d8b Forum

Hi everyone,

I just bought a d8b and i´m tying to set it up.
I have it together wit an Motu 828x and use tha adat in and outputs for connection to the Motu card.
But I have a problem I can get sound in to the d8b and sound in to the motu.

But when I choose output tape one on the board and input digital 1 on the Motu the meter is only in a locked position on the card.
And for the input routing on the mixer I have been reading the manual a couple of times now but I still dont know where to choose adat in.

can sombody help me please

best regards
Anders

Hi again,

I solved problem one so now the signal goes to my DAW.
But as soon as I connect the digital input cables from the motu it stops working.
As Long as I only have the output cables connected every thing is fine. Any body who know why?

Hi Sellden and welcome to the club

I don't know for sure, because I never had a Motu interface, but it sounds to me as if the Motu interface automatically switches to "word clock SLAVE" when it detects an incoming digital audio signal. A number of audio interfaces do that.

If, for example, you had the D8B set to be word clock SLAVE, and the Motu as word clock MASTER, but the Motu detects a signal coming in at a digital audio input, it might "think" that it has to change to clock "slave" in order to properly sync to that... and by doing so, creating a situation where you have two devices that want to work as "word clock slave" (but no word clock MASTER), and then audio will no longer pass. When they're both "slave" and try to sync to each other, an "auto-sync" device would start to kinda freak out and switch through sample rates constantly, to try to figure out how it could get the sync working.

Long story short - what happens when you set the D8B to act as "word clock MASTER" and the Motu as "word clock SLAVE"? Does that work, and pass audio between the D8B and Motu over the digital/ADAT cables?

The D8B doesn't do any auto-detection for it's master/slave settings, so this configuration might very well help to pass audio.

If reversing the Master/Slave settings DOES work (i.e. D8B Master, Motu Slave), then I think it would be best to still try if there's a setting in the Motu, to turn "auto-sync" off, and have the Motu act as the Word Clock MASTER (and the D8B as slave - but you need to get it stable the other way around first, to identify if word clock sync is the problem).

With the Motu being newer, the Word Clock is likely FAR superior to that of the D8B - even if an Apogee Word Clock card is used in the D8B. So, Motu-Master/D8B-Slave would be preferable, IMO, if you can get it to work that way.
(To support that claim, when I added a Lucid GENx192 Master Clock to my setup, the audio quality of my UA Apollo and PreSonus Quantum didn't improve (they're already great sounding), but I noticed a clear difference with the D8B - the stereo image and depth clearly benefited from a decent Master Clock).

I hope this helps to put your new setup on the right track. Post back how it went!

Best of luck and stay healthy!

Here's my MOTU setup that I used for my 2408 and 828. I have used this Master/Slave config ~ many years.
Let us know how you make out, the guys on this forum are pretty smart

Hi and thanks for a fast reply.
Changing the word clock solved the problem.
Now the d8b is the master because there is no setting on my d8b so I can put it in to slave position.

Can that be because I don´t have any apogee card installed?
I though have an apogee card that I want to install.
Is there any drivers I need?
Or can I just take out one of my ADAT cards and install the apogee card instead.
And will the d8b find it automatically.

Thanks for the help and take care.
Hope you can help me with the rest also.

Best regards
Anders

Great to hear that it works now!

You might be confusing the Apogee CLOCK card with some of the Apogee-made expansion cards (like ADAT/TDIF or Analog on DB25's).

The cards that go into the "Tape Ins/Outs" slots in the back of the D8B, are NOT clock cards. Even if they say Apogee on them.

The D8B needs a Word CLOCK card to function, though.

There are two types of Word CLOCK cards for the D8B. The basic one that came standard with the D8B, is hidden inside the console, behind a covered slot labeled "SYNC". If there's no Apogee card sticking out from that slot, that has some BNC connectors on it, but your D8B passes audio, then you have the "stock" clock card (remove the blind from the SYNC slot to see it).

The "stock" (hidden) clock card, cannot sync to external word clock. So, the only choice you have with this one, is to sync the D8B to "Internal" - which means that the D8B creates the word clock, and thus becomes word clock master (there can only be one master in digital audio... unless you resample, which loses quality... so ONE Master only).

With the D8B being the "Master", the only option left for all other devices that are DIGITALLY connected to it, are to act as "Slave".

So, yeah, with the "stock" clock card, the way you have it set right now is the only way it will work.

An Apogee CLOCK card might improve the audio quality to some degree, because the Apogee CLOCK card allows the D8B to sync to an external (better/newer) word clock source (rather than just to its own internal(hidden clock card)/Master clock). So, as a result, the D8B might sound better to your ears, when adding an Apogee clock card, and using it to sync the D8B to something with a better clock. Like your 828x, for example.

But most people wouldn't hear the difference (I might miss it, too), so... adding an Apogee CLOCK card isn't really a MUST, if it otherwise works.

Have fun with your new desk!!

Hi again,
I have installed my apogee word clock card and everything works fine.
As long as i goes to sending signal to my motu card.
But when I want to send signal from my motu to the d8b I only get a very lov signal in my left speaker.
And I think I’ll go crasy........ because how mutch I read the manual I still don’t know how to select input on my d8b.
Output is easy But how do I route the digital input to make it work.

Hope any one can help me

/Anders

Hi Anders

Not sure I understand, but the MOTU FireWire card in your machine (Mac for me) should be connected to your MOTU 2408 or 828 (see my specs above and video below). You have up to 4 inputs available to choose from...there's an Audiowire socket for connection to the PCI-424 card.

Then from 2408 or 828 you should be running TDIF I/O fiber cables to the d8b cards. I have 3 coming from my MOTU 2408(8 per ch) back to 3 digital I/O cards on the d8b...a total of 24 digital I/O

Here's a quick video of my MOTU 2408 - d8b - Mac - DP...hope this helps a bit

https://youtu.be/sAMGDC1NNdo

Hi
My 828 i connected to my my Mac book and the 828 is connected to the d8b with optical cables.
But I only get sound from the mixer to the 828 and not the other way around.
I’m all new to the d8b so I wounder were I choose digital input on the faders in the d8b

Are you routing the d8b chn to one of your MOTU outs? There are many configurations depending on what you want to do. I suggest you review the "Multitrack Recording" section (pages 104) of the D8b 5.1 Manual.



Also, make sure you install lastest MOTU 828 software for you Macbook
https://motu.com/download