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hi
I have a pulsar 1 card (the old one with the 4 dsp) which has one stereo input and one stereo output.
I want to increase my inputs and outputs and I've been told I could do this using the ADAT connectors on the sound card.
Can someone explain this method and give me some examples of the external gear I need to do it...
10nX

the gear that you wanne use external must have ADAT too...like Yamaha mixers, or another computer with an ADAT In/Out PCI card to connect to, etc.
The best you can do I guess is buy yourself an Creamware Expansion Board, one of the 3 types has (also) Z-Link, with an Creamware Luna ADDA box you can import every kind of gear into SFP

Huub, there is no IO-expansion on the Pulsar One...

nevertheless it's easy to expand via Adat - there are several such boxes that have analog to adat converters, like the Behringer AD8000 - 8 channels with micpres (or similiar ones)
for 16 channels there's CWA's A16ultra
or the old A16 used, but only if you can check it's condition (due to age)
the latter can be a real bargain, but occasionally it's price gets up significantly when there's demand.
It's one of those items some swear on, others laugh about

cheers, tom

10nX 4 the answers

I want to:
1. avoid using my mixer and instead connect my gear directly to the convertor and into the pulsar...
2. get the sound from inside the computer (VST,samples) to external FXs

can I do this with the behringer ada8000 (for example)?
what other gear can you recommend besides the behringer ada8000?

10nX

i have a fostex VC8, 8 in/out in spdif (no mic preamps), connect with adat to pulsar 1

yes, the behringer, fostex and a16 will all do what you want. the ada8000 even has mic pres. the ada8000 is not "highend", but it is very good sounding and works well. it's well worth the rpice.

Marian Mark A is a simple 8-chanel (4-stereo) PCI card which can be cascadet.

Marian Mark A is a simple 8-chanel (4-stereo) PCI card which can be cascadet.

Or Alesis Ai-3 if you don't need preAmps

10nX 4 your answers
I think I`ll go with the ada8000

Just another small question:
Connecting one of those boxes to my Pulsar, its just a matter of connecting cables?
What Adat cable I need?

10nX

You need 2 optical cable, but buy it on a music shop, not a stereo shop.
There seems to be 2 different connectors on those.

Best to ask where you buy it

standard toslink to toslink.

thx garyb, toslink was the magic word
(if i'm not mistaken, those you buy in a stereo shop is calles SP/DIFF ??)

3.5mm....

not 3.5 jack, but optical sp/diff
(for digital input on a receiver - not shure it's called sp/diff !)

no, the optical sp/dif jack for consumer devices is 3.5mm(it's longer and mostly on sony devices). the standard jack for adat or optical sp/dif is toslink.

Ok - so it's 3.5 mm - like minijacks, only it's square.
Then i agree, garyb
I experienced it's longer tip, i tried that with no luck!

10nX 4 all your help
I`m decided to go with the Fostex VC-8 as I found a used one for a very reasonable price.
I just hope everything will work as it should