Using 2 of the same interfaces with a DAW to record

Get that song on tape! Errr... disk?
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somanytoys
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Re: Using 2 of the same interfaces with a DAW to record

Post by somanytoys » Thu Dec 13, 2018 6:08 pm

Okay, so this is pretty much becoming just a captain's log of my little Apple/Akai/Logic endeavor.

I got the Logic Studio sw in last night and installed it, which is not a fast project installing the entire thing, and apparently this iMac only has a cd drive (?). Luckily I already had a separate dvd drive for my other laptop that I used. After It was installed, the program would not work, the icon had the "anti" circle with a line, and it said it wouldn't work with my OS (El Capitan), even though I checked the requirements and it's got more than Logic 9 needs.

So I got in tonight and looked up the updates for that, and I found update 9.1.8 - there are 2 or 3 available, but that's the newest one. I ran the update and it worked. I had already downloaded the Mac drivers for the EIE Pro, and I made sure that the firmware was updated on both devices, so everything was the same and ready to go.

I used the link above from Larry to follow the instructions, but since I'm doing this, I'll leave a kind of detailed step by step of what I did.

I went into to Finder and in the menu chose Go, Utilities and Midi Audio Devices Setup, to set up both interfaces as an aggregate device. There's a + (plus sign) in the bottom right menu for add, and I chose Create Aggregate Device, and then named the new aggregate device. It matters which device you choose first when checking the boxes, because the first one you check becomes the main device. So I turned one off the 2nd one to be sure I knew which one was the main one, since they're the same product, and after I checked the first one, I turned the 2nd one back on and checked it to add in. I also checked the drift correction box on the 2nd device, to sync its clock to the main device's clock. Seemed like the most logical way, since I don't have the ability to connect the internal clocks of the devices.

Then I went into Logic and in the Preferences menu/Audio, for input I chose the aggregate device that I had renamed, and clicked Apply Changes. It's ready to go, but tonight I don't feel like setting up new tracks for each input in Logic, pulling out the other mics and re-routing the xlr cables to the inputs of the devices and all that this will involve, to see if all 8 inputs are working correctly. And it will end up being too late to play & record by that point anyway. It will be a weekend thing now. I'll post a much shorter post later if it works just to see if all of this crap was worth it - the setting up and the typing.

This is probably as mind-numbing to read as it was to type, but maybe it will help someone one day. (And I really need to learn the apple keyboard shortcuts badly, this was a real pain in the ass typing up)
-David

It's a boost booster, to boost your boost - it makes your tone much muchier.

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Re: Using 2 of the same interfaces with a DAW to record

Post by somanytoys » Fri Dec 14, 2018 7:06 pm

Set everything up tonight, assigned the various inputs to each of the tracks, and all 6 inputs that I'm using are recording to the tracks.

I just have to figure out why the output isn't going to out to outputs 1&2 like I had set it up for, but it's working and I'll figure the rest out later.

Larry, you're the man. Thanks so much for the great info, dude. People like you are why I come to this website.
-David

It's a boost booster, to boost your boost - it makes your tone much muchier.

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Re: Using 2 of the same interfaces with a DAW to record

Post by somanytoys » Fri Dec 14, 2018 7:09 pm

in case anyone happens to be using the same interfaces that I am, here is a link to the Akai setup instructions for Logic.

http://akaipro.com/support/kb/articles/ ... -logic-pro
-David

It's a boost booster, to boost your boost - it makes your tone much muchier.

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Re: Using 2 of the same interfaces with a DAW to record

Post by Larry Mal » Fri Dec 14, 2018 7:53 pm

Shit, don't thank me too much! I was at first overconfident, then I was very un-confident, then I wanted to try and tell you about aggregate devices on the PC side and realized I didn't even know how to do that, and then you bought a Mac and then I kind of knew what I was doing (or hoped I did).

This was not me at my strongest advice giving and anyone on this forum knows it can only be so good at its best!

Glad you are up and running, though.
Back in those days, everyone knew that if you were talking about Destiny's Child, you were talking about Beyonce, LaTavia, LeToya, and Larry.

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Re: Using 2 of the same interfaces with a DAW to record

Post by somanytoys » Sun Dec 16, 2018 2:47 pm

Hey, it gave me some ideas and direction, no regrets. Aggregate devices is exactly what I was wanting to do, it just seems impossible or requires guru level skills to do it with Windows/PC. At least more skills than I have or was willing to research further.

Buying a Mac definitely made it easier (hell, maybe possible at all) and gave me some hope back that I had pretty much lost. You pointing me to Logic was major, and supplying that link for me made it really easy, once i got the software. I do respect your knowledge and your ability to research and understand things, so I'll take your advice even when it's not you at your best!

It's moving along, it's only been 2 or 3 days or whatever, with limited time, but I'm moving forward and it's accomplished what I wanted to do. And now the only thing slowing me down and holding me back is...me.
-David

It's a boost booster, to boost your boost - it makes your tone much muchier.

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Re: Using 2 of the same interfaces with a DAW to record

Post by Larry Mal » Sun Dec 16, 2018 3:08 pm

Yeah, Microsoft doesn't have an elegant built in solution like Core Audio, so they rely on things like ASIO for all, which works well but, you know.
Back in those days, everyone knew that if you were talking about Destiny's Child, you were talking about Beyonce, LaTavia, LeToya, and Larry.

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Re: Using 2 of the same interfaces with a DAW to record

Post by somanytoys » Sun Dec 16, 2018 3:29 pm

No kidding. Just one of millions of things that is basic and solid in Mac OS, but that MS had to go around the world to program to try to emulate or create in their Windows platforms. And that is the kind of stuff that they don't improve on very much as the years go by, but then Windows is primarily for normal businesses. I've experienced that at least since the early '90s, Apple is used by any serious art-related business, music recording, graphics, printing, etc.

Windows is like the Walmart brand of computing - people swearing "it's just as good!". I'm sure each has its place...
-David

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Re: Using 2 of the same interfaces with a DAW to record

Post by Larry Mal » Sun Dec 16, 2018 4:17 pm

Well, I'm sure that Microsoft would claim that their much more open platform leads to the innovations coming from the developers, who, freed from a heavy controlling hand, are free to dream.

Apple would say that by insisting on firm standards not only from themselves but third party developers, they have the strongest possible computing platform.

There's truth to both sides. And they both suck in different ways, too.
Back in those days, everyone knew that if you were talking about Destiny's Child, you were talking about Beyonce, LaTavia, LeToya, and Larry.

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Re: Using 2 of the same interfaces with a DAW to record

Post by somanytoys » Sun Dec 16, 2018 8:20 pm

Haha, no argument from me.

My biggest problem is that MS always puts out an inferior, half-assed (improved) OS, that's full of bugs and security holes, which basically crowdsources it, so that all of the smart techies out there find the exploitative bugs, figure out the related fixes for them and sends them to MS, which then end up in a big patch/update (see KB00000001).

Is there a better business model anywhere?!?

I'm not that familiar with Apple's procedure, I've only used iOS up to this point. I'll defer to our experience/gripes.
-David

It's a boost booster, to boost your boost - it makes your tone much muchier.

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Re: Using 2 of the same interfaces with a DAW to record

Post by Larry Mal » Sun Dec 16, 2018 9:03 pm

The Mac OS is not without its flaws, and they roll out some half-assed shit also. When they put out High Sierra, they somehow left the fucking root account wide open, which is a pretty stunning oversight for a company that otherwise bakes in so much annoying security redundancies that I am often called on to help someone install a simple bit of software.

Still, Microsoft half-asses everything, and the last Windows 10 build (1809) had to be pulled back because it was deleting people's files irretrievably. What kind of fucking amateur mistake is that? Why would that even happen? How did that roll out? Why was that a part of patching the OS anyway?

Microsoft doesn't sell computers for the most part, and their business model has taken some blows. So now they view Windows as a portal to sell you other vendors' products through your own computer, whether you want that to happen or not. That's why their OS is starting to suck, Windows 10 in and of itself isn't that bad, but it's got to be revamped over and over to accommodate the marketing.

Apple made a stroke of genius years ago to come up with Mac OS X, which they future proofed in a lot of great ways. They had a vision of it from the beginning and it's holding up.

The Windows OS has to accommodate everything they've ever done, so in some ways, it's like they are just bolting shit onto it.
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Re: Using 2 of the same interfaces with a DAW to record

Post by somanytoys » Mon Dec 17, 2018 6:47 am

That is pretty stunning, especially for Apple. But their security redundancies seem to work, normally pretty much right out of the box.

With Windows, their own security is for shit, so you need to buy 3rd party security for browsing and all kinds of other stuff, if you're going to connect to the net or even just open files from other sources, it's really kind of pathetic. But that's what we've all been used to, they've made it the industry standard for pc. And for businesses, they have to install so much more security that IT takes administrator privileges away, so that if you need a program installed, you have to have them do it. I get that there are lots of boneheads, or people not computer savvy, that can do something compromise an entire system/network, but it seems mostly with windows platforms. Besides phishing and stuff, I don't know how vulnerable the Macs are to the usual viruses, but from what I've read over the years, it isn't as prevalent - like maybe 2 - 5% of the instances where viruses affected Macs.

That's exactly the impression that I get with MS, they just keep layering new crap on top of old. I think that one version was a ground up rebuild (NT technology), can't remember if that was 98, 2003 or what anymore, but it still seemed like same old problems to me. From a networking perspective it may have been a huge improvement. I haven't upgraded my laptop from 8.1, because I haven't really read that 10 is that big an improvement. By the time they finish plugging all of the holes in an OS, they stop supporting it.

That's another reason why it was nice moving to the the Mac platform, it seems like you just boot up and...go. It just sucks that their hardware is so expensive. It's good, lasts a long time and is very OS upgradable, (except kind of for the iPhones), sleek and cool, but man is it expensive, especially to get in on the newest stuff. I'm kind of late to that party, but I'm rarely one to be the first on my block for much of anything, anyway.
-David

It's a boost booster, to boost your boost - it makes your tone much muchier.

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