My current setup is Sonar X1 Pro (with most recent update) on a 2 yr old Creation Station with i7, 8 gig ram, running Win7 with MR816X as DAW interface. I have to retire an old Mackie 1202 (dirty pots)
 
This Tascam FW1804 sitting here would be suitable in lieu of my Mackie for my '80's synths.
 
This system is working rock solid; so I hesitate very much to add this interface to run along with the Steinberg 816X.
 
so I ask you here before I leap hoping for some feedback negative or positive.
 
Is this safe to do? Any advice before I jump in? Shall I go ahead, install the Win7 Tascam drivers? Should I attempt to run both simultaneously? We're supposed to be able to do this, right? Thanks; Leonard 
 
edit: I changed the thread title to reflect the development of this discussion and to facilitate accurate insightful conclusions. LP

Not if you're using ASIO drivers, you'd have to switch to something else, like WDM

Thanks. Before I even got started I discovered WDM for the Steinberg MR816 is unusable. Outputs 7 and 8 do not report/exist and there is only channels 1 and 2 reporting as input sources. A switch back to ASIO -and all is perfect. More research shows there is another thread somewhere in this forum which shows it's possible to daisy chain 2 MR816's in ASIO within Sonar. That option will require more research and confirmation before I bite the bullet. But really, this is not what I wanted to do.
 
I had plans to add a firewire UA 4-710 to the MR816X in the near future. I wanted to add 4 super quality inputs. At least now I know that this cannot be done in Cakewalk's Sonar X. So, to expand my inputs and or outputs I'm gonna have to jump ship. Changing DAWs is going to add substantial cost to making my aim a reality. This is not something I had planned on. I really like the Sonar X series. It feels comfortable, like home base to me. Learning a new DAW is not something I look forward to.  

It's not a Sonar issue, it's an ASIO issue. There are a handful of interfaces that get around this limitation through proprietary workarounds; I think there were some ASIO interfaces from Echo that got around this in some way. You can also expand Roland Octa-Captures, but in any case, you need to stay within a single company's product line.
 
You either need to use WDM for your interface (and hope there's an updated driver for the MR816 that covers your needs), or switch to the Mac, whose Core Audio driver - like WDM - is easy to aggregate.
 
Here's an article on aggregating interfaces. Unfortunately the image links are broken, but you'll get the idea.

It can be done with Sonar but its a real PITA. It is not because of Sonar no DAW can do much about it. It really is a digital audio issue. For solid performance multiple audio devices need to be synced. This is so their clocks agree. The best method is use an external clock that controls all the devices. Some devices can sync using their inputs. Others have BNC connectors for syncing.   
 
Then as pointed out drivers must be taken into consideration. ASIO is a single device driver WDM is multiple device driver. 
 
In the end its better to get a single device with all the inputs you need. Often this may mean a digital mixer. 

Thank you, Craig. I really appreciate your insight and delivery. Your article explains everything clearly with concision.
 
Thank you, John. It's good to know pita workarounds do exist. There is hope.
 
I installed the most recent MR816X drivers and their wdm implementation leaves much to be desired. With the MR816 the latest driver is even worse; WDM usage is simply an impossibility. But it's ASIO works perfect.
 
Question! and this is a big one..
 
ADAT
 
Maybe I should be asking my Sweetwater rep this..
 
Please correct me if I'm wrong about how adat signals move through firewire devices.
 
The UA 4-710D is an adat interface. You plug it into the adat input on the back panel of the Steinberg MR816X. These additional 8 inputs travel through the MR816X's firewire. Somehow, Sonar X see's these new inputs and allows individual routing from each individual channel. And so I can go ahead and buy this UA 4-710D anyway because it will work perfect in Sonar alongside the venerable MR816X.  And so I CAN! increase my inputs.
 
my fingers are crossed awaiting a well informed answer.
 
 

The ADAT light pipe has saved many a hopeless situation. In theory, you should have no problems gaining extra inputs with an ADAT-compatible add-on. Of course in theory nuclear power was supposed to be too cheap to meter, but my experiences with the ADAT light pipe have all been pretty bulletproof.

Thank you, Craig. This is good news. A good way to gain more inputs is to use ADAT.
 
After double-checking I have to correct myself. The UA 4-710D in not firewire. It is an ADAT and AES/EBU interface.

Leonard
Thank you, Craig. This is good news. A good way to gain more inputs is to use ADAT.
 
After double-checking I have to correct myself. The UA 4-710D in not firewire. It is an ADAT and AES/EBU interface.

FireWire or the lack thereof shouldn't make a difference. You can just run an interface's ADAT out into the MR816's ADAT in. In this case you're just streaming audio from one interface into another, conceptually the same as if you were plugging in patch cords.
 
FWIW a common use for ADAT inputs in interfaces (because there aren't a lot of ADATs around any more) is feeding in an octal mic preamp with ADAT light pipe out when you want to do something like mic a drum set..