Installation Set Up /split for ProTools and Plugins on a new Mac Book Pro

[Patill]

Hello,

I just bought a MacBook Pro with M3 Max Chip and 36 GB RAM. I wonder if you still have to consider splitting installation /recording locations like you had to when using HDDs.

When installing ProTools and PlugIns like East West Symphonic Orchestra, what would be the best way to install those? Do they all go on the internal SSD or should I use an external SSD for PlugIns?

Same thing for recording? Macs are pretty capable these days (my old one is from 2008), I´ve always been recording to a separate SSD since it was recommended for HDDs 20 years ago I wonder if it´s still the case to split paths.

Thanks.

[Patill]

Second question:

I usually wanted to avoid switching versions, since everything is in the range of compatibility at the moment...I´ve been using ProTools 2019.6.0 all the time but now it says that it would need Rosetta to boot.

Is it worth to buy the latest PT version to use it with the Apple M3Max Chip?


Really sorry for these stupid questions. I´m upgrading my gear about every 10 years, dealing with compatibility issues you really don´t want to face...I really hope this will be the last time to upgrade before I die when I´m done here I'll just leave everything as is (and not bothering you with this) and will die in peace after a loooong time of fun

[Darryl Ramm]

All this stuff has been discussed to death on many threads on DUC. You should be using Google to find stuff with the site:duc.avid.com qualifier. And this stuff should have been worked though before getting your new Mac.

You need to be on 2022.12 or later to get native Apple Silicon support (vs. running under Rosetta, get on native). I would get on the latest PT release. Including maybe if you have time to check stuff out, the new release that is likely to drop soon.

You should be aware that currently Sonoma is not supported, although many of us are using it. Be aware of the known issues: https://avidtech.my.salesforce-sites...tibility-Chart

You need to look though all your plugins and make sure they are up to date and have native Apple Silicon native AAX ports (not just fuzzy claims of "compatible" with Apple Silicon). You may need to purchase upgrades to get on versions with this. Use Pete Gates' PT Pref tool to scan plugins and see what ones you have are x64 only or Universal (x64 plus Apple Silicon).

With super-fast internal PCIe/NVMe (and separately disk cache if used) there has not been any need to separate disk usage for a decade or so now. You can put everything on the internal SSD, OS, session, samples. And doing so is often better/faster than moving some of that to slower, and in some cases stupidly slow, external drives. The decisions are largely how much space there is on the internal SSD and your preferences in how things are laid out for convenience, maybe portability, or backup/recovery reasons. But the driver here is *not* some old dead rule that no longer apples, and can do more harm than good. I have long encourage folks to pay the extra Apple SSD tax and run as much as possible internally. Especially for portable/transportable use I want to avoid less reliable external HDD/SSD connections.

And if you do put stuff on external SSD, buy quality SSD drives (esp. from Samsung) and you have responsibility to manage these properly, starting with checking the bloody firmware is up to date: https://duc.avid.com/showthread.php?t=425632. And if you want fast external SSDs that are within close multiples of the internal SSD performance you need PCIe/NVMe SSDs in Thunderbolt docks or expansion chassis and that can be some work to set up depending on what you want to do. Most folks don't *need* this fast PCIe/NVMe external storage, but I love having lots of that available.

[Darryl Ramm]

And 2023.4 just dropped with official Sonoma support. As with any new release you should watch DUC for the next weeks for reports of issues. But I'd suggest just getting on that while you sort out plugins and other stuff, you can always roll back Pro Tools.

[Tweakhead]

The Avid "all documents" link leads to the old version.
Here is the correct link for 2024.3 Documents:
https://resources.avid.com/SupportFi...3_Docs_ALL.zip

[marianna]

Originally Posted by Tweakhead

The Avid "all documents" link leads to the old version.
Here is the correct link for 2024.3 Documents:
https://resources.avid.com/SupportFi...3_Docs_ALL.zip

Might be because the deployment is not completed yet.

We are checking.
Marianna

[Patill]

Originally Posted by Darryl Ramm

I would get on the latest PT release. Including maybe if you have time to check stuff out, the new release that is likely to drop soon.

Thanks for this in depth explaination. Really great. By this quote you mean the 2023.4 release you mentioned or is there going to be a new one, soon?


I will update my Plugins one again then...seems it´s not gonna bee too much this time, since I´ve already done it last time.


What I couldn´t find is the Silicon Support for East West Symphonic Orchestra, their website doesn´t seem to give valuable information. I´ll contact them and hope it´s gonna work.

[Darryl Ramm]

Originally Posted by Patill

Thanks for this in depth explaination. Really great. By this quote you mean the 2023.4 release you mentioned or is there going to be a new one, soon?

I meant 2023.4 that is rolling out right now.

I will update my Plugins one again then...seems it´s not gonna bee too much this time, since I´ve already done it last time.

Make sure you have the latest free PT Prefs 2 app from Pete Gates and just run it now and check for any x64 only plugins. Learn how to use it *now* to look at plugins. It also gives you plugin versions that might help you check if you have the latest from different vendors, but either way check that as well. But the single most important thing you can have is PT Prefs 2 and if plugins don't show up for you in Pro Tools on Apple Silicon the first thing to do is check them with PT Prefs 2.

What I couldn´t find is the Silicon Support for East West Symphonic Orchestra, their website doesn´t seem to give valuable information. I´ll contact them and hope it´s gonna work.

There are multiple threads on DUC about native silicon plugin support esp. this one: https://duc.avid.com/showthread.php?t=415770&page=82 I am sure EW has been mentioned many times on DUC, and it's pretty clear on their website they support Apple Silicon on Opus. So you may need to upgrade, but I'm not an EW user, would not know their stuff if it bit me, you can search around yourself for more info.

Also note and tables of supported plugins on Avid (https://avidtech.my.salesforce-sites...-Compatibility) and on Production Expert (https://www.production-expert.com/ap...tibility-guide). Both lists are useful, and both have issues, so if in doubt confirm stuff ideally with vendors and always by checking with PT Prefs 2.

[originalscottyg]

Just to clarify, it's 2024.3, not 2023.4.

[smurfyou]

You can split your internal drive with a separate Volume for your VI samples etc... It's like an easy virtual partition. It shows up as a separate drive but the space is shared dynamically. I like it because it keeps things organized how I like and it also helps me segregate the backups between system data and "other".