Audacity with Mackie Onyx 1620

[DocNelsonAudioMan]

I am unable to get Audacity to work with a Mackie 1620 Onyx mixer with the Firewire digital I/O option.

The software does not "see" the onyx.

I hope somebody has solved this

Thanks

Gary Nelson

[DT Chris]

So you mean it doesn't show up in the device list under Edit->Preferences?


Read about Audacity Mixer Toolbar Issues

[DocNelsonAudioMan]

Right. That menu you show is the one that fails to include the Onyx.

I need help in configuring something to put the right linkages or driver code or ?? in place to make the MackieOnyx show up in that list

TIA

[brandondrury]

Is it showing in the Windows control panel?

Brandon

[DocNelsonAudioMan]

Does it show up in the Windows Control Panel? Good question...

Do you refer to Control Panel/System/Hardware/Device_Manager? I just looked there for USB devices and see only the PC side hardware. Or should I be looking at ControlPanel/Sounds_and_AudioDevices.

Unfortunately, I am traveling and won't be next to the Onyx until the 18th of June. I appreciate the tip and will follow up on this thread then.

Thanks for the help

[DT Chris]

Have you installed any required drivers that the Onyx came with? Windows won't read it by default in a 'hardware search' if it doesn't have compatible drivers already available with the Windows installation.

from the Mackie Onyx FireWire Manual
"When connecting the Onyx FireWire card to the PC, it is necessary to first install the drivers and the control panel."

Then when you plug in your firewire interface card into your motherboard, Windows will be able to recognize it from the pre-installed drivers.

Start->My Computer(right-click)->Properties->Hardware->Device Manager->Sound,Video and Game Controllers;


If your device is not listed, there are no drivers installed.

If you've installed the drivers and it's still not on the device list (in the software), perhaps Audacity doesn't want to work with it. Open other recording software (apparently your Onyx comes bundled with Mackie Tracktion sequencer ) , and see if they recognize it as a device.

[DocNelsonAudioMan]

I can't actually look at the screens at the moment, but the Onyx does not show up on the list in Edit/Preferences/AudioIO as your posting shows.

Upon looking at the ControlPanel for sound devices, I see that Audacity gets its list from the list of sound devices. Hence, I am 99% certain that Onyx is not on that list.

Thus, it appears that there is no driver installed.

Mackie provides their own audio software called Tracktion. It works, but that is not sufficient to get Audacity to work. I did not think to look in the device manager. I really appreciate the tip. I had not appreciated where Audacity got its list of devices. Very helpful. You folks are great!! Much gratitude to you.

It is feasible for Mackie or any other application author to bypass the XP OS and, as in the old DOS days, get control of the I/O channels? I will contact Mackie tech support and see if they have a driver available.

BTW, I tried this same trick with an Onyx hooked to a Mac with a current version of OS-X -- same result -- worked fine with Tracktion, but not Audacity.

FWIW, these Mackie Onyx products are really superb. I have not tried the small Onyx Satellite ($200), but it uses the same preamps and ADC electronics as the Onyx mixers, so it should be very nice. (In round numbers these seem to cost about $100/channel -- 1640 is about $1600 with Firewire).

Thanks again. I owe you all one or two

[DT Chris]

Originally Posted by DocNelsonAudioMan

Mackie provides their own audio software called Tracktion. It works, but that is not sufficient to get Audacity to work.

No, because one software program does not affect if another software program will work. I was just saying to try another software program to see if the device shows up there... Since you haven't installed the Onyx drivers, then there is no point to do so.

Originally Posted by DocNelsonAudioMan

It is feasible for Mackie or any other application author to bypass the XP OS and, as in the old DOS days, get control of the I/O channels?

I don't understand this statement. You can't bypass an OS (Operating System). The operating system works with the hardware and allows the hardware to communicate between each other (via drivers) to allow you to do your activities on it. DOS is short for Disk Operating System. It did the same job, it just wasn't as fancy as Windows.

Originally Posted by DocNelsonAudioMan

]I will contact Mackie tech support and see if they have a driver available.

If you need drivers or updates for any component of your computer, or peripherals, simply go to the manufacturer's website. 99% of the time you will find the latest drivers, patches and updates there.

OnyxFW Update : Current Software and Driver Downloads

Originally Posted by DocNelsonAudioMan

BTW, I tried this same trick with an Onyx hooked to a Mac with a current version of OS-X -- same result -- worked fine with Tracktion, but not Audacity.

When you install your OS, the software also installs drivers (or a reference to) common manufacturers the OS may run into soon. OS-X may have had a driver that came with the Operating System on CD, since Macs are more geared to the multimedia market.

[brandondrury]

FWIW, these Mackie Onyx products are really superb.

Alright. What makes them so good?

Brandon

[DocNelsonAudioMan]

====snip===
I don't understand this statement. You can't bypass an OS (Operating System). The operating system works with the hardware and allows the hardware to communicate between each other (via drivers) to allow you to do your activities on it. DOS is short for Disk Operating System. It did the same job, it just wasn't as fancy as Windows.
====snip=====

The issue is that the Onyx "works with virtually any
ASIO/Core Audio compliant DAW software application on
a PC or Mac" per the user manual which I confess I did not read until now.

===aside====
I totally agree with your description of what an OS should do. My recollection is that with DOS bypassing OS was commonplace -- lots of apps had code to take over some part of the hardware -- it is only with XP that usoft published specs for compliant drivers and has some compliance tests for drivers to be "registered." XP tests drivers and tells you if a driver is unregistered -- use at own risk... I seem to recall old DOS apps often had keyboard meanings that were local to that app -- fonts belonged to apps -- very fragmented. Glad I have not had to deal with DOS in years.
====aside=====

But alas, none of this is important. The important question is how do we configure an Audacity build to be "ASIO/Core Audio compliant?" Mackie web site lists many ASIO compliant apps including
• Audition
• Cubase
• Digital Performer
• Final Cut
• Garage Band
• Live
• Logic Express
• Logic Pro
• Nuendo
• Tracktion
• Tracktor
• Reason
• Samplitude
• Sequoia
• Sonar
• Soundforge
• Soundtrack
• Vegas
• Wavelab

Thanks. It may have sounded like a dumb question, but I could not see how the Onyx was still invisible even after all the Tracktion software was installed and working ok. Apparently ASIO does not look like a standard windows sound device. Is that correct?

Thanks again
gn