Using an HD Native Thunderbolt w/ the new Macs??

[Eric Lambert]

These HD Native Thunderbolt boxes are Thunderbolt 2 and use the TB2 connector (I suppose some call it mini displayport). The new Macs have USB-C ports. You can see where this is going...

I'd initially thought that I could use Apple's basic TB2-to-USB-C adapter, but I noticed in the fine print that this adapter doesn't work with certain displays, namely those with Displayports. This got me wondering if this adapter would work with the Avid HD Native Thunderbolt box.

Does anyone know? Cutting to the chase, what is the absolute best option for connecting TB2 to USB-C? It's the MacStudio Ultimate that I have in mind, if that helps. They do have a different type of connector on the front, if that weights into the equation.

This is the adapter in question: https://www.apple.com/shop/product/M...duct-MMEL2AM/A

[Darryl Ramm]

It should work fine, PCIe over Thunderbolt foo is relatively simple. Many many people here use these Apple Thunderbolt 3 to 2 adapters with the Thunderbolt Native box.

The display warning you are worrying about is not relevant here. Thunderbolt 1 and 2 used a Displayport connector instead of the USB-C connector used in Thunderbolt 3 and 4. All the warning is pointing out is even though the connector look the same you can't plug this Thunderbolt adapter into an actual Displayport port and expect it to work. And what is going on with display over Thunderbolt is different to PCIe data over Thunderbolt.

But note that one user on DUC reporting having problems with Native on a Mac Studio with a Lynx interface (which may or may not be relevant) on the Mac Studio, not clear of the cause: https://duc.avid.com/showthread.php?t=419428 another user in that same thread reporting Native runs fine. And we are maybe getting off track there with HD native PCIe vs. HD Native thunderbolt.

[Eric Lambert]

Fantastic. Thx Darryl!

[iode131]

I find myself in a similar conundrum.
I just got a Thunderbolt HD Native to use with a new M1 mac mini. Got the same recommended USB-C-to-TB2 adapter from Apple and performed all the required setup steps, including the Security ones. I'm confident all is well on the software side.

But the box will not turn on. Dead. No power led, no show in PT, no show in MacOS System Report.

My question is: I got a Mini DisplayPort cable in the box, not a Thunderbolt cable. Could that be the issue?

Thanks

[JFreak]

M1 needs native drivers. You need to wait until PT is Apple Silicon native software w/drivers.

[Darryl Ramm]

Originally Posted by JFreak

M1 needs native drivers. You need to wait until PT is Apple Silicon native software w/drivers.

What? No.

Avid has had Apple Silicon HD Driver support available for some time. This does not require all the Pro Tools application software to be Apple silicon native, just the HD Driver.... which was done a while ago... how do you think all the other users talking about running HD Native and HDX with Apple Silicon systems get their stuff to work?