Routing a soundcard with 2 X stereo outs into Traktor pro

DJ Gear & Hardware Hardware: Controllers, Mods and Gear
1

Routing a soundcard with 2 X stereo outs into Traktor pro

Hi There,

I have Traktor pro for mac, and a phonic firefly 202 firewire soundcard. My problem is that the outputs, with are each 1/4 inch stereo TRS, are reckoginized by traktor as 1 channel, so it displays 2 stereo outputs as only 2 mono outputs (as opposed to 4x mono if the outs were RCA), allowing me only to map 1 channel from each deck.. Is there a way to change this in my system, or to configure traktor to accept a single stereo out?

2

Sounds like it could be a driver issue, had a quick look at the phonic website driver page and they don’t list a mac driver so I assume it plugged and played or came with a CD?

3

Plugged and played. I should have known that getting a 2x2 firewire card for $70 was too good to be true!

4

if you’d paid the little bit extra you could have got an Audio 2 :disappointed:

any chance of a refund?

5

Yeah, maybe, it was on ebay.. The cash isn’t really the issue, I was just hoping for firewire. I’ll probably end up going with the audio 2, and now i just have a really nice interface for recording i guess.. The audio 2 has outputs like the one I have now, i’m assuming they are reckognized as 2 sets of 2 mono outs?

6

Nope, stereo:slight_smile:

From NI

7

yes.

8

Then how do you route that one? That sounds like the same as what i have?

9

The Phonic Firefly 202 doesn’t have 2 stereo outputs. It has 2 TRS balanced outputs, which are each mono.
The problem here is that TRS is used in the industry for both stereo unbalanced, and mono balanced signals. The Audio 2 uses stereo unbalanced TRS, and the Firefly uses mono balanced.

A balanced signal is sent over 3 connections, in this case the TRS(tip, ring, sleeve) and in most cases a XLR. This will always be a mono signal.
An unbalanced signal is sent over 2 connections; like an RCA, or a TS cable. And can be sent as a stereo signal over a TRS becasue each channel shares a common ground, the sleeve.

I hope this clears things up for you.

10

AH it’s balanced! It all makes sense now.

11

Yup yup. It’s showing up as 2 mono channels, because that’s what it is.

12

Thanks for the help! I’ll probably just go apogee duet, like originally planned, I need my usb’s for dual otus controllers!

13

Don’t do it!

14

The apogee duet, has 2 mono unbalanced outputs. So you still wouldn’t have 2 channels of stereo outs.

15

I’m glad i came here first! Any suggestions for something firewire that’s in the same range? (btw fullenglish, I got both OTUS’s for 600, i wouldn’t pay full price!)

16

Here are some firewire audio interfaces with enough outputs…
http://www.zzounds.com/item--FOCSAFPRO24

http://www.zzounds.com/item--ECHAUDIOFIRE4

… and here’s a link to the Tweakheadz Firewire comparison chart
http://www.tweakheadz.com/audio_interface_fw_comparison_chart.htm