Bring your 828mk2 back to life
A new driver that lets one or two MOTU 828mk2 FireWire interfaces work on a modern Apple silicon Mac: up to 44 channels in and out, MIDI, and sample rates up to 96 kHz.
Download version 0.6What you need
An Apple silicon Mac
Mac mini, MacBook, iMac or Studio with M1 or later, running macOS 15 or newer.
FireWire adapters
Apple's Thunderbolt to FireWire Adapter, plus Apple's Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter.
One or two 828mk2s
One gives 22 channels in and out. Two give 44: chain them with FireWire and run a word clock BNC cable from the first box's OUT to the second box's IN.
Installing takes about two minutes
- Open the downloaded installerDouble-click it, click through, and enter your Mac password when asked.
- Switch on the driverA window guides you and opens System Settings. Under Extensions, click the ⓘ next to Driver Extensions and switch on Driver Extension. macOS asks this once, for your security.
- Plug in and playConnect the FireWire adapter and switch on your 828mk2. Choose 828mk2 as the audio device in your music software. The 828 menu at the top of the screen shows that everything is running.
Help
The 828 menu says "not found"
Check the adapter is pushed fully into the Mac and the 828mk2 is switched on. If the Mac doesn't see the adapter, unplug it for a few seconds and try another Thunderbolt port. With two 828s, check the FireWire cable between them is pushed fully in.
Only 22 channels with two 828s
The driver counts the boxes when it starts. Switch both on, then unplug the adapter for 10 seconds and plug it back in.
Naming channels and MIDI ports
Use 828 → Channel names…. In Ableton Live, name inputs and outputs in Live's own Input and Output Config instead: Live doesn't read names from audio drivers.
Uninstalling
Open Rewired Software 828Mk2 FW Driver from your Applications folder and click Uninstall the driver…. Then drag it and the 828mk2 app to the Bin.