Qualified SCSI HBA Cards — Pro Tools 6.2.3 Systems for Mac OS X 10.3.2 (Panther)

Although not necessary to achieve full track count, SCSI drives can also be used with Pro Tools LE systems.

The following cards and SCSI drivers are officially qualified with all Pro Tools TDM version 6.2.3 systems for Mac OS X 10.3.2 with all qualified Apple Power Mac G5 and G4 models:

Digidesign SCSI|128 Kit / ATTO ExpressPCI UL3D

  • ATTO ExpressPCI UL3D
  • Dual Channel Ultra3 SCSI Host Bus Adapter (HBA)
  • Supports full 192 tracks (@48kHz) of playback and record with Pro Tools|HD Accel Systems
  • Supports full 128 tracks (@48kHz) of playback and record with Pro Tools|HD Systems
  • Supports full 32 tracks (@48kHz) of playback and record with Pro Tools LE Systems
  • SCSI|128 Product Information
  • ATTO EpressPCI Model # EPCI-UL3D-000 *
  • ATTO SCSI HBA driver version 3.0.2 required to use this card with Pro Tools 6.2.3. Available on the Pro Tools 6.2.3 CD, or download from the Support->Downloads->Digidesign Storage section of the Digidesign website.

* The 66MHz version of the ATTO EPCI-UL3D (model # EPCI-UL3D-066) is not supported for use with Pro Tools systems, regardless of whether your Pro Tools system is installed on a 33 MHz or 66 MHz PCI bus. The 66 MHz version is tuned for performance on a 66 MHz PCI bus. However, when Pro Tools is installed in a 66 MHz PCI bus, it reduces the speed of the PCI bus to 33 MHz. As a result, you will receive superior performance with the 33 MHz UL3D (model # EPCI-UL3D-000), because it is tuned for a 33 MHz PCI bus.

Digidesign SCSI64 Kit / ATTO ExpressPCI DC

  • ATTO ExpressPCI DC included
  • Dual Channel Ultra/WIDE SCSI Host Bus Adapter (HBA)
  • The ATTO EPCI-DC card currently has a track limit of 64 tracks (@48kHz) in OSX
  • The ATTO EPCI-DC card is not compatible with Power Mac G5
  • Discontinued
  • ATTO SCSI HBA driver version 3.0.2 required to use this card with Pro Tools 6.2.3. Available on the Pro Tools 6.2.3 CD, or download from the Support->Downloads->Digidesign Storage section of the Digidesign website.

Please see the ATTO Utilities Read Me for important information on how to update your firmware for Pro Tools 6.2.3 for Mac OS X 10.3 "Panther" compatibility, and required settings for the above SCSI HBA cards and your Pro Tools system.

ATTO Utilities

The Pro Tools installer CD contains an ATTO utility specifically for Mac OS X users. It is located on the Pro Tools installer CD in a folder labeled ATTO Utilities.

ATTO ExpressPCI Configuration Tool

You must install this if you are using a Digidesign SCSI64, Digidesign SCSI|128, ATTO EPCI-DC or ATTO EPCI-UL3D SCSI Host Bus Adapter card with a Macintosh OS X system.

The cards listed above control the flow of SCSI data to and from your computer, and they must have the proper firmware and be set correctly for maximum performance. If you are using one of these cards, you should run the ATTO Config Tool installer located in the ATTO Utilities folder of the Pro Tools installer CD. This will install the ExpressPCI Configuration Tool version 2.60 in the Applications folder of your system drive, as well as a series of extensions in your System/Library/Extensions folder. You can also download the ExpressPCI Configuration Tool from http://www.attotech.com/software/osxconfigtool.html

The Configuration Tool will allow you to update your firmware and set up your SCSI host bus adapter correctly. The extensions are required to make sure that OSX does not override the correct settings.

Please see the ATTO Utilities Read Me for important information on how to update your firmware for Pro Tools 6.2.3 for Mac OS X 10.3 "Panther" compatibility. The required settings for Pro Tools|HD are as follows:

  • Sync Rate: 160 DT
  • PCI Burst Rate: 128
  • Fallback Sync rate: 20/10

ATTO ExpressStripe

  • Although this is an option, it is not necessary to use ATTO ExpressStripe with SCSI drives and Pro Tools 6.
  • You can use Apple Disk Utility to format or partition drives for use with Pro Tools on OS X.
  • Apple Disk Utility can be found in the Applications/Utilities folder on your OS X hard drive, or in the Apple Menu when booted from the OS X installation CD.
  • The ATTO ExpressStripe software which was included on the Pro Tools 6.0 CD requires a separate purchase from ATTO.
  • ATTO ExpressStripe can be purchased for $99 (USD) directly from ATTO from their website at www.atttotech.com

You must install ATTO ExpressStripe if you wish to create striped volumes, or if you wish to mount striped volumes created by ATTO ExpressRaid in OS 9. Striped volumes are separate drives that are formatted to appear as a single drive on your desktop. Striped drives are not supported for audio recording and playback, but are often used for video playback.

Additional Notes — Unsupported SCSI Cards & Known Issues:

May work but will not be tested with this release:

  • ATTO EPCI Single-channel SCSI HBA

Known Incompatiblities:

  • Adaptec 2940UW and 3940UW cards with G4s are unsuitable for full Pro Tools performance. Due to PCI bus related issues the Adaptec 2940UW and 3940UW SCSI HBA cards are unable to provide full Pro Tools performance. Additionally, Adaptec has discontinued these cards, and as a result there will be no future engineering support from Adaptec.
  • Optional SCSI HBA cards bundled (by Apple) with some G4 computers are not compatible with Pro Tools due to the lack of NVRAM to store the desired SCSI transfer rate. This means that these cards cannot be configured for use with Pro Tools.
Digidesign Compatibility Documents Index