Mac G4 1.25 Single Processor, AM3 card, can't find the card...

[DJTempo]

Macintosh G4, 1.25GHz, single processor, OS 9.2.1. Digidesign AudioMedia III PCI card with DigiSystem Init 3.4.2 and 5.0 (niether has worked). ATTO PCT SCSI-3 card, numerous drives.

When I try to launch Sound Designer, I get a window saying: Hardware Setup: Select Card Type, with "Audiomedia" listed and the check box blackened, but under "cards to use" it says "Card 1: none".

I've tried a number of DigiSytem Inits, the ones I figured would work being 3.4.2 and 5.0. Neither has allowed the Mac to see the card.

When I look at the Devices And Volumes tab of the Apple System Profiler window, it shows a "PCI Slot" for Slot 4 (I have the AM3 card in Slot 4), but it doesn't see it as the AM3 card.

I've been dreaming of setting up the fastest possible system for running Sound Designer as I do a LOT of 2-track editing. I finally took the dive and bought the 1.25GHz Mac a few weeks ago, but am starting to wonder if it's just not possible to get this Legacy Hardware to work on a "newer" Mac, even though I'm running OS 9.2.1.

Anyone have any thoughts?

Thanks...

Chip

[milesofwire]

Is the AMCC chip revision QC of QE? if it's a Q that is why it wont show up.

[John_Toolbox]

Does sound designer II actually work on OS9?

I seem to remember someone telling me that it only works with system 7 or maybe 8 at the latest. I'm not sure about that, my own personal experience only goes back to PTIII PCI/ OS9/PT 5.0.1.

[DJTempo]

If I'm reading the right number: S5933QC. So...?

re: John Toolbox: I've had SD 2.8.3 running under OS 9.1 on my old G3's (with the same card in question).

My reason for buying the 1.25GHz is that it is the fastest Mac available that will boot into OS9 (specifically 9.2 or later). SDII won't run under OSX (I don't think, anyone?), so I am trying to make do.

[DJTempo]

Just to be sure it wasn't the card, I put it back in a Beige G3 (233MHz, I think), running OS 9.1, Atto SCSI-3 card. Works fine. I'd had it in that CPU a while back, knew it worked there.

So... ?

[John_Toolbox]

The QC revision card should be fine as far as compatibility with the G4.

What you have is a software problem of some sort.

I know that mdd G4's used a special version of os 9.2 call "OS9 general"

There might be something different in that version that is causing an incompatibility.

First thing I would do is look at the extensions manager on your G3 and compare it to the set on your G4. Make sure the G4 has all of the extensions that the G3 has and that they are enabled. If that's good then start disabling any extensions on the G4 that the G3 doesn't have. Remember you need to restart for the changes to be effective.

I have never run into a piece of software that ran on OS 9.1 but did not run on OS 9.2, so I think you have a good chance of success getting this going.

[DJTempo]

I agree. Apple was very good about maintaining backwards compatibility with all their legacy products, up to the introduction of OS X.

My concern is that the 1.25 was the end of the line as far as OS9 compatibility went. I'm wondering if they hadn't pushed the 9 envelope so far that the "ultimate" OS9 machine was so advanced that it wasn't actually 100% compatible. Not to mention that Sound Designer was VERY processor/hardware intensive. It was integrated into the OS very tightly as it was having to provide fast processing on say, a 25MHz 030 machine (which was about the fastest available when it first came out). Being that is was designed to be so processor intensive, might it be that the advances of the 1.25 GHz G4 were inaccessible to Sound Designer?

I know I'm speaking entirely theoretically here, but I have to wonder if I'm not trying to get something to work that can't.

[Delta Music Belgium]

I still have (and use from time to time) my old Pro Tools 24 MIX rig, it is a Mac G4 Dual 1.25 GHz MDD (FW 400) + 2 GB RAM + ATTO UL2D. I have a Digidesign 13 slot expansion chassis conntected with a MIX Core + 3 x MIX Farm + 4 x SampleCell II TDM. I also have an AudioMedia III card + Miro DC30Plus inside the G4 + a MBox connected via USB.

I have a few different startup HD partions:

- with OS X 10.4.11 I use the Mbox with PT LE 7.4cs10

- with OS X 10.3.9 I use the Expansion Chassis with Mix hardware with PT 6.4.1cs4

- with OS 9.2.2 I use the Expansion Chassis with Mix hardware with PT 5.1.1cs1 or PT 5.1.3 (both DAE 5.1.1 + DSI 5.1), but I can't use Sounddesigner 2.8.3 with the Mix hardware

- with OS 9.2.2 (and the Expansion Chassis with Mix hardware is switched off), I use Sounddesigner 2.8.3 with AudioMedia III, it works like a charm (using the same DAE 5.1.1 + DSI 5.1)

My Audiomedia III card is in slot 3 of the Mac G4 Dual 1.25 GHz MDD, in the Digidesign Hardware Setup I choose 'Slot 3' and here I can control the Audiomedia III card

I hope this can help you a bit, it's just to show you what works...

[DJTempo]

OK, I'm guessing it's a hardware incompatibility with the G4 architecture. I took the AM3 card out of the 1.25GHz G4, and put it in my old 733MHz G4. I have the 9.2.2 OS and Sound Designer installed on an external SCSI-3 disk, so I can move it between machines easily enough. The older Blue&White G3 I connected it to ran Sound Designer just fine. Put the same external drive on the 733 or 1.25, and Sound Designer can't find the card.

Do any of the Digidesign guru's out there know of an incompatibility between the AudioMedia 3 card and the architecture of the 1.25GHz G4? If not... any other ideas?

I tried eliminating virtually all of the extensions that weren't necessary through the Extensions Manager Control Panel. As I mentioned earlier, I'm booting off an external drive so I can make changes that will follow through to whatever machine I happen to connect the drive to.

HELP!?!?!?

[Delta Music Belgium]

I have never known about any hardware incompatibility between an AM III and the G4 architecture, I have serviced all of the different types of G4's (PCI/AGP/DA/Quicksilver/MDD) with an AM III (and/or PT III/PT24/PT24 MIX) in the past, so I'm certain it should work. In the compato doc's on the Digidesign website you can also read your G4 1.25 GHz is supported (see here)

I'm 99,9% sure your problem is a software problem, you use a HD from your B/W G3 as a start-up disk for a G4 with all the preferences, etc... for your B/W G3 present. When you do that, once your G4 did launch you should trash at least the DAE preferences + your Digisetup (very important) and do a restart. The DSI should do a search for your AM III and maybe it will be selectable again.

Btw, when you install PCI cards in a G4 it is always a good idea to zap the PRAM afterwards, maybe this can help too, especially if there is a SCSI accelerator card involved