Qualified SCSI HBA Cards — Pro Tools 6.x Systems for Mac OS X 10.2 (Jaguar)

Although not necessary to achieve full track count, SCSI drives can also be used with Pro Tools LE systems. Note: SCSI devices are not supported with Pro Tools LE 6.0.2 for Digi 002 and 002 Rack. Pro Tools LE 6.1 or higher is required to use SCSI devices on 002 systems.

The following cards are officially qualified with all Pro Tools TDM version 6.1 and higher and Pro Tools LE version 6.1 and higher systems for Mac OS X with all Digidesign-qualified Apple PowerMac G4 AGP Graphics models:

Digidesign SCSI|128 Kit

  • ATTO ExpressPCI UL3D
  • Dual Channel Ultra3 SCSI Host Bus Adapter
  • 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 64 tracks (@48kHz) of playback and record with Pro Tools|24 MIX Systems
  • Supports full 32 tracks (@48kHz) of playback and record with Pro Tools|24 and Pro Tools LE Systems
  • Product Information

ATTO ExpressPCI UL3D

  • Dual Channel Ultra3 SCSI Host Bus Adapter
  • 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 64 tracks (@48kHz) of playback and record with Pro Tools|24 MIX Systems
  • Supports full 32 tracks (@48kHz) of playback and record with Pro Tools|24 and Pro Tools LE Systems
  • Product Information
  • Model # EPCI-UL3D-000 *

* 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 included
  • Dual Channel Ultra/WIDE SCSI Host Bus Adapter
  • 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 ExpressPCI DC

Please see the ATTO Utilities Read Me for important information on how to update your firmware for Pro Tools 6.0 for OS X compatibility, and required settings for the above SCSI HBA cards and your Pro Tools system.

Digidesign SCSI|128/ATTO EPCI-UL3D Support for Pro Tools v6.0

If you are using Pro Tools 6.0 and you have either a Digidesign SCSI|128 or ATTO EPCI-UL3D SCSI host bus adapter card installed in your system, you must run the SCSI128/ATTO UL3D Support installer, located inside the SCSI128/ATTO UL3D Users Install folder on the Pro Tools 6.0 Installer CD.

Note: Pro Tools 6.0.1 and higher users should not use the SCSI128/ATTO UL3D Support installer.

The SCSI128/ATTO UL3D Support installer is no longer needed with Pro Tools 6.0.1 and is no longer included on Pro Tools 6.0.1 and higher installation CDs. It is only required if you are using a Digidesign SCSI|128 or ATTO EPCI-UL3D SCSI host bus adapter card with Pro Tools version 6.0.

ATTO Utilities

The Pro Tools installer CD contains two ATTO utilities specifically for OSX users. They are 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 OSX 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 2.1 in the Applications folder of your system drive, as well as a series of extensions in your System/Library/Extensions folder.

You should only use the ExpressPCI Configuration Tool version 2.10 included on the Pro Tools 6 installer CD. Other versions of the ExpressPCI Configuration Tool, such as newer versions from the ATTO website are not compatible with Pro Tools 6.0. See Known Issues at the bottom of this page for more information.

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 6.0 for OS X compatibility, and required settings for your particular SCSI HBA card and Pro Tools system.

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 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

The following sentence in the ATTO Utilities Read Me on the Pro Tools 6.0 CD is incorrect:

You must install this utility to format or partition drives for use with Pro Tools on OS X.

The Mac OS X Disk Utility can be used instead to format or partition drives. The rest of this information in the ATTO Utilities Read Me is correct:

You must also install this (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.

Please see the ATTO Utilities Read Me for important information on how to update your firmware for Pro Tools 6.0 for OS X compatibility, and required settings for your particular SCSI HBA card and Pro Tools system.

Additional Notes — Unsupported SCSI Cards & Known Issues:

May work but will not be tested with this release:

  • ATTO EPCI Single-channel SCSI HBA
  • Adaptec SCSI HBAs

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.

Known Issues — ATTO ExpressPCI Configuration Tool Version 2.10 Required:

You should only use the ExpressPCI Configuration Tool version 2.10 included on the Pro Tools 6 installer CD. Other versions of the ExpressPCI Configuration Tool, such as newer versions from the ATTO website or included in retail packaging with ATTO cards are not compatible with Pro Tools 6.0.

If you have already installed an incompatible version of the Configuration Tool, such as v2.30, you may experience errors such as white noise during playback or -6042 errors. When when trying to access the channel page, you will see the following:

If you have installed version 2.30, there is an Uninstaller Utility that's installed in the Configuration Tool folder that can be used to remove the v2.30 installation. Then simply run the 2.10 Installer from the Pro Tools 6.0 CD. Also, make sure you have run the SCSI|128/ATTO UL-3D Support Utility from the Pro Tools 6.0 CD if you have that card and you are using Pro Tools 6.0. (not needed with Pro Tools 6.0.1 and higher, see above) You may need to run both of these installers again in the following order:

  1. SCSI|128/ATTO UL-3D Support Utility (Pro Tools 6.0 users only)
  2. ExpressPCI Configuration Tool 2.10
Digidesign Compatibility Documents Index