I have a problem with.....

[soundasleep]

...my buggy 8.0.1 system. I have been following all the posts on plugs & preferences, and there is no solid solution or even work-around. Not only is it very unstable, now I find that this (8.0.1) is the last & final release to support my dual 2.5 G5 PPC. Trust me, if I'd have known that 8.x.x would be so lousy with stability & a plug-in Nazi (yet feature laden), I'd have stayed put with a Gibraltar-like 7.4. A nice little bulletin about this fact would've been GREAT to read BEFORE I bothered to begin the journey of upgrading to 8. Of course, I'm screwed in that I've upgraded to OSX 10.5.x, so I CAN'T go back, without a giant flaming-hoop-jumping clean re-install of Tiger. Yay. Pretty much a bad place to be left hanging. I certainly hope the plug-in conflicts are resolved for us PPC users with CS updates to 8.0.1 before I have to spend $10k to get where I already am on an Intel Mac, again. I have been very happy with Avid/Digi's progress for 10+ years, but this is a kick in the groin. Sorry to bring anyone down, but this situation feels like I'm over the proverbial barrel. Thanks.

[jeremyroberts]

I can help you.

1. ON a brand new hard drive, install OS 10.5 - take it to 10.5.8
2. Install PT8 - upgrade to 8.0.1
2b. DO NOT install any non-Digi branded plugins (yet) - if it is not installed by the PT8 installer, do not add anything. Make your install as virgin as possible.
3. Test your rig. Record, playback, punch. Add plugs, use them. Try to break it.
4. Add plugins, one at a time. HOWEVER, before you add a plug, verify with the manufacturer that the version is certified for PT8. Download fresh copies of anything you wish to install. If it's not certified for 8.0.1 and brand new, don't use it. (this may require contacting each developer and waiting for their answer -- a waste of time? Yeah. Do you want a stable system? What's it worth to you?)

You WILL NOT be able to use to old .dpm renaming trick for many older plugs
You WILL NOT be able to use some of your plugs without updating. I can't name you a single plugin developer who sends out compatibility emails. Not one. It's on US to seek out their websites and find the latest versions.

I am now going to say something that seems obvious, but in the PT8 world, it's not:

JUST BECAUSE IT WORKED IN VERSION 8.0cs3 DOES NOT MEAN that it will work in 8.0.1 -- most likely it was not compatible with 8.0cs3 but it got by without hurting anyone.

I did this on my G5/2.7DP and I have been rock solid. I had to give up or move some plugs to slave cpus. I had to update just about every plugin I own.

JUST BECAUSE it worked in version 7.x or 8.0cs3 is not a compatibility test for 8.0.1 - and in all fairness to Digi's compatibility grid, there are more than a few instances where a manufacturer has rolled out a later version. A good example of a compato grid is the snow leopard compatibility at Macintouch.

You are not over a barrel. You have to treat the 8.0 upgrade with fear. And act accordingly.

Start from scratch. New system drive. New OS. New installations of everything on your drive. EVERYTHING. if it isn't certified, don't even think of installing it.

If you do this, you have a chance at a stable rig.

I did. My rig has never been happier.

Am I pissed that [name your plugin] doesn't work anymore? Yeah -- it's an inconvenience -- but I knew this was going to happen eventually. It's software. No expectations of future compatibility.

I hope you can do a clean install of the OS and software an make your rig stable. DO NOT ADD NON-CERTIFIED plugins. Watch how fast your rig will start behaving.

Good luck.

[soundasleep]

Jeremy,
First of all - thanks - you just confirmed & outlined my upgrade process. Clean install of 10.5 - with mass update to 10.5.8. 4.5 gigs ram, all good. Clean install of PT8, blah-blah.
I did precisely your method, except I D/L all my 3rd party plugs from their respective manu's and went along as usual (I never expect a hitch-free update or install), didn't know about the "renaming .dpm" trick, so that's not an issue. 8.0 cs3 had the probs I'm having, and now 8.0.1 is having the same errors plus new ones, reported on the DUC.
I was VERY afraid (I waited MONTHS & did TONS of research), and even made a clone of my 10.4 boot disc so I could retro-actively work in 7.4, but this ceased to work when I actually upgraded the new drive to 10.5 (mystery never solved....). Losing plug-in capacity, on any level, is unacceptable, as revisions & recall of older sessions & previous mixes can really bite you HARD. Inter-compatibility is really the root of the problem.

BTW, my PT G5 rig ONLY runs PTs & SANmp (ICSI raid) - no iTunes, no Safari - no other software apps runs on this Mac. I am confused by the plug-in compatibility list you linked to - that list is for Snow Leopard, for which PTs isn't even certified?!?

[jeremyroberts]

Losing plug-in capacity, on any level, is unacceptable, as revisions & recall of older sessions & previous mixes can really bite you HARD.

Yes, Agreed. That's the REAL issue here. Especially VIs -- and of course, settings. Who actually saves presets of each plug's settings? I rarely do.

As for the macintouch compato link -- that is just an example of how a compato list SHOULD be -- with exact version numbers. The problem with the Digi link is that many plugs have later versions, and the versions on the list have already been superceeded.

I know this is not what you want to hear, but you probably have to run the plugin lister and post your plug list -

[soundasleep]

We are on the same page, brother.
Time to continue the good fight.
The 12" drop method doesn't work on plugs like it did the SP 2016.

[DigiTechSupt]

Did you compare your installed plug-in versions to the plug-in compatibility grid we publish here?:

http://digidesign.com/index.cfm?lang...n=news_details

You should be using the far right column to determine compatibility.

Have you also done all the General Troubleshooting steps, especially making sure that any audio drives are 'private' in Spotlight and that all background airport/wireless/bluetooth devices are disabled?

[DigiTechSupt]

The problem with the Digi link is that many plugs have later versions, and the versions on the list have already been superceeded.

The reason for this is because our list shows the minimum version required, not the latest version.

[studiojimi]

Originally Posted by jeremyroberts

Yes, Agreed. That's the REAL issue here. Especially VIs -- and of course, settings. Who actually saves presets of each plug's settings?

Does Digidesign....(the decision makers that is)

Do they "get" how important we think being able to pull up sessions from a few years back is to us?

Do they get it....or do they need enlightenment.

I'm very serious here.

I could never choose to move into new versions of PT on my own personal CD project as well as many clients because my passion in my own project and the money spent by my clients would have been much wasted.

[tripit]

Originally Posted by jeremyroberts

Yes, Agreed. That's the REAL issue here. Especially VIs -- and of course, settings. Who actually saves presets of each plug's settings? I rarely do.

I do. Learned the hard way. If you have a session that is likely to be recalled down the road (and which ones aren't?) saving the presets can really save your butt and a lot of time later. It doesn't take that long to do and you thank yourself for doing it. Granted, it shouldn't have to be this way, but in a fast moving software world...