Mac Studio with PCIe (HD Native, UAD, Expansion Chassis, etc.)

[BLUElight AudioMedia]

I'm looking at possible system updates and I was hoping some of the good people here could share their experiences using Pro Tools 2023.6 and the Apple Mac Studio with PCIe devices, particularly HD Native PCIe, UAD PCIe, and older (technically unsupported) expansion chassis from companies like Sonnet, OWC, and others.

My current primary setup is an Intel Mac Mini with a Sonnect Echo II Express PCIe-> Thunderbolt chassis. Inside the chassis I'm using an HD Native PCIe card (Lynx Aurora N and Digi 192 converters) and a UAD Quad card. Everything is working fine but the computer is starting to hit its limits.

Avid claims to have fixed the issues that many people were experiencing with Mac Studio/PCIe setups but I haven't seen any real-world updates yet.

If you're using a Mac Studio with any of these PCIe devices, how's it going with 2023.6?

[JFreak]

HDN PCIe card is a hit and miss, and desupported already. Good card if you don't have too much trouble with it, but expect to upgrade to HDX so plan your chassis accordingly.

[sw rec]

Sonnet pci-e chassis with 2 m.2 drives and a UA Octo working perfectly on a Mac Studio MAX here.

[BLUElight AudioMedia]

Originally Posted by sw rec

Sonnet pci-e chassis with 2 m.2 drives and a UA Octo working perfectly on a Mac Studio MAX here.

Good to know, thanks for your input. Did you have issues before 2023.6?

[sw rec]

None. First install was 2022.12

[BLUElight AudioMedia]

Originally Posted by JFreak

HDN PCIe card is a hit and miss, and desupported already. Good card if you don't have too much trouble with it, but expect to upgrade to HDX so plan your chassis accordingly.

If the HDN card doesn't work I'll just convert the Lynx to Thunderbolt and use it with PT Ultimate that way, but would definitely prefer to be able to just plug everything in and go. I don't really need the extra HDX capabilities.

[JFreak]

Lynx (CoreAudio) and 192 (DigiLink) don't work together that way. It is either DigiLink or CoreAudio, both cannot be used at the same time.

[BLUElight AudioMedia]

Originally Posted by JFreak

Lynx (CoreAudio) and 192 (DigiLink) don't work together that way. It is either DigiLink or CoreAudio, both cannot be used at the same time.

I know, I'd have to sacrifice the 192 and HDN in that scenario. Not the end of the world (it's only used for occasional extra I/O) but would be a bummer.

[SaschaP]

Originally Posted by BLUElight AudioMedia

I'm looking at possible system updates and I was hoping some of the good people here could share their experiences using Pro Tools 2023.6 and the Apple Mac Studio with PCIe devices, particularly HD Native PCIe, UAD PCIe, and older (technically unsupported) expansion chassis from companies like Sonnet, OWC, and others.

My current primary setup is an Intel Mac Mini with a Sonnect Echo II Express PCIe-> Thunderbolt chassis. Inside the chassis I'm using an HD Native PCIe card (Lynx Aurora N and Digi 192 converters) and a UAD Quad card. Everything is working fine but the computer is starting to hit its limits.

Avid claims to have fixed the issues that many people were experiencing with Mac Studio/PCIe setups but I haven't seen any real-world updates yet.

If you're using a Mac Studio with any of these PCIe devices, how's it going with 2023.6?

I just finished setting up an M2 Mac Studio Ultra with HD Native / Omni. I have the HD Native, as well as a UAD Quad, and USB3 cards installed in an old TB2 Nestor 3 slot PCIe chassis.

Everything is running great on OS 13.4 / 2023.6.

FYI, those Nestor chassis represent a great value. 3 full length slots and silent. The are essentially OEM Magma EB3T Express Box's for less money.

[BLUElight AudioMedia]

Originally Posted by SaschaP

I just finished setting up an M2 Mac Studio Ultra with HD Native / Omni. I have the HD Native, as well as a UAD Quad, and USB3 cards installed in an old TB2 Nestor 3 slot PCIe chassis.

Everything is running great on OS 13.4 / 2023.6.

FYI, those Nestor chassis represent a great value. 3 full length slots and silent. The are essentially OEM Magma EB3T Express Box's for less money.

Great to hear, thanks for sharing your experience.