• Registered: 2013-01-14
  • Posts: 19

Topic: Sonnet thunderbolt/express card adaption - iLok and HD compatibility?

I'm wanting some extra info on the Sonnet adaptor beyond what i'm finding with a search. 


Basically, I have a plan.  I like the idea of using my thunderbolt port as a single cable entry point to my mobile recording rig/rack.  Using too many ports simultaneously on my Macbook Pro is cluttery and unwieldy.  Time to simplify.

I came across this express-card, and if I could get it up and running it's be perfect.  One port for my UFX, one for my Glyph HD, and the USB for my iLok.
http://www.vancouverlaptops.com/img/clearance/1_big/exp_crd_usb_fwre_red.jpg

This seems to be the forum to ask, as there's proportionally more Sonnet users than can be found on other sites.  Based on what i've read so far i'm expecting my UFX will work fine with the adaptor, but what about an iLok or Hard drive?  Can anyone confirm if an iLok will be recognised by Pro Tools plugged straight in, will it need a power source on the other side of the adaptor, or will it simply not work at all?  Same thing goes for hard drives - my Glyph is powered, so I expect it to work, but will I be able to locate the drive in OSX or will it be totally invisible?



Any info is much appreciated :-)

  • Registered: 2008-01-01
  • Posts: 3,025

Re: Sonnet thunderbolt/express card adaption - iLok and HD compatibility?

Unfortunately I don't have an ExpressCard-to-USB adapter here, so I cannot check for you. But if the Sonnet adapter and the card you found both use a standard ExpressCard design then USB should be no problem. It's mostly a question of how USB is implemented on that card. Every ExpressCard port offers a dedicated USB 2.0 lane alongside the PCI Express lane, USB can be implemented using either, but likely it uses the USB lane.