MOTU/Firepod Firewire question

[RideTheCrash]

I've been using a Delta 1010lt and a large, old soundboard for most of my recordings over the past couple of years. I'm now looking at something more portable as I have a lot less room and time to work with these days.

I'm looking at Firepod's and MOTU 2408's and notice they both have firewire. If they have 8 outs say, does the firewire carry 8 separate channels into my editing software (Reaper)? I've only used firewire for video production, so I'm not sure how it works in the audio world.

Someone in my area is selling a MOTU 2408 online for $275 (Canadian), but I'm not sure which it is. The logo and text on the front are blue, unlike some pics I've seen of the unit elsewhere. Would this work for me?

I only record 1 track at a time, except for drums. I currently use 5 mics at once, possibly upgrading to a few more later, but 8 channels is fine with me. Thanks.

 

[gecko zzed]

I'm looking at Firepod's and MOTU 2408's and notice they both have firewire. If they have 8 outs say, does the firewire carry 8 separate channels into my editing software (Reaper)?

Yes, it carries 8 separate channels into your software. I use a Firepod and Reaper. The combination works well (also with Logic).

 

[RideTheCrash]

Perfect.

I attached the picture of the unit this guy is selling...can anyone tell which version it is? Or should it really matter?

 

[RideTheCrash]

Also, this didn't really click in -- but does this thing have built in preamps? I guess I couldn't plug XLR's straight into it.

 

[dgatwood]

1. That's the original. The MKII has "MKII" in white below the big "2408", and the MKIII looks nothing like this.

2. As for whether it matters, not really, but make sure it comes with a 424 card. Some folks buy these things without the card, so it may not come with the card at all, in which case that's an added expense you'll have to take into account.

Either way, you must have a 424 card. You don't want the old 324 card; it's not compatible with most current machines. Oh, and if you have a recent Mac, you need the 424 PCIe card instead. If you have a PC, you'll probably have to upgrade to a 424 PCIe card within a few years when you buy a new machine, but for the time being, some PCs still support legacy parallel PCI. Make sure yours does.

3. The 2408 has no preamps, so you would need outboard preamps to use with it.

4. The 2408 does NOT have FireWire. It uses a FireWire cable, but the protocol spoken is not the same. It must be connected to a 324 or 424 core card.