Firewire into Macbook, or Firewire interface into hard drive, and then into macbook..

[delirium trigge]

Does the configuration matter? I get no lag what so ever. I have a top of the line macbook, running a 27 inch thunderbolt display. The reason I ask this, is one of the firewire ports blew on my saffire pro 40. So my interface only has one. So, it can't go one out into the macbook, and one out into the firewire external hard drive. I have to route them. I have been doing the external hard drive through the firewire of the monitor and the saffire pro 40 through the macbook. But the monitors firewire doesn't seem to be as stable. Would it be safe to run the firewire through the external hard drive, and then out from it, to my macbook when recording?

 

[Steenamaroo]

I'm not gonna lie to you...I'm very confused.

 

[delirium trigge]

I'm not gonna lie to you...I'm very confused.

Ill break it down simple. The saffire pro 40 goes firewire out to my macbook pro. Or can I go saffire pro 40, to external hard drive, and then to macbook pro. All firewire.

 

[MrWrenchey]

Yeah, FireWire and Thunderbolt allow daisy chaining. That's one of their biggest features.

 

[Steenamaroo]

I'm with you now - Sorry.

But the monitors firewire doesn't seem to be as stable.

The firewire out on your monitor should be just as stable as anything else. This would concern me.

Would it be safe to run the firewire through the external hard drive, and then out from it, to my macbook when recording?

Absolutely.

 

[TimOBrien]

The general rule is that audio interfaces go LAST in the chain.

I've always used the following, both on my windows laptop and now my iMac:

Computer ---> Projects Drive ---> Sample library drive ----> Audio Interface.

Another rule is that you put firewire400 devices last as the chain slows to fw400 speeds after a 400 device.
Put the fw800 devices first so they run at full fw800 speeds to the computer.