[LAD] RME FIREFACE 400? RME MULTIFACE II?

[Gustin Johnson]

On Sun, May 22, 2011 at 9:43 PM, Ralf <ralf.mardorf at alice-dsl.net> wrote:
> On Sun, 2011-05-22 at 13:23 -0600, Gustin Johnson wrote:
>> I would stay away from the Fireface and the multiface (unless you
>> connect the multiface to another interface).
>>
>> FWIW, I have a 9652 PCI card and an RME ADI 8-DS.  If I need more
>> channels there is an Alesis ADAT that I can connect to it, albeit at
>> only 16/48.  It is important to note that the 9652/9652 do not have
>> any ADC/DACs on them and rely on outboard gear for that.
>>
>> This particular rig has been solid and stable for years and has been
>> in 3 different rigs, the latest being an Intel Sandy bridge.  If you
>> can afford it I highly recommend the RME PCI and PCIe solutions.
>> Their Firewire solutions have traditionally been the exact opposite
>> under Linux.
>
> Hm? I tries to switch from LAD to LAU, regarding to current user
> queries, but it failed. Hi Admin [1] ;).
>
> Hi Gustin :), hi Ubuntu Studio users list :), pardon LAD ;)
>
> IIUC a HDSPe AIO or DSP 9632 is all I need, if I just need a stereo IO?
> I only need to buy a BF-BOXLRMKH or BF-BOCMKH breakout cable?

There are a number of possible solutions.  It sounds like the AIO
might be what you want, but I would ask someone local if you are
unsure (in other words, don't just take my word for it).
>
> If I need additional IOs and wish to avoid Multiface firmware issues, I
> can add AI4S-192 AIO and AO4S-192 AIO.
>
You could add anything that speaks ADAT, assuming you get the PCI/PCIe
card with ADAT connectors on it.

> If I need much more IOs and don't have enough money for RME IOs, I can
> e.g. use a BEHRINGER ADA8000 ULTRAGAIN PRO8 DIGITAL by ADAT connection.
> The sound quality might be less good and I guess this will add extra
> latency and Ardour won't auto-compensate this extra latency
> automatically?
>
What latency are you talking about?  The only latency this adds is
electrical switching and media conversion + travel time for the
optical signal + the DAC/ADC.  The sound quality of Behringer tends to
be lower than other solutions, but this should work.

> As long as I'm using a mobo with PCI slots I can use AI4S-192 AIO and
> AO4S-192 AIO with a DSP 9632 and when I switch to a mobo with PCIe only
> I can switch from DSP 9632 to HDSPe AIO and keep AI4S-192 AIO and
> AO4S-192 AIO (and e.g. a BEHRINGER ADA8000 ULTRAGAIN PRO8 DIGITAL ;)?

This sounds right.  If in doubt check with RME.  The compatibility of
the add on boards is listed on this page:
http://www.rme-audio.de/en_products_hdsp_expansion_boards.php
>
> Using a DSP 9632 with a PCIe to PCI bridge doesn't work or at least
> could cause issues?
>
Never heard of such a thing.  I would not trust it, but I tend to be
skeptical of such kludges.