Digidesign 2001 & 2002 G4 Qualification Summary

2001 & 2002 G4 Model Qualification — Pro Tools 5.x on Mac OS 9

For information on previously qualified models, see these sections at the bottom of this page:

Current Qualification Information

Apple Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors) Dual 867 MHz, Dual 1 GHz & Dual 1.25 GHz

Qualification for the 2002 "mirrored drive door" (MDD) Apple CPUs has been completed for the products listed below.

The Apple Single Processor 1 GHz, Dual 1.25 GHz, and Dual 1.42 GHz Power Mac G4 models announced by Apple in late January 2003 will only boot with OS X as the startup system. Pro Tools 5.x will not work with Mac OS X "Classic" mode, so these computers cannot be used with Pro Tools 5.x for Mac OS 9.

There are two generations of the MDD Macs with the same processor speeds. The latest models can be differentiated by calling them the "MDD FW800" (Mirrored Drive Door FireWire 800) models. The MDD FW800 models announced by Apple in late January 2003 include the same 2 previous FireWire ports plus the new FireWire 800 port.

  • MDD Dual Processor 1 GHz (OS X and OS 9) Qualified with Pro Tools 5.x
  • MDD FW800 Single Processor 1 GHz (OS X only)
  • MDD Dual Processor 1.25 GHz (OS X and OS 9) Qualified with Pro Tools 5.x
  • MDD FW800 Dual Processor 1.25 GHz (OS X only)

Dual 867 MHz, Dual 1 GHz & Dual 1.25 GHz G4 — 2002 Models

Qualifications — Completed

The following have been officially qualified for use with the 2002 "mirrored drive doors" Dual 867 MHz, Dual 1 GHz, and Dual 1.25 GHz G4 Apple computers.

Pro Tools Systems

Apple Power Mac G4 "Mirrored Drive Doors" Models — Dual 867 MHz, Dual 1 GHz, and Dual 1.25 GHz with Digi 001 and d24 systems

Some Digi 001 and Pro Tools d24 users have experienced a system hang on startup with early models of these CPUs. If you have experienced this problem with either d24 hardware or a Digi 001 when connected to one of the "mirrored door" G4s, you should contact AppleCare at 1 800 APL-CARE (within the U.S.). For those customers outside of the US, there should be an AppleCare card included in your Apple product packaging which has the local AppleCare phone number. When contacting AppleCare, customers should refer to the "Digidesign Digi 001 or d24 audio system".

Pro Tools|HD Card Order

For all HD Cards, all testing on the Apple Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors) Dual 867 MHz, Dual 1 GHz & Dual 1.25 GHz models was performed with the HD Core card in the lowest numbered PCI slot. This requires re-bending the TDM cable. This was adopted as the supported configuration as it follows the established conventional PCI slot order for Digidesign cards: Core card in the lowest number PCI slot, Process/Farm cards in higher slot numbers. This was also adopted because DigiTest produces a misconfigure error dialog if the card order is any other.

Optional PCI Cards

  • HD Process
  • MIX Farm
  • MIX I/O
  • DSP Farm (with AMCC chip "QC" or higher)
  • SampleCell II Plus
  • SampleCell TDM Module (with PT24 & MIX systems, not compatible with HD)

I/O Interfaces

  • 192 I/O
  • 192 Digital I/O
  • 96 I/O
  • PRE
  • 888|24 I/O
  • 882|20 I/O
  • 1622 I/O
  • 24-bit ADAT Bridge I/O
  • 888 I/O (with MIX systems, not compatible with HD)
  • 882 I/O (with MIX systems, not compatible with HD)

Expansion Chassis

  • Digidesign 13-Slot Expansion Chassis
  • Magma 13-slot Expansion Chassis
  • Digidesign 7-Slot Expansion Chassis
  • SBS 7-slot Expansion Chassis
  • SBS 13-slot Expansion Chassis
  • Magma 7-slot model P7R (32-bit)
  • Magma 7-slot model P7R464-D1 and P7R464C1.5-D1 (64-bit - HD Only)

Storage

  • DigiDrive 9|10k, 18|10k, 36|10k, 73|10k SCSI Drives
  • DigiDrive FireWire 80
  • ATTO ExpressPro-Tools 2.7 disk utility
  • ATTO EPCI-DC SCSI HBA card (SCSI64 Kit)
  • ATTO EPCI-UL2D SCSI HBA card (discontinued)
  • ATTO EPCI-UL3D SCSI HBA card
  • Digidesign SCSI|128 Kit

Optional Digidesign Hardware

  • AVoption|XL
  • AVoption
  • ProControl with up to 5 Fader Pack units
  • Edit Pack
  • Control|24
  • MIDI I/O
  • SYNC I/O
  • Universal Slave Driver (USD)

Optional Digidesign Software

  • Soft SampleCell
  • Optional Digidesign Plug-Ins
  • MachineControl
  • MasterList CD
  • DigiTranslator
  • PostConform
  • FilmFrame

MIDI Interfaces

  • Digidesign MIDI I/O
  • MOTU Fastlane (USB)
  • Emagic AMT8 (USB/Serial)

Additional Third-Party Hardware & Software

  • Imation Superdisk
  • Newer Technology uDrive
  • SmartDisk/VST USB Floppy Drive (FDUSB-M)
  • iLok (PACE USB Authorization Key)
  • CM Labs Motor Mix
  • Mackie HUI
  • Canopus ADVC-100
  • Aurora Fuse video capture card
  • Griffin gPort II modem-to-serial adapter
  • Stealth Port, by GeeThree modem-to-serial adapter
  • Keyspan USA28x (for use with MachineControl, not compatible with MIDI devices)
  • European Language OS

Dual Monitor AGP Graphics Cards

  • NVIDIA GeForce4 MX (as shipped from Apple — standard on the Dual 867 MHZ Power Mac G4)
  • ATI Radeon 9000 Pro (as shipped from Apple — standard on the Dual 1 GHz & Dual 1.25 GHz Power Mac G4)

Note: The NVIDIA GeForce4 Titanium built-to-order option from Apple not tested.

Digidesign 2002 G4 Qualification — Prevously Qualified

see also 2001 G4 Qualification

Status Report — March 2002

Qualification Announcement For Apple's 2002 Power Mac G4 (Quicksilver) Desktop Models

  • 800 MHz Power Mac G4
  • 933 MHz Power Mac G4
  • Dual 1 GHz Power Mac G4 (previous model without mirrored drive bay doors)

The above Power Mac G4 models have officially been qualified by Digidesign for use with the products listed below. Additional Computer Requirements, (System RAM, etc.,) as listed on the Digidesign Compatibility Documents remain the same, with the exception of Mac OS as detailed in the following section.

Known Issues:

  1. The "Quicksilver" 2002 G4 models require Mac OS 9.2.2 to run Pro Tools. Users should not attempt to install OS 9.1, or run OSX, (including Classic mode), with Pro Tools on these machines. The Quicksilver G4 models have been tested with the Mac OS as shippped from Apple on these machines, with a dual boot system which includes both OS 9.2.2 and OS X. Although you cannot use Pro Tools with OS X, it is not necessary to remove OS X from these computers.
  2. Whenever updating any operating system, particularly if you are updating Mac OS X for use with other applications, it is recommended that you remove any plug-in key disk authorizations and store them on the floppy disk before upating or installing the Mac OS. After updating the OS, you can then re-install the key disk authorizations after first booting in OS 9.
  3. Pro Tools currently does not utilize the second processor in dual processor Power Mac G4 models. If problems (such as -6042 errors) occur when using Pro Tools on a Dual Processor CPU, Digidesign recommends the following: Download and install ApplePCI - Apple Multiprocessor and G4 PowerBook Expansion Chassis Fix
  4. The current version of DigiTest does not yet recognize the 2002 models because of their newer graphics cards and will give an incorrect error message that your system is misconfigured (even though it is configured correctly). Follow the instructions to continue past the error message to have DigiTest analyze your Digidesign cards.
  5. The following problem has been noted with Apple G4 "Quicksilver" models only when used with the Apple Cinema HD Display (23" flat panel) and Pro Tools. This problem only occurs when using the highest resolution of the 23" HD Cinema Display (1920 x 1200).
    Edit Window: Waveform overviews, waveform backgrounds, and grid lines are not drawn or are drawn over by gray "boxes", when scrolling down with Apple 23" Cinema Display.
    If you have an Apple G4 "Quicksilver" model and the Apple Cinema HD Display (23" flat panel), download Pro Tools 5.3.1cs4 for Pro Tools|HD systems or Pro Tools 5.1.3cs9 for Pro Tools|24 and MIX systems, which fixes this problem. Note: This problem does not occur on the newer G4 "mirrored drive door" models, and does not occur with the Apple Cinema Display (22" flat panel) or Apple Studio Display (17" flat panel).

The following have been qualified on Apple's Power Macintosh Desktop G4 800 MHz, 933 MHz, and Dual 1 GHz models:

Pro Tools Software

  • Pro Tools 5.3 (for Pro Tools|HD)
  • Pro Tools 5.1.3
  • Pro Tools 5.2 (for DigiStudio)
  • Pro Tools 5.1.1
  • Pro Tools LE 5.2 (for Mbox)
  • Pro Tools LE 5.1.1

Mac OS

  • Mac OS 9.2.2
  • European Language Mac OS

Pro Tools Systems

  • Pro Tools|HD
  • Pro Tools|24 MIX
  • Pro Tools|24 MIXplus
  • Pro Tools|24 MIX3
  • Pro Tools|24
  • Digi 001
  • Mbox
  • Digi ToolBox/Audiomedia III

Optional PCI Cards

  • HD Process
  • MIX Farm
  • MIX I/O
  • DSP Farm
  • SampleCell II Plus (the use of multiple SampleCell II cards in 2001 & 2002 G4 models requires Pro Tools 5.1.1 or higher)
  • SampleCell TDM Module (Pro Tools|24 & MIX only. Not compatibile with Pro Tools|HD systems)

I/O Interfaces

  • 192 I/O
  • 192 Digital I/O
  • 96 I/O
  • 888|24 I/O
  • 888 I/O
  • 882|20 I/O
  • 882 I/O
  • 24-bit ADAT Bridge I/O
  • 1622 I/O

Expansion Chassis

  • Pro Tools 13-Slot Expansion Chassis
  • Pro Tools 7-Slot Expansion Chassis
  • SBS 13-slot Expansion Chassis
  • Magma 7-slot P7R-D1

Optional Digidesign Hardware

  • AVoption
  • AVoption|XL
  • Control24
  • Edit Pack (requires Pro Tools 5.1 or higher)
  • Motor Mix (1.0.8)
  • ProControl with up to 5 Fader Pack units (5 Fader Packs require Pro Tools 5.1 or higher)
  • Sync I/O (qualified with Pro Tools|HD with Pro Tools 5.3)
  • Universal Slave Driver (USD)

Optional Digidesign Software

  • Avid Drive Utility
  • DigiTranslator
  • FilmFrame (24P)
  • MachineControl
  • MasterList CD
  • Optional Digidesign Plug-Ins
  • PostConform
  • Soft SampleCell

Storage

  • DigiDrive SCSI Drives
  • DigiDrive FireWire 80
  • Digidesign SCSI64 Kit
  • ATTO EPCI-DC SCSI card
  • ATTO ExpressPro Tools disk utility v2.7 or higher, available at: www.attotech.com/software

MIDI Interfaces

  • MOTU Fastlane (USB)
  • Opcode MIDIport32 2x2 (USB)
  • AMT8 (USB/Serial)
  • Digi 001 MIDI ports (with Pro Tools LE only)

Dual Monitor AGP Graphics Cards

  • Appian Jeronimo 2000 Macintosh (with version 1.4.1 drivers and the included firmware update. additional notes)
  • ProMax DH-Max (disable ProMax drivers when using with Pro Tools. Both monitors set to "thousands of colors" instead of 256. Not yet qualified with 13-slot chassis)
  • NVIDIA GeForce4 MX (as shipped from Apple — standard on the 933 MHz & Dual 1 GHz Power Mac G4 models)
  • ATI Radeon 7500 (as shipped from Apple — standard on the 800 MHz Power Mac G4)

Note: The NVIDIA GeForce4 Titanium built-to-order option from Apple not yet tested.

* ProMax DH-Max Notes: Occasionally when booting a system with the ProMax DH-Max dual monitor card, the top portion of the monitors are black, the apple menu bar appears in the middle of the screen, the bottom portion of the desktop is unreachable, or the desktop may be offset to one side. A reboot will usually solve this problem. Otherwise, you can open the Monitor control panel and rearrange the monitors.

Additional Third-Party Hardware & Software:

Full compatibility testing was performed with Pro Tools 5.1.1 and higher.

For current Apple computer models and specifications, see www.apple.com

For other Apple computers and specifications, see www.everymac.com and www.applespec.com

Digidesign 2001 G4 Qualification — October 2001

See also 2002 G4 Qualification

Notes:

Does not contain information on Pro Tools|HD or Mbox systems, both released in 2002, or the single processor 800 MHz Power Mac G4, 933 MHz Power Mac G4, and Dual 1-GHz PowerPC G4 models in the previous section.

Status Report — October 4, 2001

Qualification Announcement For Apple's 2001 Power Mac G4 (Quicksilver)

  • 733 MHz Power Mac G4 (2nd generation, does not have level 3 cache)
  • 867 MHz Power Mac G4
  • Dual 800 MHz Power Mac G4

Apple's Latest Power Mac G4 models have officially been qualified by Digidesign for use with the products listed below. Additional Computer Requirements, (System RAM, etc.,) as listed on the Digidesign Compatibility Documents remain the same, with the exception of Mac OS as detailed in the following section.

Known Issues:

  1. The "Quicksilver" G4 models require Mac OS 9.2, 9.2.1 or 9.2.2 to run Pro Tools. Users should not attempt to install OS 9.1, or run OSX, (including Classic mode), with Pro Tools on these machines. The Quicksilver G4 models have been tested with the Mac OS as shippped from Apple on these machines, with a dual boot system which includes both OS 9.2.x and OS X. Although you cannot use Pro Tools with OS X, it is not necessary to remove OS X from these computers. *

  2. Pro Tools currently does not utilize the second processor in dual processor Power Mac G4 models. If problems (such as -6042 errors) occur when using Pro Tools on a Dual Processor CPU, Digidesign recommends the following: Download and install ApplePCI - Apple Multiprocessor and G4 PowerBook Expansion Chassis Fix

  3. When running DigiTest v5.1.1 on the 867 MHz and 800 MHz dual-processor models, DigiTest reports a configuration problem if the ATTO Express PCI DC is installed. An erroneous error occurs when it scans the ATTO Express PCI DC (SCSI HBA card), however the card passes if you continue the test. This problem does not occur when running DigiTest on the 733 MHz model.

  4. On some G4 models running Mac OS 9.2, 9.2.1 or 9.2.2, graphics in the Fades window may appear in the wrong color, or the fade lines may be invisible. Clicking outside the Fade window causes the window to redraw with the correct colors.

  5. The following problem has been noted with Apple G4 "Quicksilver" models only when used with the Apple Cinema HD Display (23" flat panel) and Pro Tools. This problem only occurs when using the highest resolution of the 23" HD Cinema Display (1920 x 1200).
    Edit Window: Waveform overviews, waveform backgrounds, and grid lines are not drawn or are drawn over by gray "boxes", when scrolling down with Apple 23" Cinema Display. Workarounds:
    a) resize the Edit window so that it is not maximized. If it takes up about 2/3 of the screen, you shouldn't see screen redraw problems.
    b) lower the screen resolution down from the maximum resolution to anything else.
    Note: This problem does not occur on the newer G4 "mirrored drive door" models, and does not occur with the Apple Cinema Display (22" flat panel) or Apple Studio Display (17" flat panel).

* Additional Mac OS Notes: Mac OS 9.2, 9.2.1 and 9.2.2 have only been tested with the Quicksilver G4 models. Earlier models that do not require OS 9.2 have not been tested for compatibility with Mac OS 9.2 or higher. In addition, you should not install OS X on the same partition or hard drive with Mac OS 9.x that you use as your startup drive for Pro Tools on pre-Quicksilver G4 models.

The following have been qualified on Apple's Power Macintosh Desktop G4 733 MHz, 867 MHz, and Dual 800 MHz models:

Pro Tools Systems

  • Pro Tools|24 MIX
  • Pro Tools|24 MIXplus
  • Pro Tools|24 MIX3
  • Pro Tools|24
  • Digi 001
  • Digi ToolBox XP (Audiomedia III)

Optional PCI Cards

  • MIX Farm
  • MIX I/O
  • DSP Farm
  • SampleCell II Plus (the use of multiple SampleCell II cards in 2001 G4 models requires Pro Tools 5.1.1)
  • SampleCell TDM Module

I/O Interfaces

  • 888|24 I/O
  • 888 I/O
  • 882|20 I/O
  • 882 I/O
  • 24-bit ADAT Bridge I/O
  • 1622 I/O

Expansion Chassis

  • Pro Tools 13-Slot Expansion Chassis
  • Pro Tools 7-Slot Expansion Chassis
  • Magma 7-slot P7R-D1
  • SBS 13-slot Expansion Chassis

Optional Digidesign Hardware

  • AVoption|XL
  • AVoption
  • ProControl with up to 5 Fader Pack units (5 Fader Packs require Pro Tools 5.1 or higher)
  • Edit Pack (requires Pro Tools 5.1 or higher)
  • Control|24 (requires Pro Tools 5.1 or higher)
  • Motor Mix (1.0.8), HUI, PC 1600
  • Universal Slave Driver (USD)
  • Video Slave Driver (VSD)
  • SMPTE Slave Driver ( SSD, discontinued)

Optional Digidesign Software

  • Soft SampleCell
  • Optional Digidesign Plug-Ins
  • MasterList CD
  • MachineControl
  • DigiTranslator
  • PostConform
  • FilmFrame

Storage

  • DigiDrive 9|10k, 18|10k, 36|10k
  • ATTO ExpressPro Tools disk utility (Note: Mac OS 9.2 requires ATTO ExpressPro-Tools v2.7 or higher, available at: http://www.attotech.com/software/ )
  • ATTO EPCI-DC SCSI HBA card (SCSI64 Kit)
  • ATTO EPCI-UL2D SCSI HBA card for AVoptionXL video storage
  • Adaptec 2906 SCSI HBA (for LE systems only)

MIDI Interfaces

  • Digidesign MIDI I/O (USB)
  • MOTU Fastlane (USB)
  • MIDIport32 2x2 (USB)
  • AMT8 (USB/Serial)
  • Digi 001 MIDI ports (with Pro Tools LE only)

Additional Third-Party Hardware & Software:

Information on how to differentiate between G4 models can be found on Apple's website here:
http://www.info.apple.com/kbnum/n58418

For current Apple computer models and specifications, see www.apple.com

For other Apple computers and specifications, see www.everymac.com and www.applespec.com

Full compatibility testing was performed with Pro Tools 5.1.1 and higher

Status Report — Previously Completed

Digidesign currently supports the following Apple 4 PCI slot 2001 G4 Models. Full compatibility testing was performed with Pro Tools 5.1 and higher.

Testing Completed With the Following Computers:

466 MHz Power Mac G4 533 MHz Power Mac G4 Dual 533 MHz Power Mac G4
667 MHz Power Mac G4 733 MHz Power Mac G4
(1st generation, with 1 MB backside level 3 cache)

Qualification limited to the following products:

  • Pro Tools 5.1 or higher software running on Mac OS v9.1

  • Pro Tools|24 MIX

  • Pro Tools|24 MIXplus

  • MIX Farm

  • MIX I/O

  • Pro Tools|24

  • DSP Farm (Merle II)

  • AVoption

  • AVoption|XL

  • 888|24 I/O

  • 888 I/O

  • 882|20 I/O

  • 882 I/O

  • 24-Bit ADAT Bridge I/O

  • 1622 I/O

  • ProControl

  • ProControl with 5 Fader Pack units (requires Pro Tools 5.1 or higher)

  • Edit Pack (requires Pro Tools 5.1 or higher)

  • Control|24 (requires Pro Tools 5.1 or higher)

  • Universal Slave Driver (USD)

  • SampleCell II Plus (the use of multiple SampleCell II cards in 2001 G4 models requires Pro Tools 5.1.1)

  • SampleCell TDM Module

  • Soft SampleCell

  • Digi 001

  • Digi ToolBox XP (Audiomedia III)

  • Optional Digidesign Plug-Ins

  • MasterList CD

  • DigiTranslator

  • MachineControl

  • PostConform

  • FilmFrame

  • Pro Tools 13-Slot Expansion Chassis

  • Pro Tools 7-Slot Expansion Chassis

  • DigiDrive 9|10k, 18|10k, 36|10k

  • SBS 13-slot Expansion Chassis

  • SBS 13-slot Expansion Chassis with AVoption

  • ATTO ExpressPro Tools disk utility
    Note: Mac OS 9.2 requires ATTO ExpressPro-Tools v2.7 or higher, available at: http://www.attotech.com/software

  • ATTO EPCI-DC SCSI HBA card (SCSI64 Kit)

  • ATTO EPCI-UL2D SCSI HBA card for AVoptionXL video storage

  • Adaptec 2906 SCSI HBA (for LE systems only)

  • Griffin g4Port

  • Stealth Port, by GeeThree (new version)

  • Keyspan USA28x

  • Motor Mix (1.0.8), HUI, PC 1600

  • Appian Jeronimo 2000

  • Aurora Fuse (with v2.0.2 drivers)

  • Imation Superdisk

  • AMT8 (USB/Serial)

  • Digi 001 MIDI ports (with Pro Tools LE only)