Magma help? What is it exactely?

[chumbo]

Hi,
I keep reading about this Magma thing and I do understand that it's a PCI extension chassis which allows to add more PCI cards than one has PCI slots in the PC, but is there any other advantage or reason to buy this thing?
Also, who makes these Magmas, and which model is everybody using?
Thanks in advance,
Chumbo

 

[akisd28]

Yes, a Magma chassis is connected to a PCI (or PCMCIA for laptops) port and allows you to connect 4, 7 or 13 PCI cards using just one slot of your DAW.

Apart from that, some users say that a Magma is a good way to get rid of various of the UAD/PoCo related problems (crackles, pops etc.).

More info @ http://www.magma.com

PS: The MSRP for the various Magma models are way too high. If you want one, you'd better look at ebay. :wink:

 

[Henchman]

In my case, I wanted a portable system running on an AMD64 laptop. So getting their 4 slot system with a cardbus was the way to go for me. Unfortunately the cardbus version won't work with a Powercore though. So, I scrapped one of those of my list.

Maybe I'll go for a PoCo compact for alternate verbs.
The more the merrier. However I'll probably wait untill they release a very highquality verb for it.

I also bought a cardbus to PCI adapter for my tower at home, which should allow me to plug the cardbus into it and use the chassis on my desktop as well.

 

[chumbo]

But isn't performance somewhat crippled because of several PCI cards sharing one slot to access the PC? And what about the IRQ sharing thing? How does that get affected by using a Magma?
So no particular issues with the Magmas, thumbs up then?

 

[.mr chris]

Henchman,
Andy_T has got 2 PoCos runnin in a magma. He is using some kind of \"workaround\" you could try: switch on the magma and the puta at the same time(manually). For him that works in 19/20 times...


chumbo:
thumbs up! FYI http://www.chrismilne.com/uadforums/viewtopic.php?t=951

 

[Henchman]

Chumbo, I have experienced no perefromance loss whatsoever. From what i understand the bandwidth avalable on a PCI buss is more than sufficient for 4 UAD's at least. Remeber, people have been using them for expanding the lack of slkots on MAC's for multi card Pro-Tools systems as well.

Mr Chris, was he using the cardbus? Fromwhat i understand it can work with the PCI to PCI card on a desktop. It's the cardbus adapter that won't work.

 

[Paul Woodlock]

But isn't performance somewhat crippled because of several PCI cards sharing one slot to access the PC? ...?

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I would guess that the whole PCI bandwidth is available to 1 slot as long as no other slot is using any off it. i.e a dynamically shared bandwidth


Paul

 

[.mr chris]

Henchman,

Whoop, he's got a pci-pci. My point was/is TC officially, as far as I know, says \"maybe\" the PoCo works (pci-pci). Could be the same with cardbus but don’t have any proven info. So, with the PoCo it's a try and find out... and maybe Andy_T's trick helps some

It seems to be all about the PoCos bios etc bootup time/ routine...

 

[RobPain]

How does PCI-Express fit into this then? For example, if I bought a 4 card PCI-PCI Magma, would I have to buy a totally new Magma when I upgrade my PC mobo to PCI-e, or could I keep the chassis and simply use a new PCI-e interface card?

 

[Ten]

If you're new mb has a normal pci slot aswell as pci-e slots you're ok., just wack it in the normal one. If it has no pci slots you're very likely going to have to buy a new chassis like the pci>pic-e chassis SBS does. There is probably a technical reason why you cant just use a pci-e interface card with you're existing chassis, but if there is not I doubt magma would sell them anyway. They will have totally new chassis's like the SBS one they will want you to buy instead of upgrading the old ones.

ten

 

[Disobedient]

Yuck! Magma prices makes me really sick...

 

[Ben Logan]

I must say, I am totally shocked by the price too! How can those things cost so much to manufacture?

Maybe once they have some competition in the marketplace the prices will go down.

I'd love one of these to turn my UAD-1 into a firewire device.

 

[Ten]

They dont, they cost sod all to make. But I believe there is only 2 companies currently manufaturing them (magma and SBS) which other companies oem (digidesign, avid etc), so they can command high prices.

Also it used to be the majority of people buying these would be for high-end protools or avid visual workstations who have a wad load of money to blow on this kind of kit. Best place to get one is ebay, do a seach for avid digidesign magma sbs chassis pci expansion. Normally throws up a few results for a fraction of the retail price.

ten