use the 828 on its own as long as windows plays ball.
If the Firewire drivers are working well on Windows 10, then the original 828 (a.k.a. “MkI”) is as good as it ever was from the perspective of being suitable for use with Cubase.
Regarding SX3 on Windows 10, see here: Cubase VST Song import in Cubase 4 and later: a solution
More information here, here, here, here and here.
It’s is not advisable to try using the (now unsupported) SX3 as a DAW on Windows 10, but download and install the trial version of even Elements and I think you’ll find it’s almost comparable to what SX was back then. If you like Elements, you can always upgrade to Artist or Pro later at a cost which is equal to the difference in price, so you lose nothing by starting with the basic version.
Here is a pic of the MOTU 828 “Original” - https://www.ebay.com/itm/MOTU-828-Firewire-Audio-Interface-From-2003-Works-Perfect-AllOriginal/283157438195?hash=item41ed7f9ef3:g:-eQAAOSwiQlbmgOL and my only concern here is finding a work-around the apparent issue of Cubase SX being designed to work exclusively with the Pent IV platform. I have tons of software that worked on the Pentium IV machine and they all still work with my newer Intel Core i7-6700 CPU @ 3.40GHz machine. But, Cubase SX???–NOPE.
Sorry, but, where are you getting your information? Cubase SX works fine on any Intel or AMD processor, the issue is that it’s so old, it won’t work very well on a modern OS like Windows 10. In other words, if you were to take a PC with an Intel Core i7-6700 CPU and install Windows XP on it, then Cubase SX would work without issue on it.
Your original question was about whether or not you could could use the MOTU 828 if you were to upgrade to Cubase 9, and the answer is yes, so the recommendation would be to forget SX, and upgrade.
Well, I’m mainly getting it from what “appears” on the “Initializing Cubase SX… window” that opens when I try to start the app. At the bottom left of the window it first reads “Initializing: Protection”, then “Initializing: Resources”, then “Initializing: VST Plugins”, then “Initializing: MIDI”, then “Initializing: VST”, then “Initializing: Pentium IV Optimized Data Type Converters…”–at this point “Initializing” (loading) fails and the app either disappears or I get the following error -
“Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime Library
Runtime Error!
Program: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steinberg\CubaseSX\Cubase.exe
abnormal program termination”
This occurs consistently. That is to say–it always fails to “initialize” the Pent. IV Optimized Data Type Converters; and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out why. There is no Pent. IV present. That’s where I’m getting my information.
OK, MrSoundman, you’re a Senior Member here with lots of posts, so I’m going to recognize you as an expert and take your word that the Full Version of Cubase 9.5 Pro will work with my Original MOTU 828 (2002). BTW here is a better view of exactly what my “Original” 828 looks like –
https://www.ebay.com/itm/MOTU-828-Firewire-Audio-Interface-From-2003-Works-Perfect-AllOriginal/283157438195?hash=item41ed7f9ef3:g:-eQAAOSwiQlbmgOL
I have the latest drivers installed for it and it works great with all the software (WinMediaPlayer12, AVSMediaPlayer v 4.6.1, MicrosoftGrooveMusicVer10, MicrosoftMovies&TVVer10, CyberLinkMediaPlayerVer14) on my Win 10 Intel Core i7-6700 CPU @ 3.40GHz machine. If it works great with all my other software, there’s really no reason to believe Cubase 9.5 Pro will cause a problem. So, I’m going to order the box ver. online later this evening.
Also, if you can think of no compatibility issues between my 828 and WaveLab 9.5 Pro, I’ll be buying it next month. Please be sure to let me know. Many thanks.
I have the 828 MkII and that uses the same drivers (MOTU Audio Installer v4.0.6.6814 Release Date 2015-10-28) so everything should work, but obviously there will always be some risk.
You could always try the free trial of Cubase 9.5 (or Cubase Elements 9.5) which is available here: Try Cubase now for 30 days for free.
… and the WaveLab 9.5 trials are here: Try WaveLab 9.5 now for 30 days for free
Yes, I’m using the same drivers. I see no problem. BTW, just wondered what you thought of my explanation of “exactly where”…I was getting my “information from”? Doesn’t it seem logical?
It’s only logical to the point where you make the assumption that a Pentium 4 is a requirement to run Cubase SX. It also ran on AMD Athlon processors at the time, and many others. The splash screen is probably just telling you that it has detected your much more modern CPU as what it thinks is a Pentium 4, and is loading a code module optimized for that processor. Why it fails, I don’t know. Cubase SX3 will run on the current “i” series of Intel processors.
Is it possible you have only Cubase SX, i.e. the first SX version, and not Cubase SX2 or SX3?
Correct it is only SX 1.0.6, but now using 9.5 Pro. Big fun. Many thanks, MrSoundman.
Yay! 
Hello, I have also the 828, the first one, and I’m trying to get it work with Windows 10, but nothing.
I have a Intel i5 and have downloaded the latest drive for the 828, its from 2015, v4.0.6.6814. I bought also a firewire Pci-e connecting. But still can´t manage to put it working.
The only thing that i can do is changing the frame rate in the Motu app from 48000 to 41000.
How do you manage to put working the 828 with Win10 ?
Thank you for helping.
Greeting from Portugal