How to safely upgrade from OSX 10.11.6 to 10.12. or 10.13.x?

[sähkö]

Hello,

my PT system consists of a late 2012 MacBook Pro with 16GB and 1TB SSD, running OSX 10.11.6 and an RME FireFace 400 with recent drivers, I have just renewed to PT 18.7.0.201 after using my PT 12 from late 2015 onwards. My projects open fine and I have detected no audio problems after upgrading to PT 2018.

To ensure OS compatibility with folks I work with, I am looking forward to upgrade my OS to at least 10.12.6 or 10.13.3. I am getting mixed research results on which OS version of those two is to be preferred with PT 18.7.0.201. What is the consensus on this most recent PT version and OS X, which OS version should I aim for?

On behalf of High Sierra 10.13.x, I could only find the option to directly upgrade to 10.13.6. I have read rather mixed or negative feedback to High Sierra > 10.13.3 so I don't feel inclined to jump directly to 10.13.6.

What are your recommendations?
Thanks, S.

[xrekcor]

I have been running PT2018.7 since it came out seems pretty solid to me so far. the buffer errors have pretty much gone albeit it the odd one I might get every few days. that seemed to be more of an issue with PT2018.4

My sys is listed in my signature. I have to say I'm pretty impressed with PT having used a few other DAWs.

[JFreak]

The only safe upgrade is cloning your old system drive, wiping it clean, start from scratch. Oh, and welcome to the community

[sähkö]

Originally Posted by xrekcor

I have been running PT2018.7 since it came out seems pretty solid to me so far. the buffer errors have pretty much gone albeit it the odd one I might get every few days. that seemed to be more of an issue with PT2018.4

Originally Posted by JFreak

The only safe upgrade is cloning your old system drive, wiping it clean, start from scratch. Oh, and welcome to the community

Thank you both, and thanks for your warm welcome, I appreciate your answers Having grown old with a family of my own, I feel less and less experimental when it comes about the latest greatest version of Anything™, and try to stick with a reliable version as long as reasonably possible. May I take that as a do a clean install and go for it with 10.13.6? Please excuse my insistence on this subject, why does Avid explicitly mentions 10.13.3 as the official requirement, mind you, as 10.13.6 is the current iteration of High Sierra?

[musicman691]

Originally Posted by sähkö

Thank you both, and thanks for your warm welcome, I appreciate your answers Having grown old with a family of my own, I feel less and less experimental when it comes about the latest greatest version of Anything™, and try to stick with a reliable version as long as reasonably possible. May I take that as a do a clean install and go for it with 10.13.6? Please excuse my insistence on this subject, why does Avid explicitly mentions 10.13.3 as the official requirement, mind you, as 10.13.6 is the current iteration of High Sierra?

10.13.3 is the officially supported/compatible revision of OSX because that's what Avid has tested and completely works with PT. 10.13.6 may be the current revision of HS but Avid hasn't completed qualification testing with it.

As to OSX updates - as long as you're staying within the same family (High Sierra for instance) just grab the combo updater from Apple. There's no need to wipe the drive and start from a clean drive. Only do that if you are going from something like Sierra to High Sierra for instance. Never do an in-situ change installing HS in the example I'm mentioning over an older oSX. It may be the Apple Way but it's been widely known to cause weird issues. Just like using Migration Assassin to bring programs over - install them from clean.

A clone of your system drive is always a good thing to have in any case so when things go sour you have a way to get back to working with a known-good setup.

[xrekcor]

Yeah what he/she said.

[JFreak]

High Sierra introduced the new filesystem (APFS) and you should only do clean install, period.

[musicman691]

Originally Posted by JFreak

High Sierra introduced the new filesystem (APFS) and you should only do clean install, period.

You don't have to use APFS as I understand it.

[TNM]

Originally Posted by musicman691

You don't have to use APFS as I understand it.

for the os drive you do. (unless it's a fusion drive).

[musicman691]

Originally Posted by TNM

for the os drive you do. (unless it's a fusion drive).

Or a spinner. Believe it or not there are people still on spinners. And those that make safety clones to spinners.