stickman393
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Using PCI audio interface in new machines with PCIe slots only
I've just completed upgrading my DAW to a new machine that does not have PCI slots. However, I really wanted to use my ECHO Layla 3G PCI card, if possible. Thanks to a post from John Kenn suggesting that I investigate PCIe-PCI adaptors (see Focusrite 18i20??) I did exactly that. For details and photos, see VIVALDI is the new ROSSINI, part 2 on my blog. Bottom line: PCIe-PCI adapter cards work, and work well. I recommend this one from StarTech.com.
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BobF
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Re: Using PCI audio interface in new machines with PCIe slots only
2018/08/19 20:52:30
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JohnKenn
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Re: Using PCI audio interface in new machines with PCIe slots only
2018/08/19 22:30:02
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Stickman,
Thanks for being brave to try the converter, and like Bob said, nice write up.
Was wondering if there was a reason for choosing the brand you did over the cheaper alternatives. The slot adapter that came with it would be a big plus taking a metalwork project out of the equation.
So good to know that there is life left to be had with the old but good functional PCI cards.
John
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stickman393
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Re: Using PCI audio interface in new machines with PCIe slots only
2018/08/20 00:33:23
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JohnKenn
Was wondering if there was a reason for choosing the brand you did over the cheaper alternatives. The slot adapter that came with it would be a big plus taking a metalwork project out of the equation.
In my experience you get what you pay for... The difference in cost between the items I saw wasn't that great, ($30-$60?) and I wanted to give this experiment the best possible chance of success. Also, yeah, the slot adapter seemed like a good thing. And it was.
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JohnKenn
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Re: Using PCI audio interface in new machines with PCIe slots only
2018/08/20 00:40:42
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Will be following your lead on this one. You took the dive for any of us dealing with this problem.
Thank you,
John
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Jim Roseberry
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Re: Using PCI audio interface in new machines with PCIe slots only
2018/08/20 14:20:11
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Echo audio interfaces typically don't cope well with bridged PCI slots.
If it's working well for the OP, I'd stick with that exact adapter.
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kitekrazy1
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Re: Using PCI audio interface in new machines with PCIe slots only
2018/08/21 23:55:22
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Miss Echo Audio. They are still in the industry but not with computer audio devices.
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stickman393
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Re: Using PCI audio interface in new machines with PCIe slots only
2018/08/23 19:05:12
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Jim Roseberry
Echo audio interfaces typically don't cope well with bridged PCI slots.
If it's working well for the OP, I'd stick with that exact adapter.
Interesting, Jim, thanks. I'll bear that in mind. For what it's worth, I did a recording session this morning with a decent-sized project (adding some tamborine!) and didn't encounter any glitches at all. Smooth running. So, as a Heinlein True Witness, I can say that the combination of this PCIe/PCI adapter, plus ECHO Layla 3G, works, at least in my motherboard, in my machine, THIS morning. :-) If I encounter problems in the future, I'll post an update.
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JonD
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Re: Using PCI audio interface in new machines with PCIe slots only
2018/08/24 16:06:09
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stickman393
Jim Roseberry
Echo audio interfaces typically don't cope well with bridged PCI slots.
If it's working well for the OP, I'd stick with that exact adapter.
Interesting, Jim, thanks. I'll bear that in mind. For what it's worth, I did a recording session this morning with a decent-sized project (adding some tamborine!) and didn't encounter any glitches at all. Smooth running.
So, as a Heinlein True Witness, I can say that the combination of this PCIe/PCI adapter, plus ECHO Layla 3G, works, at least in my motherboard, in my machine, THIS morning. :-)
If I encounter problems in the future, I'll post an update.
This exchange might be confusing to some.... The bridged PCI slots Jim refers to are on many current motherboards. The adapter used by Stickman gets around that by using the PCIe slot with an adapter. This is NOT a bridged situation.
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stickman393
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Re: Using PCI audio interface in new machines with PCIe slots only
2018/08/25 15:38:42
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JonD
This exchange might be confusing to some.... The bridged PCI slots Jim refers to are on many current motherboards. The adapter used by Stickman gets around that by using the PCIe slot with an adapter. This is NOT a bridged situation.
After Jim posted, I did some googling to find out a little more about tech. The Startech adapter card uses a "Pericom - PI7C9X111SL" chipset which according to diodes.com is " a x1 PCI Express to 32bit/66MHz PCI Reversible bridge with high performance, very low power consumption, and a small footprint. PI7C9X111SL offers the most effective forward & reverse bridging solution to platforms with high bandwidth requirement" So I had no reason to doubt what Jim was saying. I guess it is possible that some motherboard manufacturers use a cheap-ass bridging chipset to provide both PCIe and PCI slots, and that is perhaps what Jim is referring to. Based on the chipset description, it would seem that the adapter does implement a bridging solution. JonD, if you know more about this, can you share?
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Jim Roseberry
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Re: Using PCI audio interface in new machines with PCIe slots only
2018/08/25 16:04:43
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If it works, stick with that specific bridge chip.
Asus and Gigabyte were using two different bridge chips.
IIRC, The MOTU 424 PCI card preferred the bridge chip used in Asus motherboards.
Echo and Lynx were particularly finicky with bridged PCI slots.
M-Audio and RME worked with just about anything.
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JonD
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Re: Using PCI audio interface in new machines with PCIe slots only
2018/08/25 23:28:58
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stickman393
Based on the chipset description, it would seem that the adapter does implement a bridging solution.
JonD, if you know more about this, can you share?
I was only referring to the bridged PCI slots. I understood Jim to be speaking of the same thing, and not about the chipsets on the adapters. Of course, I could be wrong... Bottom line is that it works for you and now we have the adapter model - facts that might be helpful to someone down the road.
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stickman393
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Re: Using PCI audio interface in new machines with PCIe slots only
2018/08/26 00:17:56
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@Jim, @Jon - Thanks for the extra info. This is really interesting.
So far (my configuration) seems pretty stable.
(The only problem I get is the occasional "Audio engine has unexpectedly quit" when I press STOP after playback or recording. But I used to get that before on my old DAW, so I don't blame the PCI adapter for that.)
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