• Registered: 2009-12-18
  • Posts: 10

Topic: fireface 400/800 and new Macbooks... no firewire!

I did a quick search and didn't find a posting on this... if I missed it, sorry for the repost.   As I understand it, there's no firewire port on the new Macbook Pros.  Are my 3 expensive Firefaces about to become paperweights or will they work with a USB-Firewire adapter...  Please, please say yes!

  • From: Germany
  • Registered: 2007-04-10
  • Posts: 9,774

Re: fireface 400/800 and new Macbooks... no firewire!

I have never heard of any (successful) tests with such adapters... I would doubt that they would work, though.

If there is at least one MBP with an Expresscard slot, you could operate the FF with a FW Expresscard interface.

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

RME Support's Website

  • Registered: 2010-03-30
  • Posts: 35

Re: fireface 400/800 and new Macbooks... no firewire!

er... just get a FW400 to FW800 port adaptor for like $10/?10?

Mac Studio Ultra, MADIFace Pro, SSL Alphalink SX/Lavry AD10/DA10, macOS 14.3.1, Logic 11, SSL Matrix
  • Registered: 2009-12-18
  • Posts: 10

Re: fireface 400/800 and new Macbooks... no firewire!

my panic has slightly lessened after a visit to the Apple site, where they list the MacBook Pro as having a firewire 800 port.  So now my question is, will my Fireface 400 work OK if I use an 800-400 adapter?

5 Reply by HS theater techie (edited by HS theater techie 2010-03-30 23:30:13)

  • Registered: 2010-03-30
  • Posts: 3

Re: fireface 400/800 and new Macbooks... no firewire!

All right, here's the scoop. What you are freaking about is the lack of a firewire port on the one and only aluminum unibody MacBook, that model was produced in late 2008 (I would know, I own one) All of the current MacBook Pro models include one firewire 800 port. See for your self: MacBook Pro specs.


"Don't worry, be happy..." :-)

  • Registered: 2010-03-30
  • Posts: 35

Re: fireface 400/800 and new Macbooks... no firewire!

yes, it will work fine with an adaptor

Mac Studio Ultra, MADIFace Pro, SSL Alphalink SX/Lavry AD10/DA10, macOS 14.3.1, Logic 11, SSL Matrix
  • Registered: 2009-12-18
  • Posts: 10

Re: fireface 400/800 and new Macbooks... no firewire!

Thanks to everyone for the replies!  Sorry for the panic... I'd just bought 2 more Fireface 400s for our dept. and was imagining how they'd look as paperweights...  It must have been the '08 unibody MacBook I was hearing about.

Does anyone else get the sense that Steve Jobs gets a kick out of introducing and then single-handedly killing off all new port standards?  (what are there now, maybe 6 different vga adapters required to cover 2 model years of Powerbooks?)

  • Grag38
  • AES/EBU artist
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2009-06-18
  • Posts: 117

Re: fireface 400/800 and new Macbooks... no firewire!

Unfortunately it arrived to a friend that bought an Apogee Duet before buying an apple aluminium with no FF port. She tried to find an usb-FF adaptor but we never succed finding it on the net...

  • Knut
  • Knut
  • DAW Mastermind
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2007-04-06
  • Posts: 1,618

Re: fireface 400/800 and new Macbooks... no firewire!

She tried to find an usb-FF adaptor but we never succed finding it on the net...

Such a device does not exist because of the different protocols and would never work as expected (not enough bus power).
But we got an alternative with the RME USB technology (Fireface UC, Babyface).

best regards
Knut