[Petros Kolyvas]

Thanks for replying!

Unfortunately last time I bought a Stardom product (a RAID-0 Pro-Drive), it was of poor build quality and support never got back to me about why the enclosure wouldn’t work in the first place. We eventually figured out what was happening on our own.

However, regarding what I’m trying to achieve: the plan was to get a SAS card that could work with our existing eSATA setup and then slowly move to a SAS-centric storage setup over time.

I wanted to know was is if a SAS to eSATA fanout cable (in an ATTO 6G SAS host adapter) could connect to eSATA port-multiplied enclosures or if it has to be connected to drives directly.

ATTO hasn’t gotten back to me yet, so hopefully someone here might know.

—
There is no intuitive interface, not even the nipple. It’s all learned. – Bruce Ediger

[Petros Kolyvas]

Touché sir. Touché.

—
There is no intuitive interface, not even the nipple. It’s all learned. – Bruce Ediger

[Petros Kolyvas]

Good to know. That was my main concern. Perhaps its time to consider an ISO box too.

—
There is no intuitive interface, not even the nipple. It’s all learned. – Bruce Ediger

[Petros Kolyvas]

Thanks. I had read a note (admittedly a single note) about the fan being loud. Just wanted a few opinions – it is greatly appreciated.

—
There is no intuitive interface, not even the nipple. It’s all learned. – Bruce Ediger

[Petros Kolyvas]

Both the Kona 3G and LHi product information shows they have a small CPU fan.

—
There is no intuitive interface, not even the nipple. It’s all learned. – Bruce Ediger

[Petros Kolyvas]

I wrote a long post referencing many posts on the Matrox support forums indicating my audio qualms are not exclusively my own. You can read it here.

The jist of it was that a) reference levels are important. Googling audio reference levels will invariably pull up some good material essential for understanding equipment interconnection in the broadcast world.

More importantly b) If the device is to be used by the modern small-shop/solo editor (the one who is expected to do everything from edit to motion graphics to sound) they need to be aware that Core Audio support for MXO2 series is broken. That means no reliable Sound Track Pro usage, you would need a separate audio interface for that at the moment. That could make or break a deal for some people who need one device to work with Final Cut Studio in a stable and reliable fashion.

We were lucky that the machine on which the MXO2 went also had a multi-channel audio interface.

The Matrox forums are awash with new complaints that the recent 2.0 release did nothing to fix this. That’s poorly implemented audio if you ask me.

And, to be clear, they’re video and audio I/O interfaces. That second part should work properly. At the moment it doesn’t.

These issues are real. If they don’t apply to you, great! However potential customers should know about them before they jump on board. That’s all I was saying.

—
There is no intuitive interface, not even the nipple. It’s all learned. – Bruce Ediger

[Petros Kolyvas]

Here are just a few examples of what I’m talking about:
Audio capture problems (FCP, Soundtrack, etc.)
Audio monitor problems with new 1.9 driver
MXO2 MAX on MBP 2.6 Audio Hick-ups

My qualms with the MXO2 series’ audio shortcomings are known quantities. These are simply the most recent threads.

These cards are in use by many small outfits who need their units to do as much as possible.

For example, some need to work in applications like Soundtrack Pro – it’s currently a no-go with the MXO2 series. To do so requires “working” Core Audio drivers. Since Core Audio (buggy core audio) was only released at driver 1.9 (and apparently doesn’t work any better in today’s release of 2.0)… you can’t use the MXO to monitor audio when working on sound in Sound Track Pro.

I don’t use STP but many editors these days are forced to use it for lots of small jobs on which they’re expected to do everything from edit to motion graphics to sound. If the card can’t do that they should at least know beforehand since it’s not clear from Matrox marketing material. Additionally, Matrox have been slow to fix Core Audio issues since Core Audio wasn’t part of the MXO2’s original (advertised) feature set and caught them with their proverbial pants down when users realized they needed another interface to work with all the apps of Final Cut Studio.

Again, all it means is that the card can’t do everything; sure, no biggie but it should be made clear to those considering it as their only interface, that’s all.

Black Magic and AJA both have working Core Audio support as far as I know.

Having said that it should be clear, reading some of the threads above from the MXO2 forum, that some folk, not all, are having such issues. I happen to be one of them. Others, for whatever reason may not. Matrox has not been able to pin down these issues definitely.

As for reference level:

I had a look at some AJA manuals and there’s a dedicated audio reference level support in the IoHD, though limited. Knowing audio reference levels helps interconnect audio gear (and video gear) properly.

—
There is no intuitive interface, not even the nipple. It’s all learned. – Bruce Ediger

[Petros Kolyvas]

Just to be clear (and I’m new here so bear with me) balanced audio allows for long cable runs, not higher quality audio by default (although it can also add increased noise/interference rejection but not defacto); and there are several types of balanced audio paths as well, some better than others.

No one likes a know-it-all, so sorry about that. I just think manufacturers love selling things with marketing rhetoric and features that result in statements like “balanced audio sounds great” when balancing has little to do with sounding great.

Also, since we’re here and I’m an on-the-fence MXO2 owner, the audio features are lacking. There’s no way to set the reference level, and very poor Core Audio support on the Mac. A few forum posts on the Matrox support forum show that this hasn’t changed with the new 2.0 release (yet.)

Audio is actually very poorly implemented on the MXO2 in general (with or without MAX) and needs major work. Now, I haven’t used competing products from AJA or BlackMagic, but was dismayed by the lack of usable audio features for inputs and outputs described by Matrox as “Professional audio…”

If I had to do it all over again I’d get a Compress HD and a BlackMagic or AJA card for video I/O.

I’m not trying to be too negative here. But I can’t playback 720p24 or 1080p24 ProRes video through the MXO2’s audio output without it having stutter. Video looks great, don’t get me wrong. However I had to switch over to a RME audio interface (which thankfully I had) to get proper audio out. There are lots of people on the Matrox forum noting their return to the internal audio interfaces (built-in) of their Macs.

But, what might be an issue for some may not be an issue for others, so don’t let this post dissuade you. If I had one piece of advice it would be to try it before you commit or find a reputable dealer with some kind of return policy who can also provide you with an alternative card in the case the one you’re trying isn’t right for you.

The Matrox product line has lots of strengths. Do they outweigh any weaknesses? Only an individual end user can decide for him or herself.

—
There is no intuitive interface, not even the nipple. It’s all learned. – Bruce Ediger

[Petros Kolyvas]

Accord to Matrox it works with Telestream’s Episode as well as Apple’s Compressor.

There is no intuitive interface, not even the nipple. It’s all learned. – Bruce Ediger