Question : Problem: Looking for a way to monitor 5.1 Surround Sound from my Mac Pro within Final Cut and Soundtrack Pro.

I have a Dual Quad Core 3.0GHz Mac Pro used for video editing. I need a way to monitor 5.1 audio mixes directly from the timeline WITHOUT having to export as DTS/AC3.

Mac Pro does NOT have PCI slots, so PCI cards such as the M-Audio Revolution 5.1 are out of the question. I have been unable to find a PCI-Express 5.1 Soundcard that is compatible with Mac OSX (10.5.4).

I need at least 6 discreet channel inputs (via USB, Firewire or an onboard PCI-express card) that will convert to either Optical (TOSlink) or Digital (Coaxial) which I can then take directly into my Pioneer VSX-815 5.1 Receiver.

The onboard Optical out on the Mac Pro will not accomplish this. It will only output ENCODED 5.1 - otherwise it is a 2-channel stereo output.

I use an Aja IO for my video/audio IO. However, the optical out for monitoring supports ADAT (which my receiver doesn't understand) or S/PDIF which is only 2 channels (unless DTS encoded, which doesn't do me any good).

Please help me find either a 5.1 PCI-Express Sound Card that is compatible with Mac OSX or an external USB/FW solution that is budget-conscious.

Thanks in advance.

Answer : Problem: Looking for a way to monitor 5.1 Surround Sound from my Mac Pro within Final Cut and Soundtrack Pro.

Hi, we use a couple of the Saffire LE unit which may do what you need, info is here: http://www.focusrite.com/products/firewire_interfaces/saffire_le/

It is a 6 input / 8 output device, and sounds great being a Focusrite device. There are more options available if you go for a rackmount bigger model e.g: http://www.focusrite.com/products/firewire_interfaces/saffire_pro_10_io/

HTH