Question for C-port users...

[Uladine]

I just got my C-port today. My computer system hasn't arrived yet so I can't test it yet, but in the manual I found something kind of wierd. It says something like "For extra stability use a 12 volt power supply for the breakout box". How come they didn't include an adapter with the unit? Does anyone here use this unit without the power supply? How necessary is it? how does the phantom power work without a power supply?

 

[ola]

I got an external power supply for my c-port because with my old computer, I had digital noise that came from the gfx card. With an external power suppply, you can "override" the power feeding from the computer, as it may be contaminated and the c-port doesn't have good power filtering.

With my present computer, I don't need to use the external power supply at all. All power is fed from the PCI card and it's enough to drive the phantom power.

I don't know about extra stability but I think the manual said something about if you have more than one breakout box chained to one DSP24, you should use an external power supply but in the caso of only the DSP2000 connected to the DSP24, it wasn't necessary.

 

[webstop]

Ola,
Maybe you can resolve one question, which has been haunting me for months.
I am looking for the soundcard set, that includes a breakout box, which can pass the signal through while computer off.
Since C-port has its own power, does it mean that all patching/mixing functions built into the breakout box can be used with computer off? Does it mean, that whenever computer is on, the signal goes to the soundcard and then to the output, but when computer is off, the signal can be routed directly through the line out into the amp?
Thanks.

 

[ola]

You cannot route an audio signal through the c-port when the computer is off. The c-port needs the computer to know which I/O to use and how to route the signal.

 

[vicevursa]

Ok, the computer must be on, but do you need to have your multi-track (i.e. Sonar) software opened up as well? I know that I have a MOTU midi interface that allows me to bypass the computer, meaning I don't need to have Sonar up and running to play my equipment.