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Running ProTools Free 3.4 on Older Macs
Installation
Notes and Tips
System
Test Results
Written
By: Adam Rosen
Last Update: September 1998
ProTools
v3.4 Digital Audio Workstation software was released on CD-ROM free
of charge by Digidesign as a promotional effort in 1997. It is an older
but fully-functional 16-track version of the program. Pro Tools v3.4
was only approved for use with some PCI-based PowerMacs, but it is possible
to run the program on many older Macs, both Nubus and PCI models, by
performing a simple manual installation.
This
page does not contain information on running ProTools Free 5.01
Installation
- Download a copy of the ProTools
3.4 application and all necessary extensions (Stuffit archive).
- After unstuffing the archive, copy the "Digidesign" folder on the CD to
your hard disk. The ProTools application with supporting
files is located inside the "Digidesign" folder. Next
run the appropriate DAE/DSI installer (DAE = Digidesign Audio Engine,
DSI = Digisystem INIT) to place the necessary extensions in your
System Folder.
If you have a PCI Mac use DAE/DSI
v3.01. If you have a Nubus Mac use DAE/DSI
v3.11.
- If you have
a Digidesign card in your Mac these items are all you will need.
If you have a PowerMac, a PowerPC-based Performa or a PowerPC-based
PowerBook, you can also run ProTools in native Powermix mode with
no audio cards required. To do this, you need the DAE Extension
"DAE Powermix" to be installed on your system. This is
typically installed by the DAE/DSI installer automatically. The
installed file-folder structure is as follows:
"System Folder"
"DAE Folder"
"DAE Extensions"
"DAE
Powermix" (file)
For PCI machines running DAE/DSI v3.01, use DAE Powermix" v1.1.1
For Nubus systems running DAE/DSI 3.11, use "DAE Powermix"
v1.1.2
- Before trying
to use ProTools in Powermix mode for the first time you need to
make sure that the Playback Buffer Size is set appropriately in
the DAE application. To do this, run the DAE application by itself
(located inside the System Folder) without running ProTools, and
choose "Set Playback Buffer Size" from the File menu.
Set this to the highest possible value, quit DAE, then relaunch
ProTools.
- Remember this
is an unsupported hack (although a tested and well documented one);
running ProTools v3.4 on any unqualified Mac is not an approved
or supported practice by Digidesign.
Notes and Tips
- Combinations
other than those specified on this page may work, but I have not
seen information about anything other than what is listed. You should
always use the same version number of DAE and DSI. Mixing and matching
may work but will likely be unstable. Stability may vary between
machines and setups. Increasing the number of simultaneous tracks
used in Powermix mode may increase the likelihood of a crash. Your
mileage may vary.
- If you have
a 68K Mac you must have a Digidesign audio card installed
to use ProTools. If
you have a PowerPC machine you can run the software either on a
Digidesign card (if available) or in Powermix mode. If you
do not have a Digidesign card you must have a Powermac to use ProTools.
The file "DAE Powermix" is only required for Powermix
mode operation.
- Track count
varies by hardware available. Track count should be the same for
any given Digi card (e.g., Audiomedia II or Sound Tools II)
regardless of what machine it's in: an Audiomedia II will support
4 tracks, period. Powermix mode can support up to a certain
number of tracks, depending on machine. There is no guarantee that
any particular system can provide this performance. Optimizing drives,
using a lean system folder and minimizing SCSI traffic can improve
performance for native processing software. This is true on Nubus
or PCI machines.
- Powermix normally
uses the Mac's stereo mini jack for I/O tasks. It
is possible to run ProTools in Powermix mode while simultaneously
using an installed Digi card for input/output via the Apple Sound
Manager. For System 7 or Mac OS 8 you will need to have the Digidesign
Sound Drivers extension installed; after restart
go to the Sound Control Panel and choose your Digi card under the
Sound In and Sound Out options. Digidesign Sound Drivers are incompatible
with Mac OS 9, the Digidesign
Control Panel should be used instead.
On some systems, recording via the Sound Manager (using the Digi
card to record while operating in Powermix mode) crashes the system;
this is not unusual as it is not a supported configuration. The
docs for ProTools recommend running in one mode or the other, with
no emphasis on using the Sound Manager for redirection.
Important: the Monitors and Sound Control Panel doesn't
recognize the Digi Sound Drivers, so you'll need to use the older
Sound Control Panel instead; if it isn't already installed
on your system, it can usually be found in the Apple Extras folder.
- If you're having
problems getting Powermix mode to work at all under Mac OS 9, one
user reported success by first switching to OS 8.5 to get things
setup:
"When I saw the documentation about Pro Tools not running
on OS 9 I was disappointed. But I'm a try anything kind of guy,
so I broke out my Backup OS CD and reinstalled 8.5 as a clean install.
Sure enough, Pro tools worked. Then, just for kicks, I switched
back to OS 9 and the whole thing worked!"
- Another user
reported having difficulties bouncing interleaved stereo Sound Designer
II files using a 7100/80AV and the Session 8 with 882 interface
(the problem did not occur on a Centris 650 with the Session 8/882):
"One bug I have found is that when bouncing to disk no scaling/interleaved
SDII file the program becomes very unstable and the system must
be rebooted. This is with OS 8.0. Symptoms of instability include
tracks playing back at wrong pitch speed, bounced files consist
of a few seconds of audio looped for a duration = the length of
the song. The workaround is to bounce to a split stereo file, no
scaling. I'm pretty sure that the bounce problem is specific to
the project card. I think I've bounced interleaved files off of
my Audiomedia II card without problems."
- Some people
have reported that when switching the Playback Engine between an
installed Digi card (e.g., Audiomedia II) and Powermix mode,
the Digi card doesn't always show up as an available resource. Quitting
ProTools, trashing the DigiSetup file, then restarting ProTools
usually fixes the problem.
- Many Macs are
much faster than systems around when v3.4 was developed, so sometimes
excessive speed becomes a problem. One user mentioned this problem
and fix for unwieldy scroll bars on his iMac:
"I reported a couple of months ago using Protools 3,4 (16
tracks) with an iMac 400 DV. The only problem I had was the scroll
bar which was going really too fast and was difficult to control.
I found a solution with a little shareware which makes it possible
to adjust the speed of the scroll bar. It is called Smart
Scroll and works perfectly with Mac OS 9,04 and Protools
3,4."
- A little experimentation
might help if things aren't working. Several readers have reported
success using this tip involving changing the "ver" resource
of DAE, which fools ProTools into thinking it has the software it
needs:
"I was surprised to hear that someone else got this going
on a nubus mac, especially since you did it a little differently
than I did. I took a version of DAE I had laying around (version
2.95, I believe), and changed the "ver" string with ResEdit to the
version that ProTools was looking for. Just like that, rock-solid
ProTools on a power 120! 16 stable tracks w/7200 RPM drive. NO crashes
whatsoever. However, my SoundTools 1 card(!) which works fine with
Sound Designer II (if QuickTime is turned off) in the Power 120
crashes immediately if selected in ProTools."
Another notes how overclocked machines can be configured at the
'Gestalt' level:
"I've tested your Pro Tools installation successfully on
a overclocked 6100/80. You have to use "Wish I Were" to
change the "Gestalt" to a 6100/60 or 6100/66. With this
modification I have 8 tracks available."
- Skips in audio
playback may be a sign that a disk is too slow or too fragmented
to support audio recording. To achieve the most efficient track
throughput, use a dedicated drive for audio files which doesn't
contain the System Folder or any applications. Defragmenting or
reinitializing the drive before a new recording session is also
a good idea. These problems are common to Powerbook users, who should
consider using an external drive with their system for best performance.
Partitioning a slow disk won't solve access problems, a situation
which can arise when both a program (ProTools) and the operating
system need to access a disk simultaneously, or you attempt to play
back too many tracks at once from a single drive. Two partitions
are still physically on the same disk, so the need for the hardware
to find two things at once hasn't gone away. Partitioning can help
with fragmentation problems, since you can limit your audio work
to one partition and keep general computer stuff in another.
- If you're trying
to launch ProTools in Powermix mode with no Digi hardware installed
and you receive an error that a resource is not installed or
possibly in use by another application, you may need to adjust
the Playback Buffer Size setting in DAE. The default configuration
of DAE after installation assumes a Digi card is present, and if
one isn't present you receive an error unless you've first prepared
the system to use Powermix.
To fix this, run the DAE application itself (located inside the
System Folder) without running ProTools and choose "Set Playback
Buffer Size" from the File menu. Change this to the highest
possible value, quit DAE, then relaunch ProTools. If things still
do not work, try swapping the version of the "DAE Powermix"
file that you are using on your system (from v1.1.1 to v1.1.2, or
vice versa).
- According to
one user, ProTools v3.4 supports TDM functionality if you have an
authorizer disc:
"I am using protools 3.4 on a PPC 8100/100 AV. I found that
if you can get a tdm authorizer disk ( I use a tdm 1.1 installer
set) you only need to authorize the hd to use tdm with ProTools
3.4. It works with dae´s higher than 2.95 too (3.41 here).
Its my choice cause I can use the digidesign R1 controller for volume
editing and transport easyfication (Protools 4.0 and higher doesn't
support the R1)."
System
Test Results
Pro
Tools v3.4 will run on Mac OS versions up through 9.2.2
this version will not run in Classic mode under Mac OS X
•
Supported Systems
These
combinations are officially supported by Digidesign for ProTools v3.4
Powermix:
- 9600/9600mp
(up to 233MHz): Powermix mode or Audiomedia III
- 9500/9500mp
(all speeds: Powermix mode or Audiomedia III
- 8600mp (up
to 200MHz): Powermix mode or Audiomedia III
- 8500 (all speeds):
Powermix mode or Audiomedia III
- 8200 (all speeds):
Powermix mode or Audiomedia III
- 7500 (all speeds):
Powermix mode or Audiomedia III
- 7200 (all speeds):
Powermix mode or Audiomedia III
- Performa 6400
(all speeds): Powermix mode or Audiomedia III
- PowerTower
Pro (all speeds): Powermix mode or Audiomedia III
- PowerCenter
(all speeds): Powermix mode or Audiomedia III
- UMAX s900L
(all speeds): Powermix mode or Audiomedia III
- Powerbook 3400
(all speeds): Powermix mode only
For the daring (and frugal) among us, here
are the results people have reported using ProTools v3.4 on their unsupported
machines:
•
Unsupported NuBus Systems
- 8100/250 (G3
card) in Powermix mode: runs, 16 tracks available
- 8100/110 with
Audiomedia II: runs, 4 tracks available
- 8100/110 in
Powermix mode: runs, 8 tracks tested (more likely available)
- 8100/100 with
Audiomedia II: runs, 4 tracks available
- 8100/100 in
Powermix mode: runs, 16 tracks offered
- 8100/80 with
ProTools 442: won't launch, DAE Error -9024
- 8100/80 in
Powermix mode: runs, 12 tracks offered
- 7100/80 with
Audiomedia II: runs, 4 tracks available
- 7100/80 with
Session 8/882: runs, 8 tracks available
- 7100/80 with
ProTools 442: runs, tracks unspecified (requires
DAE/DSI v3.02)
- 7100/80 in
Powermix mode: runs, 12 tracks available
- 7100/66 in
Powermix mode: runs, 8 tracks available
- 6100/80 in
Powermix mode: runs, 8 tracks available
- 6100/66 in
Powermix mode: runs, 8 tracks available
- 6100/60 in
Powermix mode: runs, 8 tracks available
- Performa 6300
in Powermix mode: tests failed to date
- Radius 81/110
with Sound Tools II: runs, 4 tracks available
- Radius 81/110
with Audiomedia II: runs, 4 tracks available
- Radius 81/110
with ProTools 442: won't launch, DAE Error -9024
- Radius 81/110
in Powermix mode: runs, 16 tracks offered
- Power Computing
120 in Powermix mode: runs, 16 tracks available
- Power Computing
100 with Sound Tools II: runs, 4 tracks available
- Power Computing
100 with Audiomedia II: runs, 4 tracks available
- Powerbook 5300
in Powermix mode: runs, 2 tracks available
- Powerbook 1400
in Powermix mode: runs, tracks unspecified
- Quadra 950
with SysAxe and four 442: runs, 16 tracks available (requires
DAE/DSI v3.02)
- Quadra 950
with Session 8/882: runs, 8 tracks available
- Quadra 950
with Audiomedia II: runs, 4 tracks available
- Quadra 900
with Sound Tools II: runs, tracks unspecified
- Quadra 840AV
with Audiomedia II: runs, 4 tracks available
- Quadra 800
with Audiomedia II: runs, 4 tracks available
- Quadra 650
with SysAxe and two 442: runs, 8 tracks available*
- Quadra 650
with Session 8/882: runs, 8 tracks available
- Quadra 650
with Audiomedia II: runs, 4 tracks available
- Centris 650
with Session 8/882 (& PPC upgrade card): runs, tracks unspecified
- Mac IIfx with
Session 8/882: runs, 8 tracks available
- Mac IIfx with
Audiomedia II: runs, 4 tracks available
- Mac IIci with
Session 8/882: runs, 8 tracks available
- Mac IIci with
Audiomedia II: runs, 4 tracks available
•
Unsupported PCI Systems
- iMac G3/400
DV in Powermix mode: runs, 16 tracks available
- iMac G3/333
in Powermix mode: runs, 16 tracks available
- iMac G3/233
in Powermix mode: runs, 16 tracks available
- Powerbook G4/500
(Titanium) in Powermix mode, Digigram VX Pocket: runs, 16 tracks
available
- Powerbook G3/400
(Pismo) in Powermix mode: runs, 16 tracks available
- Powerbook G3
(WallStreet) in Powermix mode: runs, 16 tracks available
- iBook (1st
gen) in Powermix mode: runs, 16 tracks available
- G4/800MP (QuickSilver)
in Powermix mode: runs, 16 tracks available
- G4/450 (Grey)
in Powermix mode: runs, 16 tracks available
- G4/400 (Grey)
in Powermix mode: runs, 16 tracks available
- G4/350 (Grey)
in Powermix mode: runs, tracks unspecified
- G3/350 (Blue)
in Powermix mode: runs, 16 tracks available
- G3/300 (Blue)
in Powermix mode: runs, 16 tracks available
- G3/266 (Beige)
with Audiomedia III: runs, 8 tracks available
- 9600/300 in
Powermix mode: runs, 16 tracks available
- 7600/132 in
Powermix mode, runs, 16 tracks available
- 6500/250 in
Powermix mode: runs, 8 tracks tested
- PowerTower
400 (G3 card) in Powermix mode: runs, 16 tracks available
- PowerTower
166 in Powermix mode: runs, 8 tracks available
Thanks
to all who took the time to test things on their systems and report the
results.
Thanks to Digidesign for providing this free software. Long live the Mac!
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