PCIe Connection Instead of Firewire

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nickture
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PCIe Connection Instead of Firewire

Post by nickture »

Ok so this is a complete n00b question and I'm a bit embarrassed to ask, but here goes. I'm a musician first and a computer hardware expert second (or maybe 5th or 6th :lol: ); I'm looking at getting an external interface that has a Firewire port as well as what looks like a PCIe port (labeled as ADAT Sync, it's a 9 pin in connection). My laptop does not have a Firewire port but it does have the 9 pin port. Would I be able to use this interface solely by connecting the 9 pin ADAT Sync ports? I hope I've explained this well enough...

Again, sorry for the n00b question, I'm still learning :oops: :oops:
varpa
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Re: PCIe Connection Instead of Firewire

Post by varpa »

A PCIe port is not going to work with an ADAT port. I suggest googling ADAT to see what it is. I would not get a firewire device at this point since firewire is not available on most modern computers. I have head that there are thunderbolt-firewire adapters but I'm not sure they work with linux. You need to be super-careful to get an audio interface that works with Linux since many are incompatible. However, anything that supports USB1 or USB2 audio standard with work. For a list of compatible cards see http://www.alsa-project.org/main/index.php/Matrix:Main.
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Michael Willis
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Re: PCIe Connection Instead of Firewire

Post by Michael Willis »

What are you looking for in an interface? There are many people here who have tried a variety of audio/midi interfaces on Linux, if there are specific features that you want, there would likely be no shortage of suggestions of hardware that other people have working with Linux.
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Re: PCIe Connection Instead of Firewire

Post by asbak »

It is not clear what kind of port is on your laptop. 9 pin is a bit vague of a description. I very much doubt that it has anything to do with ADAT and may just be a standard serial port. (And if that is the case, also an indicator that your laptop is pretty old and more or less obsolete.)

I would steer clear of Firewire or Thunderbolt devices due to various factors including cost, availability and future-proofing.

USB2 or 3 interfaces will usually work if they are USB Class Compliant. (But check first before buying for reports of successful usage by other Linux users.)

PCIe interfaces should work in cases where the vendors or third parties provide suitable Linux drivers. Again, check with vendors and other users first before committing to a purchase.

If you want ADAT you will need a soundcard which has ADAT functionality built-in. One such vendor would be RME. These devices do not come cheap and depending on model, may or may not work under Linux.

All in all it really depends what you are trying to achieve and whether ADAT sync is really that critical to your needs.
Some Focal / 20.04 audio packages and resources https://midistudio.groups.io/g/linuxaudio
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nickture
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Re: PCIe Connection Instead of Firewire

Post by nickture »

Thanks for the replies all! A simple google search using the correct terms helped...and my thought in my original post was way off..I'll likely stick to what I know is supported in the ALSA Project. There were some older RME external interfaces that were catching my eye on ebay and that's what sparked my curiosity...
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