2 FirePods daisy chained: No signal with Cubase

[mix-concepts]

Hi everyone,

first sorry for my english: it´s not my mother language!

I searched a lot, but it seems, as if nothing exactly suits my problem:

My setup:
Apple PowerBook G4 (1.5GHz, Mac OS X 10.4.9),
2 FirePods,
Cubase Studio 4.1 and Cubase LE

Problem:
I´ve worked completely satisfying with ONE FirePod using Cubase LE. I could record 8 tracks simultaniously without any problems.

Because I needed to record more tracks (>12), I decided to buy a second FirePod and upgraded to Cubase Studio 4.1.

I downloaded the manual to daisy chain both FirePods, to configure an Asio driver (via "Audio-Midi-setup" -> "aggregate device") and had chosen this Asio driver in Cubase Studio 4.1.

Both FirePods show the blue sync-lights (most of the times! sometimes I have to restart the Powerbook because one or both of the FirePods is flickering from blue to red).

Sadly there is no signal on the outputs or inputs with both FirePods showing a blue sync-light.

As before with only one FirePod I configured the VST-inputs and -outputs, but whatever I did, I could get nothing to record or hear anything.

Going back to one of the FirePods (without daisy chain), both of them work properly with Cubase 4.1 and Cubase LE.

A confusing fact is, that if I daisy chain both FirePods but only switch on ONE of them (with changing the Asio-driver to the matching FirePod), there is again no signal on outputs or inputs. If I disconnect the second one, restart the Powerbook everything is alright...

I have no idea what else I can try?

Both FirePods work alone (the newer one has a little defect with the first input not working, but that fact should not have anything to do with the "no signal"-problem), I changed the FireWire-cables, I used both Cubase version to be sure that it´s not a software bug...

Please help me out...

Thanks a lot for your help,

Sven

[scarrgo]

Hi Sven,

just to make sure the hook up is correct,

firewire from laptop to firepod 1 than too firepod 2(daisy chained together)

Laptop: App/Utlities/Audio Midi Setup/Audio Setup

From "Audio" on menu "Open aggregate Device Editor"
You should see a list, click "USE" on both of the Firepods from the device List click done

Than click on "aggregate Device" in the default input for Systems settings, you can close audio/Midi setup window.

Launch Cubase 4 Device Set up/VST Audio system/ pick aggregate device from ASIO pull down list, close window

open VST Connections (F4) you should be able to add the busses you need from the inputs/outputs, and than choose ports from within your Device Port (Hope That makes sense) than in your mixer, you will have to assign ins/outs per channel as you need (Its a little confussion at first but when you figure it out, its not really that hard)

let us know how its going

Peace
Sean...

[mix-concepts]

just to make sure the hook up is correct,

firewire from laptop to firepod 1 than too firepod 2(daisy chained together)

Laptop: App/Utlities/Audio Midi Setup/Audio Setup

From "Audio" on menu "Open aggregate Device Editor"
You should see a list, click "USE" on both of the Firepods from the device List click done

Than click on "aggregate Device" in the default input for Systems settings, you can close audio/Midi setup window.

Launch Cubase 4 Device Set up/VST Audio system/ pick aggregate device from ASIO pull down list, close window

open VST Connections (F4) you should be able to add the busses you need from the inputs/outputs, and than choose ports from within your Device Port (Hope That makes sense) than in your mixer, you will have to assign ins/outs per channel as you need (Its a little confussion at first but when you figure it out, its not really that hard)

let us know how its going

Peace
Sean...

Hi Sean,

Thanks a lot for your help.

everything you´ve written was already done because it´s exactly the procedure written in the Cubase LE manual and in the downloadable file (for using multiple FirePods on presonus.com/downloads/....)

I´m afraid the problem is not so easy and I am not sure if it could be a hardware issue...
What about firmware-updates? What are the effects, if one of the FirePods (no FP10!!) is working with an older firmware?
I only found information about firmware issues with mixing a FirePod with a FP10...

Cheers,
Sven