Hi All

Have a XS8, and for the first time I’m going to connect it to the computer via mLan. Of course, new computers do not have firewire anymore, so is it possible to go from firewire to USB?

Have spotted this simple adaptor:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Firewire-1394-6-Pin-Female-to-USB-Male-Adaptor-PC-Laptop-Accessories-IEEE-Plug-/140969038066?pt=UK_Computing_FireWire_Cables_Adapters&hash=item20d268d0f2

This goes from Firewire 6 pin (or firewire 400) to USB (male). In theory USB 2 should be fast enough to handle Firewire 400. But I’m going to then connect it through to USB3 port to make sure it’s OK, with usb 3 cable.

Will this work?? I really DON’T want to have to add a PCIE card with firewire connectors just for the yammy.

Thanks, Steve

No, you cannot go from Firewire to USB. As a computer engineer by trade, I don’t even understand how people can get away selling those “adapters”.

You can go from Firewire to Thunderbolt, though. 

mLAN is obsolete, BTW.  Yamaha dropped all support a few years ago.

The new FW16e boards for the XF do work with the XS and provide audio/MIDI interfacing over Firewire but they don’t support mLAN. The older mLAN16e boards can be updated to behave like an FW16e by installing new firmware.

Ok, best to play it safe then.I’ll take a look for firewire interfaces or just a simple PCIE card with firewire connectors. Was a long shot, I also couldn’t see how Yamaha FW drivers would be recognised on a USB port. Don’t know how ‘sensitive’ yamaha drivers are to get the FW interface to work correctly.

Also not sure when you say it’s an audio/midi interface but doesn’t support mLan, surely that is mLan? Maybe it’s just semantics! All the same functionality by the sound of it.

Thanks for the help.

Another question:
Why do the Yam FW boards have two FW connectors? It’s not possible to connect twice to the same computer for double the data(?) So it can only be there to connect to two computers, which is surely pretty rare.

stevie1 - 06 January 2015 07:19 AM

[...]Why do the Yam FW boards have two FW connectors?[...]

Daisy chain pass-through.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daisy_chain_(electrical_engineering)

Being pedantic ;¬) Daisy chain would be from one connector through another device to the last one. (Supports 3 devices). So still doesn’t explain second connector.

I’m happy for this to be left as a mystery of the cosmos....

stevie1 - 06 January 2015 03:11 PM

Being pedantic ;¬) Daisy chain would be from one connector through another device to the last one. (Supports 3 devices). So still doesn’t explain second connector.

I’m happy for this to be left as a mystery of the cosmos....

Sorry, but you’re not being pedantic, just wrong.  :-)

See http://www.motifator.com/index.php/forum/viewthread/466932/

Does anyone remember if MLan supported ProTools?

5pinDIN - 06 January 2015 05:32 PM

stevie1 - 06 January 2015 03:11 PM

Being pedantic ;¬) Daisy chain would be from one connector through another device to the last one. (Supports 3 devices). So still doesn’t explain second connector.

I’m happy for this to be left as a mystery of the cosmos....

Sorry, but you’re not being pedantic, just wrong.  :-)

See http://www.motifator.com/index.php/forum/viewthread/466932/

Ah yes, it only makes sense if the motif is the middle part of the sandwich. One mystery of the cosmos is now solved…

What are all you guys doing with respect to connectivity, is any one bothering with Mlan/FW?