Problem with MOTU Ultralite mk3 and Macbook Pro

4

40 Rocka

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What's up everyone?

I just got my Motu Ultralite mk3 the other day and was very excited to put it to work but I ran in to some problems. To be safe, I installed everything that came on the CD including Cuemix and Audiodesk but I believe I only need to install the Firewire drives because I am using Apple Logic Pro 8. Then, I downloaded the MOTU Universal Audio Install- OSX 10.3 and installed that.

The first problem I had occurred when I opened up Logic and changed my audio device to the Ultralite and played one of my compositions, there was no sound in my headphones that were connected to the Ultralite. I realized that for some reason, in Logic Pro 8 the Output 3-4 correspond to the default Ultralite outputs instead of Output 1-2. Is there any way to fix this? Or do I have to use Output 3-4 in Logic every time?

The second problem I ran in to was far worse and occurred on my second day of using the Ultralite. I turned my Macbook Pro on with the Ultralite already plugged in to the firewire port and the MOTU audio setup program did not automatically start which means my Macbook Pro is not recognizing the Ultralite. I have reinstalled all the software and re-downloaded the drivers but my Macbook Pro is still not recognizing that the Ultralite is plugged in. This is really confusing me since it worked perfectly the first day. I have now spent a few days re-installing software and trying everything possible to no avail. Can somebody please help?!!

Thanks in advance!
 
I just got one, too, to replace the flimsy M-Audio Fast Track Ultra I had that broke. Everyone says MOTU's software is better. Hah!

In my old M-Audio and my old EMU 1820M, the mixer program exposed the "software returns" as inputs in the mixer program. That lets you use the mixer program to route, pan and fade sound from programs, like itunes or your DAW.

MOTU doesn't even SHOW these software returns as inputs in their mixer program!!! Want to control where they go? You get to designate which SINGLE output pair receives the "Default Stereo Output" from your mac. You use the minimalistic "MOTU Audio Setup" application to select which pair gets it.

It then dumps this default stereo output to the single output pair POST-FADER!!!! No panning. No fading. No routing. You can only control its volume in cuemix using the "Monitor Level" knob, upper right corner. That only works if you designate that output as a monitor. (Go to outputs tab, bottom of each channel strip, if "monitor" button is lit up, it's controlled by the knob)

No sound on your headphones? Since you can't even see the software input from your DAW in cuemix, you can't route it there. You have to go to MOTU Audio Setup and choose which pair goes to your phones, post-fader, with "Phones Assign". Make it the same as your "default stereo output."

I might be wrong, but I don't think I got output from itunes to work until I set the clock source to "built-in input".

This would be a lot easier to understand if MOTU had a signal flow chart. M-Audio not only has one, they put it right in their mixer program, not just buried in a manual.

I think mine is going back to Guitar Center. I'm going to switch back to my Fast Track Ultra... once it's fixed... if M-Audio ever answers my tech support request. Maybe I'll sell it and get the apparently sturdier Ultra 8R instead.
Good luck and happy new year!
- Ty
 
hmmm...I got an EMU 1820 and my pc occasionally gives me problems and I thouhgt about using my macbook or getting an Imac and using the ultralite, but now after hearing this.....hmmm

EMU patchmix may be difficult at times, but the 1820 is a great setup
 
Well, the MOTU drivers are supposed to be the most stable. They adhere to Apple guidelines more closely than most, I think (which may be why they've architected the software return signal routing so poorly. Itunes incorporated probably doesn't want its copy protected content to be easily accessible as an input on your mac.)

If you're just doing music it may all be fine. Personally, in addition to whatever music I'm doing this is my apartment's sound system. I need to mix DAW output with itunes/slacker/youtube/whatever and with the input from my cable box then route it to two different outputs (one for the monitors in the living room and one for the powered computer speakers I've put in the kitchen and bathroom). Easy to do with M-Audio and EMU. Not easy with MOTU.

I might be able to do it with the "Return Assign" in MOTU Audio Setup. Hmmmm....
 
To the original poster...

Assuming u have a new Mac pro with OSX 10.5.X installed, You prolly downloaded the wrong driver. You dont want the one thats listed for 10.3. There should be one labeled "MOTU Universal Audio Installer- OSX". Try this one.

thilkert said:
I just got one, too, to replace the flimsy M-Audio Fast Track Ultra I had that broke. Everyone says MOTU's software is better. Hah!

In my old M-Audio and my old EMU 1820M, the mixer program exposed the "software returns" as inputs in the mixer program. That lets you use the mixer program to route, pan and fade sound from programs, like itunes or your DAW.

MOTU doesn't even SHOW these software returns as inputs in their mixer program!!! Want to control where they go? You get to designate which SINGLE output pair receives the "Default Stereo Output" from your mac. You use the minimalistic "MOTU Audio Setup" application to select which pair gets it.

It then dumps this default stereo output to the single output pair POST-FADER!!!! No panning. No fading. No routing. You can only control its volume in cuemix using the "Monitor Level" knob, upper right corner. That only works if you designate that output as a monitor. (Go to outputs tab, bottom of each channel strip, if "monitor" button is lit up, it's controlled by the knob)

No sound on your headphones? Since you can't even see the software input from your DAW in cuemix, you can't route it there. You have to go to MOTU Audio Setup and choose which pair goes to your phones, post-fader, with "Phones Assign". Make it the same as your "default stereo output."

I might be wrong, but I don't think I got output from itunes to work until I set the clock source to "built-in input".

This would be a lot easier to understand if MOTU had a signal flow chart. M-Audio not only has one, they put it right in their mixer program, not just buried in a manual.

I think mine is going back to Guitar Center. I'm going to switch back to my Fast Track Ultra... once it's fixed... if M-Audio ever answers my tech support request. Maybe I'll sell it and get the apparently sturdier Ultra 8R instead.
Good luck and happy new year!
- Ty
Click to expand...

I was a little confused about the issue your having but lemme try something here. Basically depending on what software program your using, it will label the Ins and Outs of the Ultralite differently. You may need to do some playing around with the I/O settup in the software.

For example, in Digital Performer (made by MOTU as well) it displays everything as you would see it (ie: main outs as Main Outs 1-2, Returns as Returns 1-2) And the retirn assignment in Motu Audio Setup can be configured to return from any output if i remember correctly. Hope this helps some.
 
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I got it to work. It's just ugly and clumsy compared to the others.

In MOTU Audio Setup:
Default Stereo Output: S/PDIF 1-2 ('cuz I'm not using it)
Return Assign: S/PDIF 1-2 (to loop it back as the Returns 1-2 input)

This takes the Mac's standard sound output and brings it in as Returns 1-2!! Unfortunately, Returns 1-2 is NOT available in MOTU cuemix fx as an input. Grrr... To hear it I have to start my DAW (Live) and set the input for a track to input "11-12" in Live. I set Live's master out to 1/2 and when I play itunes I hear it on my monitors. Yay.

But silence in the kitchen. OK.

Back to MOTU Audio Setup.
Main Out Assign: Analog 3-4 (my kitchen/bathroom output)

This means the Main Outs just replicate Analog 3-4 outputs, which is what I want. Unfortunately, it gives me no way of adjusting the levels or panning of the mains and kitchen/bathroom independently.

Oh, yeah, and I have to reroute Live's master out to "5-6", which is Live's name for Analog 3-4.

Wow. I can kludge it up to make it work. Yay. But with M-Audio or EMU I can see it all and control it all in their mixer programs. No need to launch my DAW to monitor a fake track's input.

It's going back.
 
How bout u try explaining to me what ur tryina accomplish in this scenario and i can see if i can help u. Because to be honest without knowing what you wanna end up doing your post looks like gibberish to me... I used to work tech support for MOTU so im pretty familiar with the gear and i have to tell u compared to M Audio u r getting a massive upgrade on qualities with the converters alone.
 
he said he got it figured out, but if you were tech support, you can probably give him some tips
 
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naw i understand that, But the way hes describing it i feel like maybe hes tryina do sumtin but making it complicated. Maybe im overthinking things but idk... If he does want my help feel free to ask.
 
I did figure it out. But for the record (since someone else might google for it), I want to try explaining better. Here's what I was trying to do:

I want to mix these SOFTWARE input pairs:
- Mac standard output (itunes, youtube, etc)
- DAW output

With these HARDWARE input pairs (from my receiver, which is decoding dolby digital from my cable box):
- TV front
- TV rear

I'm mixing to three output pairs:
- main room fronts, KRK6's
- main room rears, KRK RP5s
- kitchen and bathroom speakers (Klipsch 2.1s and Creative T20s)

MOTU's cuemix fx mixer doesn't even SHOW software inputs, so you can't use it to mix them. I guess they expect you to use your DAW.

(In contrast, M-Audio's mixer shows you 4 pairs of faders for "software returns" right alongside the hardware input faders. The DAW doesn't see hardware outputs, like with MOTU. It outputs to the mixer's "software returns." The mixer is what sends those to the outputs. Makes more sense to me.)

To solve this I used MOTU Audio Setup's return feature to make the Mac system output (itunes) available as an input to my DAW. In MOTU Audio Setup, set these two settings:
- route Mac system output (itunes) to any unused output pair
- set "return assign" to the same output pair

Because cuemix can't see the return pair as an input, I have to use my DAW to monitor it on one track and monitor the two analog input pairs (TV front and rear) on two more tracks, mixing them down to the hardware outputs.

It works, but:
- it wastes a hardware output pair (used as a return)
- it forces me to launch my DAW to listen to itunes or watch a youtube video.
- It clutters up my projects with three unnecessary tracks.

I hope that's clearer.

This is embarassing: I take it back about the M-Audio being flimsy. It's fine. I must have been hitting the phantom power switch instead of the power switch. (beats head against wall)

I thoguht switching to the MOTU would give me better audio quality, and this gave me a reason to try it. My impression is that the Ultralite is smoother and cleaner than the Fast Track Ultra, but I think it's at the expense of detail.

Here's my weird subtle test case. It's a video of Chanticleer, and they are working the resonant frequency of the room like a glass harmonica. Listen carefully to the swell each time they hit the high note, especially in the solos at 1:50 and 3:00.

[Darn. I can't post a link. Search for "paya da luz immortal" on youtube if you're curious.]

With the Fast Track Ultra it rings in my ears, like I'm sure it would have if I was there. With the Ultralite I don't hear it as clearly, so it must be losing detail, but otherwise it sounds clearer? Thoughts?
 
I solved a couple problems with the MOTU.

Unlike the other manufacturers, MOTU gives you TWO mixers with the Ultralite-mk3 and (grrr....) doesn't bother to tell you that one of them IS a mixer:

- Cuemix fx is their no-latency mixer. It does nothing that causes latency. MOTU is obsessed with latency.

- Audiodesk is their "maybe-latency" mixer disguised as an also-ran bundled DAW. If you add a fake track called an "aux track" you can use Audiodesk like a mixer. Looks a lot like EMU's mixer. Nice.

I've figured out how to live fairly happily with cuemix to mix & distribute my home sound system. I set MOTU Audio Setup like this:

Default Stereo Output "Analog 1-2"
(This gets the ultralite to mix mac system output after the bus fader in cuemix but before the monitor level control.)

Main Out Assign "Analog 1-2"
(This duplicates my front outputs to the main outs, which I've run to the speakers in the kitchen and bathroom)

Return Assign "Analog 7-8"
(I'm not going to loop back system output unless I need to record somthing. It didn't sound as good as sending it straight to the outputs. Perhaps that's because I used S/PDIF as the return, which required me to set the clock source to the mac's built-in output?)

Set up like this, it sounds very very good. Compared to my FTU and 1820M it's punchier. It's so punchy the cat keeps startling. The crispness reveals a lot of detail that was blurry before - like individual strings being hit in a guitar chord - but it's at the expense of a breathiness and splatty sibilance in vocals and percussion. The 1820M had less detail but more natural vocals.

The sibilance is a deal-breaker for me, unfortunately. It's going back for a Firestudio Project. Seems to be the best specs for the money for as many analog i/os as I need.
 
siyah said:
How bout u try explaining to me what ur tryina accomplish in this scenario and i can see if i can help u. Because to be honest without knowing what you wanna end up doing your post looks like gibberish to me... I used to work tech support for MOTU so im pretty familiar with the gear and i have to tell u compared to M Audio u r getting a massive upgrade on qualities with the converters alone.
Click to expand...

I have a question for a former MOTU tech, if you're still around. How do I set up Live 7 on the Mac so that I can route my sends to the reverb in the ultralite mk3, add the compressor and leveler to the master mix and record the whole thing in the digital domain. Is it possible?
 
i having the same problem...i am using motu ultralite mk3 with mac mini i7 and reason propellerheads. This how the story goes
december 2012 bought the gear, installed drivers motu running bus powered via firewire everything ok, kept on playing in it on many lives
march 2013 suddenly during live sound stopped and message from reason you audio driver has stopped working after two reboots everything worked (starting to get suspicious though)
use it after with its own dc but kept using firewire (first i powered on motu and then started mac mini everything worked ok again
may 2013 problem: mac mini starts recognises the device but no sound from it althoung reason keeps sending sound (strange because when i change the clock rate motu responds)
then i installed the universal audio installer but still no sound when i use it via firewire
lastly today i use it with usb 2 and everything seems to be working fine
can anyone help, what seems to be the problem
it is getting very risky for me to count on my motu for the next gigs!!
 
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