I've recently bought a pair of RME FF800s for use in a new rehearsal facility. They're hooked up to a Mackie 24-8 mixer's direct outs, giving us 16 channels of input.

Unfortunately they only came with FW400 cables so I've been unable to cascade them so far, but I'm just wondering if, once they're cascaded, channels recorded from the second interface (inputs 9-16) will be routable to Outputs 1&2 on the first.

I guess I'm asking if the two interfaces will appear as one combined unit within Audio / Midi set-up and the DAW (primarily Logic) .

Anybody got any clue about this? The RME website is both ugly and lacking in info.

If it can reassure you, I've never understood the RME website myself…

If they don't appear as one, you should be able to aggregate them in the Audio MIDI set up. I've tried to understand the site on this issue and it seems you need a FW800 cable between the interfaces, but it's unclear between the interface and the mac. Now I guess it's FW800 for both.

Now FW800 cables can be found easily no? uh?

Yeah, easily found, but I found it pretty surprising that the Fireface *800* at £600 + change only comes with a firewire 400 cable, especially when you have only 1 fw400 port on the device and so can't connect multiple units. It would only cost them a dozen euros or so.

Thanks for the reply LPM. I'll let you know how I get on, and maybe even post a couple of pics once the room is up and running.

And the documentation is not that clear either?

(sigh)

On the cables, it follows the logic of all the printers without USB cables sold everywhere… (now, I have enough USB cables to host a wagon load of printers

[quote name='Jim Hoyland' date='Sun 22 Apr 2007, 01:30' post='236739']
I've recently bought a pair of RME FF800s for use in a new rehearsal facility. They're hooked up to a Mackie 24-8 mixer's direct outs, giving us 16 channels of input.

Unfortunately they only came with FW400 cables so I've been unable to cascade them so far, but I'm just wondering if, once they're cascaded, channels recorded from the second interface (inputs 9-16) will be routable to Outputs 1&2 on the first.

I guess I'm asking if the two interfaces will appear as one combined unit within Audio / Midi set-up and the DAW (primarily Logic) .

Anybody got any clue about this? The RME website is both ugly and lacking in info.
[/quote]

once they're cascaded, channels recorded from the second interface (inputs 9-16) will be routable to Outputs 1&2 on the first.


the best way to do this is to connect one interface to your mac and then hook the 1 ff to the other via the adat connection. rme provide a software mixer/patch matrix that installs with the drivers.

imho the ff sound NICE and the drivers are stable. i know what you're saying about the website though.

Also,i'm not sure who decided it would be a good idea to print a block diagram on the top of the ff. make's it look cheap and naff.