Currently I have a MR816x and a Behringer ADA8000. I need to to increase the number of inputs and out puts, so was thinking of getting another MR or would the UR be a smarter choice in terms of future system compatibility issues? What are the advantages /disadvantages of either combination?
So you currently have 16 analogue I/O with the Behringer connected to the MR816x via adat?
you would need to make sure the MR asio driver allows more than one device to be connected at the same time, and just what other devices, if any, are compatible with that asio driver.
For future compatibility, grab a UR824 then hang the MR and the Behringer off the ADAT ports.
The MR is old and drivers will go bye bye soon Im guessing
This is what I did…
On the other hand, you can chain (up to 3) MR816 units to act as one 32 or 48 channel device. I don’t believe you can with the UR824.
I find it very hard to believe that Steinberg would be that incredibly stupid.
I find it very hard to believe that Steinberg would be that incredibly stupid.
Well they did it with many HW products (houston, midex and some software plugins like VG2), and so do other manufacturers.
In your case you’re already using a behringer AD8000, I’d suggest to try the new AD8200 which has better converters and pre-amps as the old one besides that it’s only 'bout 200 dollars or so.
I’m scared that my CC121 is already end of line as there aren’t any updates the last few years.
The UR824 on the other hand has the specs of a MR816CSX (8 eq/compressors & reverb on monitor mixes)
Well, the Huston controller is actually still supported in Cubase, and you can’t compare support for hardware (including drivers) and software.
I’m sure that support for the MR816 will end some day, but so will support for the UR824 aswell. The MR816 was discontinued less than a year ago. Alienating all those who own MR816, by cutting support in the closest 10 years, would be an incredibly stupid act. I have higher thought of Steinbergs marketing department. Just to be on the safe side, I checked with Steinberg support before I bought mine, and they told me that they had no plans on discontinuing support. You’re not calling them liers, are you? 
What clinched it for me was:
- The MR816 supports zero latency monitoring from Cubase’s Control Room. As far as I can tell, the UR824 doesn’t.
- The MR816 allows for using phantom power on individual mic inputs. The UR824 turn it on and off globally (all or none). This means that you can’t use mics that require phantom power (such as condensers) and mics that becomes damaged by it (such as ribbons) simultaneously.
I would never be negative 'bout steinberg, just venting my thoughts.
However as I have had several products that were never updated I put my concerns in this topic.