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Windows 10 & AudioFire 12

Connecting Hauptwerk to MIDI organs, sequencers, ...
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hiker54

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Windows 10 & AudioFire 12

PostFri Jul 21, 2017 11:05 am

Hello,

I am in the planning stage of building a new PC (much more RAM and larger hard drives).
I remember that when some members upgraded to Windows 10, they had difficulties with their AudioFire 12 sound cards. AudioFire did not have new drivers for Windows 10------a recent check of their website reveals that they have no intention of rewarding their loyal customers with upgraded drivers.

Members that are using the AudioFire 12 with Windows 10 have you resolved this? If so, how. What were the issues you experienced with the old drivers?

Thanks in advance for your reply.

Bob
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organtechnology

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Re: Windows 10 & AudioFire 12

PostFri Jul 21, 2017 12:15 pm

hiker54 wrote:Hello,

I am in the planning stage of building a new PC (much more RAM and larger hard drives).
I remember that when some members upgraded to Windows 10, they had difficulties with their AudioFire 12 sound cards. AudioFire did not have new drivers for Windows 10------a recent check of their website reveals that they have no intention of rewarding their loyal customers with upgraded drivers.

Members that are using the AudioFire 12 with Windows 10 have you resolved this? If so, how. What were the issues you experienced with the old drivers?

Thanks in advance for your reply.

Bob


Hi Bob,

First suggestion:
It is my understanding that the Windows 8 drivers are likely to work fine with Windows 10.
Echo shows the 5.8 driver set for AudioFire is Windows 8 compatible. Try that one and see.

Second suggestion:
Don't upgrade to Windows 10 but use Windows 7 Pro 64bit instead. Win 7 is still supported and there are a few years left before EOL and even then if the organ is not connected to the internet it should work fine.

Third suggestion:
Ditch the AudioFire completely and go to AVB or Dante audio which is far more powerful than the AudioFire box. The weak link of AudioFire is firewire cards with TI chip set are getting scarce.

My choice for your case would be Win7 Pro 64bit OS, a Firewire card (IEEE1394) w/TI chips installed in an unconnected-to-the-internet computer running Hauptwerk V4.x.

Thomas
Complete Hauptwerk™ systems using real wood consoles, PC Sound Engines, Dante Audio for Home or Church. info (at) organtechnology.com http://www.organtechnology.com
Authorized Hauptwerk; Milan Digital Audio and Lavender Audio reseller.
USA and Canada shipments only.
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organsRgreat

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Re: Windows 10 & AudioFire 12

PostSat Jul 22, 2017 5:44 am

I have two AudioFire 12 soundcards, linked to each other via firewire and BNC. When I upgraded to Windows 10 the AudioFires continued to work exactly as before.

They have both stopped functioning since, but that seems to be a hardware problem – most likely a momentary glitch in the mains supply zapped both of them. If they have to be replaced I shall look for cards that work via USB, as this is more widely available – most computers have USB ports, but laptops, for instance, rarely have firewire.
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hiker54

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Re: Windows 10 & AudioFire 12

PostSat Jul 22, 2017 7:42 am

organtechnology wrote:I have two AudioFire 12 soundcards, linked to each other via firewire and BNC


Can you please elaborate on "linked to each other via firewire and BNC". I am not sure what the "BNC" part is besides the common connector. Also, what OS did you upgrade from? More importantly what driver are you using with Windows 10?

I realize that firewire is on its way out and I will eventually have to go to USB. However, a recent check of online PC retailers revealed many PCIe firewire expansion boards (with TI chips) available.

I know that one day my AudioFire 12 will fail and I have researched possible replacements. I like the Audiofire 12's jack panel ----I do not like audio cards that present their jacks loose at the end of a cable. I also need at least 12 outputs. I haven't found a single unit that satisfies both requirements. Do you have any suggestions?

Thanks,

Bob
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mdyde

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Re: Windows 10 & AudioFire 12

PostSat Jul 22, 2017 7:50 am

Hello Bob,

hiker54 wrote:Can you please elaborate on "linked to each other via firewire and BNC". I am not sure what the "BNC" part is besides the common connector.


If you have more than one FireWire/USB interface then you need to synchronise them together using a Word Clock connection (which uses BNC connectors). It doesn't apply when using just a single interface.

hiker54 wrote:I know that one day my AudioFire 12 will fail and I have researched possible replacements. I like the Audiofire 12's jack panel ----I do not like audio cards that present their jacks loose at the end of a cable. I also need at least 12 outputs. I haven't found a single unit that satisfies both requirements. Do you have any suggestions?


You might want to look at the MOTU 16A (Thunderbolt / USB / AVB): http://motu.com/products/avb/16a .

I have two of them (giving 32 analogue outputs in total) and find them to work very well, even over USB.
Best regards, Martin.
Hauptwerk software designer/developer, Milan Digital Audio.
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hiker54

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Re: Windows 10 & AudioFire 12

PostSat Jul 22, 2017 12:33 pm

hiker54 wrote:You might want to look at the MOTU 16A (Thunderbolt / USB / AVB


Thanks Martin.

This exactly what I have been looking for. Don't know how I missed this when I browsed a couple of months ago. Maybe it is that new.

Regards,

Bob
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mdyde

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Re: Windows 10 & AudioFire 12

PostSat Jul 22, 2017 1:38 pm

Thanks, Bob.

You're welcome. They are fairly new.
Best regards, Martin.
Hauptwerk software designer/developer, Milan Digital Audio.
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organtechnology

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Re: Windows 10 & AudioFire 12

PostSat Jul 22, 2017 5:27 pm

Hi Bob,

The MOTU 16A is really nice, if you need inputs and TRS connectors but for a Hauptwerk output only system, the 24Ao is 24 channels (out only) for $999.00 uses either DB25 or the Phoenix connectors which accept stripped end wires. It is also AVB compatible.

Thomas
Complete Hauptwerk™ systems using real wood consoles, PC Sound Engines, Dante Audio for Home or Church. info (at) organtechnology.com http://www.organtechnology.com
Authorized Hauptwerk; Milan Digital Audio and Lavender Audio reseller.
USA and Canada shipments only.
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organsRgreat

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Re: Windows 10 & AudioFire 12

PostSun Jul 23, 2017 5:05 pm

If you only need 12 outputs, would the MOTU 828 Mark 3 suffice? Although it only has eight outputs on the back, the front panel has two jack outputs labelled Main and Phones respectively. My understanding is that both of these are stereo sockets, and that they can be configured independently, which would give the twelve you need. I'm not an electronics expert, so please check this carefully before parting with any money. The 828 is about half the price of the 16A in the UK.

A further attraction of the 828 is that, if you need more outputs later, it has two sets of ADAT outputs, each of which can add 8 outputs (and inputs) by connection to something like a Behringer ADA 8200 – around £200. Unfortunately Behringer have used XLRs for the outputs and (inputs) on the ADA 8200, so one needs an XLR to jack loom if other equipment uses jacks. If my calculations are correct, there is a potential for 28 outputs altogether [12 + 8 + 8] for around £1000.
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mdyde

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Re: Windows 10 & AudioFire 12

PostMon Jul 24, 2017 3:35 am

The MOTU 828x might be another option to consider if you wanted Thunderbolt + USB 2.0 connectivity (instead of FireWire + USB 2.0 on the 828 Mk 3):

http://motu.com/products/motuaudio/828x

The one thing to mention with MOTU's current AVB drivers is that they can be slow to switch sample rates (which they do asynchronously), which might cause Hauptwerk initially to report an error that the sample rate couldn't be changed when an organ loads that needs a different sample rate from the previous organ you were using. Most sample sets use/need 48 kHz, so that isn't an issue most of the time for most people (although notably St. Anne's uses/requires 44.1 kHz, for maximum compatibility with consumer audio devices).
Best regards, Martin.
Hauptwerk software designer/developer, Milan Digital Audio.

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