Comments on: ExpressCard FireWire that Actually Works for Audio?

By: usernamesarepoop

usernamesarepoop — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 12:23:29 +0000

I own the very 2-port firewire express card pictured above. I regularly test it between my Rain Livebook Pro and my MOTU Ultralite when I think I’ve discovered something new and clever to try. The MOTU still periodically does the standard Poop-Out & CrackleFest anyway so I end up returning to using the little 4-pin port on the front edge of the laptop just because it’s simpler and I can use the express card slot for other goodies.
What I have not tried yet (I’m a little embarrassed to say) is powering the express card with a wall wart – partly because it never occurred to me that that could be a problem (since I’m powering the damn Ultralite with a wall wart anyway, right?), and now that is has, I have no idea where the cord is or whether one even came with the card or not. There’s a little round hole on the right side of the plastic housing (when you look at the external end of the card) which is obviously for a DC power cord and I’m starting to think perhaps I should be using it. At least it’s something I haven’t tried. Anyone else checked this out?

…OK, I just looked at StarTech’s pdf manual online (http://static.tigerdirect.com/pdf/S262-7150-Manual.pdf) and read that the card is optionally powered with a 12VDC (1A) power adapter which is not included with the card. I will be procuring one shortly and will return with results I get when I feel I have obtained them. And if I can find this thread again.

By: JackAstro

JackAstro — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 13:03:02 +0000

FWIW…

I have a Toshiba laptop with XP and a Dell Laptop with Vista. Using an Edirol FA-101, an express card with a TI chipset, and Audacity.

I get horrible distorted sounds on both machines. Actually, the Vista distortion is kinda cool and glitchy.

Nothing I have tried so far works. Way back when, I had a working system with the FA-101 and a 64 bit XP laptop.

I think I am going to try the Echo Indigo next. I’ll comment with the results.

By: Koray

Koray — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 16:53:51 +0000

I have the same problem with an HP dv6 1050 and firebox poorly performing on a 4 pin firewire port.. Rain express firewire card doesnt event make the light blue! (Which was the recommendation of HP tech support by the way) Attempts to install winxp were not successfull, Hp says they’ve never tried the hardware with xp, windows 7 does not make any difference even if you load the legacy 1394 drive. I’m stuck. I tihnk i’ll get back to my m-audio audiophile usb interface (if it works of course!) By the way i’ve received no response from presonus so far.

By: kraken in opname! - homerecording.be forum

kraken in opname! - homerecording.be forum — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 11:47:28 +0000

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By: acidrecords

acidrecords — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 23:52:03 +0000

READ THIS whole thread!!

http://forum.msi.com.tw/index.php?topic=119513.0

By: David

David — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 18:46:00 +0000

I’m running Vista Home 64-bit on an HP Pavillion laptop with a Presonus FP10, and have tried getting 2 different ExpressCards to work…first is a Dynex 800 Firewire card. With this card I get normal speed audio that has distortion. Second card is a generic card with TI chipset. With this card, I get extremely slow, distorted audio. Painful to even listen to. Am I reight that there is **widespread** problems with ExpressCard audio on HP laptops?

By: Ignace RodrÃguez / @micronauta

Ignace RodrÃguez / @micronauta — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 01:43:07 +0000

I have been thinking about trying an HP 2140 Mininote, just for recording 16 tracks, I have the Mackie Onyx 1640 with Firewire. If anybody has tried the new Mininote with an ExpressCard/Firewire, please share your results. The 2140 would be so much nicer than lugging around a full size laptop or desktop…

By: dominic

dominic — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 13:24:27 +0000

i’ve had similar hassles with my dv 5 i bought less than a month ago. can’t make protools work reliably. wish i had’ve read this before i bought my laptop

By: Koenie

Koenie — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 19:54:54 +0000

Hi Julian,

I’m having exactly the same problems as you do (hp dv7 – startech firewire expresscard after not working with onboard firewire and not working with new card either). Do you have any solution in sight??

Koenie

By: Paul Davis

Paul Davis — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 00:49:14 +0000

@julian – although i haven’t been involved in the dirty work, i stay close to the firewire audio support project FFADO for linux. i can assure that there really are quite a lot of firewire chipsets and firewire/PCI bridges that are simply broken in ways that the OS cannot work around. this isn’t on windows, where we have to live with what MS tells and gives us. even on linux, where some of the smartest programmers i know have been doing a great job trying to audio over firewire working well there, and where they can change anything from the lowest levels of device drivers and the kernel on up to GUIs etc, there are many h/w configurations that they’ve had to just abandon as unusable. its unfortunate but sadly true, and i wouldn’t be too ready to disbelieve what you’re hearing.