The Mystery of Connectivity, Part 137

[Spillenger]

Dear Home Recordists,

Here is a very specific riddle for you to solve.

I'd like to do some recording on my MacBook Air. I have a Presonus FireStudio Mobile and an Other World Computing Thunderbolt Dock. The MBA has only 2 USB 3.0 inputs and 1 Thunderbolt input. The FSM has FW 400 outputs. Both the FSM and the OWC dock are powered and plugged in.

I plug the FSM into the OWC dock using a FW 400 to FW 800 cable. I plug the OWC dock into the MBA using a TB to TB cable. The FSM light blinks that familiar red/blue light that says it is not working. The MBA does not recognize the FSM. Not good.

The OWC TB Dock has worked for me flawlessly. It has 5 USB 3.0, 1 FW 800, 1 Ethernet, 2 TB, and 1 HDMI inputs. I use one TB port to connect to my MBA and the other to connect an external display. No free TB ports, then, so I can't use a FW 400 to TB adapter even if I wanted to. I understand that even with its faster speed TB (or USB 3.0) will give me more latency than FW. I hate latency.

I used the FSM with no problems with my MacBook Pro of yesteryear, going FW 400 out to FW 800 in.

Questions:

Is the dock the problem? If not, what is the problem?

If my dock and audio interface are both powered, why would having the dock between the computer and the interface cause a problem?

Is it pretty much agreed that even though TB and USB 3.0 are faster than FW 400, it's best to stay with FW because of latency concerns?

If I'm going from the FSM through the dock to a TB port, and I'm only doing as well as the slowest, worst connection type, it doesn't really matter what I do here, since the MBA doesn't have a FW input, right? Even using a FW to TB adapter will turn the connection into a TB connection, right?

If I really want to record into my MBA, is this a sign that I should get a different audio interface? I really like the FSM preamps and general sound, simplicity and low latency, though I don't love the software or the fact that it seems to disconnect sometimes for no reason. Any recommendations on a new interface? FocusRites all seem to be USB 2.0 and I am concerned about latency and pre-amp quality. Please comment.

Thanks,
PS

 

[Strryder]

I plug the FSM into the OWC dock using a FW 400 to FW 800 cable. I plug the OWC dock into the MBA using a TB to TB cable. The FSM light blinks that familiar red/blue light that says it is not working. The MBA does not recognize the FSM. Not good.

Just a stab in the dark here, have you tried connecting the MBA to the dock 1st then checking on the MBA to make sure that all of the I/O on the dock are good to go, recognized and available to the MBA before plugging in the FSM?

 

[Spillenger]

Just a stab in the dark here, have you tried connecting the MBA to the dock 1st then checking on the MBA to make sure that all of the I/O on the dock are good to go, recognized and available to the MBA before plugging in the FSM?

Thanks for the suggestion. Yes, I have checked everything on the dock and all I/O work fine. I have now tried bypassing the dock and going straight from the FSM to the MBA using a FW to TB adapter. Still nothing. I tried plugging the FSM directly into my MacBook Pro, which has a FW 800 input, and it worked fine, so it's not the cable or the FSM itself.

Does the FSM need some kind of driver or software to be on the computer in order for the interface to be recognized?

PS

 

[Spillenger]

Thanks for the suggestion. Yes, I have checked everything on the dock and all I/O work fine. I have now tried bypassing the dock and going straight from the FSM to the MBA using a FW to TB adapter. Still nothing. I tried plugging the FSM directly into my MacBook Pro, which has a FW 800 input, and it worked fine, so it's not the cable or the FSM itself.

Does the FSM need some kind of driver or software to be on the computer in order for the interface to be recognized?

PS

Oh God. Never mind. I thought the FSM was plug and play, and then I realized it needed the Universal Control driver. Installed it, and everything works. Sorry for being a dope. Thanks.

PS