Anyone running Pro Tools on an M1 with Monterey?

[DEliker]

Anyone have any experience testing Pro Tools on new Mac M1 machines running Monterey?

New systems shipping with Monterey equipped can't be downgraded to Big Sur.

Considering a backup for my 2018 MacBook Pro.

[Ben Jenssen]

Originally Posted by DEliker

Anyone have any experience testing Pro Tools on new Mac M1 machines running Monterey?
New systems shipping with Monterey equipped can't be downgraded to Big Sur.
Considering a backup for my 2018 MacBook Pro.

You mean M1 Pro and M1 Max, right?
Because regular M1 macs can be downgraded to Big Sur, even if they shipped with Monterey.

[DEliker]

Hi Ben,

An M1.
To be more clear, I'd actually bought this unit (see screenshot) and was just setting up the other day when I realized it came with Monterey installed instead of Big Sur as listed. Sweetwater has since corrected the listing to 'Mac OS' after I notified them.

Several calls to Apple techs told me I can't downgrade this machine to Big Sur. They'd checked the serial number so I'd figured they were right.

I was debating holding onto it but wondering if it's worth it. Reading yesterday about the rumored Apple March release that might see the Mac mini adding 2 additional USB-C ports and scalable to 64GB of unified RAM, I'm thinking I should just return it and wait it out a month or two. Why stick with a 2020 machine with less ports and 16GB RAM max?

Who knows, maybe AVID will clear Monterey by then. No telling how close they are.

I'm pressing because my 2018 MacBook Pro may need service and it's under warranty until June. Was trying to avoid a work disruption.

[Ben Jenssen]

There is no question in my mind; a Mini or imac with an M1 processor, a so-called 2020 model, originally shipped with Big Sur, and can therefore be downgraded to Big Sur, even if it comes w/Monterey. I did it with a mac mini last week, it came new with Monterey.
Lots of details here:
PT 2020.12 on M1 w/Big sur

Max and Pro can not run Big Sur.

You're not the first person to have service persons say that you can't downgrade. Says a lot about the quality of sales/support personnel nowadays.
(Often they are to young to know how we used to switch between boot disks and OS versions in earlier days.)
Example here:
Is an M1 iMac enough for ProTools?
Check out the last couple of posts.

How you want to proceed, I don't know, and I can't advice, but personally I think that we're still very early in the apple silicon transition, and that PT is far away from native ARM code. That's why I've found that a regular M1 mac dispite it's "limitations" is going to be fine for me for at least a year. It is actually the most powerful mac I ever owned. Also I think the next generation is going to be much more expensive.

I have actually seen reports of people successfully running PT2021 on Monterey, and now that they seem to be ironing out the big early bugs in Monterey, it might be worth a try. PT works great on Big Sur for me.

[strawb]

all of us 2022 MacBook Pro/Max people just sittin on our hands waitin for avid PT monterey support. stupifying that you can buy a brand new macbook pro & PT ultimate subrscription & not have full PT compatibility. get on it avid.

[sauna-l]

Indeed ! Pro Tools is the one and only app I can't use on my new MBP. Not the easiest to adapt to new technology I guess, but still ...
Something tells me that Avid may have fired part of its historical code knowledge along with some technical/programming staff some years ago, and we're paying for that.
In fact we're still stuck with PT for many (good) reasons, but this inability to adapt, along with their absolute lack of (real time) support, which is definitely unacceptable, makes more and more professionnals look elsewhere. They'd better have strengthen their technical teams and skills than organize some fancy Las Vegas conventions (for what?)

[K Roche]

M1 no,,M1 Pro chip Yes .
I have been doing some limited testing of PT Ultimate 2021.12,,,on my new MBP M1Pro chip machine.......
It opens and works fine (albeit) only with the normal selection of bundled plugins.
I have not even tried to download my Complete Plug In bundle as I understand it is not yet functional. I have not downloaded my third party plugs (yet) although I know some are working ..

It works as expected (Except) I can't rename busses from the send buttons, ? I have to go into the I/O and rename them ) not sure why ..
Of course my studio machine is a 2020 iMac still on Catalina , so I am not having to rely on the MPB, and frankly given all the fore warning posted here I am confused why someone would put themselves in that position and of having to wait for Avid, if they somehow feel they "need" the Complete Bundle . ?
So looks like "sitting on hands" is more or less a self inflicted situation, and "can't use" is functionally inaccurate. It is in fact functioning and usable, if somewhat limited in overall plugin selection.

[DEliker]

Thanks for the links, Ben.

I actually went ahead and dropped it at FedEx yesterday. So maybe I pulled the trigger early on the return.

But I have a lead on a different Mac mini unit that's Intel-based with 64GB RAM at half the cost. At least I know I can take it up to Big Sur.

One crucial AAX plug-in for me that absolutely has to work is Source-Connect link, as I do distance voice over work.

Just got off a call with them and they said to absolutely avoid Monterey if at all possible because the link plug-in isn't compliant yet. They're about 4-6 months out from a new version that will work. He believes Apple may be being shifty in steering people to Monterey. He agrees that the M1 unit should be able to downgrade, but they have an interest in not being helpful there.

And all I can do is agree with the other comments about AVID. Such a prolific company should be able to be much more ahead of the curve, and these shortcomings have been evident for years.

[K Roche]

Originally Posted by DEliker

Thanks for the links, Ben.

I actually went ahead and dropped it at FedEx yesterday. So maybe I pulled the trigger early on the return.

But I have a lead on a different Mac mini unit that's Intel-based with 64GB RAM at half the cost. At least I know I can take it up to Big Sur.

One crucial AAX plug-in for me that absolutely has to work is Source-Connect link, as I do distance voice over work.

Just got off a call with them and they said to absolutely avoid Monterey if at all possible because the link plug-in isn't compliant yet. They're about 4-6 months out from a new version that will work. He believes Apple may be being shifty in steering people to Monterey. He agrees that the M1 unit should be able to downgrade, but they have an interest in not being helpful there.

And all I can do is agree with the other comments about AVID. Such a prolific company should be able to be much more ahead of the curve, and these shortcomings have been evident for years.

woah gotta call ya on this

Yes Avid has always been slow to qualify new OS's where significant recoding is involved or new processor architecture, and as I noted given that history, most of complaints are objectively, self inflicted by the customer themselves jumping the gun .

Interesting and a bit hypocritical that you seem to be blaming Source Connect's "shortcomings" on Apple Yet blame Avid's exact same "shortcomings" on Avid ...... If Avid's short comings of slow compliance are Avid's fault, then Source Connects slow compliance is SC's fault.

Too bad about Source Connect but it is in fact their "shortcomings" of being slow to be compliant ..
And given iMovie , Garageband, Logic and Final Cut Pro X et. al. bundled Apple apps work fine on Monterey As well as an entire slew of 3 party apps and plug ins ... Apple is hardly being "Shifty" simply because of Source Connect's "short comings" in reaching compliance ?

[audiolex1]

Originally Posted by DEliker

Thanks for the links, Ben.

I actually went ahead and dropped it at FedEx yesterday. So maybe I pulled the trigger early on the return.

But I have a lead on a different Mac mini unit that's Intel-based with 64GB RAM at half the cost. At least I know I can take it up to Big Sur.

One crucial AAX plug-in for me that absolutely has to work is Source-Connect link, as I do distance voice over work.

Just got off a call with them and they said to absolutely avoid Monterey if at all possible because the link plug-in isn't compliant yet. They're about 4-6 months out from a new version that will work. He believes Apple may be being shifty in steering people to Monterey. He agrees that the M1 unit should be able to downgrade, but they have an interest in not being helpful there.

And all I can do is agree with the other comments about AVID. Such a prolific company should be able to be much more ahead of the curve, and these shortcomings have been evident for years.

The massively Big difference here is the new Chips, and there are going to be some growing pains.

Many things can run via Rosetta 2, but Pro Tools isn't there yet.

You have two options, get the latest and wait (like I did. 3k laptop I've opened 3 times) or get a previous gen that will run Big Sur be it an Intel or M1 2020.
If you need something now to do your work, get the latter. If you don't mind waiting, get the M1 Pro. Because it will be compatible, probably by summer and you will at least be ahead of the game.

Remember when Apple switched from Power PC to Intel. That was a whole thing too.

Apple has been changing OS's every year for the last 6 years I believe and it is annoying. One thing every Apple user can do is call and complain that every new release means their software doesn't work for 6-9 months to sometimes a year and at least 1 version back compatibility would mean more people would buy but as most companies, they already have the next 5 years laid out.

There is rumor that Apple might release a Mac mini M2 that will be closer to the MBP's in terms of cores and RAM. Could be the March event or the summer event. But rumors can be dispelled because of QC issues or testing issue setting releases back.

I suspect now that Apple is for the most part completely "in house", I suspect compatibility with in a release might become more of possibility but that is just conjecture.
Apple wants people upgrading.

I'm a VERY slow upgrader. I only recently just got an iPhone 13 from a 6s. I still use a 5,1 with a Metal GPU and expansion with USB3.2 and all is good.

I'll just buy in preparation and test until it is there. I considered the Mac Pro but considering it will be obsolete sooner then even an M2 mini, I'll get the mini and upgrade to a tower when they come.

Cheers