• Registered: 2021-10-10
  • Posts: 4

Topic: RME 802 and Fireface 800 as slave - Adat Issue

Hello everyone,
I'm new here but I've always followed the forum for very helpful insights.
I decided to post because i did not find the answer needed. Probably it's a very simple issue but I can't find a solution.

I have a RME 802 as main audio interface running into a Mac Mini 2021 (M1 chip).

Everything works great.

I needed more I/O so I purchased a used Fireface 800 firewire to run via adat.

here's the issue:

i did all the connections between the 2 interfaces ( adat in and out/ out and in + wordclock out from 802 to WC in of the FF800).

I see in total mix all 8 adat I/O but there's no signal.

here's my question:

do I need to connect at least once the FF800 to mac m1 to have it properly working? Or is it just a matter of routing in total mix?

I'm not very familiar with TM routing so I'm not excluding that.

also I would love to avoid purchasing two apple adapter (which cost a lot) just for one time connection.

Thanks in advance for all the suggestions!

2 Reply by ramses (edited by ramses 2021-10-10 14:00:20)

  • ramses
  • DAW Mastermind
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  • Registered: 2012-10-14
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Re: RME 802 and Fireface 800 as slave - Adat Issue

Word clock is not needed in such a setup.

Apple---FF802 <---------ADAT1 IN---------ADAT1 OUT------- FF800
                       +---------ADAT1 OUT-------ADAT1 IN--------->
                                     (audio + clock)
Clock Master ................................................................. Clock slave
Settings Dialog:
Clock Source internal .................................................... Clock Source ADAT1

You can check ADAT ports and TOSLINK cables by performing a loop test, then watch input status.
Check in the driver settings dialog whether ADAT2 (if you use it) has been set to ADAT format (8ch protocol) and not to AES/SPDIF (2ch protocol).

You need a Firewire connection for the FF800 to route 8 input ports of your choice through ADAT1.
Then you can either run FF800 (once it works) in standalone mode without FW connection to computer or leave Firewire connection connected. It could be the case, that you need to change routing or port settings.

If you need double speed (88.2/96) then you have only 4 channels through ADAT1 or you need to use a 2nd pair of TOSLINK cables to connect also ADAT2. Ensure that ADAT2 for both interfaces are set to ADAT protocol.

It can be the case that clock switches between single and double speed are not recognized properly, most likely also not through WC. In this case it would be beneficial to make a SPDIF connection from 802 (AES OUT) and 800 (SPDIF IN) and to send clock through SPDIF. SPDIF is a two channel protocol and supports 44.1 - 192 kHz, maybe then the FF800 will recognize double speed through SPDIF properly.

The FF802 manual, ch 21.2 shows you the pinout of such a AES -> coax SPDIF cable.

The 802's AES port needs then to be set from Professional (AES format) to Consumer (SPDIF format).

Good luck with the implementation.

BR Ramses - UFX III, 12Mic, XTC, ADI-2 Pro FS R BE, RayDAT, X10SRi-F, E5-1680v4, Win10Pro22H2, Cub13
  • Registered: 2021-10-10
  • Posts: 4

Re: RME 802 and Fireface 800 as slave - Adat Issue

Thank you so much Ramses for your reply.
My problem is that I have no chance to connect the FF800 to my mac right now. When you say "clock slave setting Dialogue" you mean I have to connect it via fireware to tb3 and change the settings. Is there any other way to do that? I was looking for a solution to save the money for the cable adapters (TB2 TB3 and FW).

Thanks again

4 Reply by ramses (edited by ramses 2021-10-10 14:17:50)

  • ramses
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  • Registered: 2012-10-14
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Re: RME 802 and Fireface 800 as slave - Adat Issue

It's with the FF800 the same like with the FF802.
You need the proper driver installed and to connect the FF800 through Firewire.
Otherwise you can't
- perform proper settings for clock or protocol settings for certain ports (ADAT2, AES)
- perform settings in TM FX for routing or port settings like ref level, mic gain ..

Or you need to get a recording interface like e.g. UFX II / UFX+ where you have a display to configure most of not all stuff on the device.

BR Ramses - UFX III, 12Mic, XTC, ADI-2 Pro FS R BE, RayDAT, X10SRi-F, E5-1680v4, Win10Pro22H2, Cub13
  • Registered: 2021-10-10
  • Posts: 4

Re: RME 802 and Fireface 800 as slave - Adat Issue

Thank you so much,
I will do my test once I can connect the FF800 to my mac!

  • rAC
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  • Registered: 2011-05-04
  • Posts: 77

Re: RME 802 and Fireface 800 as slave - Adat Issue

You could connect the Fireface to another machine to configure it.