Elantric's Computer

Started by Elantric, May 25, 2012, 07:39:08 AM

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Elantric

#25
Trivia - my new iMac 27" uses a 3.5mm headphone output which supports
ALL the following using just the headphone Out jack:

SPDIF PCM digital out via optical cable.

AC3 5.1 digital out  via optical cable.

Stereo Line Level Audio out.

Stereo headphone Audio out.

3.5mm 4 conductor iPhone headphone + microphone (for skype)

and

iRig guitar adapter


QuoteIntel High Definition Audio:

  Audio ID:   32

Speaker:

  Connection:   Internal

Headphone:

  Connection:   Combination Output

Line Input:

  Connection:   Combination Input

Internal Microphone:

  Connection:   Internal

S/PDIF Optical Digital Audio Input:

  Connection:   Combination Input

S/PDIF Optical Digital Audio Output:

  Connection:   Combination Output

External Microphone / iPhone Headset:

  Connection:   Combination Output

HDMI / DisplayPort Output:

  Connection:   Display


kenact

Quote from: tekrytor on June 10, 2012, 03:51:21 PM
I have yet to have Apple or Microsoft respond to an email inquiry for technical support.

I've actually gotten an email response and a brand new installation dvd from Apple. For the most part, emails I've receivced from Microsoft have been answers to questions I didn't ask, instead of the question I did ask.  ???
Godin Session & Montreal FTP, LGXT, LGX SA, Redline, ACS, A12, A11, A10, A4
Danoblaster Baritone w/GK-3
Gretsch Nashville, Viking
Fender Strats
Fret King Supermatic
Larrivee DV03RE
Parker Midi Fly
Seagull, S&P 12
VOX Phantom XII
GR-55, 33, 30, 20, GI-20, RC-50, US-20, VG-99, VP-7
Sentient 6
Cyr 7

Elantric

Myself - I have always had excellent service and support from Apple.

aliensporebomb

Quote from: Elantric on June 12, 2012, 03:52:36 PM
Trivia - my new iMac 27" uses a 3.5mm headphone output which supports
ALL the following using just the headphone Out jack:

SPDIF PCM digital out via optical cable.

AC3 5.1 digital out  via optical cable.

Stereo Line Level Audio out.

Stereo headphone Audio out.

3.5mm 4 conductor iPhone headphone + microphone (for skype)

and

iRig guitar adapter

I use the optical digital out from my old Roland VS-840EX mixer to the 3.5mm audio in of my i7 iMac.  And it really sounds good to my ears.

My music projects online at http://www.aliensporebomb.com/

GK Devices:  Roland VG-99, Boss GP-10, Boss SY-1000.

scratch17

i was disappointed when Apple didn't update the iMac line on Monday. Now they're saying 2013 before the next revision will be released.

So I bought a 27 inch i7 on Monday. I couldn't be happier. I have it centered between two LG 27 inch monitors, so I have incredible screen real estate for Logic, Reason and all of my plug-ins.

I am even writing this on the new mac from my home theater room. I connected my 55 inch HDTV via a USB video card, and am using a wireless keyboard and mouse. I plan to bring audio from my studio (which is in the next room) through the wall. That way I can do my surround mixes on my Apogee 5.2 setup. I have a 5.1 Event monitor setup in the studio, but they pale in comparison to the Apogees.


Hamer Duotone, Brian Moore i213, Taylor 710 BCE 

VG-99, FC-300, RMC Fanout
RJM Mastermind GT10
Kemper Profiling Amp
Radial JDV Mk3, X-Amp
Mesa Recto Pre + 20/20
68 Fender Bandmaster (AB763)
Marshal AS80R

UA Apollo X6, Twin X, Logic Pro, Luna, Melodyne Studio

Elantric

#30
Nice.
I just ordered a refurb Mac Mini Lion Server with I7 2GH Quad Core, Dual 500gb HDD, ($849)
http://store.apple.com/us/product/FC936LL/A

and I'm swapping out the stock pair of 2GB SODIMMs, and install another pair of those 8GB Corsair modules for 16GB RAM.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006DI9PG8/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i03

Corsair 16GB Dual Channel DDR3 SODIMM Memory Kit (CMSO16GX3M2A1333C9)




Principal goal will be run as a headless Ableton Live or Logic Mainstage AU effects backing track and visual server. Strap it inside a foam Lined Pelican case to make it beer proof.
http://lowendmac.com/mini/mac-mini-server-2011.html


One day I'll make a line of guitar products that are all N.E.M.A. approved and beer and blast proof.

Oh and it will robotically set itself up on stage and do a basic sound check using a Bluetooth HID profile     

Back to the Mac mini, I do have one of those slim 18" 1366x768 Sanyo monitors for laptops that I may employ.

There is a OSX touch Display touchpad driver that works with my HP L2105tm 22" 1920x1080 touchscreen monitor
http://touch-base.com/

http://touch-base.com/documentation/gestures.htm#macosx

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3286700?start=0&tstart=0







But I understand there might be a way to use an iPad or Android Tablet as a VCN client as it becomes a remote display for the OSX Lion running on the powerful Mac-mini.
www.addictivetips.com/mac-os/how-to-access-mac-from-ipad-android-tablet-using-a-vnc-client/

There are many options

Here's a UK user with this same machine

Kevin M

I have a Mac mini (early 2009 model) employed as my main non-music computer. They are really nice computers in my opinion. I didn't know the new ones would address 16G RAM.

aliensporebomb

The new iMacs will address 32. 

My music projects online at http://www.aliensporebomb.com/

GK Devices:  Roland VG-99, Boss GP-10, Boss SY-1000.

Elantric

#33
QuoteI didn't know the new ones would address 16G RAM.

Officially Apple will tell you the Mac Mini will only go up to 8GB  - but OWC and others discovered it can accept 2 of the 8GB modules (16GB total)
more here:
http://lowendmac.com/mini/mac-mini-mid-2011.html


Same thing with the iMac - Apple tells you it only goes to 16GB, but Ive been running 32GB in my iMac 27 I7 3.4GHz Quad core for a week.

aliensporebomb

I thought it was known that the 3.4's will do 32 officially but if my late 2009 iMac will do 32 that would be amazing. 

That's first generation i7 2.8 ghz with turboboost to 3.47 ghz.

Interestingly, they sold this with 1067 mhz ram but I'm running 1333 mhz DDR3 ram now and it works just fine at that speed.

They don't always tell you of a machines capability - sometimes so they can brag in the next model out about its "faster" ram capability.


My music projects online at http://www.aliensporebomb.com/

GK Devices:  Roland VG-99, Boss GP-10, Boss SY-1000.

Elantric

#35
Read this link for a 2009 iMac 27" upgrade capabilities.

http://lowendmac.com/imacs/imac-late-2009.html

I recall the issue is your 2009 iMac has only 2 DIMM slots, = 16GB max

My 2011 iMac 27" has 4 DIMM slots. = 32GB Max
Read this link for May 2011 iMac 27" upgrade capabilities.
http://lowendmac.com/imacs/imac-mid-2011.html

Elantric

#36
Quotewas disappointed when Apple didn't update the iMac line on Monday. Now they're saying 2013 before the next revision will be released.

I suspect more upgrades will occur this year, and look for a new iMac and Mac mini this fall with Ivy bridge and USB 3.0

But they will be EFI locked to run Mountain Lion only. And may not include FireWire

Which may translate into waiting till Spring 2013 for working Audio drivers from Roland.

scratch17

QuoteAnd may not include FireWire

Which may translate into waiting till Spring 2013 for working Audio drivers from Roland.

Belkin will release a Thunderbolt hub in September for $399. While that is relatively expensive when compared to entry level Mac prices, for users such as myself, it should be a home run.

Here are the reported specs:

3 x USB 3.0 ports. My iMac has 4 USB 2.0 ports. No info yets as to whether USB 3.0 support will require Mountain Lion, or if it will work with Lion with some updated drivers.
2 x Thunderbolt ports. You need 2 ports so the placement of the hub does not require it to be the last device in the chain.
1 x eSata port. No word on whether it supports more than one drive (port multiplier support), but even one eSATA drive is nice. You could connect it to an external enclosure with an SSD and boot OS X from that drive. With Thunderbolt's speed, you would get a great performance boost over a Laptop's, or even an iMac's hard drive.
1 x Firewire 800. If the next iMac does indeed drop Firewire, you can still connect your legacy devices.
1 x Gigabit Ethernet port.
1 x Minidisplay port to HDMI adapter. This would mean you could connect an extra non-Apple monitor via HDMI via the included adapter. Of course it would have to be last in the thunderbolt chain.
1 x audio in.
1 x audio out.

The audio, Firewire, and Ethernet ports can be used instead of or additionally to those on the Mac. So if you want to use your laptop as a desktop, but still have portability, use the Belkin hub, and just connect the two via the one Thunderbolt cable.

Since Thunderbolt is really a conjunction of the PCIe bus and Displayport bus, the hub is essentially connecting these ports to the processor as is they were hard wired to the motherboard. For the first time, through Thunderbolt, we can expand portable computers' physical capabilities.

Speaking of PCIe, Sonnet is releasing two models of PCIe slot to Thunderbolt peripherals, so those with PCIe cards can add them to laptops. The data throughput of Thunderbolt will make these cards perform as if they were in desktops.

Here's a link to some pics of the hub:

http://www.theverge.com/2012/6/5/3064879/belkin-thunderbolt-express-dock-price-release-date

Here's a description of the PCIe expansion chassis:

http://www.sonnettech.com/product/echoexpresschassis.html

Steven.
Hamer Duotone, Brian Moore i213, Taylor 710 BCE 

VG-99, FC-300, RMC Fanout
RJM Mastermind GT10
Kemper Profiling Amp
Radial JDV Mk3, X-Amp
Mesa Recto Pre + 20/20
68 Fender Bandmaster (AB763)
Marshal AS80R

UA Apollo X6, Twin X, Logic Pro, Luna, Melodyne Studio

rolandvg99

That Belkin TB hub looks like something that would suit my MacMini server perfectly.
To V or not to V: That is the question.

My little Soundcloud corner

Elantric

Interesting read for Mac enthusiasts here.
http://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/brians-brain/4375168/A-recap-of-the-2012-WWDC--Once-again--Apple-does-a-forced-obsolescence-dirty-deed

A recap of the 2012 WWDC: Once again, Apple does a forced obsolescence dirty deed

by Brian Dipert- June 12, 2012

The yearly Apple WWDC (Worldwide Developer Conference) keynote has come and gone, and as usual, about half of the pre-presentation prognostication was dead wrong. There was no iTV. No app development toolkit for the Apple TV STB. No iPhone 5 preview. No robustly upgraded Mac Pro (sorry, I don't count slight clock upticks to a two-generation old Nehalem CPU-based design). And no Intel Ivy Bridge-based iMacs, either.

What did we get? A bit more detail about upcoming Mac OS 10.8 "Mountain Lion", including the insight that our Mac OS 10.6 "Snow Leopard"-based, non-upgradeable systems will be obsolete in about a month. Intel Ivy Bridge CPU (and USB 3.0) upgrades for the MacBook Air (complete with a $100 price cut...worried about Ultrabooks, Apple?) and for the 13" and 15" MacBook Pro. The quiet death of the 17" MacBook Pro (no big surprise there...portable desktop systems probably aren't selling very well, anymore)...

...And a next-generation 15" MacBook Pro with a 2880×1800 pixel "Retina" display. "But wait, Dipert," you might be saying right about now, "didn't you just diss fine-pitch computer displays less than a month back?" Generally speaking, I did, yes. But check out this quote:

The two dominant types of content propelling per-display pixel growth (as measured by pixels-per-inch and/or inches-per-display) are still-image photography and detailed-font e-books. Both factors are driving display evolutions in mobile electronics devices in general, and tablets in particular. But neither factor will have a tangible evolutionary effect on conventional computer displays or televisions.

The next-gen 15" MacBook Pro is a mobile electronics device. Its display is integrated, not standalone. And (surprise surprise) among the first software updated to support it are Apple's own iPhoto and Aperture still imaging apps, plus Adobe Photoshop. Plus, as even the ultimate Apple fanboy John Gruber admits, the new MacBook Pro is godawful expensive.

There's a fundamental reason why Apple's kept the conventional 15" MacBook Pro in the lineup and didn't extend the Retina display down into the 13" MacBook Pro form factor, far from the 11" and 13" MacBook Air. The display's gorgeous but it's too godawful costly, it will be for a long time, and there isn't broad-base application demand for it. Conventional software looks fairly cruddy on it, in fact. Plus, you need to ditch the integrated optical drive, and shell out a lot of incremental cash for the privilege, in order to migrate to it. The next-gen MacBook Pro form factor is compelling (much more so than the display, in my opinion), but I'd bet that Retina displays don't become pervasive in Apple's lineup for a long time.

The other big news at this year's WWDC keynote (not counting a redesigned and slightly upgraded Airport Express, an upgraded iPad case, and a couple of Thunderbolt adapters) was coming-this-fall iOS 6. Based on what I've heard so far, it hasn't knocked my socks off. Facebook cognizance is now integrated throughout (woo hoo..although I'd love to know who ended up paying who for that privilege), akin to how iOS 5 embraced Twitter. Maps ditches Google for Tom Tom (a winner for Apple, maybe not so much for Apple's customers). Siri gets a few more features, and expands to the iPad. FaceTime videoconferencing works not only over Wi-Fi but also over cellular data links. And...that's about it, aside from a few other minor tweaks.

So what's with the "forced obsolescence" bit in this post's subject line? Well, here's the deal...iOS 6 won't be coming to the first-generation iPad, even though the iPhone 3GS will support it. The iPhone 3GS dates from June 2009. The first-generation iPad dates from April 2010 (yes, only a bit more than two years ago). And here's how their hardware specs stack up:



The first-generation iPad runs an equivalent-architecture, one-generation newer CPU that clocks at nearly twice the speed of the one in the iPhone 3GS. They have matching GPUs. And they have matching amounts of RAM; the iPad's memory is faster, in fact. From a hardware standpoint, the only first-generation iPad comparative shortcoming is that the GPU needs to drive a 1024×768 pixel LCD, versus the 480×320 pixel LCD in the iPhone 3GS. Although as compensation, I'm pretty sure that the PowerVR SGX535 GPU in the first-generation iPad runs faster than its iPhone 3GS counterpart.

So why can't the first-generation iPad run iOS 6? More accurate, I'd wager, is to ask why Apple won't let it run iOS 6. The iPhone 3GS is still available for sale. The first-generation iPad is not. Apple feels less obligation, I suspect, to maintain the first-generation iPad as compared to the iPhone 3GS. So it's not going to do so. Even though it darn well could.

I own a first-generation iPad. I'm really irked by this situation, even though as I already described, iOS 6 doesn't wow me, at least so far. I'm irked because I've seen this all before, and therefore have high confidence that I know how it'll play out again. Slowly but surely, Apple will stop supporting pre-iOS 6 operating system versions in both its own new apps and updates to existing apps. And slowly but surely, Apple's army of third-party developers will phase out iOS 5, too, inadvertently aided in no small part by Apple development tool compilation defaults for iOS 6 and beyond, neatly neutering iOS 5. Apple won't, of course, even keep old iOS 5-supportive application revs available for download from the App Store. So sooner or later, I won't be able to get software for my now-only-two-year-old tablet. And then it'll effectively become a paperweight.

What a wonderful way to support the early adopters who jump-started the tablet business on your behalf, Apple. Snort.



aliensporebomb

Good point - except, Apple seems to be positioning these devices like cell phones - that you replace them every 2-3 years so you can get the new features that are "must have" - they are not heirlooms and after a while they're like any other obsolete technology: what once was new, groundbreaking and fast and it becomes slow and annoying. 

Except: IOS 6 doesn't REALLY have any "must have" features.  Yet.  Well, there are some niceties like multiple signatures.

We'll have to see if a new iPhone gets positioned in the next month or so since I keep hearing a new one is due for fall.

But this isn't the first time Apple has chucked a perfectly capable device and artificially restricted it from running a newer os.  Look at Snow Leopard and the PowerPC Macs. 
My music projects online at http://www.aliensporebomb.com/

GK Devices:  Roland VG-99, Boss GP-10, Boss SY-1000.

Elantric

http://arstechnica.com/apple/2012/07/confirmed-mountain-lion-sends-some-64-bit-macs-gently-into-that-good-night/

Mountain Lion won't support all 64-bit Macs when it ships in late July.
Apple, Inc.

Apple has now confirmed via its Mountain Lion upgrade page that previously published limitations on some 64-bit Macs will extend to the final release. This means that several otherwise 64-bit capable MacBook Pros, iMacs, and Mac Pros will indeed be restricted from upgrading to OS X 10.8 when it goes public later this month. And according to information found in the recently released golden master (GM), the limitation appears to be related to graphics, as we originally suspected.

When the first developer preview of Mountain Lion was seeded to developers earlier this year, the release notes listed hardware requirements showing that some early 64-bit Mac models were not compatible. (Lion is likewise 64-bit, and can run on any Core2 or newer 64-bit Intel processor.) As such, Mountain Lion developer previews would not run on the earliest Mac Pros, MacBook Pros, iMacs, and other hardware.
Macs supported by Mountain Lion

    iMac (Mid 2007 or newer)
    MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer)
    MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer)
    MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer)
    Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer)
    Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer)
    Xserve (Early 2009)

Apple declined to tell us the reasoning behind leaving some of these models out of potential Mountain Lion upgrades, but we suspected it is related to an updated graphics architecture that is designed to improve OS X's graphics subsystem going forward. Our own Andrew Cunningham suspects the issue is more specifically related to graphics drivers, since the GPUs not supported under Mountain Lion have drivers that were written before 64-bit support was common.

Information included with the first Mountain Lion GM now corroborates the connection to 32-bit graphics drivers as the culprit. While Mountain Lion is compatible with any Mac capable of running a 64-bit kernel, the kernel does not support loading 32-bit kernel extensions (KEXTs). Furthermore, Macs with older EFI versions that are not 64-bit clean won't load Mountain Lion's 64-bit only kernel.

As you might have already guessed, graphics drivers are KEXTs under OS X. And the GPUs in some of those early 64-bit Macs were deprecated before 64-bit KEXTs became common. Since those older drivers are 32-bit, Mountain Lion won't load them. We believe Apple decided it was better to draw the line in the sand for some older machines rather than invest the resources into updating the drivers for these older GPUs.

While Apple had suggested that the hardware limitations were not set in stone back in February, it seems anyone hoping for additional support before Mountain Lion is released will be disappointed. Look on the bright side: both Snow Leopard and Lion are likely to get security fixes for at least the next year, so your machine should continue to hum along fine for now. If Mountain Lion contains updates that are useful to you, however, it may be time to start shopping for a newer Mac.
Editor's Pick: Promoted Reader Comment

    Andrew Cunningham | Associate writer
    jump to postArs Staff
    Rykin wrote:
    So I wonder if they have programmed ML specifically not to run on these machines or if say you have an older Mac Pro that has been upgraded to a supported GPU if it will let you install. I am willing to bet that soon after or likely even before it ships there will be hacks to get it running on unsupported machines. XPostFacto makes a dramatic return ;)


    On those older Mac Pros that shipped with unsupported graphics cards, Apple hasn't deigned to update their firmware to support 64-bit EFI. You can run this command in Terminal to see whether you have a 32-bit or 64-bit EFI:

    ioreg -l -p IODeviceTree | grep firmware-abi

    All of the Macs dropped by Mountain Lion are going to return "EFI32" - if you can hack around that in addition to upgrading your graphics card, you may indeed be able to get Mountain Lion running on an older Mac, but it's a bit of a long shot.

Kevin M

Quote from: Elantric on July 11, 2012, 02:48:29 PMhttp://arstechnica.com/apple/2012/07/confirmed-mountain-lion-sends-some-64-bit-macs-gently-into-that-good-night/

Mountain Lion won't support all 64-bit Macs when it ships in late July.
Apple, Inc.

Apple has now confirmed via its Mountain Lion upgrade page that previously published limitations on some 64-bit Macs will extend to the final release. This means that several otherwise 64-bit capable MacBook Pros, iMacs, and Mac Pros will indeed be restricted from upgrading to OS X 10.8 when it goes public later this month. And according to information found in the recently released golden master (GM), the limitation appears to be related to graphics, as we originally suspected.

When the first developer preview of Mountain Lion was seeded to developers earlier this year, the release notes listed hardware requirements showing that some early 64-bit Mac models were not compatible. (Lion is likewise 64-bit, and can run on any Core2 or newer 64-bit Intel processor.) As such, Mountain Lion developer previews would not run on the earliest Mac Pros, MacBook Pros, iMacs, and other hardware.
Macs supported by Mountain Lion

    iMac (Mid 2007 or newer)
    MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer)
    MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer)
    MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer)
    Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer)
    Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer)
    Xserve (Early 2009)

Apple declined to tell us the reasoning behind leaving some of these models out of potential Mountain Lion upgrades, but we suspected it is related to an updated graphics architecture that is designed to improve OS X's graphics subsystem going forward. Our own Andrew Cunningham suspects the issue is more specifically related to graphics drivers, since the GPUs not supported under Mountain Lion have drivers that were written before 64-bit support was common.

Information included with the first Mountain Lion GM now corroborates the connection to 32-bit graphics drivers as the culprit. While Mountain Lion is compatible with any Mac capable of running a 64-bit kernel, the kernel does not support loading 32-bit kernel extensions (KEXTs). Furthermore, Macs with older EFI versions that are not 64-bit clean won't load Mountain Lion's 64-bit only kernel.

As you might have already guessed, graphics drivers are KEXTs under OS X. And the GPUs in some of those early 64-bit Macs were deprecated before 64-bit KEXTs became common. Since those older drivers are 32-bit, Mountain Lion won't load them. We believe Apple decided it was better to draw the line in the sand for some older machines rather than invest the resources into updating the drivers for these older GPUs.

While Apple had suggested that the hardware limitations were not set in stone back in February, it seems anyone hoping for additional support before Mountain Lion is released will be disappointed. Look on the bright side: both Snow Leopard and Lion are likely to get security fixes for at least the next year, so your machine should continue to hum along fine for now. If Mountain Lion contains updates that are useful to you, however, it may be time to start shopping for a newer Mac.
Editor's Pick: Promoted Reader Comment

    Andrew Cunningham | Associate writer
    jump to postArs Staff
    Rykin wrote:
    So I wonder if they have programmed ML specifically not to run on these machines or if say you have an older Mac Pro that has been upgraded to a supported GPU if it will let you install. I am willing to bet that soon after or likely even before it ships there will be hacks to get it running on unsupported machines. XPostFacto makes a dramatic return ;)


    On those older Mac Pros that shipped with unsupported graphics cards, Apple hasn't deigned to update their firmware to support 64-bit EFI. You can run this command in Terminal to see whether you have a 32-bit or 64-bit EFI:

    ioreg -l -p IODeviceTree | grep firmware-abi

    All of the Macs dropped by Mountain Lion are going to return "EFI32" - if you can hack around that in addition to upgrading your graphics card, you may indeed be able to get Mountain Lion running on an older Mac, but it's a bit of a long shot.


Looks like I could upgrade as I have an early 2009 Mac mini (recently upgraded to 8G RAM, thanks to info from Elantric). I'm ok running Lion, though.

Elantric

#43
USB3 + Apple Update from NI; Your Best Bet — Wait

by Peter Kirn


http://createdigitalmusic.com/2012/07/usb3-apple-update-from-ni-your-best-bet-wait/#more-24785

Native Instruments, whose hardware was some of the first to prompt reader compatibility reports, now has issued a statement. I had hoped for more background on what's actually going on – we'll keep pressing vendors to tell us more – but the short-term advice on the MacBook Pro and Air and their USB3-only ports is clear. You're going to want to wait until hardware you use is confirmed to work, and it seems that at least this vendor is communicating with Apple directly. (Those fixes will hopefully benefit the handful of readers we have suffering from USB3 woes on Windows, though the PCs more often have a dedicated USB2 port, not just USB3.)

Excerpt from today's announcement, on Friday the 20th, July 2012:

    Native Instruments has conducted compatibility tests with its hardware products connected to USB 3.0 ports of current-generation MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models. Some NI products are experiencing a degraded audio signal caused by USB 3.0 audio driver issues present in recent versions of OS X.

    The following products have shown to be affected:

    AUDIO 2 DJ / AUDIO 4 DJ / AUDIO 8 DJ
    AUDIO KONTROL 1
    GUITAR RIG MOBILE
    GUITAR RIG SESSION
    KORE 1
    RIG KONTROL 2 / RIG KONTROL 3
    TRAKTOR AUDIO 2
    TRAKTOR KONTROL S4

    The following products have shown to be fully compatible:

    KOMPLETE AUDIO 6
    MASCHINE / MASCHINE MIKRO
    TRAKTOR AUDIO 6 / TRAKTOR AUDIO 10
    TRAKTOR KONTROL S2

    NI hardware products without audio interface functionality (KORE 2, TRAKTOR KONTROL F1, TRAKTOR KONTROL X1) have also shown to be fully compatible with the current MacBook Air and MacBook Pro generation.

    Native Instruments is currently in contact with Apple in order to find a solution.


<Peter writes>
The good news is, some hardware is perfectly compatible – something we've heard from some other vendors (including MOTU). The bad news is, everyone else will have to wait – and notice the mention of "drivers."

Elantric

http://createdigitalmusic.com/2012/07/what-to-know-about-mountain-lion-so-far/#more-24829

What To Know About Mountain Lion, So Far

by Peter Kirn
Jul 26 2012

OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion is out this week. And it's a great time to point out that Lion, 10.7, is a terrific upgrade for anyone with a recent Apple machine and 8 GB of RAM (which is what I'd recommend anyway). No, that's not a misprint – sometimes, it seems, Apple upgrades are just about perfect and fully compatible with all your stuff round about the time the next new thing is out.

Here's the deal: even tiny changes in an operating system can have a big impact on sound. The reality is, even a simple setup for music making can involve a lot of components – software, plug-ins, installers, hardware, drivers, all extremely sensitive to low-level compatibility issues and tiny performance tolerances. Your ears are extremely delicate pieces of equipment, and they know when tools aren't performing. (It sounds something like this – ahem – uuurrrgccch rgggh rccch rccch rccch. Or some variation.)

So, there are a few things to look out for on Mountain Lion. I expect that, as with Lion, it'll eventually be a good upgrade; I quietly upgraded to Lion early this year and didn't look back. For all the hair pulling about Apple turning Macs into iPads, I adjusted a couple of mouse settings I didn't like and I'm really happy. I think the same will be true of 10.8 — just not yet.

I could almost just write a Perl script that posts a blog entry, timed to Apple's OS releases, and says "don't upgrade," then waits a couple of point releases and says "okay, fine, now, if you must."

But if you are thinking of upgrading, here's what you'll want to know:

Backup first. I love Carbon Copy Cloner. Get a cheap external drive, duplicate your primary drive, and you'll easily be able to revert to the old OS. (You'll also have a bootable rescue drive. And it's Mountain Lion ready. It's useful for all backups, but especially so when you're upgrading the OS.) There is no reason, ever, to upgrade any OS without easy ability to revert.

Turn off Gatekeeper. For now, most music software isn't yet signed to work with Apple's new application security model, Gatekeeper. There's no reason to freak about this or have an existential crisis about the future of the Mac; signing apps is a well-known technique on other platforms (Linux, in particular). Nor is Apple forcing anyone to use their App Store – a good thing, too, as almost no pro audio developers have embraced that platform and it seems to be incompatible with the plug-in development model. But Gatekeeper will break most installers for now, so until more developers sign their software, it's easier to just turn the thing off, restoring the way installation works on 10.7. Steinberg, for instance, has produced a step-by-step guide to disabling Gatekeeper, even as they promise updated installers soon.

Some installers may still have issues. Apple has deprecated some legacy technologies for installation, and I'm already hearing reports some installers aren't working. (William Light here in Berlin is updating libmonome, so, please, don't do a clean install before your monome gig, okay? Leave him alone and let him fix that terrific open source library and report back to us on how this stuff is working.)

USB audio devices may not function. Here's the potential deal-breaker. We've already seen statements from Roland and Native Instruments reporting performance issues with their audio interfaces on USB – even including connections to USB2 ports. Readers have found issues with other makers, too. So far, I've only seen Native Instruments release updated drivers, which means if you only have NI gear, you might be okay. But if you're using products from other vendors, now's a good time to do an inventory and check support forums before you upgrade – or risk problems afterward. It also appears that the incompatibility results from a change Apple made in the OS. That is, Apple was involved, and you shouldn't only blame your device vendor. Instead, you should breathe deeply, stay on 10.7, and wait for an update. (We might even see an update on the Apple side, not just from third parties; we'll be watching.)

Don't be surprised if everything does work. Hey, okay, we all feel like we're in the center of our own computing universe. When stuff breaks, it feels catastrophic. When stuff works, we wonder what the fuss is all about. So do read Chris Randall's take on Mountain Lion. Chris is hardly a Mac fanboy – that is, he speaks in frank terms and expletives about what he doesn't like. And he likes the new OS, and reports back on some stuff that does work.

I'd still wait. But, back to that backup idea – whatever OS you're using, if you can make regular backups, you can rest easier in any configuration. So, whatever you're running – backup.

It might leave you with a few hours with no computing to do. Might I, again, suggest the lake or beach?

CDM out.

Elantric

#45
More reports of Audio problems from other users who upgraded to Mountain Lion prior to doing research on the status on availability of Mountain Lion specific USB Audio Drivers 

http://createdigitalmusic.com/2012/07/audio-woes-now-on-new-apple-os-not-just-new-apple-laptops-ni-driver-fix-in-beta/


QuoteIt's happened with my TASCAM US-1800 that worked fine under 10.7.4. Upgraded earlier today, came home, plugged in, and while the USB indicator light is on showing a connection, Mountain Lion doesn't see the interface at all in audio properties. I tried my Fastrack USB and it does see that and allow that to function, but Cubase doesn't see the Fastrack (It was use on my PC with Pro Tools). So far, haven't heard anyone else with this problem, but really, I expected more from Apple. It's supposed to just work, and I can't downgrade to Snow Leapard without doing a clean install and losing everything. SO PISSED!!!!!

Elantric

More reports of Audio problems from other users who upgraded to Mountain Lion prior to doing research on the status on availability of Mountain Lion specific USB Audio Drivers 
http://createdigitalmusic.com/2012/07/audio-woes-now-on-new-apple-os-not-just-new-apple-laptops-ni-driver-fix-in-beta/
Quotecorey949 wrote:

Alas, add focusrite saffire 6 usb interface to the list of new-driver-needed for Mountain Lion. I guess I consumed too much Apple kool-aid, since this time, I didn't even bother to check compatibility before I joined the herd and stampeded to upgrade to Mt.Lion.  When I plugged in my brand new, just unboxed AKG perception 220 to the saffire, opened my DAW, I discovered that my input preference had defaulted back to the built-in mic. When I switched to the saffire, the whole system crashed immediately. A very rare occurance on my iMac.  When I rebooted, everything looked OK and I was getting signal from the AKG. But when I hit record, I got nothing but horrible distortion in my ears. Just to be sure, I switched to an old berenger mic and had the identical distortion.  The Focusrite site says that they're working on it.  Some of their products seem to do OK with OS 10.8, others clearly do not.  THe same thing happened when Apple went to Lion. I was using an M-audio firewire back then and had to wait for new drivers.  Don't the manufacturers of audio interfaces and Apple developers talk to each other?  Having been through this twice, I promise to be patient next time and check that my hardware can be updatred BEFORE I upgrade to another OS.  What comes after Mountain Lion, Loch Ness Monster?

Elantric

#47
After hearing today's news of updated hardware from Apple - I'm extremely glad I purchased my 2011 era 27" iMac in spring 2012.

The updated version today is actually less appealing in my book. As I predicted, they deleted the Firewire ports.
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=6104.msg43034#msg43034
They also removed the Mic  / Line / SPDIF Input jack too.

But the new iMac does give us 4 USB 3.0 ports - but if you read a few posts above, many third party USB audio interfaces are still having stuttering problems and drop outs with USB 3.0 on Mountain Lion macs. 

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_mac/family/imac

whippinpost91850

New to DAW based recording. I could sure use a good suggestion for best Computer (MAC /Windows) to buy for basic home recording.  ???
Please Help!!!!!!

Elantric

#49
Depends on your budget and what you want to accomplish.

If you have basic needs  - a 3 year old Macbook Pro may work.

If its  a new PC/Mac  - Get a machine with  Intel I5 or I7 at least 2.2GHz , expandable to at least 16 GB ram, and a large enough display to see all your new virtual instruments (1440 x 900 minimum).


I have several , but I currently use a Lenovo W520 i got refurbished for under $1200 I love. (read posts above)

and more discussion here:
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=6152.msg49411#msg49411