chuckebaby Posted April 5, 2019 Share Posted April 5, 2019 I just got one of these 24 channel Mackie d8b boards for free. . I want to use it as a DAW controller. Ive done some research but I cant really figure it out. The board has a midi ext slot. can I just plug in this midi and run MCU through it ? Or do I need the ProBox serial/usb box ? Thank you for any help. I know this isn't a direct Cakewalk only question. but I am trying to interface to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJ Jacobson Posted April 5, 2019 Share Posted April 5, 2019 If you want to use it a a controller to control Fader and bus and send levels, you should get a motorized one. One made for as a controller. Otherwise, it doesn't remember any of the Fader, Bus, Send and any other settings the project was previously set to and you'll be starting over every time you open and close a project. Kinda counter-intuitive, yes? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InstrEd Posted April 5, 2019 Share Posted April 5, 2019 3 minutes ago, CJ Jacobson said: If you want to use it a a controller to control Fader and bus and send levels, you should get a motorized one. One made for as a controller. Otherwise, it doesn't remember any of the Fader, Bus, Send and any other settings the project was previously set to and you'll be starting over every time you open and close a project. Kinda counter-intuitive, yes? So true CJ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckebaby Posted April 5, 2019 Author Share Posted April 5, 2019 2 hours ago, CJ Jacobson said: If you want to use it a a controller to control Fader and bus and send levels, you should get a motorized one. It has 24 motorized faders, a motorized master fader, Jog wheel, M/S/R buttons, Play/Stop/Rec buttons. 2 hours ago, CJ Jacobson said: Kinda counter-intuitive, yes? I have no idea what your talking about here. ^^ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msmcleod Posted April 5, 2019 Share Posted April 5, 2019 (edited) I think this is what you're looking for... https://www.kvraudio.com/product/d8bridge-by-bluaudio .[Edit] - it looks like this has been discontinued and replaced by ProBox. You can read about both projects here: http://www.d8bforum.com/phpBB3/index.php Edited April 5, 2019 by msmcleod 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckebaby Posted April 5, 2019 Author Share Posted April 5, 2019 1 hour ago, msmcleod said: I think this is what you're looking for... https://www.kvraudio.com/product/d8bridge-by-bluaudio .[Edit] - it looks like this has been discontinued and replaced by ProBox. You can read about both projects here: http://www.d8bforum.com/phpBB3/index.php That's exactly what I was looking for Thanks. Im hoping I can avoid that ProBox and just use the Midi card (that's in a slot on the main board) for MCU. Any idea what that Midi port sends ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msmcleod Posted April 6, 2019 Share Posted April 6, 2019 1 hour ago, Chuck E Baby said: That's exactly what I was looking for Thanks. Im hoping I can avoid that ProBox and just use the Midi card (that's in a slot on the main board) for MCU. Any idea what that Midi port sends ? The MIDI card won't give MCU emulation, but it looks like it does something similar. I suspect you'll have to go down the AzController route for this one. The manual has some info on it (a bit vague though): https://c3.zzounds.com/media/D8B3.0_OM-6bcdb34a9f0362313e1d9f6ab0304b6d.pdf It seems to be mainly aimed at MTC / transport control, but it does mention faders. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azslow3 Posted April 7, 2019 Share Posted April 7, 2019 From what I have seen, build-in MIDI supports just one HUI, so 8 channels only. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckebaby Posted April 7, 2019 Author Share Posted April 7, 2019 10 hours ago, azslow3 said: From what I have seen, build-in MIDI supports just one HUI, so 8 channels only. Any idea about the pro box ? Im just wondering if I have a 24 channel (motorized faders) paperweight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msmcleod Posted April 7, 2019 Share Posted April 7, 2019 As far as I can tell, the Pro Box supports MCU for all 24 channels. It's a combination of hardware / software. The hardware part connects to the 25 pin D socket on the back, which AFAIK is the only way to get control of all 24 channels. You might be able to construct one yourself using something like a raspberry pi or an arduino (though I suspect an arduino might be too slow for this). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckebaby Posted April 7, 2019 Author Share Posted April 7, 2019 6 hours ago, msmcleod said: You might be able to construct one yourself using something like a raspberry pi or an arduino That's what I was thinking. I cant even find the Pro Box company anymore. Im not sure how much work it would be to make my own but it would be worth it for 24 channels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msmcleod Posted April 7, 2019 Share Posted April 7, 2019 You might want to take a look at this: http://d8b.adamdbradley.com/ His source code is here: https://github.com/docbradley/d8b-controller It might give you some insight into how to interface to the D8B via the serial ports. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RBH Posted April 8, 2019 Share Posted April 8, 2019 Congrats on getting it for free, It takes up a bit of real estate - but hopefully you can make use of it in other contexts as well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frans van den Berge Posted April 9, 2019 Share Posted April 9, 2019 Midi learn can easily learn the 24 faders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frans van den Berge Posted April 9, 2019 Share Posted April 9, 2019 (edited) What cards does the D8B have? Edited April 9, 2019 by Frans van den Berge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frans van den Berge Posted April 9, 2019 Share Posted April 9, 2019 http://forum.cakewalk.com/How-do-I-use-ACT-with-Mackie-Control-Pro-Channel-modules-m3029290.aspx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frans van den Berge Posted April 9, 2019 Share Posted April 9, 2019 The RME digiface USB is a nice device to interface with to get the audio working too. The Mackie can be connected over db9 2x to midi http://www.d8bforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=175&start=10 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckebaby Posted April 9, 2019 Author Share Posted April 9, 2019 27 minutes ago, Frans van den Berge said: What cards does the D8B have? the same cards as shown in the photo you posted. I actually have a nice Focusrite interface, so audio is not necessary. Just want to use the midi/as a controller. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frans van den Berge Posted April 9, 2019 Share Posted April 9, 2019 That would mean you could use the onboard DSP. Ah well. Maybe down the road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckebaby Posted April 9, 2019 Author Share Posted April 9, 2019 @Frans van den Berge That link you posted about the serial cable is great. might be the way to go. Thanks for your help Frans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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