is this a good idea

[whosmatt]

I've been using PT Free long enough now that i have a pretty good head start on the interface... i'm ready to move up. I really want to keep using PT.... that said, i have a beige G3 /266 w 256MB ram (and a couple of PCs which i don't want to use for audio, but could in a pinch)

i want to upgrade the G3, starting w/ an ultra 66 ide controller and a 7200 rpm drive.
eventually i'll probably upgrade the cpu to boost plugin/track count. but would buying an 001 be a good idea? i know of the compatibility issue w/ the beige G3, but from what i've read, it's not really just a beige G3 problem... what are my chances of this working ok? what about the digi toolbox?

also, do any other audio interfaces work w/ ptle? i already have a midi interface, and a mackie 1202 which has 4 mic preamps, so i could get by with something like the delta 44 or 66 for audio if it would work alongside the toolbox... or am i barking up the wrong tree? thanks for the help.

[jeronimo]

No, you cannot use PT LE with anything BUT Digidesign hardware [img]images/icons/mad.gif[/img] !
Get the 001 if you need more than 8 tracks [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img]! Instead of getting a ATA 66, get an ATA 100! There is a company that makes those controllers for about $100 bucks, check here! I'm not sure about compatibility issues, but there are good upgrades for G3s around... some G4s 466 and others!!! Good luck!! And one thing, don't forget to check out Digital Performer 3!! Good application!!! Without the need for Digidesign hardware [img]images/icons/cool.gif[/img] !

[Mr T]

I used to have a beige G3 which was perfectly working with PTLE and 001.
I've switched to a G4 just to be able to get more tracks and plugins.

[Muzza]

If you have the bucks, upgrade to a G4 with good RAM. If you want blinding HDD performance dont consider ATA66 or even 100, get a SCSI drive JUST for sound. You'll need a new SCSI Ultra160 controller but SCSI has a much higher transfer rate.

PT LE is an improvement (voice wise) on PTfree. Give it some room (CPU Power) to move.

[s.d. finley]

Whosmatt, i have a Beige G3 @500 mhz, 640mb of RAM, ixmirco dual display card, advansys scsi-2 card, 40 gig internal ide, as boot drive, 9.1g 10k rpm scsi quantum, 18.2 gig 7.2k rpm fujitsu, both are dedicated to audio. ptle 5.1.1 os9.
As you can see my digi 1 system is completly unsupported, however, i rarlely get that 6045,6042 dae error. I can run 24 audio tracks w/ LOTS of rtas plugs, no problem.
I think if you get your extension set right, and have you cpu for just audio, you will be able to work!
I have had the digi 001 since it first came out feb 2000, and it rocks!!

sdf [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[whosmatt]

thanks everyone.... i'm a pc hardware tech by day, i wish some of the stuff i have lying around would work in my mac (UW scsi controllers for example).. oh well.

[jeronimo]

Humm, in my opinion if you plan to work only with the 001, there is NO NEED to have SCSI drives... ATAs 100 and 66 are enought to handle 24 tracks of 48K24 bit with no problems... they should be 7200RPM... I do this EVERYDAY and I never had a problem... so save your bucks for the CPU upgrade or to get more HD space [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]! And extra RAM is not a big deal either if you plan to run only PT. If you want to have more applications running at the same time (what I don't think is a good idea) then you should get as much as you can, if you don't, then, get at least 172Mb of RAM and you should be good. And by the way, I'm not sure, but maybe, your SCSI controllers are hybrid... check with the manufacturer...

[ThomCat]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:<HR>Originally posted by Muzza:
If you want blinding HDD performance dont consider ATA66 or even 100, get a SCSI drive JUST for sound. You'll need a new SCSI Ultra160 controller but SCSI has a much higher transfer rate.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Sorry, I just can't let this pass. ATA100 (and probably even ATA66) is just fine for all but the most demanding multi-tracking. I've had a dog in this fight for quite a while now, and SCSI has proven to be more trouble than it's worth, and way over-priced. Expensive SCSI cards must be dumbed down to 20 MB/s with the 001 or you will get bus errors, and even that sustained throughput rate is fast enough for 75 24 bit 44.1 tracks. Moving up to a 15K Cheetah Ultra160 then would be like buying a Viper to drive in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

ATA should handle whatever throughput you need with ease. I get 46 tracks to a single 7200 RPM 76G IBM DeskStar on an ATA100 bus, and it has none of the issues that plague SCSI. There have been posts recently on the DUC of Quicksilver G4's getting 75 and 96 tracks using dual-bus ATA. SCSI is necessary for video but is overkill for multi-track audio.

What is the true bottle-neck for high track counts on a native DAW is primarily related to access time, not throughput, actually. (Faster procs and lotsa ram help even more.) Virtually all IDE drives are currently rated at 8.5, and that's proven to be fast enough, even though high-dollar SCSI drives do have faster access times.

I've done it both ways. ATA100 has proven to be fast enough and completely trouble-free. SCSI has proven to be expensive and riddled with problems, and though it has the potential to give higher track counts than I needed, never got there.

The only way I would consider using SCSI was if I needed a super-high track count, and then I would probably go to a Medea VideoRaid or something like that connected to an approved ATTO card. What makes that faster is not the SCSI bus throughput, its the raid, which doubles or quadruples, you guessed it, the access time. That's a couple of grand that thankfully I can put elsewhere. Like towards one of those Quicksilvers.

[kris whitten]

[QUOTE] [(SCSI is necessary for video but is overkill for multi-track audio.)

thomcat......... You are right. Except for the video thing. (unless of course it is UNCOMPRESSED video, and even then I know people who are using ATA drives)

DV uses 3.7 MB sec data transfer rate. Even firewire drives are usually 15-19mb/sec (with the correct bridge)

I say get yourself an ATA drive too !!!!!!!

[phamtec]

I have a vanilla G4 450 DP with DIGI001, and then 2 5400 RPM drives, one for audio and one for the rest (the extra drive is just an identical one to the one that ships with the Mac - a Quantum Fireball).

I have played back 10 tracks of audio with lot's of effects (compressor on 6 tracks, 3 or 4 EQ's, 2 delays, 1 Digi Reverb, Desser) without incident.

Didn't seem to be hammering the HD's particularly hard.

These are 24 bit sessions at 44KHz (why didn't I used 48? Not sure).

So you can get away without SCSI or even maybe even the normal IDE stuff in the mac at a pinch. A 7200 RMP drive would be sweet.