Many of us have old Firewire 400 audio interfaces lying around our studios retired years ago in favour for new devices which connect over Thunderbolt. Some of these legacy audio interfaces are today still considered very good even by modern standards. Take the Digidesign Digi 003 Factory as an example, an all-in-one Pro Tools control surface, audio interface with ADAT and monitor controller… it’s a great piece of kit! We reinstated our 003 in our home studio not that long ago and we absolutely love using it. The unit is still in perfect working order so why get rid of it?

Well, we don’t intend to. We know that Pro Tools one day may decide to stop seeing the device but while the Digi 003 works we’ll keep using it, however, one day we will need to update the Mac in our home studio. This future computer will most likely be a current Mac of some kind, so it’ll feature Thunderbolt 3 connectivity for sure. Back in the day Firewire 800 was a totally useable port for Firewire 400 devices via a simple 400 > 800 cable, then came Thunderbolt and the versions that followed which brings us up to Thunderbolt 3 USB-C. This does beg the question, can Firewire 400 devices, such as audio interfaces, work over Thunderbolt 3? The short answer is yes, but there is a list of adaptors you need to get your hands on, some of which are specific models to get this connection working.

Firewire 400 To Thunderbolt 3 USB-C On Apple Computers

This tip was provided to me by a colleague who was reluctant to get rid of his beloved Firewire 400 interface. He put some research into getting this to work on his 2018 iMac and through trial and error, and a few adaptor returns to Amazon, got his system working smoothly. Here’s what you need:

1. An Apple Firewire 400 to Firewire 800 adaptor

2. Apple Firewire 800 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter

3. Apple Thunderbolt 2 to Thunderbolt 3 USB-C adaptor

The video below by Scott Schramm demonstrates this solution in action as well as highlighting a couple of more expensive solutions that are also well worth checking out:

Firewire 400 To Thunderbolt 3 USB-C On Windows Computers

1. Any brand Firewire 400 to Firewire 800 lead or adapter

2. Apple Firewire 800 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter

3. Apple Thunderbolt 2 to Thunderbolt 3 adapter

4. A healthy disregard for the messages of doom saying that the Firewire to Thunderbolt adapter is not “qualified” to work on Windows.

And that’s it. I’m using the components above to run a MOTU Ultralite Hybrid Mk3 on my Windows laptop that has Thunderbolt 3. Works fine, though it should be mentioned that you will be at the mercy of the drivers supplied with your equipment, and that your Thunderbolt firmware should be up to date.

Of course these adaptors don’t come cheap but at least there’s a way we can get our old dusty audio interfaces out of storage and back into action if needed.