MOTU UltraLite-mk3 Hybrid User Manual page 27

synchronized with each other), it is important to
synchronize the UltraLite-mk3 with the other
device(s).
The MOTU FireWire driver has the ability to
resolve to other Core Audio drivers. This allows the
UltraLite-mk3, and other MOTU FireWire
interfaces, to resolve to other audio interfaces
running simultaneously on the same computer,
such as the Mac's built-in audio, a PCI-424 core
system, or even 3rd-party interfaces, without the
need for external word clock connections between
the devices. Doing so ensures that audio tracks
being played or recorded by your MOTU FireWire
interface will not drift apart from tracks on the
other device during long playback or recording
passes.
To synchronize multiple devices via the MOTU
FireWire driver, choose one device (PCI, FireWire
or otherwise) as the master clock and then slave the
UltraLite-mk3 and other FireWire devices to it. All
interfaces will remain resolved to each other via the
master interface.
Make the Clock Source settings for each interface
as follows:
For the master interface, click its tab in MOTU
■
Audio Setup and choose any clock source you wish
(except any of the slave interfaces, of course).
For each slave interface, click its tab and choose
■
the master interface from the Clock Source menu, as
demonstrated below in Figure 3-12. This causes
the slave interfaces to resolve to the master
interface.
I N S T A L L I N G T H E U L T R A L I T E - M K 3 H Y B R I D H A R D W A R E
Figure 3-12: To resolve a MOTU FireWire interface to another Core
Audio device, choose the other device from the Clock Source menu in
MOTU Audio Setup. In this example, the UltraLite-mk3 will slave to
the Traveler.
If you have multiple UltraLites, choose one as the
master, and set its Clock Source to Internal. Then,
click the tab of the other UltraLites and set their
Clock Source to the first UltraLite-mk3.
Connecting other MOTU FireWire interfaces
You can add an original MOTU 828 to the end of a
FireWire daisy chain (because the 828 has only one
FireWire port), or you can mix and match multiple
UltraLites with other MOTU FireWire interfaces
using a standard FireWire hub. You can also add
828mkIIs, 828mk3s, 896HDs, 896mk3s, Travelers
and UltraLites, which have two FireWire ports
convenient for daisy-chaining. Up to four
interfaces can be combined on one FireWire bus.
Operating multiple FireWire interfaces at high
sample rates
Four MOTU FireWire interfaces can operate at
44.1 or 48kHz on a single FireWire bus, although
you may have to disable optical banks (on
interfaces that have them) to conserve FireWire bus
bandwidth. At the 2x samples rates (88.2 or 96kHz)
and 4x sample rates (176.4 and 192kHz), you can
operate no more than two FireWire interfaces on a
single FireWire bus.
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