audiofire 2/4 + mbp user ? please read this

serotoninsteve · Post by **serotoninsteve** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 4:05 pm

I've contacted the echo support,
desribed the problem and pointed them to this and an other thread,
they didn't write back until now.
Well it's only a few days now.
I'll check the new firmware/driver when I got my MBP back from the repair
(only a bend uppercase to change, wich they damaged last time while doing the logicboard swap

),
hopefully tomorrow.
Is there already an announcement for the 10.4.9 update?
Where did you get that info from?

nonnus · Post by **nonnus** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 10:33 pm

serotoninsteve:

why am i not surprised about the tech support response...
they should at least quickly inform you that a new driver was available

btw,
it seems te new driver/firmware does not exibit the issue that started this thread,
but we never know,
like you told vefore sometimes it takes some time for it to happen
i am just still waiting for it, though
sine the update i have live playing back some audio almost 24/24
and so far so good
it also seems to have improved latency...

so maybe the audiofire 2/4 has finally become the product that it was supposed to be

their tech support is still rubbish,
i really din´t know what to expect ftom them if needed....
wait, i do know... and it´s not good at all...

also good luck on the mbp repair,
it´s shame they damaged your case,
i could never find peace of mind to send my first gen mbp to swap the logic board
decided to swap the entire book for a c2d one instead...

about the supposed 10.4.9 update,
it was just mentioned in this thread by someone
probably just common "hear & say" and nothing to do with echo or apple...

kineticUk · Post by **kineticUk** » Fri Feb 23, 2007 12:02 am

nonnus wrote:about the supposed 10.4.9 update,
it was just mentioned in this thread by someone
probably just common "hear & say" and nothing to do with echo or apple...

To Clarify - It was mentioned by me.
To do with Echo Firmware 3.0.5 (Pulled right after original release due to problems) and Apple's forthcoming Firewire Audio Driver (10.4.9).
Echo Firmware 305 and Current Apple Firewire Driver (Which on OSX is used by the Audiofire2) were incompatible. If you installed the update like I did before it was recalled, you required the pre-release 10.4.9 driver to get the Audiofire working again.
Hope that clears up the misunderstanding.
It wasn't hear and say, thats not me.
Cheers.

nonnus · Post by **nonnus** » Fri Feb 23, 2007 12:22 am

kineticUk:
i am sorry if my comentary seemed directed at someone, in this case you...

it wasn´t, very on the opposite,
as i din´t really knew the source of that info i just tried to clarify that it wasn´t written by myself, as i had comented it earlier in the thread

also i was expecting for someone, probably the real source to provide more info

once again sorry if i sounded offensive or similar,
it really wasn´t my intention...

nonnus · Post by **nonnus** » Fri Feb 23, 2007 12:25 am

important update to the new driver/ firmware testing !

i just had my audio from channel 1 jump again to channel 3 for the first time with v3.1....

so the issue that started this thread is still present

i knew it was too good to be true...

there is one factor to consider

this happened when running from bus power on a c2d mbp,
i will keep testing to see if this happens from ac as well

i had previously mentioned the fact that the audioire didn´t seem to run from bus power like with the cd mbps

after further testing i found that it can actually seem to run fine,
it turns on ok
but if i turn off the af and the turn it on again it won´t run from bus anymore,
just a blinking led instead of the usual lighshow
only after some time it is able to turn on again without pluggin the ac

this is what i had experienced before and assumed it would not run from bus power on a c2d mbp

kineticUk · Post by **kineticUk** » Fri Feb 23, 2007 12:47 am

nonnus wrote:kineticUk:i am sorry if my comentary seemed directed at someone, in this case you...

No problem nonnus, no hard feelins here...just wanted to explain.
I have my audiofire working again with this 3.11 update...but its still not working nice here. I thought all was gonna be good at first but I'm getting pops and crackle all the time. I had reported sound breaking up during DVD playback if Fullscreen, now its happening in Live and DVD Player plus iTunes.
Just another teething problem for me, hope I'll get sorted in the end.
Cheers.

nonnus · Post by **nonnus** » Sat Feb 24, 2007 5:21 am

update:
it already happened for the first time on ac as well
sound from channel 1 gone to channel 3
happened 2 times already in the last 3 hours

still testing, although i really don´t lnow why...

it is confirmed,
the audiofire 4 (and probably the 2 aswell) is not reliable on the mbp
not on current v3.1.1

mine is surelly going back
and echo audio never again !
ultralite here i go

but i feel sorry for the good people stuck with one...

btw: is there anyone more using audiofire on mbp ?
the only person that has answered (serotoninsteve) also had the same issues
but i would like to have some more people reporting ffor acuracy purposes

robin · Post by **robin** » Sat Feb 24, 2007 8:34 am

nonnus wrote: but i feel sorry for the good people stuck with one...

btw: is there anyone more using audiofire on mbp ?
the only person that has answered (serotoninsteve) also had the same issues
but i would like to have some more people reporting ffor acuracy purposes

More testing last night with the audiofire2 on macbook. No problems still. It's curious how the mbp/audiofire combo seems to be different.

I have a mate who has an mbp and audiofire2, he said he'd had a few wrinkles (if he unplugged and he had to wait before replugging or he'd just get a flashing light on the unit) but not the channel swapping you see.

nonnus · Post by **nonnus** » Sat Feb 24, 2007 12:15 pm

robin:
the issue your friend told you about is the one that led to me to believe there was problems running the audiofire from bus power

anout the jumping sound,
sometimes it is not easy to see it happen as it can take a long time sometimes
i usually just loop one of my tracks (it will kepp the cpu at 40-50%) and let it play
hide live and just have the console open
sooner or later i will have nosound coming out of cannel 1
coming from the analog 3 instead, if you don´t´have analog 3 it will go probabaly to the digital out 3 in the audiofire 2

robin · Post by **robin** » Sat Feb 24, 2007 1:08 pm

nonnus wrote:robin:
the issue your friend told you about is the one that led to me to believe there was problems running the audiofire from bus power

anout the jumping sound,
sometimes it is not easy to see it happen as it can take a long time sometimes
i usually just loop one of my tracks (it will kepp the cpu at 40-50%) and let it play
hide live and just have the console open
sooner or later i will have nosound coming out of cannel 1
coming from the analog 3 instead, if you don´t´have analog 3 it will go probabaly to the digital out 3 in the audiofire 2

I just had something weird happen. I had Live playing a track (one clip) and when I quit the console I had things beaking up (like the latency setting was too low - they aren't) and the levels go mad.

I quit everything and restarted the device. All OK again.

Do you always run with the Echo console open? What output level do you use? Maybe this has a bearing on things, I suspect the console isn't too robust and perhaps is changing things.

Most of the time I don't have the console open at all.

seratoninsteve what about you?

Zerobae · Post by **Zerobae** » Sat Feb 24, 2007 6:53 pm

Can anybody suggest a firewire interface in about the same price range as the audiofire 2? I could still return it, but I don't want to spend the extra cash for a MOTU Ultralite.

Thanks!

nonnus · Post by **nonnus** » Sat Feb 24, 2007 6:58 pm

robin:
that usually happens when you quit the console with audio playing

if you change any setting it will be saved on the audiofire when you quit the console,
this could cause that behaviour but i think it also happens when you don´t change anything and therefore no saving is done...

about levels it is recomended to always have everything at 0dB on digital equipment and only use a mixer or monitoring control to control volume...
supposelly when you lower a digital fader you are also lowering the dynamic range available , there is something on this on the af manual

as i don´t have any of the above and just set a good level on my powered monitors
sometimes i just use the +4 / -10 setting to have 2 working levels
i know it is not supposed for that but at least that way i can leave the console faders at 0 db, sometimes i just use them when doing general stuff

i just run the console when i want to change something
or test or check something as i am currently...

nonnus · Post by **nonnus** » Sat Feb 24, 2007 7:16 pm

Zerobae:
i am in the same situation as you...
for now i don´t reaaly need all the ultralite i/o specs nor the added price over my audiofire 4...

but there isn´t reaaaly a way around it,

what i know i don´t want is to be stuck with an unsatisfatory and faulty product as the audiofire has been since december when i got my first one
also don´t trust their tech support, it is totally worthless

about another recmendation is hard,
i cannot seem to find more good candidates
i was curious abou the yamaha go series but there is no info about these not even on the yamaha site, in that conditions i won´t even look at them...

m-audio, no
presonus, no
focusrite, no
edirol, no
behringer,
hehehh.... no

btw: where did you get your audiofire, may i ask ?

Zerobae · Post by **Zerobae** » Sat Feb 24, 2007 7:22 pm

nonnus wrote:
btw: where did you get your audiofire, may i ask ?

Ordered it at thomann.de, they have a 30 days money back guarantee.

nonnus · Post by **nonnus** » Sun Feb 25, 2007 12:49 pm

mine came from music store...
i suspect it will be returning there soon enough...