Peter Kirn - Apple Relationship with Pro music needs some mending

Started by Elantric, September 27, 2016, 01:25:07 PM

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Elantric

http://cdm.link/2016/09/apples-relationship-pro-music-needs-mending/
Apple's relationship with pro music needs some mending
Peter Kirn — September 26, 2016 87 Comments

What happens when a key relationship in music technology turns a bit sour? There's no mistaking the music world's preference for Apple products. But there are some specific causes for concern in the way Apple is handling its desktop operating system and its relationship with pro musicians.

First, let me be clear. I've covered Apple and music for a long time. I've met some of the people handling these products; some of them I've known fairly well in a professional capacity. I have tremendous respect for the company, its products, and its management. I've been a regular contributor to Macworld (reviewing, in particula,r Logic). I'm not the sort to just to go off on a rant about this company because I had a bad day with my MacBook.

Not only that, but part of the reason I'm often quick to defend Apple in light of those sorts of rants is because I know how often they're based on feelings, rather than facts. "Apple doesn't care about pros" or "Apple's products aren't worth the extra price" or other refrains occur with some regularity, and too often are poorly informed about how products like these work or how they're developed. I've gotten to know enough engineers inside and outside Apple to have some appreciation for the complexity and nuance involved in developing computer music products and catering to the music industry.

Okay. So those are the disclaimers. Now, let's talk about why I'm worried. There are a number of decisions at Apple that I think are detrimental to the music technology ecosystem and/or the ways in which musicians use the company's products, which includes the world's leading digital distribution outlet. To me, they're increasingly looking like a pattern, and not a positive one for our little niche. "Our little niche" has the right to be a bit loud about that, because we are central to Apple's brand and the way they present themselves. (Look at it this way: that niche includes the likes of Beyoncé.)

I raise these points not as some sort of macOS versus Windows discussion – that's a separate issue – but because these are things I think are worth criticizing. And I think they could be addressed, whether Cupertino sees fit to address them or not.

It's not pretty seeing all these together in one spot, but here we go.

Apple is in the short term making mobile audio output worse, not better. There's been a lot of ire raised around the headphone jack, but to me, it misses the point. Switching from analog to a default digital output I can understand. There are, however, some problems with the way Apple is going about it.

First, it appears the analog output in Apple's headphone adapter (that is, via the Lightning port) isn't strong enough to drive analog headphones reliably. There's an excellent and detailed study of this by Germany's CT magazine. (German only, sorry, but you can read the statistics they gathered easily).

Second, Apple's efforts to improve Bluetooth pairing appear to be locked to their own headphones. That would be fine, if Apple were any good at making headphones – except, sorry, they really aren't. (See my next point.)

Add to that the fact that Bluetooth connection reliability is partly limited by the laws of physics (because of the penetration of the signal is restricted by objects, wires still sometimes make sense). And consider that the Lightning connection isn't anything approaching a standard, and that accessories with only a Lightning connection can't connect to anything else (including, ironically, your Mac), and the whole thing looks like a regression to me. Comparisons of Apple eliminating the floppy drive or other obsolete tech over the years don't hold, because you immediately had a superior alternative.

This would be a different picture if Apple were making the world's best headphones in the same way that they make the world's best phone and phone operating system. But about that —

Apple isn't making good headphones. I don't need to write much here, and there's no way to put this that isn't blunt. The headphones available from Apple and Beats are inferior to a variety of competing products. They give you less clarity and range than headphones from other makers, certainly at the same price and in many cases for less. That's not just pro products, either – I'd just as quickly advise a consumer to buy headphones from the likes of Sennheiser or Sony, just to name two established brands.

Headphone manufacture appears to require a certain degree of expertise. I wouldn't buy artisanal cheese and wine from Apple, either. (Kudos to the likes of AIAIAI for entering this market anew, but – actually, there's I'd probably still opt for some Sennheiser HD25s over the upstart.)

None of this would matter, except that the bottom line is, we should be able to choose what products we use in order to stay happy. So the combination of pushing these products while eliminating the headphone jack, failing to provide a decent analog output, being restrictive of use of Lightning connectors, and keeping both proprietary control of both wired and wireless connections is pretty damaging.

It's not a deal breaker, yet, but it's adding unnecessary resistance to the otherwise industry-leading iOS platform. And it created a problem where there was none.

Apple Music isn't reaching out to musicians, either. Then there's the iTunes side of things. Apple I think is straining their relationship there with the push to Apple Music, which strong de-emphasizes download sales. Sure, the writing may be on the wall as the whole industry goes to streaming. But then there's the question of the way you interact with Apple on the music service.

And there, unless you're a big artist or label, the relationship hasn't been great, either. I've yet to talk to many labels or artists happy with their experience dealing with Apple; by comparison, I'm hearing more positive feedback about Spotify. That's qualitative and just hearsay, but I can't find material evidence that Apple Music is a place where smaller- and medium-sized artists see much control. Spotify and Pandora are adding new artist connect features, whereas Apple, as Hypebot noted this month, is backing off of its Connect service. What we get instead is front-and-center machine algorithm streams, despite Apple saying publicly that they'll do more human curation.

To be fair, I expect more from Apple (and the Beats team) in part because streaming needs some new thinking and new interaction. I also know anecdotally that streaming revenue via Spotify is up for a lot of music and seems to benefit most from real engagement tools (like playlists).

Of course, we're on the Web now, and we're humans. Yet Web and social media integration is also sorely lacking on Apple Music, in addition to the already-lackluster, now largely demoted Connect.

So Apple was beloved mostly for moving a lot of downloads. Now, with that gone, it seems to be a reflection of Spotify, but with even less artist control. That's not great news, really, unless you luck out and wind up on their radio station.

Apple's desktop computer strategy is murky (especially at the higher end). I don't want to say too much about this, as some sort of announcement seems imminent. But the reality as I write this is, Apple's desktop computer offerings seem frozen in the past.

The Mac Pro was never updated. The Mac mini, iMac, and MacBook Pro are all long in the tooth. The best we've seen lately out of the MacBook line is thinness, but not significantly enhanced performance (and in some cases, worsened performance per dollars invested). (As a reader correctly notes, we've seen some updates – but none of these cover the flagship machines or bring much that's significantly new to the table. And to be fair, Apple has historically set the bar for our expectations high.)

And it shows. For people working in visual media, the Mac is in a real way locked out of the latest advanced in 3D and real-time visuals by GPU offerings that are, at best, overpriced and behind the times, and at worse, incapable of performing at all.

But even in music, Apple's hardware has failed to keep up. Storage is non-upgradeable, fine – but also mind-bogglingly expensive. CPU performance is unacceptable on many of the lighter models, and lackluster on the pricier machines, which matters if you're in love with, say, soft synths.

Mac naysayers will say this has always been the case. But the truth is, Mac models have historically been expensive, but offering enough to merit the investment. The Retina MacBook Pro and MacBook Air set standards for display and form factor when they came out, for instance. People often find their machines last longer and are easier to maintain and support. And if the OS is superior (more on that in a moment), that can be worth an investment.

We just need more information. I wonder if the delay is to do with Apple owning their own destiny. It seems the day will come that Apple's desktop line benefits from the advanced in their system-on-a-chip tech as on mobile – especially when your iPad Pro might easily best your MacBook in CPU performance. But that's an awful lot of unknowns for the time being. I certainly would advise would-be Mac purchasers to hold off on a purchase to see if there's something this fall.

Apple's desktop OS is too often unstable and incompatible, and the yearly update cycle isn't helping. I saved what I think is the biggest issue, and the only really existential one, for last.

Again, there's no way to put this nicely. macOS updates are fraught with problems.

People sometimes forget the pain of operating systems past. That seems true on both platforms – I was amazed at the PC users who fell in love with the same Windows XP they once despised. Ask many musicians what their all time favorite OS X release was, the "make the Mac great again" operating system, and they'll often say 10.6.8. The number after the last decimal place should clue you in to something. Ahem. Apple in the past had a tendency to ship a number of point releases.

The problem is, we shouldn't have to be playing this game any more. OS X – sorry, now again macOS – is a mature operating system. You're not paying for short-term reliability because some significant low-level change was necessary. This should be the easy, golden years of the OS – a bit like after retirement when you're reading long novels on the beach or going on fishing trips or whatever.

Instead, we're being treated to disastrous, showstopper audio reliability problems. NI have written a good overview, and the headline says it all:

Audio Performance Issues (Drop-outs, Distorted Audio, Timecode Delays) in OS X 10.9 – OS X 10.11 [Native Instruments Support Article]

Here's how bad this is: you show up to a gig, and out of the blue, your machine starts popping or dropping buffers or creating random distortion. That's clear-the-floor stuff, things that could make people never want to play again. And it's not necessary. Computers are perfectly capable of acting reliably for days at a time.

This is being reported by NI, but the cause is Apple and can impact other systems – I've reproduced the issues they're describing in Serato DJ and Ableton Live, for instance, with different pieces of hardware from different vendors. People who work in support paint an ugly picture, and then anecdotal evidence is useful, because it covers a range of different situations. And it's getting been worse through El Capitan: "OS X 10.9 (rare occurrences), OS X 10.10 (occasional occurrences) and OS X 10.11 (most occurrences, compared to the aforementioned OS versions)."

Now, it's not uncommon to wait a few weeks when an OS comes out to make sure your complex ecosystem of software hosts, plug-ins, and hardware is compatible. But note the OS numbers – that's years without a fix, and instead worsened regressions. That's simply unacceptable. OS X 10.9 Mavericks is about to turn three years old (older if you count pre-release builds).

This should never have shipped in a stable OS in the first place. I can't think of an instance of this happening on any recent build of Windows, and Microsoft doesn't control the hardware you run on. It certainly should not have dragged on for years on a platform who has defined itself as the choice of musicians and producers.

The good news is, macOS 10.12 Sierra seems potentially to fix the problem (with AppNap functionality turned off manually, which isn't totally ideal). More testing is needed to be sure of this.

The bad news: Apple still can't seem to keep third parties synced up with its now annual release cadence. In a now yearly ritual, Apple has broken plug-in validation for its own Audio Unit format. Open question: why? Why is this now a regular feature of updating an operating system for a format that has basically remained unchanged for years? Why shouldn't desktop upgrades be the kind of no-brainer mobile upgrades are.

There are some workarounds for plug-ins, but this reveals a deeper, more cultural problem at Apple. The inability to ship OS builds to developers in time for them to adapt, a tendency to change OS internals without properly documenting the results, or whatever the reason, the upshot is the same. If musicians can't trust an upgrade, they won't install it – and that means they will avoid critical fixes, too.

In the case of Sierra, we need Mac users to update as soon as possible if it in fact resolves this issue. And the advice I had given would-be installers — wait a few weeks to validate an OS — is proving to be wrong. In this case, you would have had to wait three years, then install that update on day one just to solve chronic showstopper problems with the whole audio system.

Now, there's different advice: switch to Windows. And I think that's not hyperbolic in this case, not when you talk to people doing Apple support for a living who can't recommend either the 2015 or 2016 stable builds of the operating system. (Boot Camp at least got a bit more appealing than it had been!)

Conclusions
There's a whole lot Apple under Tim Cook is doing right. iOS is an amazing platform, with unparalleled music capabilities. Apple hardware is still heavily used and widely loved. macOS still has features that can best Windows (and Windows still has problems of its own). Logic Pro is still a great DAW, and shows that Apple can make products for our market.

There's just some stuff to fix. And I complain, because I believe Apple could do better.

To me, these issues are adding up as they raise concerns about priorities. But it's really the operating system and desktop platform issue that I feel is critical.

Now, Apple very likely will have new machines out soon. So part of what we need to see is what those look like. It might be a longer transition, but I'd like to see Apple leverage its hardware advances from iOS. (Update – commenters agree, that part of the stagnation of the desktop Mac line parallels stagnation on Intel's side. So maybe what we'll see is a non-x86 hardware platform from Apple. The last big lag like this was actually just before the move from PowerPC to Intel. Bet you temporarily forgot about that – which also demonstrates how effective it was.)

And it seems Apple is working with third parties to address long-running difficulties with the OS.

All of this, though, should leave people who love computers deeply unsettled. To me, this isn't really about Apple's relationship to their hit iPhone. There's still a lot of revenue coming from the Mac and from services related to the Mac (apart from it being a development machine for iOS). And some of Apple's best-ever upgrades shipped well into the iPhone era. (If anything, the watch seems to time out with some of the missteps.)

But what it is about to me is trust. Apple may have taken the "computer" out of the name, but we trusted that they didn't take the computer out of the product. They haven't rewarded that trust lately.

I love hardware, but I still believe in the computer. To use the computer to its potential, to feel comfortable with it as a device for musical expression, you need to trust it. You need to know it won't, you know, suddenly glitch out in the middle of a performance – something that in 2016 ought to be a thing of the past.

And you need to trust the company with which you invest time, both the computer itself and the OS platform it's running. Apple is both. You need to feel a connection to both the commitment level and the vision of that company, because you're investing your creative output and significant time and financial resources in that platform – hours upon hours of time.

On top of that, to really deepen exposure on a distribution method, you need to trust the distribution method.

I do think Apple can win back that trust. But I'd be lying if I said right now it was secure.

These things have historically gone in cycles. This feels to me like a down cycle – so it's a question of what the up swing could be.

I'll be keenly watching as we test Sierra more, and see how fixes arrive for third party software. And I'm eager to see what computer refreshes we get, if any, in 2016, as well as how Apple Music evolves. But I do hope that, entirely apart from whoever may read this, Apple has gotten the message from its enormous and inspired musical user base that there are things that need fixing.

And at that point, yes, we are likely to get emotional. This isn't just about using your iPhone to buy a Frappuccino at Starbucks with Apple Pay or monitor your daily jog. This is the tool we use to express our deepest feelings, our greatest passion, and to move rooms full of people. We have to trust it.

Postlude: I left out an article that takes this perspective from the "Motion" side of the coin. But for live visuals, it's almost no contest, as I briefly hinted here – and I think that's relevant, as someday soon cutting-edge visuals may matter to more musicians. The top-of-range Macs don't have GPUs that are competitive with even many inexpensive PCs. On top of that, OS X has suffered significant graphics bugs as well as audio bugs, and Windows has plenty of powerful visual exclusives used to do some seriously amazing work, like TouchDesigner and vvvv. That's an extremely specific niche, though some areas – like virtual reality – also represent the bleeding edge. But I've decided to leave that alone, as I don't think there's the same cultural need that Apple has on the music side. I will also leave meanwhile leave the now-discontinued Aperture and controversial Final Cut Pro X out of it; suffice to say Logic Pro hasn't suffered in the same way. Logic lovers I know still love Logic; people who prefer other DAWs still prefer other DAWs.

Elantric

QuotePostlude: I left out an article that takes this perspective from the "Motion" side of the coin. But for live visuals, it's almost no contest, as I briefly hinted here – and I think that's relevant, as someday soon cutting-edge visuals may matter to more musicians. The top-of-range Macs don't have GPUs that are competitive with even many inexpensive PCs. On top of that, OS X has suffered significant graphics bugs as well as audio bugs, and Windows has plenty of powerful visual exclusives used to do some seriously amazing work, like TouchDesigner and vvvv. That's an extremely specific niche, though some areas – like virtual reality – also represent the bleeding edge. But I've decided to leave that alone, as I don't think there's the same cultural need that Apple has on the music side. I will also leave meanwhile leave the now-discontinued Aperture and controversial Final Cut Pro X out of it; suffice to say Logic Pro hasn't suffered in the same way. Logic lovers I know still love Logic; people who prefer other DAWs still prefer other DAWs.
TouchDesigner
https://www.derivative.ca/088/FeaturesToLove/default.asp
https://www.facebook.com/TouchDesigner






----
vvvv
https://vvvv.org/
https://vvvv.org/blog/26#node-228693

vvvv is a hybrid visual/textual live-programming environment for easy prototyping and development. It is designed to facilitate the handling of large media environments with physical interfaces, real-time motion graphics, audio and video that can interact with many users simultaneously. Responsible for its development is the vvvv group.


GuitarBuilder

"There's no-one left alive, it must be a draw"  Peter Gabriel 1973

Elantric

Agreed -  I share Peter Kirns' thoughts and feelings on this subject 100% -

Musicians who still need tools to create music in real time have dropped off Apples agenda - sad

frankly IMHO due to this reality is the main reason Positive Grid has been focused on designing their own DSP hardware boxes to run their PG BIAS Amp modeling algorithms - and not be so dependent on the latest Apple IOS hardware and IOS version for their revenue stream - IOS continually seems to be getting worse in regards to introducing higher audio latency for live performance.

I'm keeping my iPad Pro on IOS 9.3.5 as long as I can!

yuri

I not agree whit all this  .    an real  musician should be not depend of a computer's, hardware  hi tech toys etc . .Just pull the power plug , and we all dead (musically) , Tesla musicians. ;)


montyrivers

I just bought a second hand laptop with an ivy bridge i7 quad core, 16 gigs of RAM, backlit keyboard with firewire, usb3, eSATA, etc for 350 bucks and win 10.  Still running my legacy M Audio project mix with win7 drivers and korg triton usb midi with no problems. 

Fully upgradeable, easy access panels for maintenance, matte display.

Apple needs to start caring again because power users are fully aware of the potentially sweeter (and far cheaper) alternatives.

CoreAudio really isn't worth THAT much.


Elantric

I cant recommend a new Apple Mac
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=18902.0


https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=16336.0


or New Windows 10 computer
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=17605.msg125332#msg125332

due to the known issues we have stated in various threads here.

Audio content creators are best advised to seek computers in the used channel that still run working older operating systems

Your mileage may vary  . . .

My Computer blog is here
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=6104.0


aliensporebomb

QuoteFirst, it appears the analog output in Apple's headphone adapter (that is, via the Lightning port) isn't strong enough to drive analog headphones reliably. There's an excellent and detailed study of this by Germany's CT magazine. (German only, sorry, but you can read the statistics they gathered easily).

Second, Apple's efforts to improve Bluetooth pairing appear to be locked to their own headphones. That would be fine, if Apple were any good at making headphones – except, sorry, they really aren't. (See my next point.)

I've used the lightning adapter/analog output on my iPhone7 Plus to drive multiple pairs of headphones without issue:

Sennheiser HD280 Pro
Sennheiser CS685 In-Ear Headphones
Soundbot SB270
Sony MDR-150
Sony MDR-XB950BT
Sony MDR-EX210B/BLK

Bluetooth Devices without issue from same device:
Sony MDR-XB950BT
Soundbot SB270
Samson BT4
JW20060 (BT device to FM transmitter for car use).

All of these work reliably although I don't doubt people have had issues with other products.

I've got more I need to test but that's what I've tested thus far without issues. 
My music projects online at http://www.aliensporebomb.com/

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

gumtown

Quote from: yuri on September 28, 2016, 01:42:51 PM
I not agree whit all this  .    an real  musician should be not depend of a computer's, hardware  hi tech toys etc . .Just pull the power plug , and we all dead (musically) , Tesla musicians. ;)
True, but that only leaves you with acoustic instruments, so you only have a choice of folk, hillbilly, or orchestral music.

I have tried to resist dependency on technology for a very long time, since my bad experiences with touring gigs, computer samplers, and windows 3.1
I now realise a solid computer is more dependable than either the A.C. power mains supply to the venue, or a mixing desk failure, those are show stoppers.
Free "GR-55 FloorBoard" editor software from https://sourceforge.net/projects/grfloorboard/

yuri

   Under an vid for Gumtown without AC-DC Tesla  ;)---   I have not given up the MIDI technology, etc-  I am here for FTP , rest is boring kemper , fractal , hardwar etc    ...  (for me hi- fi FTP is an excellent   greatest instrument combined with Logic Pro X -) Which opens the door to all chitarist to create an musical carpet   - nothing more, .... it would be correct say, to use modern tech smaller doses  and only where needed - simple things (there's too much useless tech stuff, That ruins the human creativity is you feel When you hear things emulated with micro chip) - unfortunately that is an   illusion That hardware device can replace a eletric guitar sound (sound unique mosaic  of  many different factors)and  violin - voice etc. All Those tools That express a sentiment (wooden vibration, shades, harmony  notes that  entering the body) is only with unique touch  of your  hands. .Just feel all that sound Kemper, all have the same sound (hardware  sound of micro chip) all is  equally boring  , an mass  of  boring equal  ........... Listen this local  amatorial  band of my friends  , they  are all analog with real instruments .  and   without AC-DC Tesla   ;)

vtgearhead

Quote from: gumtown on December 05, 2016, 08:39:06 PM
I have tried to resist dependency on technology for a very long time, since my bad experiences with touring gigs, computer samplers, and windows 3.1

Heh.  Windows 3.1 was the "last straw" that drove me off Microsoft operating systems and into the embrace of Linux.  I'm forced to use Windows for musical matters (and a small handful of cross-development environments), but Linux has been my computational home ever since.  Although things have improved greatly in the past 20 years, it was fun in the 90s to listen to my friends grumble about Windows crashes and lockups, then casually remark about my 190 day uptime :-)

aliensporebomb

The biggest problem is Apple is listening to the "regular business traveler" who wants lighter/thinner/I don't need ports. 

And some of the other issues is that Intel's processor/chipset offerings were decided on based on less battery consumption.  It's unfortunate but the truth.

It's still a nice machine for someone.  But probably not for myself.
My music projects online at http://www.aliensporebomb.com/

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

admin



http://www.theverge.com/2017/4/4/15175994/apple-mac-pro-failure-admission

Apple admits the Mac Pro was a mess

The company is ready to reconcile with pros
by Jacob Kastrenakes  Apr 4, 2017, 10:33am EDT


Apple hasn't been paying much attention to its pro users lately, and the company finally seems to be owning up to it.

Speaking to a small gathering of news outlets yesterday, including BuzzFeed, TechCrunch, and Daring Fireball, Apple acknowledged that it had been a while since the company put a focus on pro desktops, announced minor spec updates to the existing Mac Pro, and said that a new Mac Pro model is in the works.

But perhaps most importantly, Apple admitted that its flashy 2013 Mac Pro redesign was a mistake, and executives indicated that Apple intends to better support its professional users in the future.

"CAN'T INNOVATE ANYMORE, MY ASS" HAS NOT AGED WELL
"I think we designed ourselves into a bit of a thermal corner, if you will," one of Apple's top executives reportedly said.

The small, trash can-shaped Mac Pro — which Apple marketing VP Phil Schiller once touted as evidence that the company could still innovate — was designed to fit two smaller graphics chips, but the industry didn't move in that direction.


"Being able to put larger single GPUs required a different system architecture and more thermal capacity than that system was designed to accommodate," the exec is reported as saying. "So it became fairly difficult to adjust."

That seems to explain why the Mac Pro, until today, went more than three years without spec refresh — an entirely unworkable situation for pro users who need top-of-the-line hardware.

Schiller told reporters that the Mac Pro's thermal issues "restricted our ability to upgrade it" and that Apple is "sorry to disappoint customers who wanted that."

While Apple clearly wants to focus on the future, the fact that it called together a small group of media to discuss the state of the Mac Pro — without having anything truly new to show just yet — is telling of what this meeting was really for: an apology, and an early attempt at restoring trust with Apple's most demanding customers.

PRO USERS HAVE FELT REJECTED BY APPLE
Apple's pro users have felt increasingly alienated and underserved. Apple hadn't only ignored the Mac Pro for three years, it had barely mentioned the computer.

At the same time, Apple's pro software has increasingly felt like an afterthought — with the widely maligned release of Final Cut X and the discontinuation of Aperture, it may as well have handed pro photo and video editors to Adobe. And the company's only other recent Pro hardware release, the MacBook Pro, disappointed on power and expandability.

That's what really brought pro users to a fever pitch. Toward the end of 2016, Apple started seeing complaints from even its most loyal defenders and skepticism from pro users that it would ever offer products for them again. (Its response, at the time, was to discount some dongles.)

Mac developer Michael Tsai has kept up an extensive and long-running list of complaints about the new MacBook Pros and the state of pro Macs, which includes more than three dozen updates since October. The complaints have been scathing: it isn't just that people take issue with the MacBook Pro, its that pro users feel altogether rejected by Apple.

IGNORING PROS WAS A MISTAKE
Apple could have continued to ignore this — it's rare that the company goes public with its plans for future products — but evidently, executives felt they couldn't wait. That may be because there's still no firm date for when Apple will have new hardware ready for pro users: "pro" iMacs are promised for later this year, but the redesigned Mac Pro isn't getting released until next year or beyond. That's another year to go without a Mac Pro update.

By going public with this information now, Apple can at least quell concerns that it's decided to ignore the pro market entirely — something that seemed plausible enough. TechCrunch and Daring Fireball report Apple saying that the Mac Pro represents only a "single-digit percent" of total Mac sales. And given that Mac sales account for only 10 percent of Apple's revenue as a whole, it's hard to imagine the Mac Pro is a particularly profitable investment.

While it'll take more than a single press junket and a few somewhat-apologetic quotes to really prove to pro users that Apple cares about them, today's announcement could at least keep the company's computers in the running for any user thinking about jumping ship during an upcoming upgrade.

Although pro users may be a minority of Apple's buyers, Apple's focus on pros is important for its consumer line, too. It isn't even that innovations Apple develops higher up could work their way down the line later on — it's that Apple needs pro users to give the Mac its reputation. It's pro users who make Macs known as the go-to computers for creative work. And if Apple lets all those users go, PCs may start to pick up the mantle.

http://www.theverge.com/2016/11/17/13663112/microsoft-surface-studio-review


Elantric


https://www.macrumors.com/2017/04/12/modular-mac-pro-concept/

Concept Imagines What a Modular Mac Pro Might Look Like
Wednesday April 12, 2017 12:09 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Last week, Apple executives announced that the company is working on an updated Mac Pro that features a revamped modular design to accommodate regular component upgrades.

The launch of the new modular Mac Pro is at least a year away as development has just started, so we have no idea what the machine will look like when it's finished, but that hasn't stopped designers at CURVED/labs from dreaming up a conceptual design that includes a simple Mac mini-style box and a matching Apple-branded display.

The imagined Mac Pro features a design that's entirely upgradeable, with two slots for full-sized graphics cards, rotating housing sides, and easily accessible sections for the processor, RAM, and storage.




Holes on the top are designed to allow hot air to escape, and there are added features like a Touch ID power button, a Touch Bar for accessing information on included components, and USB-C, USB-A, and HDMI ports, along with a microphone and a headphone jack.



Accompanying the imagined Mac Pro is a revamped 27-inch Apple "Cinema Display" with ultra thin bezels, an iMac-style stand, and and USB-C ports at the back.



Again, this is in no way representative of what the finished Mac Pro might look like, but it does imagine features that are in line with what Apple executives have said about the Mac Pro so far. It's going to be a high-end high-throughput machine that will facilitate regular upgrades to meet the needs of Apple's pro user base. And given its modular nature, it will ship with an Apple-branded "pro" display.

Apple is in the process of "completely rethinking" the Mac Pro and execs say it will take "longer than this year" to finish. What that means is not entirely clear, but one rumor has suggested it might not launch until 2019. Apple has a dedicated team working on the machine, which will serve the company's "most demanding pro customers."
https://www.macrumors.com/2017/04/06/mac-pro-may-not-ship-until-2019/



MusicOverGear

A recent issue of Tape-Op had an article about giving up on Apple. I want to say it was the end rant in the current issue?

admin

http://cdm.link/2019/02/apple-2018-glitch/

Apple's latest Macs have a serious audio glitching bug
Peter Kirn - February 18, 2019  109 Comments     
Apple has a serious, unresolved bug that causes issues with audio performance with external interfaces across all its latest Macs, thanks to the company's own software and custom security chip.

Following bug reports online, the impacted machines are all the newest computers – those with Apple's own T2 security chip:

iMac Pro
Mac mini models introduced in 2018
MacBook Air models introduced in 2018
MacBook Pro models introduced in 2018

Impacted hardware of this and possibly other bugs includes most external USB 2.0 audio hardware. We have have some reports of issues over FireWire, which initially had seemed like a refuge. Perversely, readers are also reporting widespread issues with Apple's own internal audio (speakers and headphone jack).

The T2 in Apple's words "is Apple's second-generation, custom silicon for Mac. By redesigning and integrating several controllers found in other Mac computers—such as the System Management Controller, image signal processor, audio controller, and SSD controller—the T2 chip delivers new capabilities to your Mac."

The problem is, it appears that this new chip has introduced glitches on a wide variety of external audio hardware from across the pro audio industry, thanks to a bug in Apple's software. Issues with the way the new chip synchronizes timing causes dropouts and glitches in the audio stream. (It seems basically all USB 2.0 audio interfaces will be impacted. This of course unfortunately leads users to blame their interface manufacturer, but the fault lies with Apple.)

Switching off "Set date and time automatically" in System Preferences will reduce, but not resolve the issue. Nebulae aka Abid Hussain, an Ableton Certified trainer, writes in comments:

Unchecking the time sync only reduces the dropouts. You need to also uncheck the location sync in the Time Zone tab, but even then you're only reducing the dropouts. Any time the T2 chip tries to sync, it will overload the USB2.0 bus, causing dropouts. There is no way any musician should go on stage with a 2018 [Mac] and a USB2.0 audio interface directly connected to it. The only solutions are 1) Get a Thunderbolt or USB3.0 audio interface, or 2) Use a Certified Thunderbolt 3 powered hub (not a bus-powered or cheap non-certified hub) – Cable Matters has a solution for $169 on Amazon, but most of those hubs are at least $200-300. Using a certified TB3 hub creates a separate external USB2.0 bus, in which you can run your USB2.0 audio interface. The cheap hubs do not work because they don't run on the TB3 bus, and therefore they don't create their own separate USB2.0 bus, which means you're going to get dropouts.

To clarify: all T2-based Macs, that is all Mac models from the 2018 generation, are evidently unusable with USB 2.0 audio interfaces, irrespective of vendor. Audio interfaces using FireWire or Thunderbolt are reportedly unaffected by this particular bug, but USB 2.0 is for the moment the most popular bus for audio devices, so nearly all owners of the new machines are encountering the issue. (There are also some reports that USB3 devices are unaffected, but I can't confirm that and those devices are rare. Note that even some audio interfaces with USB-C connectors do actually make use of the USB2.0 bus.)

This of course has led some users to simply buy a new Thunderbolt 3 audio interface. But this situation is unacceptable – plenty of standard, inexpensive PCs have no such issues with Thunderbolt and USB audio hardware. Apple has shipped their entire computer line with buggy firmware that renders those machines unusable for the majority of people working with sound (so music, video, and audio production), and have lagged in finding a solution for months after shipping these expensive machines. Not only that, but is anyone clear on what problem the T2 security chip even solves? Apple now loves crowing about its "custom silicon" often without even explaining to us why anyone needs it.

Anyway, for now that's the set of choices, until Apple ships a comprehensive, tested fix:
1. Mac users on older machines should postpone upgrading.
2. Mac users in the market purchasing a new machine right now should consider a comparable Windows machine.
3. Users stuck with these models should use a Thunderbolt 3 audio interface, adapter, or hub, or attempt to return the computer in favor of an older Mac or new PC.

More:
from r/apple


https://discussions.apple.com/thread/8509051

https://www.logicprohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=138992

https://www.gearslutz.com/board/music-computers/1232030-usb-audio-glitches-macbook-pro-2018-a.html

https://openradar.appspot.com/46918065

This represents another serious quality control fumble from Apple. The value proposition with Apple always been that the company's control over its own hardware, software, and industrial engineering meant a more predictable product. But when Apple botches the quality of its own products and doesn't test and resolve creative audio and video use cases, that value case quickly flips. You're sacrificing choice and paying a higher price for a product that's actually worse.

Apple's recent Mac line have also come under fire for charging a premium price while sacrificing things users want (like NVIDIA graphics cards, affordable internal storage, or extra ports). And on the new thin MacBook and MacBook Pro lines, keyboard reliability issues.

Some of those mainstream PC vendors do now test with third-party pro audio hardware (I've talked to Razer about this, for instance). And that's to say nothing of vendors like pcaudiolabs who custom-configure each machine for the actual DAWs. Apple clearly has the resources to do the same, and they make a DAW of their own (Logic Pro). This appears to be an issue they could possibly have reproduced and corrected before shipping.

Updated: The 2018 iPad Pro also suffered from audio issues, which appear to be software related. This seems not to have any direct relation to the issue with the Mac line, but is further evidence of some quality control and testing issues involving real-time audio performance and Apple firmware and software.

If you do have one of these machines, let us know if you've been having trouble with this issue and if this workaround (hopefully) solves your problem.



Managed to trig the problem with location service. Had the problem with RME and Motu or any USB card...

Buy HP Elitebook or Zbook, Dell Latitiude or Precision, Lenovo P or T series Thinkpads.

QuoteElekb • 9 days ago
This is pretty serious.

We've had the 10.13 security debacles and issues with audio interfaces and file systems.

And now, Mac laptops apparently just plainly don't work for serious audio. And sometimes even playback doesn't go smoothly, according to some other comments I've read.

Up until this week, whenever someone asked me for advice about a new computer, my answer would still be straightforward: if you are doing audio studio / home recording work and don't need a computer for live performace, then you can get any professional grade machine, Windows, Linux or Mac, as long as some hardware requirements are met. However, if you are using a computer as the centre of your live performance, Mac machines still had the edge - Core Audio, macOS system stability, hardware quality control, a machine that mostly worked out of the box.

Not anymore. It's amazing to watch how far Apple's quality control has fallen in the past 5, 6 years. When I next get asked the same questions in the near future, I'll just direct people to Asus, Toshiba, Razer, or PCAudiolabs and the like. No way I would risk getting on stage with these kinds of bugs and issues hanging over my head.

How can they justify those ridiculous prices now? Why would you pay nearly 3000$ for a computer audio solution that doesn't work out of the box and sh*ts itself whenever a USB 2.x device is connected to it? (and we are talking about interfaces still in production, not legacy devices)
What the hell are they thinking? I've been wondering for a long time if they are just going to focus on phones and tablets in the near future, and this is clearly another nail in the coffin for their computer line


https://www.fool.com/investing/2018/11/02/apple-earnings-revenue-and-profits-soar.aspx



admin


admin

http://cdm.link/2019/05/apples-latest-macs-still-suffer-from-the-same-audio-flaws/

Apple's latest Macs still suffer from the same audio flaws
Peter Kirn - May 27, 2019

Apple has unveiled new MacBook Pro models. But that machine still includes the troubled T2 security chip used on all Macs from 2018 onward – and there's no complete fix yet for the audio problems it can cause. So what should you do?

The big news last week was that Apple had a big spec bump on its top-of-range 15″ MacBook Pro – a speedy 6-core entry level, plus for the first time 8-core CPUs in the Apple notebooks. Apple even touts the ability to run more instances of plug-ins like Alchemy in Logic Pro, so they do have the music market in mind – at least as far as what they put in the press release. The 13″ MacBook Pro gets a more modest update. The Verge breaks down the changes.

These changes are unlikely to inspire PC users, who already had access to these chips. But they're big news on the Mac side.

The thing is, while CPU and disk performance do aid audio, we're far more reliant on stability – CPU horsepower is nice to have, but rock-solid audio performance is essential. And that's where the Mac continues to completely unravel.

There is no reported change on the new MacBook Pro to the T2 security chipset that is the cause of these problems. It's therefore safe to assume that they will inherit these same issues, barring a fix from Apple.


Security and audio have clashed, it seems, since the T2's introduction across the Apple computer line in 2018.

No, it's still (mostly) not fixed
The T2 security chip continues to wreak havoc with audio performance – and the 2019 MacBook Pro, like all Macs since a 2018 revision, continues to use it and inherit its audio stability issues.

Even after a recent OS update that "addressed" performance, we are still hearing widespread reports that the new Macs exhibit this issue. And normally when I say I'm "hearing" them, I mean people are writing to tell me about it. In the case of the T2 issues, I actually keep literally hearing it. You'll go to a concert or festival, and listen to one MacBook Pro after another glitching with the issue. You'll sit for a meeting and hear it going on in the background.

Given that it's widespread but not universal, it remains unclear why some people are having the issue and others not. (Just as with any reliability issue, someone will always chime in and say "but I'm not having any trouble." Um, good for you?) The only way to solve it for now appears to be to add a Thunderbolt hub and connect USB audio devices to that – avoiding the internal sound system or connecting USB audio interfaces directly.

Here's the initial report from February:



In March, I wrote about 10.14.4 update:



But 10.14.4 for most users I've spoken to reduces but doesn't fix the problem.

One workaround (and again, this is on 10.14.4) is to manually script an override:


Quote@n074ppl1c48l3
@cdmblogs R.E. 2018 MBP glitching - I've been using this script to offload timed with SIP disabled and not had any problems with glitching since: sudo launchctl unload /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.timed.plist :-)



Long-time Mac site TidBITS has a great breakdown of the T2 – first, why anyone would want it in the first place (basically, security trumps audio reliability for some use cases), but also generally its ups and downs. Duncan also notes that some of the workarounds (like this script) disable essential system integrity protection (that's what "SIP disabled" is about in the above Tweet). And he verifies that mileage varies as far as 10.14.4:

QuoteSome audio developers (like Germany's RME) have reported improvements with USB audio, but my limited testing with a T2-equipped MacBook Pro found no discernible improvement using 10.14.4 with USB or Thunderbolt audio devices.

What Does the T2 Chip Mean for Mac Usage? [TidBITS]

See also the German-language reports on those audio improvements.

That report is from the beginning of April. Now, hopefully there's some inbound macOS update that makes all of this go away, but for now that would fall under speculation only.


Images courtesy Apple.

What works / what doesn't / workaround
Updated: this section was added later to clarify questions raised by readers.

To be clear, this specific bug impacts primarily USB audio devices.

Individually, RME claims to have resolved the problem (and RME owners report the same). We initially heard positive feedback from MOTU, as well.

However, there's no clear pattern to which USB devices are impacted. The only way to be absolutely certain is to connect USB audio devices to a Thunderbolt hub – not a USB-C hub, but a device that actually uses the Thunderbolt 3 connection (and therefore a different bus). That's doubly confusing because some of the Apple machines' USB-C connectors are used both for Thunderbolt 3 and USB 1/2/3 connections. You need a Thunderbolt 3 port (which looks the same), and it needs to have an actual Thunderbolt 3 device.

Thunderbolt audio interfaces will also work, by the same token.

Internal audio (via speakers and headphone jack) can also be impacted.

Bottom line: if you're willing to invest in Thunderbolt adapters or dedicated interfaces, you can safely ignore this particular issue. Everyone else will be taking some chances.

What about that keyboard?
The other lingering concern is quality on the MacBook Pro keyboard (to say nothing of the investment in adapters – which now also mandates a Thunderbolt hub for use with USB audio to get around this issue).

iFixIt did a teardown and found some minor changes. But the design itself remains fundamentally unchanged. That means the same keyboard feel that a lot of users didn't like, and at worst, possibly ongoing reliability problems.

So what should you do if you're due for an upgrade?
Obviously, if you've got an old Mac and you're happy – nothing to see here.

But if you're ready for an update, it's another story. And with lots of cool software modular and soft synths out there taxing the CPU, it may well be you're eyeing a new model.

I don't recommend buying new Apple hardware – full stop. Here are the T2 models to avoid, at least until we see an OS update that we can verify totally solves the issue, not just for limited use cases:

iMac Pro
Mac mini models introduced in 2018
MacBook Air models introduced in 2018
MacBook Pro models introduced in 2018 or later

Does your Mac have Apple T2 security chip? Here's how to find out! [iDownloadBlog]

About the Apple T2 Security Chip [Apple Support]

So, your options:

First, a lot of you of course want or need a Mac, whether it's to run exclusive software from Apple like Logic, do iOS and macOS development, use Mac-specific plug-ins, or just because you prefer the OS.

If you want the latest model Macs – and maybe you're okay with that keyboard – 2017 Macs remain an option. You can get those with or without the TouchBar.

That's what our friend Artemiy of Sinevibes did. And that means a machine that's got an improved display and faster innards versus previous models:


Quotepeterkirn
@peterkirn
· May 24, 2019
Replying to @Sinevibes @cdmblogs
Wait, that's surprising, as I thought it had the same security chip... but maybe there's a different subsystem there? Which interface do you use?

QuoteSinevibes
@Sinevibes
2017 MBP models did not have the T2 - neither the base 13", nor the touchbar 13"/15". It was introduced with 2018 models. Also preferred not to have the touchbar (which was much more intrusive/annoying than useful), so went for slightly upgraded base 13" in 2017 (512 GB).


These fourth generation models still have other compromises. They still have the ultra-thin keyboards which are prone to failure – the 2017 revision most so. And they still have USB-C ports only, which is a pain. Plus you're limited to AMD GPUs, which means no ability to take advantage of NVIDIA-specific optimizations ranging from Adobe software to more rarified use cases like machine learning tools.

So that means for many users the third-generation Retina models – old as they are – are still a sweet spot. The 13″ has a smaller, lower-quality display and is frankly underpowered (lacking a solid dedicated GPU and saddled with a slower CPU). So probably we're talking the 15″ MacBook Pro Retina, around late 2013 revision or later. (2013 improved the CPUs and added various spec improvements.)

Your best bet: go 15″, max out the memory at 16GB, max out the storage. And this can in fact be a great bargain buy used or refurbished.


Some users are going back to the future, with 2013-2015 15″ MacBooks Pro. More ports, more comfortable (less failure-prone) keyboard, and no T2 audio glitches, plus still-reasonable specs – including NVIDIA GPUs.

The other route: don't fear the PC. Windows 10 is vastly improved over past versions. Speaking as someone who routinely juggles a Mac and Windows machine – like, literally I carry the MacBook Pro as a backup in case my PC dies when I'm on tour playing live – most of the differences are transparent, especially with software developed and tested across platforms. What you will notice on the PC is superior specs at a lower price for the spec, greater choice, more ports and fewer adapters (depending on which machine you buy), and superior GPUs. It's also easier in my experience getting Linux running on the PC, which is great for open source tools and stuff like VCV Rack, Renoise, and Bitwig Studio.

Run-of-the-mill PCs can still be hit or miss. There are specialized vendors who configure and test just for pro audio/music/live visual applications, though – which means a level of interest that you aren't getting from, well, Apple. Schenker just wrote me with their products, which look solid and offer European shipping and support (some other vendors I've mentioned are US based).

I don't mean to wade directly into the Mac vs PC fray – I've used Mac, Windows, and Linux on rotation for at least a decade and a half and Microsoft and Apple operating systems since the 1980s. I just think there's a lot of sort of irrational fear and misunderstanding of Windows from corners of the music community. And, ironically, Mac users should get this – you've seen it from the other direction.

But whether you switch to a nicely optimized vintage 2013 Mac or get a new PC, the last thing I'd want to see is people suffering through an overpriced Mac laptop with a keyboard you hate and uncontrollable sound glitches. If you're lucky enough to have the new machines without that, I salute you. But too many people are unhappy with these computers. And I still love computers for making music, so I hate to see that.[/i]

aliensporebomb

They talk about disabling hyperthreading but they don't describe what the zombieload bug even is.  Annoying.  Another potential attack but does it require someone to be at the keyboard or can it be done remotely?  What does it do?
My music projects online at http://www.aliensporebomb.com/

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

admin

Quote from: aliensporebomb on May 28, 2019, 02:26:11 PM
They talk about disabling hyperthreading but they don't describe what the zombieload bug even is.  Annoying.  Another potential attack but does it require someone to be at the keyboard or can it be done remotely?  What does it do?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microarchitectural_Data_Sampling

https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/05/14/intel_hyper_threading_mitigations/