Using MX2424 as digi-analog analog-digi converter

[Darren]

I have a Tascam MX2424, Soundcraft Ghost and various hardware
effects etc.
I will eventually be purchasing a decent computer and using
something like Reaper for in the box mixing aswell.
The cpu soundcard (RME HDSPe AIO) will have 2 analog ins
and outs, 1 midi in out, 1 adat in out, 1 spdif and 1 aes/ebu.
My MX2424 has the analog and adat cards.
I will want to use my outboard effects sometimes when mixing
ITB so will need sends and returns to and from the cpu.
I know the MX2424 analog and adat outputs are available
simultaneously, so I'm thinking this might work.

At 44.1 or 48khz, cpu soundcard adat out to MX adat in 1-8,
MX analog out 1-8 to Ghost (mixer) as sends, Ghost returns
to MX analog ins 9-16, MX adat out 9-16 to cpu adat in.
Can anyone confirm that will work.....Alan?.
Assuming that works, now what about 96k.
I know some adat connections allow 96khz but you get
half the track count, ie - 4in 4out.
Do the MX2424 adat connections allow 88.2 or 96k 4in 4out.
If the adat connections wont do 96k I'm thinking there
should be a way to get a few sends and returns at 96k
using the spdif and aes/ebu, cheers.

 

[witzendoz]

Yes, you can use the MX as an interface using the analog cards and the Adat cards. I don't do it that much but I have a guy that uses the studio and record in protools, he uses the MX as the in/out interface all the time.

If you bring a signal in via the Analog card, the signal is present at the Adat card output when the tracks are armed. When you bring in a signal via the Adat card, you select the input on the settings to be the Adat card for the group of 8 channels you want to use, and the signal is present at the analog card outputs. You may find that you need to connect the word clock, when using the MX as an interface there was the occasional glitch, we hooked up the word clock, made the MX the master and no problems.

Our actual setup is 2 x MX's (we have used 1), so we get 24 ins and 24 outs if required, we have the Adat cards hooked up to an M-audio lightbridge (slaved to the MX word clock) 32 channels of Adat in/out to firewire.

Funny talking about 96k only last week, it should work fine but you loose half the channels, 24 ins/outs become 12 ins/outs, so you should get 4 in 8 out or 8 in 4 out on the Adat. But have not tried it yet.

Alan.

 

[Darren]

OK, thanks Alan, glad you mentioned the track arming for
adat output, I didn't know that, and that'll save a few headaches.

Keen to try the 96k thing, although 4 send 8 return wont be possible
due to one adat in out on the cpu card, but 4 send 6 return may be if
I set cpu adat out to MX adat in 1-8, that gives 4 sends, MX adat out
9-16 is 4 returns to cpu and try MX output 17-24 spdif or aes/ebu to cpu
for 2 more returns.
6 send 4 return should also be possible, I'll try all configurations
and post the results here sometime in the near future.
In the meantime if anyone would like to try this let us know how it went.

Also, I see the old forum is up and running again, but who is responsible
and who are the moderators.
Anyway, now we have 2 forums, sweet.

 

[BusyBoxSt7]

NOTEWORTHY CAVEAT-
The tracks do not have to be armed (which would require a noisy harddrive). You can also select or simply push "shift" and "select all". As long as your channels are correctly routed in setup (1-8 = analog, 9-16 = analog, etc), it works just fine. This will allow a much quieter fan like the 1200 rpm NF-R8 Noctu redux.