2xTascam 1804 ADAT Problem

  • Thread starter Thread starter Rick_Levine
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Rick_Levine

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Hi. I'm new, so I'll tell what I've got:

  • Allen&Heath WZ16:2DX (for preamps)
  • 2xTascam 1804s (16 channel ADA to firewire)
  • Tama Superstar 5 piece (boomy noise)
  • Zildians galore (pink noise)
  • 2xStudio Projects B3 (overheads)
  • AT2021 (hihat)
  • Audix I5 (snare)
  • Shure PG52 (bass)
  • 3xEquation DMI.101 (toms, cheap Chinese knockoffs, but decent)
  • 2xShure PG56 (Tama MiniTymps)
  • AT2020 (instruments)
  • Sonar 5 SE on WinXP SP2 (can't afford a Mac)
  • Oxygen 49 MIDI controller
  • a headache (see below)
  • a deteriorating attitude (see above)

So here's my problem:

I have two Tascam FW-1804s. The first is hooked to the computer via firewire. The second is hooked to the first via word clock and ADAT (no firewire connection to the first or computer). The first sends clock to the second. The second sends ADAT to the first. The first has solid ADAT, clock, and firewire lights. The second has a solid clock light. So far so good, right?

I'm only getting sound on ADAT channels 1&2 in Sonar. All 8 analog channels work perfectly. The sound on ADAT channel 1 is the sum of the second Tascam's channels 1&3&5&7. ADAT channel 2 is the sum of 2&4&6&8. I only get sound from ADAT 1&2 when monitoring Inputs or Both. It appears that a monitor mix is coming across on ADAT 1&2. What am I doing wrong?

I have the Optical Output Source on the second set to Analog inputs 1:8.

This is driving me batty. Thanks --Rick
 
Last edited:
Can't you connect them both to your PC via firewire, and just sync their wordclocks?
 
amra said:
Can't you connect them both to your PC via firewire, and just sync their wordclocks?
Click to expand...
The Tascam drivers and software mixer can't handle seeing two machines. I tried it even though Tascam support told me it wouldn't work. They were right.
 
Yea, I figured you must have tried that or at least thought of that. I have a Tascam 1804, though only one, and I have another PC setup with mulitple M-Audio Delta 1010's, and I always figured multiple 1804s would work the same way.

The only other thing I can think of, is to try the setup in another app - maybe Reaper or something free to try, to make sure it is not a limitiation of the DAW app....

I wish I could be more help?


P.S.
You could always sell one 1804 and get a Behringer ADA800 which adds 8 channels of ADAT with pres (around $229), and still have some money left..
 
take the three minutes it will cost to download reaper, head to the reaper chatroom while Im still awake (or hopefully someone on the other side of the planet will be on) and we will try and figure if it is the app or the hardware with you.

CLick here to enter the chat http://www.mixxnet.net/java/?channel=reaper
 
Hey pipelineaudio and amra, I appreciate both of your responses. I finally figured this out, and it is really ugly. Let me preface this by saying do not buy two Tascam FW-1804s to use on one computer. Tascam will tell you this. They say that the 1804 is not a standalone mixer.

I had to hook up the second (slaved) 1804 to firewire. It had to be on a different firewire card than the first. I have firewire on my motherboard, and a PCI sound card with firewire. The first 1804 is on the sound card, the second on the motherboard. Both daisy chaining the two 1804s, and using both ports on a single firewire card did not work.

WinXP recognizes that there are two interfaces, but Sonar doesn't (I tried both WDM and ASIO). Now the first 1804's channel assignments for ASIO analog and ADAT work. Do not try this at home, YMMV, etc.

I've got sixteen channels. Yay:D

And a beer. w00t;)
 
Glad you got it hammered out....
I will not be doing the two 1804 thing!
 
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