More about Onyx 1640i and Dell laptop

[demodoc]

New thread, same problem I've been having trying to get my Dell E 6510 (refurbished) to work well with my Mackie Onyx 1640i.

Just to bring folks up to date, when I got the laptop, I couldn't get the Onyx 160i and the laptop to stay clocked together for very long at all. Then I ordered one of these cards
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000RKUKMG/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
and things appeared to work a lot better. In fact, I tested and tested and couldn't make the combination fail at all, worked perfectly. So, it seemed to be a firewire adapter issue. Then
,last night, I recorded a 2 hour event, just for testing purposes. It appeared that all was good when I brought the recorded files home last night. I played them at various times in the recording, multiple tracks and it seemed fine. This morning, I opened the session again and found that all was fine until about 68 minutes into the session, at which point, it's obvious that things went out of lock, The audio is pitched low and garbled, as I have experienced before.

Is it just possible that the Onyx is just not going to work right with the Dell for some reason? Because I don't know what else to do at this point. I have no problems with my 9 year old Acer Aspire 9410z at all, but since that machine is getting pretty old, I want another machine that can work with my mixer.

As I've said before, my Onyx 1640i is the older version of the mixer, the one with the serial number starting with 003 as opposed to 204, which is why I need to stay with Win 7, 64 bit, which I like anyway. This version of the mixer only has drivers up to and including Win 7.

I have done the Win 7 tweaks for the most part, power options are all set right, I turn off the Antivirus and internet connection entirely etc.

I really thought I had this problem licked, it was solid. But 68 minutes into a 2 hour record and it failed.

Bob, any input here??? Anyone?

Should I get yet another laptop. I have been looking at a refurbished HP Elitebook 8470P on Newegg.

[cgrafx]

New thread, same problem I've been having trying to get my Dell E 6510 (refurbished) to work well with my Mackie Onyx 1640i.

Just to bring folks up to date, when I got the laptop, I couldn't get the Onyx 160i and the laptop to stay clocked together for very long at all. Then I ordered one of these cards
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000RKUKMG/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
and things appeared to work a lot better. In fact, I tested and tested and couldn't make the combination fail at all, worked perfectly. So, it seemed to be a firewire adapter issue. Then
,last night, I recorded a 2 hour event, just for testing purposes. It appeared that all was good when I brought the recorded files home last night. I played them at various times in the recording, multiple tracks and it seemed fine. This morning, I opened the session again and found that all was fine until about 68 minutes into the session, at which point, it's obvious that things went out of lock, The audio is pitched low and garbled, as I have experienced before.

Is it just possible that the Onyx is just not going to work right with the Dell for some reason? Because I don't know what else to do at this point. I have no problems with my 9 year old Acer Aspire 9410z at all, but since that machine is getting pretty old, I want another machine that can work with my mixer.

As I've said before, my Onyx 1640i is the older version of the mixer, the one with the serial number starting with 003 as opposed to 204, which is why I need to stay with Win 7, 64 bit, which I like anyway. This version of the mixer only has drivers up to and including Win 7.

I have done the Win 7 tweaks for the most part, power options are all set right, I turn off the Antivirus and internet connection entirely etc.

I really thought I had this problem licked, it was solid. But 68 minutes into a 2 hour record and it failed.

Bob, any input here??? Anyone?

Should I get yet another laptop. I have been looking at a refurbished HP Elitebook 8470P on Newegg.


The challenge as you are finding out is that a PC is not a PC. Every motherboard, bios, chipset has its own combination of drivers and idiosyncrasies. Some combinations simply will not work.

So yes, your likely going to have to find different laptop to make this work. However, since you already have the Dell, you might do a system backup and try and install win8 or win10 and see if the win7 drivers will work (in many cases they will).

If not, reload your backup and replace the laptop.

[demodoc]

How about just trying the ASIO4ALL driver? Anything there?

Not going to load a new OS.

[demodoc]

Well, ASIO4ALL was no help, it only gave me 2 channels in and out...no multitrack capability at all...out it goes.

I see that I can choose WDM drivers for the Onyx 1640i as well as ASIO. Tried it and it records/plays. Any possibility of this helping me for trouble free recording? I kinda doubt it, myself. The problem is that, even with the deluxe Startech Express Card FW card with TI chipset, I still lost lock last night after 68 minutes.

I need to know what to look at next. Do I buy yet another laptop and, if so, what kind? All I can afford is another refurbished one from Newegg with Win 7 64 bit on it and an Express Card slot for the Startech adapter.

[UpTilDawn]

I don't have much to add to this, except to suggest that if you need a different laptop, you might look for an older Lenovo ThinkPad that has the express slot you need. I've had both an x60 and x61 (with pcmcia slot) and they have worked great with Windows 7, SAW and SAC and a Behringer x32 external mixing console setup, using Behringer's Windows driver. That may be little comfort to know, or it may be something similar enough to make it worth checking into a Lenovo ThinkPad.... I hope that helps, anyway.

[mr_es335]

Hello,

As Philip stated, you cannot compare one make or model of a system with another - they are "plain 'n simple" different. Even among the same make/model there can be discrepancies.

IBM/Lenovo would be my preference at present...I have not heard too much good about the Dell E6000 series, or the M6000 series for that matter. A W520 would be an excellent machine.

You need to contact someone who can check your BIOS for you. This may prove very beneficial. I had a Dell M6700 laptop and tweaking the BIOS was very helpful. Without being in front of the system, it is very difficult to make suggestions.

This all being said, the E6000 series are great units and you should be able to get this all to work for you.

[demodoc]

That's good input, thanks. Will, at least look for one of those on Newegg.

I read some post somewhere about somebody having a similar problem and, in his case, it turned out to be a cell phone very near the laptop messing with things. I can't remember now but maybe I left the wireless nic turned on last night, not sure. My tablet which was streaming video out from the event was about 2 feet away. I don't know, I'm grasping at straws now. Because I tested and tested this combo for several days and couldn't make it fail at all.

[demodoc]

I really like this little Dell laptop a lot, overall. It's quite snappy and stable. Regardless of what I end up recording on with my Onyx, I will keep this machine for simple 2 track recording with my Focusrite 2i2 and many other applications. My old Acer Aspire 9410z from 8 years ago still runs ok and records perfectly, for now, but it is getting pretty old. That's why I am trying to get a good solid replacement going. I have to do a fair amount of live multitrack recording on a laptop.

I can get someone to look at the BIOS but I need to know what to tell him to look for and what to tweak. Any help there?



Hello,

As Philip stated, you cannot compare one make or model of a system with another - they are "plain 'n simple" different. Even among the same make/model there can be discrepancies.

IBM/Lenovo would be my preference at present...I have not heard too much good about the Dell E6000 series, or the M6000 series for that matter. A W520 would be an excellent machine.

You need to contact someone who can check your BIOS for you. This may prove very beneficial. I had a Dell M6700 laptop and tweaking the BIOS was very helpful. Without being in front of the system, it is very difficult to make suggestions.

This all being said, the E6000 series are great units and you should be able to get this all to work for you.

[demodoc]

How about this?

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=9SIA7AB48H6307

or this?

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA5WM2N98708&cm_re=lenovo_refurbished_laptop_windows_7-_-1TS-000E-002G1-_-Product



Hello,

As Philip stated, you cannot compare one make or model of a system with another - they are "plain 'n simple" different. Even among the same make/model there can be discrepancies.

IBM/Lenovo would be my preference at present...I have not heard too much good about the Dell E6000 series, or the M6000 series for that matter. A W520 would be an excellent machine.

You need to contact someone who can check your BIOS for you. This may prove very beneficial. I had a Dell M6700 laptop and tweaking the BIOS was very helpful. Without being in front of the system, it is very difficult to make suggestions.

This all being said, the E6000 series are great units and you should be able to get this all to work for you.

[UpTilDawn]

How about this?

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=9SIA7AB48H6307

or this?

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA5WM2N98708&cm_re=lenovo_refurbished_laptop_windows_7-_-1TS-000E-002G1-_-Product

I can't say much about those two, except where's your express card slot? I don't see it on either machine. Or is there a useable USB to Express card adapter device?

The two I referenced are much older systems... started as XPpro and turned into Win7.... and of course, like I mentioned, mine only has pcmcia slot.

I also don't know how much the newer Lenovos adapt themselves (or can be manipulated) to our needs... es335 will likely have a better answer than me. I just happened by to respond.

[demodoc]

I can't say much about those two, except where's your express card slot? I don't see it on either machine. Or is there a useable USB to Express card adapter device?

The two I referenced are much older systems... started as XPpro and turned into Win7.... and of course, like I mentioned, mine only has pcmcia slot.

I also don't know how much the newer Lenovos adapt themselves (or can be manipulated) to our needs... es335 will likely have a better answer than me. I just happened by to respond.

They both have Express Card slots, I checked.

https://www.cnet.com/products/lenovo-thinkpad-t420/specs/


https://www.cnet.com/products/lenovo-thinkpad-t520/specs/

[demodoc]

What I need, from someone who really knows this stuff, is just what to do next. Change something in the BIOS? If so, what and how? Get another laptop? Which one? Something else to do to this one to make sure I don't have any further issues?? Right now, I can't depend on this machine with my mixer to reliably record a whole show. With my old Acer Aspire, I can, right now, until it bites the dust at some point. It might still have to do with the FW connection because it sure got 1000% better after I replaced the FW adapter I had with the Startech. It used to fail after a few minutes. Now, I can't get it to fail when I test it but it did fall out of sync with the mixer 68 minutes into my 2 hour recording last night. Since there is no "lock" indicator on the mixer, there is simply no way to know if everything is OK with this combo until after the fact. I did a test record last night, no problem, then it drops out of sync at 68 minutes. Color me frustrated.

More input? Bob???

[mr_es335]

demodoc,

What I need, from someone who really knows this stuff, is just what to do next....Sad to say...this is asking a lot!. Unless someone here has the same identical setup as you have, then it is "darn near impossible" to assist you.

Change something in the BIOS? If so, what and how?Did I not say get someone THERE who can check into this for you? Is this route not possible?

Get another laptop? Which one?Have you searched the forums to see what laptops folks here are using? I have used a Lenovo W520 and these units are excellent. The T500's work OK as well - though dated now. I have seven children and all of them are using IBM/Lenovo's. At the same time, it does seem to be getting more difficult to find these older systems.

With my old Acer Aspire......This point does not really matter any more...that was then...this is now.

demodoc, I have completed a SAW/SAC rig that took me the better part of 3 months to source out the motherboard. In the interim , I tested two other boards, that simply did not work. I prefer ASUS boards, and I see that Philip is using MSI. The point here is, is that it can take a considerable amount of time and effort to get things to work as they should - especially nowadays! If you are a neophyte, then you might find yourself in a bit of a bind.

I would recommend locating a used computer shop...as I see you are not too far away from Los Angeles. There must be quite a number of these there. They might assist you in locating an older W series Lenovo.

May be ask others here what laptops they are currently using and see if you can obtain the same unit?

Hope this helps?

[demodoc]

demodoc,
...Sad to say...this is asking a lot!. Unless someone here has the same identical setup as you have, then it is "darn near impossible" to assist you.
Did I not say get someone THERE who can check into this for you? Is this route not possible?
Have you searched the forums to see what laptops folks here are using? I have used a Lenovo W520 and these units are excellent. The T500's work OK as well - though dated now. I have seven children and all of them are using IBM/Lenovo's. At the same time, it does seem to be getting more difficult to find these older systems.
...This point does not really matter any more...that was then...this is now.

demodoc, I have completed a SAW/SAC rig that took me the better part of 3 months to source out the motherboard. In the interim , I tested two other boards, that simply did not work. I prefer ASUS boards, and I see that Philip is using MSI. The point here is, is that it can take a considerable amount of time and effort to get things to work as they should - especially nowadays! If you are a neophyte, then you might find yourself in a bit of a bind.

I would recommend locating a used computer shop...as I see you are not too far away from Los Angeles. There must be quite a number of these there. They might assist you in locating an older W series Lenovo.

May be ask others here what laptops they are currently using and see if you can obtain the same unit?

Hope this helps?


Sure, thanks.

I'm no neophyte, I've been mixing since 1972 and using SAW since 1996. I know a lot more about audio than I do about computers though I am definitely more knowledgeable than most.

There are a good number of Lenovo machines out there at good prices. But I don't want to just be buying stuff, hoping that it will work better than what I have if there is a way to make what I have work, that's all. After I installed the Startech FW card, things got a lot better. As I said, I tested and tested, letting the machine record for a long time and could not make it fail, yet, when I recorded the other night, it failed after 68 minutes. It kept recording but at 68 minutes in, the audio became low-pitched and garbled, a clear sign that clock sync had been lost. This started to happen on my Acer a while back but the problem was a failing FW adapter. I replaced it and the problem stopped completely.

My local computer tech is good, overall, but he doesn't really get the intricacies of audio recording. He would need to know what to look for in the BIOS, for example. I was simply hoping that someone could give me an idea of what to be on the lookout for in this regard, that's all.

I still think it may be as simple as turning off everything that doesn't need to be on during recording, wifi, anti-virus, onboard sound card, onboard FW etc. I will test some more with all these things in mind. I've already spent $300.00 on this Dell laptop, that I like. My funds are limited at this time.

Let's face it, the main problem here is Mackie with their sub-standard drivers and lack of continuing support for their FW mixers (the 1640i has been discontinued and I can see why). Their tech was very nice on the phone but completely useless. When I brought up the things I, as a user, thought could be causing the problem, all he could say was "could be". Gee, thanks. The mixer sounds great. I have two of them at $1600.00 each. I maintain them and use them constantly. I plan on continuing to use them. But problems like mine are all too common with this line of products. I've read lots of reports from users about these issues. Still, many use them successfully for years. I have with my old Acer Aspire, a jewel of a laptop, I must say. This one is 8-9 years old and still running well as far as recording is concerned. I just know that it can't go on forever this way. It will bite the dust at some point.

Anyway, thanks for the input. I welcome more from anyone with wisdom in this area. Bob, do you have any input here??

[demodoc]

Ok, much as I didn't want to spend any more $$ at this point, I did find a grade A refurbished Lenovo W 520 on Newegg and I have ordered it. Now I will own a total of 3 laptops. Let's all join hands and pray that this computer will play nice with the Onyx 1640i, shall we?

[demodoc]

Well, the refurbishing company, IT RenewDirect sent me the laptop but it came with Windows 10 Pro installed. The listing on Newegg said Windows 7 Pro 64 bit, the invoice says Windows 7 but the machine has 10 on it. I will talk to them tomorrow about this. I can't use Windows 10 with the Onyx 1640i
that I have because it is the older version that only has drivers up through Windows 7. If they want to take it back and put 7 Pro 64 bit on it, fine, otherwise, forget it, I'll find something else.

[demodoc]

It finally occurred to me that, if I just can't get the Onyx 1640i and a laptop (other than my trusty old Acer from 2009) to work with each other, reliably, there is another way. I can buy a pair of DB 25 8 channel snakes for $40 each and go into a couple of Focusrite Pro 40's. I already own one that I've had for years and it always works great. They are blowing them out cheap now since Firewire is out of favor these days. Two of these can be hooked together to create a 16 analog input interface. This may be what I will have to do to be able to continue to record my shows in the future.