Macintosh PT Free and MacOS USB Audio

[N9YTY]

I'm tired of asking this, probably as tired as you, who remain unaffected, are of reading it.

Apple has chosen in all of their latest offerings to remove the Analog audio-input. This leaves USB (affordable) and FireWire (more pricey) as the only available options.

There are several low-cost ($35) options in the USB front, but none of them work with ProTools FREE. DAE yeilds error -32766.

So far, DigiDesign has not even commented on this issue, if they plan to fix it, or whatever......

I'm not sure WHY they released PT FREE, but if the intention was to have people use it and see how powerful it is, or as an adjunct (in my case) to a TDM system, it sure would be nice if we could actually USE IT on current model computers.

Thanks for listening.

[wager47]

i check this users' conference nearly every day for usb info.

my only computer is an ibook SE and i don't use LE or the pro version of PT. i got PTfree when it came out and have been messing with it since then ("...from other movie",MP3) and it's obviously great- i knew before trying it that pro tools is "the one."
but is it? are there other good DA recording systems that DO use usb? what about cubase?
what about the other PT versions? i know they have their own interfaces, but will they upgrade to usb? what if i decide i DO want to get the pro or LE versions- if i want to run it i need to buy another computer, too?

i know that digidesign and apple have been working together for quite a few years now, but apple is moving away from PCI. what is digidesign doing?
that's the thing- we don't know. tell us.


this topic has a better title than the last one. if you have usb information, leave it here.

thanks

[wager47]

hey N9YTY,

you seem to be about where i'm at, but you know a lot more than i do.

what about this tascam thing? there are some new posts today and the last few days that say it works for recording 2 tracks of digital audio via usb. i've already got a ua-30, should i try to sell it (to a pc owner?) and get a tascam 428 with its own working drivers, or wait?

are you thinking tascam?

thanks

[N9YTY]

I am also right on the verge of opting for money I didn't want to have to spend and getting a Tascam 428 unit myself.

It's a VERY nice unit, a bit overkill for myself because the type of work I do is mostly one instrument at a time, so the four simultaneous inputs is really lost on me, but it makes for a nice tool in the toolkit, and I'm sure I'll use it down the road.

Yes, the other post was right, as I said elsewhere, the Tascam works because they are not using the Apple USB Audio drivers, they wrote their own from the ground up, and so it works.

Me and my iBookSE may well have to invest in a Tascam to get anything done....

[kevboe1]

As far as the USB input thing goes, I don't know if it's worth waiting for Roland to create their own driver's. The reason the 428 works is cause Tascam created their own drivers (available now on their site) that enable the USB port to bring in audio to ProTools Free. I think it works better (as in four tracks of audio) with Cubase VST that the 428 comes with. Although, at 500 bucks, the 428 isn't that much off the $779.00 Digi001. I guess the only reason to go 428 is if you don't have the PCI slot. I'm a Cube owner, so that's my lot in life right now. Fortunately, I'm not recording anything, just mixing, so I don't have any problems right now. Anyway, the Tascam 428 works fine with ProTools Free, according to other posts. Check out the last five or ten posts under the other USB audio post for more info.

[mibm]

Did you get any solution?
I am trying to use an iMic in an iBook.
It works with Logic but not with Protools Free.
Please, let me know if you have learn something.

[breck00001]

This is only posted to prevent someone from wasting $200.00 of their hard earned money on the purchase of the Ego-Sys U2A USB audio interface for the mac for the purpose of using it with Pro Tools Free.

Tip of the Day:
Download the software first, read the documentation for known incompatibilities before buying your audio interface - the Ego-Sys U2A is specifically mentioned as being incompatible.

Suggestion to Digi Folks: Although the U2A was specifically mentioned in the documentation, I have read many accounts (I started at November 2000) of users being frustrated with the same problem of the Roland UA-30 NOT WORKING with Pro Tools Free, which is NOT mentioned in the documentation. Maybe you could think of this being brought to your attention as an opportunity to do the right thing and mention it specifically in the documentation. And while you are at it, maybe you can make your product work with modern mac computers which ONLY have USB and Firewire Audio inputs.

At first glance, i thought it was way cool that Digidesign made their software available free for mac users.

This is my first attempt to try to use any Dididesign product. And I must admit I find myself wondering - How do you expect to sell a product when you find increasing difficulty in giving it away?

USB and USB Audio are current industry standards. Geez, Let's get with it already.

Yes, that would be frustration you sense.

I am only one voice of many...
But who knows, maybe if you keep ignoring your customers, we will go away.

[kevboe1]

I have no idea if this will work at all, just something I was thinking about. If you're trying to use the iMic, have you switched your sound input in the sound control panel to use the mic? Or are you still on the CD input? I don't know if that's a totally stupid suggestion or not, just something I was thinking about.

[wager47]

yeah.

actually, i may be a little more accepting than the last letter. i have an iBook se and have been messing with PTfree for a few months now (with a UA-30- ha!). frustrating to say the least.
what i always end up telling myself is that it's free and i'm not a customer. of course digidesign is working on the products they have that people actually BUY (and buy hardware for).
their idea (i think) is for people to try it and like it and upgrade. well, how much longer can i mix acappella outkast from napster with the quicktime synth and koblo1000? i need to record.
i am NOT going to buy a PCI computer.

...so logic works?

i'm there.

i guess i'm not very accepting after all...

[desmondo99]

I am trying to remain optimistic that Digi's silence on the subject is at least meaningful in that they haven't outright decided *not* to address the issue.

Also, it might not be digi's problem at the root, it could be Apple, since Tascam's USB device (with its own USB driver) works (supposedly) with PT Free.

Digi's silence could be out of respect for Apple if they are trying to work on a cooperative solution to the problem.

Or Apple and Digi are both ignoring it entirely