• Registered: 2010-09-02
  • Posts: 2

Topic: How do you Daisy Chain 3x Fireface800's

Hi all, I am about to record our Second Album and want to know how to daisy chain 3x Fireface800's.
Luckily I didnt have to pay for 3x Fireface800's. I play for a 5 piece band of which myself and 2 other members also own their own FF800's. We are currently setting up the studio and want to utilize all three FF800's with a 24 channel analogue desk.
I have never daisy chained anything in my life. Seems easy enough......I think?HeadScratch

This is what we want to do:
1-24 simultaneous tracks A/D into Logic 9. (Rediculous Drumkit/Drummers using 70% of the channels grrrrrr )
2-Tweak the tracks in Logic 9.
3-Use up to 24 tracks D/A conversion back to the Desk for Mixing OTB for that analogue goodness. (I will most likely group most of the tracks inside Logic so no real need for all 24 D/A outputs)
4-Print down

I have an iMac i5 with FW800 and maxed out RAM.
3x FF800's
24 Channel Analogue Desk
FW800 Cables
BNC Cables.


A few questions:
-First question.... what would be the easiest way to setup all three units with all FW800 connection.
-The RME Conversion is what I need the most. Will the AD/DA conversion work on all three FF800 units?
-I have an Apogee Big Ben Clock of which I will clock all three units with. If I am using the Big Ben as the clock with BNC cables, do I push the (blue switch on the back) 75 ohm termination switch in on all 3 ff800 units?
-If my computer allows it, Im hoping to record at 96/24bit? Is that possible with Daisy Chaining?

I think thats it?
Any help would be very much appreciated.:-)

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

Re: How do you Daisy Chain 3x Fireface800's

Here is a video tutorial for the connection of two Fireface 800. Syncing, cabling, daisy chaining ...

best regards
Knut

  • Registered: 2007-05-09
  • Posts: 174

Re: How do you Daisy Chain 3x Fireface800's

The video has answered most of your questions I imagine?

Is there any particular reason you want to complicate matters by using an external clock?  There's a perfectly good one in the first FW800 in your chain.

If you're chaining units, you push the termination switch on the last one in the chain.

A recent article in Sound on Sound compared master clocks.  The conclusion was that one might be useful when synching video, but for the sort of audio recording under discussion there wasn't any point.

  • Registered: 2010-09-02
  • Posts: 2

Re: How do you Daisy Chain 3x Fireface800's

Cool thanks Admin Knut, Laurence Payne. And yip I will just use the FF800 clock. The more simple the better sounds good to me.

Just to fill you in on my reasons for this post.
Our first album was recorded with a FF800 and 2x RME Octamic II with great results, and Mixed totally ITB. I have always been a big fan of the SoundCraft Series 500/600 sound for its warm bottom end and I wanted to mix/summing OTB.
To cut a long story short. The process stopped as I assumed tracks could be sent via the 1/4 Outputs of the Octamic II pres into the SoundCraft.
Totally didnt realise that the Octamic II have only A/D conversion, but no D/A. That almost defeats the purpose of having analogue 1/4 output connections as you have to have D/A converters to use the Octamic II 1/4 inch outputs no? HeadScratchHmmmph? 16x AD/DA converters are sooo expensive!:-)
Hence the Daisy chain solution.

Thanks again guys

  • Registered: 2007-05-09
  • Posts: 174

Re: How do you Daisy Chain 3x Fireface800's

I guess the analogue outs of the Octamic are so you can monitor or pass through to a PA board while recording.  Two of them, plus a FF800 seems an excellent setup as long as you're happy to mix in the box.  As you say, a further 8 channels of D/A would be expensive, and as most people DO mix ITB...

You're lucky to have two further FF800 available so you can experiment with external mixing.  Not that I'm at all convinced it adds any particular magic that couldn't be contrived in other, simpler ways.  But, hey!  The gear's there at no extra cost, so play with it!