iMac G5 — Mbox Requirements

With Pro Tools LE 6.9 for Mac OS X 10.3 (Panther)

Supported iMac G5 Computers

* First generation model with Mac OS X 10.3 Panther

Specifications

• For more information on Apple computer models and specifications, see the AppleSpec page on Apple's website
• Other resources: www.everymac.com and www.mactracker.ca

May 3, 2005 iMac G5 Models — Not Compatible with Pro Tools LE 6.9 and Earlier (Pro Tools LE 6.9.2 or higher required for Mac OS X Version 10.4 "Tiger")

The following new iMac G5 models ship with Mac OS X version 10.4 "Tiger" installed. Please see System Software below for additional information on Pro Tools 6.9 system software requirements and Pro Tools LE 6.9.2 for Mac OS X version 10.4.

Additional Requirements

System Software

• Pro Tools LE 6.9 is officially supported on Mac OS X 10.3.8 (Panther)
• Mac OS X 10.3.9 has not been fully tested with Pro Tools and is therefore not recommended
• Mac OS X Requirements, Installation, Updating & Authorizing Plug-ins

Pro Tools LE 6.9 will not work with the Mac OS X version 10.4 "Tiger" operating system. A free compatibility update for Mac OS X 10.4 is now available for Pro Tools LE users with Pro Tools LE 6.7 or higher software:

• Pro Tools LE 6.9.2 Update for Mac OS X 10.4

iLok Authorized Plug-Ins

Although not required with Pro Tools installation, an iLok USB Hardware Key may be required for installation of some plug-ins and optional software applications.

Control Surfaces & MIDI Interfaces

• Supported Hardware

Hard Drives — Audio Storage Requirements

Although limited recording and playback of audio tracks may be possible using the internal startup drive, a separate dedicated audio hard drive is highly recommended for maximum performance and track count.

Audio Storage Requirements for Record and Playback:

• Hard Drive Minimum Requirements

Firewire Hard Drives

• For best results, follow the guidelines on the FireWire Drive Requirements

Maximum Performance Guidelines

• Recording to the system startup drive is not recommended or supported
• A separate internal or external dedicated audio drive is highly recommended for maximum performance and track count

Pro Tools Does Not Support Sleep Mode

In the Macintosh System Preferences, launch Energy Saver, click the Sleep tab, and disable all Sleep features. Set "Put the computer to sleep when it is inactive" to Never. Do not manually put your computer to sleep when running Pro Tools.

Known Incompatibilities & Issues

• The Movie Offset feature affects both the QT Movie output to DV and the Onscreen movie
• If users want to use Japanese fonts in their sessions, they will not be able to use HFS (standard) drives – only HFS+ formatted drives
• Sometimes when opening a session that was based on a PT 3.2 format session, the following error may occur when Restoring IO paths: Time type mismatch occurred in "Time_Typed.cpp" line 370. A reboot may be necessary if this occurs
• System instabilities and performance issues can occur when using MIDI control surfaces in conjunction with Pro Tools 6 and 3rd party MIDI interfaces. For best multiport MIDI performance, we recommend using Digidesign's MIDI I/O.
• Pro Tools LE core systems cannot be combined, and multiple units are not supported. For instance:
  • A Digi 002 and Mbox cannot be used together on the same computer at the same time.
  • 2 Mbox units cannot be used on the same computer.
  • Digi 002 faders cannot be used with any other system.
• Pro Tools 6 does not work in the OS 9 "Classic Mode". You must choose Mac OS X as your Startup Disk.

Additional Information

• Manuals & Documentation — Technical Document Library
• Session Interchange — Pro Tools 6 & Earlier Versions
• Using Pro Tools 6 for OS X and Pro Tools 5 for OS 9 on the same computer
• Mac OS X Requirements, Installation, Updating & Authorizing Plug-ins
• iLok Information for Pro Tools 6 Plug-In Upgrades