01-02-2011, 03:57 AM

I have one the standard 13" MacBooks(unibody) and it has NO firewire ports. I need to somehow plug my Presonus Firepod preamp into my macbook. Since I lack the firewire port, this has shown to be a HUGE problem. Please, PLEASE explain how I can run FireWire into my mac.

Thanks

01-02-2011, 04:13 AM

Welcome to Mac-Forums

I don't know if it would work or not, but you could try a male-male usb-firewire 6pin adapter?

- Simon

01-02-2011, 04:26 AM

Originally Posted by Buzzard2010

Welcome to Mac-Forums

I don't know if it would work or not, but you could try a male-male usb-firewire 6pin adapter?

- Simon

Firewire to USB adapters are not compatible with eachother due to difference in transfer rate. USB cannot keep up. Thanks

01-02-2011, 04:30 AM

Obviously the data stream rate drops because of the adapter but they ARE compatible.

- Simon

01-02-2011, 08:09 AM

Originally Posted by Buzzard2010

Obviously the data stream rate drops because of the adapter but they ARE compatible.

- Simon

Could you please supply evidence of same. The nature of the data between firewire and USB are inherently non-compatible.

There is not a single adapter that will go from firewire to USB on any legitimate electronics site that I have ever seen. These would include monoprice, newegg, OWC, tigerdirect and many others. There is also no reputable manufacturer making such an adapter - Belkin for example... that makes adapters for just about everything.

Yes, I have seen a great many sites that say it can be done - like this one - that is making money off all the links on the page and has no allowance for any reviews of their own op-ed piece.. I have never read a single review of someone that has done it - successfully. I have read reports of people blowing the ports on their computers attempting this however.

Here is a Sima product who's product description says you can do this, but the manual says you can't and reviews of same at Amazon.

Here is a Belkin firewire/USB hub. But it still only transfers firewire via firewire and USB via USB. It does not allow for firewire via USB nor USB via firewire.

I am not being facetious when I say that I really would be quite happy to be proven wrong here as I am sure the op would also. This question gets asked over and over. It would be nice to have a link of an adapter with verified reports that it will accomplish this task.

edit:
The chinese adapters you can find around the web are cheap enough. But with all the reports of blown ports I've seen over the years of my investigation into this, I've never been willing to experiment with any of my own equipment.

01-02-2011, 11:20 AM

Even if you could find an adapter (and I've only ever seen them for video work, which is slightly different), I highly doubt it would work with your audio gear.

Your options:
* sell your preamp and get something USB-based.
* sell your MacBook and buy a new MacBook Pro with Firewire 800 port and get a firewire 800 to 400 adapter.