• Registered: 2023-09-27
  • Posts: 2

Topic: Fireface 800 - Use both FW800 simultaniously on two PCs?

I'm using the Fireface 800 with my Windows PC for years now. Recently I bought a MacBook Pro and thought why not try and use the second FireWire 800 Port for it so I don't need to replug or buy a second interface.
I got everything to work but this opened up a question
When both PCs are connected and powered on, should I be able to use both at the same time and if yes would that require a special configuration?
I tried it with playing audio from a browser but as soon as I start the audio on the second device, the first one is muted. Is this a savety mute or does this have other reasons? I didn't find much about this topic so I guess this is not a very common scenario

  • Registered: 2016-06-14
  • Posts: 1,142

Re: Fireface 800 - Use both FW800 simultaniously on two PCs?

This don’t work. How should that be possible? Things like different sample rates on the two computers would cause serious issues. And what settings and Totalmix configurations would be valid?

UCX - FF 400 - Babyface pro - Digiface USB - ADI-2 (original)
Mac mini M1 - Macbook pro - iPad Air2

3 Reply by keenmux (edited by keenmux 2023-09-27 14:05:37)

  • Registered: 2023-09-27
  • Posts: 2

Re: Fireface 800 - Use both FW800 simultaniously on two PCs?

oli77sch wrote:

This don’t work. How should that be possible? Things like different sample rates on the two computers would cause serious issues. And what settings and Totalmix configurations would be valid?

Yeah I thought about that two. That's why I was wondering if there might be a mode for this like with totalmix remote where one listens to a master.

It does work to some extent tho, when I stop the audio on one device and start it on the other it seems to be working seemlessly.
The risk is though that I have an accidental signal coming from the unused machine which stops audio on my active one.

  • Kubrak
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  • Registered: 2023-08-03
  • Posts: 541

Re: Fireface 800 - Use both FW800 simultaniously on two PCs?

I guess it is not intended use case, and so results would be unexpected.....

Maybe there is more interfaces that are designed for use by multiple computers concurently, but I kow only interfaces from iConnectivity. Pretty cool, one may route audiostream digitally from one Class Compliant device to another. It does not have to be computers.

5 Reply by oli77sch (edited by oli77sch 2023-09-27 14:55:37)

  • Registered: 2016-06-14
  • Posts: 1,142

Re: Fireface 800 - Use both FW800 simultaniously on two PCs?

keenmux wrote:

It does work to some extent tho, when I stop the audio on one device and start it on the other it seems to be working seemlessly.

I would not have expected that! But what happens when you have two very different Totalmix configurations?

UCX - FF 400 - Babyface pro - Digiface USB - ADI-2 (original)
Mac mini M1 - Macbook pro - iPad Air2