Qualified SCSI HBA Cards

With Pro Tools Systems for Mac OS X

Power Mac G4 & G5 PCI Models
(Not compatible with Power Mac G5 PCI Express models)

The following SCSI cards and SCSI drivers are officially qualified with all Pro Tools|HD and Pro Tools|HD Accel systems with Pro Tools HD 7.0/7.1, Pro Tools TDM version 6.9.2/6.9.3 software for Mac OS X 10.4, and Pro Tools TDM version 6.2.3, 6.4, 6.7 and 6.9 3 for Mac OS X 10.3 with all qualified Apple Power Mac G5 and G4 models.

  • These cards are also qualified for up to 64 tracks with Pro Tools TDM 6.4.1 for Pro Tools|24 MIX systems on qualified Power Mac G4 models
  • Although not necessary to achieve full track count, SCSI drives can also be used with Pro Tools LE and Pro Tools M-Powered systems

Power Mac G5 PCI Express Models

The following PCIe storage host adapter card is now qualified with the Power Mac G5 PCI Express models:

  • ExpressPCI UL5D - Dual-channel Ultra320 PCI Express SCSI Host Adapter
  • Default Settings in the ATTO Configuration Tool

Compatibility Summary for SCSI HBA Cards on Supported Power Mac G5 and G4 Models
Click on links for additional details, including drivers/firmware required and performance guides. See below for information on ATTO Utilities, Unsupported SCSI Cards, and Known Issues.

Supported SCSI Cards for Qualified Power Mac Models

  • ATTO ExpressPCI UL5D - Dual-channel Ultra320 PCI Express SCSI Host Adapter
    • Power Mac G5 PCI Express models only
    • Qualified with Pro Tools HD 7.1 and higher only
  • ATTO ExpressPCI UL4D - Dual-channel Ultra320-to-PCI-X SCSI Host Adapter
    • Power Mac PCI models only
    • Qualified with Pro Tools HD 7.0 and higher only
  • ATTO ExpressPCI UL3D - Dual-channel Ultra160 SCSI Host Adapter

Not Supported on Power Mac G5 or Tested with Pro Tools 6.9 or higher

  • ATTO EPCI-DC (included with Digidesign SCSI64 Kit)
  • ATTO EPCI-UL3D (66 MHz, model # EPCI-UL3D-066)

Supported SCSI Cards for Qualified Power Mac G4 Models

*Not Tested With Pro Tools 6.9 or higher

Not Supported on Power Mac G4

  • ATTO EPCI-UL3D (66 MHz, model # EPCI-UL3D-066)

ATTO Configuration Tool Settings

Pro Tools|HD and Pro Tools|HD Accel Systems with ATTO ExpressPCI UL5D

  • Default Settings (hit Default in the ATTO Configuration Tool)

Pro Tools|HD and Pro Tools|HD Accel Systems with ATTO ExpressPCI UL4D

  • Default Settings (hit Default in the ATTO Configuration Tool)

Pro Tools|HD and Pro Tools|HD Accel Systems with SCSI|128 (UL3D)

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

Pro Tools|HD and Pro Tools|HD Accel Systems with SCSI64 (EPCI-DC)

  • Sync Rate: 20 (10)
  • PCI Burst Rate: 32

Pro Tools|24 MIX Systems with SCSI|128 (UL3D) or SCSI64 (EPCI-DC)

  • Sync Rate: 20 (10)
  • PCI Burst Rate: 32

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 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 LE Systems
  • SCSI|128 Product Information
  • ATTO EpressPCI Model # EPCI-UL3D-000 *
  • ATTO SCSI HBA driver version 3.20 required to use this card with Pro Tools 6.9-7.0. Available on the Pro Tools CD, or download ATTO Utilities from the Support->Downloads->Digidesign Storage section of the Digidesign website.
  • ATTO SCSI HBA driver version 3.10 required to use this card with Pro Tools 6.6 or 6.7. Available on the Pro Tools 6.7 CD, or download ATTO Utilities from the Support->Downloads->Digidesign Storage section of the Digidesign website.
  • ATTO SCSI HBA driver version 3.02 required to use this card with Pro Tools 6.4. Available on the Pro Tools 6.4 CD, or download from the Support->Downloads->Digidesign Storage section of the Digidesign website.
  • Although not officially supported on Pro Tools 6.4, users requiring SCSI Rescan may wish to use ATTO SCSI HBA driver version 3.10. (see SCSI Rescan below)

* 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.

SCSI Rescan

  • ATTO SCSI HBA driver version 3.10 supports “SCSI rescan” for Mac OS X 10.3.x
  • This driver, in conjunction with the ATTO Configuration tool 2.6.1 will allow users to "hot swap" SCSI drives while working in OS X 10.3 (Panther).
  • Available on the Pro Tools 6.7 CD, or download from the Support->Downloads->Digidesign Storage section of the Digidesign website.
  • An ATTO ExpressPCI UL3D (included with Digidesign SCSI|128 Kit) is required for SCSI Rescan to work

Digidesign SCSI64 Kit / ATTO ExpressPCI DC

Pro Tools 6.7 and Earlier Only — Not Tested with Pro Tools 6.9 and Higher

  • 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 3.02 required to use this card with Pro Tools 6.4. Available on the Pro Tools 6.4 CD, or download from the Support->Downloads->Digidesign Storage section of the Digidesign website.

ATTO Utilities

  • ATTO UL3D drivers version 3.20 or higher required for the Digidesign SCSI|128/ATTO UL3D. For more information, see the following:
  • This document, as well as the ATTO Utilities folder, is on the Pro Tools 6.9 CD. Also available from the Digidesign Technical Document Library
  • The ATTO Utilities folder from the Pro Tools 6.9 CD is also available from the Storage Downloads Section

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 Mac 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 will need the ExpressPCI Configuration Tool. The ATTO ExpressPCI Configuration Tool can be downloaded from the ATTO website:

The Configuration Tool will allow you to update your firmware and set up your SCSI host bus adapter correctly. For important information on how to update your firmware for Pro Tools 6.2.3/6.4 for Mac OS X 10.3 "Panther" compatibility, please see the ATTO Utilities Read Me:

ATTO Configuration Tool Settings

Pro Tools|HD and Pro Tools|HD Accel Systems with SCSI|128 (UL3D)

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

Pro Tools|HD and Pro Tools|HD Accel Systems with SCSI64 (EPCI-DC)*

  • Sync Rate: 20 (10)
  • PCI Burst Rate: 32

*Not Tested With Pro Tools 6.9 and higher

Pro Tools|24 MIX Systems with SCSI|128 (UL3D) or SCSI64 (EPCI-DC)

  • Sync Rate: 20 (10)
  • PCI Burst Rate: 32

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:

Not tested with Pro Tools Systems for Mac OS X

  • 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